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How to Create an Electronic Prototype

Posted: November 27, 2020 by datechguy in business, tips

Building an electronic prototype of a device is an extremely important and necessary part of electronic product development. Not only does this step let you see the potential of your product, but it also lets you spot any flaws with it.

Anyone can develop an electronic prototype of a product, regardless of their technical ability. It doesn’t matter if you’re a startup maker, an entrepreneur, a small business owner or an inventor; creating your own electronic prototype is possible. If you want to create an electronic prototype, but don’t know where to begin, then here are some pieces of advice to help you:

1.      Product Development Strategies

While most of us don’t have the necessary skills or knowledge we need to design and build an electronic prototype on our own, don’t let this put you off giving it a go. If you don’t have the necessary skills or technical knowledge to build it on your own, you could always consider asking for help or advice from a specialist. Here are some options available to you:

  • Develop the product yourself – very few people have all of the skills they need to develop an electronic product on their own. Even experienced engineers require help from specialists.
  • Bring in co-founders – ideally those who have technical knowledge
  • Outsource to a freelance engineer – freelance engineers will be able to fill in any gaps in your technical ability. Just remember that most products will need multiple engineers of different specialties and you will be responsible for managing the build.
  • Outsource to a development firm – these firms can be extremely expensive, but they will ensure your project is a success
  • Partner with an overseas manufacturer who already makes similar products – this can save money

2.      Develop Your Prototype

The development of the electronics inside your product can be broken down into the following steps:

  • The preliminary product design – this focuses on the cost, the production components, the performance, the features, the profit margin, the manufacturability, and the feasibility of the project
  • The schematic diagram – The schematic diagram is an extremely important document. It is a picture that shows the significant components of a system. This diagram shows how every component from the resistor to the microchip connects together.
  • The PCB layout – When the schematic diagram is complete you can design your PCB. This is the board that will connect all of your electrical components together.
  • Generate the BOM (Bill of Materials) – this should list every component you will need to use in your PCB. Most of the electrical parts you need to build a PCB can be found at Octopart.

3.      Build Your Prototype

As we mentioned above, you can do this yourself or you can ask a specialist to do it for you.

4.      Test Your Prototype

Once you’ve built your prototype, you will need to test and evaluate it. Check to see if there are any issues with the design or any parts that you’re not happy with. Now is the time to make necessary changes to the design.

5.      Get Your Product Certified

All electronic products require certification. If you plan on selling your product in the future, then you will need to make sure you have the right certification in place.  

Building an electronic prototype can open your eyes to the constraints or possibilities of your product. Prototyping is all about testing your ideas to see if they will work when fully complete. If you want to create an electronic prototype, then make sure you follow our advice above.

A Modest Suggestion for those who can’t tweet out The complaints from Sydney Powell’s site

Posted: November 26, 2020 by datechguy in elections, News/opinion, politics

I understand that Twitter is censoring links to Sidney Powell’s site to keep people from reading the complaints in Georgia

(more…)

Thanksgiving Thoughts, They’re Still scared Under the Fedora

Posted: November 26, 2020 by datechguy in Uncategorized

As of this writing (10:22 AM EST Wednesday) Twitter is still considering my appeal on being locked out of my account for tweeting the same link that they have in writing repeatedly stated was an error in the five previous appeals (all taking from 1 day to under sixty seconds to resolve) in which they restored me.

Apparently Benfords law is the new New York Post Hunter Biden story.

That’s why I think they’re still scared

Update: I got home around 12:15 AM after work and found an email from 8:16 PM saying once again that they make an “error” and “sincerely apologized for any inconvenience” which I’m sure has as much reality as the previous five times they offered said apology

Upwards of a sixth of the country over 50 million Americans believe that this election was stolen. Being a person familiar with numbers and statistics to some degree I don’t “believe” the election was stolen, I state is as a fact.

There is a reason why you don’t see any statistical experts being rushed before the MSM to defend the results. Numbers people in colleges know what’s happened but dare not speak it for fear of the mob.

That’s why I think they’re still scared.

As of this moment Sydney Powell has not filed her Georgia Lawsuit so I don’t know what evidence she has on the Dominion systems nor do I know the details of Rudy’s case on mail in ballots, (UPDATE: She released the Kraken last night & the PA hearings have details on this) but this piece of news, in my opinion the news that NY Dems have won a veto proof majority in their state senate after the intrepid leadership of Cuomo seems fantastic to say the least.

In fairness as Mr. Barnum noted one should not discount gullibility or stupidity in these situation but those results should raise an eyebrow or two. But given what we’ve seen from Cuomo & the Democrats already people living in New York should be very afraid.

Let’s be fair just because they’re still scared doesn’t mean that they don’t have a strong advantage at this point given the feckless behavior of the GOP but let me note one thing that they shroud be scared of.

The Trump economic boom covered a lot of liberal sins on the state level. When the tax revenues are pouring in you can afford to spend like idiots. Hell the boom is so big that at my own place of work instead of 24-32 hou weeks before Black Friday we’ve had regular overtime this month AND a voluntary Thanksgiving shift added.

If the President team fails to stop the steal the Biden Bust will replace the Trump Boom and then those blue states will have one more problem on their hands.

They should be very afraid.

Finally I had to laugh when I saw this tweet from Donald Trump Jr. concerning the two senate races in Georgia:

I understand the sentiment but if Democrats can openly steal a presidential election in Georgia without, the governor or AG or legislature acting to stop it why on earth do you think conservative Georgians would decide that it’s worth bothering to show up to vote when it’s obvious the Democrats would steal both senate races too?

The left isn’t the only people who should be very afraid.

Applications of Robots in the Plastic Injection Molding Industry

Posted: November 26, 2020 by datechguy in business, economy
Tags: ,

The never-ending increase in demand for more flexible solutions has led to industrial robots being widely used in the plastic industries today. These industrial robots are being used in almost all areas of the production process, including operations related to injection molding.

Below are some of the areas whereby industrial robots can be used to automate the process of injection molding.

Pick-and-Place

One way that industrial robots can be used in automating the injection molding process is by the use of pick-and-place robots. These robots are used to load plastic parts into the machine. They can also be used to place complete end products onto the conveyor belt.

Quality

Injection molding is a repetitive task, and when performed by human employees, it can leave room for discrepancies. Making use of the robots ensure that production is of the highest quality and ensures that products are well formed, cut with precision and that the finished product is well measured with every process.

Productivity

Incorporating robots into the injection molding process provides the manufacturers with the much-needed viable advantage with visible surges in the produced parts’ quality and productivity.

Different robots are used in various areas in the automation of plastic injection molding, they include;

  • 3-Axis Cartesian robot; Due to their high-speed processes, they are usually used for horizontal plastic injection molding machines.
  • 6-Axis Articulated robot; This injection molding robot is usually used for both the vertical and horizontal injection molding machines. They are suitable for floor space or ceiling height constraints as they allow for a larger work envelope
  • 6-Axis Collaborative robot; The 6-axis collaborative robot operates safely alongside human operators, although it cannot compete with the other 6-axis robots in terms of precision and speed.
  • 4-Axis SCARA robot; The SCARA 4-axis robot usually provides a circular work envelope, and it is mainly used for loading and unloading vertical injection molding machines.
  • Side Entry robot; The side-entry robot is best for faster cycles. It is also suitable for areas with space constraints.
  • Sprue Picker robot; The sprue picker is usually used for the removal of sprue. It can also be used for part and runner separation in the automation of plastic injection molding.

Below are some of the areas where these robots can be applied in various production processes.

Machine Tending

One of the most common applications of injection molding robots is the machine tending process. Machine tending is a labor-intensive task that involves the handling of heat-sensitive material being molded. This requires a high level of consistency when handling developed materials. As such, a robot can be used to relieve human operators from this tedious task while also minimizing the risks of being injured.

The use of robotics in machine tending has been attributed to improved production capacity and product consistency. To avoid damages to newly injected molded parts, robots fitted with inflated grippers or vacuum can guarantee careful handling of the elements.

Insert Molding

Inserts are usually metal objects such as; pin, blade, or threaded rod. They are generally put inside the plastic mold either before or after the injection process. The 6-axis robots that are often used to load/unload an injection molding machine, can add these inserts into the molding.

Plastic Over-molding

This process is where two or more separate molded parts are joined together to form one finished product. Plastic over-molding requires different degrees for fast and accurate placement of components. Robots can be used to lift molded parts from the machine and place them onto another device for the over-molding process.

In-mold Labeling

In-mold labeling is a process for decorating or labeling plastic molded parts. It is usually done during the injection molding cycle. Robotics can be used to load pre-printed labels directly into the open plastic injection molds. Tags and decorations are then permanently engraved within the molded parts, hence becoming an essential part of the end product.

Conclusion

As a manufacturer, telling the different types of robots in the market and their applications can go along way in helping you make an informed decision. This article is intended to give you an insight into how the different types of robots are used in injection molding, and the various areas in which they can be applied.

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