Engineers and Engineering

visual circuit simulation

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 13:27:28 GMT

i'm trying to find some circuit simulation software with a lot of great visual features, so we could simulate a power distribution system and show it to, like, kids (or managers, same thing) and they'd see parts lighting up or not lighting up depending on which power sources or switches we shut off. I've used pspice and workbench and other simulation stuff, but it's just not colorful enough. Got any recommendations?

Industrial wastewater treatment

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:49:14 GMT

I’m after a supplier of Chitosan, it is a natural flocculant/coagulant and is extracted from the shells of sea crustacean-anyone know a supplier?

Good money primer

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 04:02:16 GMT

I know a lot of us aren't new to the job anymore, but this is a good primer on what your options for insurance, taxes and retirement are. Wish I'd seen it when I got hired!

From the New York Times.

You might have to sign in but it's free and worth your time.

Hourly or Salary?

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:37:31 GMT

I've been thinking a lot about this the past month or so:

I'll be interning at a HVAC Design and Build firm this summer for the second time. They love me there and I definitely enjoy the work so it will be a possibility for me once I graduate (BS in ME, Fall 2008). One thing that really surprised me when I first started there was that they pay all the engineers hourly. I had just assumed that engineers would be salaried.

After talking with some of the resident engineers, they all seem to like it well enough. The company goes through periods of being incredibly busy and they work a lot of overtime (which they then get paid for). I, however, was looking forward to a time when I could take a 5 minute break without feeling like I was wasting the company's money (though that feeling is probably just left over from working as a temp in a warehouse)

What are your thoughts? For your engineering work, are you on salary? Or hourly? Do you like it that way?

CDash

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 19:09:40 GMT

Have any of you guys set up a project using CDash before? I've been given that task by my thesis adviser, to do over the course of the week, and I thought I set things up correctly, but there's nothing showing on the project site.

name change?

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:28:09 GMT

Hi all,

So i'm hoping others have run into this - I just got married and am taking my husband's last name. My company won't change my e-mail or paperwork until they get the official 'stuffs' from the government (which there is no telling how long that will take, I'm told several weeks to get the certificate back, and then i can go to social security). All the name change stuffs says start using it after the wedding.

My office manager wants me to find out what the right way to show to clients this is the laurel they know, instead of a new one. Particularly because my boss just left the company, so there is anticipated staff changes and stuffs.

So what did you (or your friends/spouse/coworkers/whomever) do?

how'd you get your job?

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 13:57:32 GMT

just curious what the most popular option is these days...

View Poll: #1201468

online MSEE degree suggestions?

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 01:42:04 GMT

I checked the memories and did a search...sorry if this has been asked before, please point me in the right direction!
I am working right now and don't want/can't afford to go to school full-time. I am trying to find an online MSEE program that offers courses on DSP, digital, and some analog design, and digital communications. Safety and reliability aspects would definitely be a +. I am not very interested in RF, controls, or power, which most programs I've found seem to concentrate on. I took a few classes though Iowa State distance ed program and liked them, but they don't offer enough classes that I would actually want to take.

I would also like to be able to take 1 class at a time and I don't care if it takes me 4 or 5 years to finish the degree....at that point, it won't offer me any promotion/salary advantages so I'd rather not kill myself trying to finish it in 2 years while working full-time.

And, of course, no University of Phoenix and the like:)

ETA: I know it took me a while to respond to this, but I applied to the NCSU program and am starting this Fall. Thanks a lot, everyone!

Looking for a good job in Australia

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 03:05:21 GMT

Hello,
anyone knows good websites/firms/recruters for jobs in Australia?
I'm a CA PE and SE with more than 8 years experience in commercial/medical/educational/hospitality spheres of building design.

Would appreciate any leads.

Thanks!

Becoming a Licensed PE

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 05:35:01 GMT

I have my EIT certification and some work experience. I'm starting to look ahead to sitting for the PE exam. (I'll be eligible in two years).

So for anyone out there who is licensed...

1. What prompted you to get your PE?
2. How did you prepare for the exam? How difficult did you find it?
3. Who did you get to write your letters of rec? (My state requires five.)
4. What are the pros/cons of being licensed?
5. Where in your career were you when you got your license?
6. Would you do it again?

Feel free to throw in whatever else you think is relevant.

Thanks in advance!

(Cross posted to engineer_chicks)

ASME

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 04:17:27 GMT

Thoughts, opinions or experience concerning the ASME?

Later.

IT

Tue, 27 May 2008 03:02:16 GMT

In the course of going through engineering school, we do tons of computer stuff. Even if we're not computer engineers, we all write some code, use computers extensively in the labs, all that... am I right? So we know more about computers than the average office worker.

my question of the day: does your IT department treat you like this, or do they act like you're another dumb user who knows nothing about network security and will do something stupid to your computer? Are you allowed to make recommendations about the software you use to do your job? Do you have compilers to write scripts when you need to?

I just sometimes feel like there's a big wall between me and IT where I work, like they're more afraid of me than interested in what I'm doing. Maybe it's just my outsider perspective... I'm sure there are IT people who could lend some perspective.

Yay! I have a job! But, um, what do I wear?

Mon, 26 May 2008 02:58:48 GMT

Maybe I'm more concerned with appearances than most but when I started one of my big fears was dressing inappropriately for work. What does "business casual" mean, anyway? There's a huge range between jeans and business suits. Here are some tips I wish someone would have given me when I first started. These are more aimed at women, partially because I am one, partially because it's harder for us to model our dress habits on others in the office (I have zero clothing role models in my office, for example) and partially because we seem to care more but I like to think that at least some of these will come in handy for men, too.

I'm assuming you are just starting out and haven't worked in an office before. I'm also assuming that, as a new graduate, you're not rolling in the dough. So, the short version:

Start out wearing bland and conservative and get more daring/interesting as you get a good feel for your office.
High heels are NOT required.
Check out the people in your department for "how do I dress?" cues.
Buy basics now. Buy fun/fashionable stuff when you have the cash on hand.
Shop sales and be willing to pay a little more for good quality.
Do NOT buy uncomfortable shoes. You will hate yourself. I know this from personal experience.
Never, never, NEVER buy clothes you have not tried on. (Guys, I'm looking at you. The men I know are notorious for this.)
Remember, it is never a bargain if you won't wear it.

How do I know what to wear?

1) When you interview with your department, pay attention to what your interviewer is wearing. He probably didn't dress up for this any more than he normally would. And yes, it most likely is going to be a "he," we're working on that. If he's wearing jeans, congratulations, you've hit what I concider wardrobe gold and can probably safely wear jeans, too. If he's in slacks and a button down, you're probably looking at a business casual office. A suit? Yep, formal office attire. Regardless, ask about the dress code. He can get away with being eccentric, he's the boss. You can't yet so you want to be sure you're dressing appropriately. Also keep in mind that different departments can vary drastically in dress code. On my floor alone, there are folks in jeans and t-shirts and people in nice slacks and button-downs so pay special attention if you're interviewing with more than one department in a company.

2) What the heck does "business casual" mean? So far as I can tell, it means something between jeans and suits. Your best guide is what your co-workers are wearing, but it can be difficult if they're primarily of the opposite sex from you. Most of the men in my department wear khakis and polos or plaid (why always plaid?) button down shirts. I choose not to model my dress after the two women in my department because I like to be more fashionable but obviously, following their lead would be appropriate. For me, "business casual" usually translates into wool slacks I'll go into why wool? later) in either black or brown, a knit top and a blazer. I feel it's slightly more formal than what the men wear, but it works for me and I feel that you can't go wrong with that combo.

3) General advice. I feel you can't go wrong with slacks, a nice top and a blazer, which is why that's what I wear all the time. Do not go with bare shoulders (that's what the blazer is for) or low cut shirts. Offices are usually conservative so until yours has a chance to prove itself otherwise, it's best to cover up. You don't have to wear heels but the shoes do have to look nice. I wear peep-toe shoes all the time because I like them and my co-workers don't seem to notice my shoes at all. Your office may not be ok with open-toed shoes, so it might be best to wear close-toed until you can test the waters. Wear brown shoes with brown clothing and black shoes with black clothing. If the colors are mixed in your clothes, like brown pin-stripes on black slacks, you can wear either. If you have pets, get a couple of those lint rollers and stash them near your door and at your desk.

Soo... I don't have any of this stuff. How do I get it without breaking the bank?

1) Know thyself. First and foremost, be aware of how your habits will make these work. You don't ever wear skirts? Now would be a bad time to buy a bunch, then. Hate ironing? Don't get shirts or slacks that need it ever time. Hate heming pants? Go someplace that will sell you pants and then hem them for you for free. Have trouble finding long enough pants? Find some place that sells talls and check EVERY sale to get what you need without paying full price. Ironing is my enemy. This is why I wear wool slacks: they don't wrinkle. This is also why I always wear knit tops. Repeat after me: it is not a bargain if I won't wear it.

2) Buy well-made, bland basics and dress them up with cheaper (or expensive, if you have the cash) tops and accessories that you can change out as the fashions come and go. Things like pants and blazers that cost a lot but you kinda can't do without should be bland. I have better things to spend my money on than replacing that $200 blazer I bought 6 months ago with the latest fashion. Things like black slacks are always fashionable and can actually be worn until they're worn out (novel concept in this day and age, I know). You are looking to build a solid base for a wardrobe here, not the whole thing. That can take a lot of time (if you want) and a lot of money (if you want) and isn't what I'm talking about here.

3a) If you start very soon, say tomorrow, go to a nice mid-range department store and get clothes that will get you through at least a week. Be prepared to spend at least a few hours here. Write a list before you go and remember: same slacks, different top = different outfit. I would suggest at least 2 bottoms, five tops, a blazer/jacket/sweater as it gets cold in some offices and shoes. Start in the sale section, even if it doesn't seem like you'll find anything, because you often find great stuff, it just takes digging. Yes, this sucks, but the goal here is to NOT break the bank, remember? You don't want to charge more than you absolutely have to. If you have the cash to pay full price, then go for it, but I like to not give up more than I have to for my work wardrobe even now that I'm getting paid on a regular basis.

3b) If you have time, still write that list of things you need but start frequenting Banana Republic (slightly snooty chain, but not high fashion. Pants cost about $100ish here) and its ilk. Yes, the clothes are bland. Yes, they are expensive. But they are quality and, here's the best part, often end up on deep discount at the end of a "season." I have yet to figure out what the end of a fashion season is, though, because they've always got a sale section. This is where you want to look. Wool slacks for $20? Yes, please! Take your time to find things that fit you well and don't forget that a different pair of the same pants may not fit the same way. This is less of a problem at places like BR but it doesn't go away entirely. NEVER BUY SOMETHING YOU HAVEN'T TRIED ON.

4) For women, tops work well to add color and fashion to the basics. Tunics are in this season? Go hit a discount shop and get a couple in colors you love that work for you and wear them with your basics. Most of my tops are from TJ Maxx and Ross because they don't take the abuse my bottoms do and the styles don't last as long. Men, well, you're either the kind of guy who wants lots of color in his wardrobe or you're not. Men's fashion doesn't seem to change as rapidly as women's but your shirts can be a lot more expensive, so choose wisely. Own at least one white shirt. If you want color but aren't sure what looks good on you, ask your mother. She will never lie. If she's not available or you have reason to believe her fashion sense is worse than yours, ask a friend. Got a friend who's an artist? Ask him. I guarantee he's good at color matching even if his fashion sense is questionable.

5) DO NOT buy uncomfortable shoes. They will not break in. They will not stretch out. They will hurt and you will not wear them or will feel like you're being tortured when you do. This, unfortunately, seems to also translate into "Do not buy cheap shoes" but if you can find a good pair on sale, jump on it. If you have time and know your shoe size but can't usually find it, Zappos.com is awsome. I wear an odd size and have bought from them several times. Shipping is free to you and also on returns. Other websites also do this, but I haven't dealt with them so I can't make suggestions. When you try on shoes, wear the stockings/socks whatever that you plan to normally wear with them when at work. Walk in the shoes for at least five minutes, even if you're just doing laps around your living room. If something feels off, try a different size, different pair, whatever, but don't buy the uncomfortable ones. I can tell you from experience that walking even just within the office can be agony if the shoes are not a good fit. If most of your basics are black, go with black shoes first. If they're mostly brown, go with brown. If they're navy, I think brown shoes are the norm but I don't wear navy very often so I'm not sure. Flats are my friends, 2.5" heels are also my friends and 4" heels just don't get worn that often. (If you're in a city that has grates and you choose to wear heels, do NOT walk over those grates, you'll get stuck and it's embarassing. Either walk around them or walk on tip-toe with no weight on your heels.) Shoes can be re-soled or re-heeled (re-heeling costs about $10) if the upper is still in good shape. Polishing shoes is not that hard and makes a huge difference on an older pair.

6) It really does pay to buy higher quality things even if they're a bit more expensive because they do last longer. Just remember that more expensive does NOT mean better quality, so check before you buy. Is it cut nicely? Does the inside look neat (finished) or lined? Does the fabric feel nice and of an appropriate weight for what it is? If the answers are yes then it's probably worth paying a little more for the item. It's not worth paying more for something merely because it's very fashionable as it will not be fashionable in 6 months. If you like it because YOU like it and it looks good on you, THEN it is worth paying for, but wait until you have disposible income. Clothing that makes you look good and feel confident is always fashionable.

7) It is not worth going into debt to be fashionable. Please keep that in mind. You have to look decent at work and fit in but it's a rare engineering office that'll notice if you're wearing the lastest. As a broke new engineer it's best to get on your financial feet and THEN worry about being the office Fashionista. This probably won't cross most of your minds, but I should mention that sewing your own clothes is probably not going to save you any money and it probably will be a pain in the tail. Unless you enjoy sewing your own clothes, just don't bother.

I hope this post comes in handy for someone. Good luck to all of you new and soon-to-be grads. I look forward to seeing you in the workforce.

I Will Derive

Sun, 25 May 2008 05:21:37 GMT

I think a couple of people would get a kick out of this video. It brings me back to (bad) memories of being stuck with homework from all my engineering classes.

If only all you had to do was derive!! o_O

Salaries

Thu, 22 May 2008 20:25:31 GMT

How much do you think MSMEs should ask for starting out? I'm in Northern California (Silicon Valley) but I'm interested in hearing from people from everywhere.

professional societies

Sun, 18 May 2008 15:10:54 GMT

1) What professional societies are you or have you been a member of?

2) What do you think you've gotten out of them? Has one ever helped you get a job? Funding? Do you love the access to journals? Are there any great activities related to the ones you're involved in, locally?

intro post for engineers

Mon, 12 May 2008 23:59:07 GMT

Instead of having everyone create a post introducing themselves, we decided to have one big "catch all" thread for profiles... and this is it! Most of the questions apply to who you are now, so we'll probably re-post this each year to get a fresh idea of what the community's up to. And I'm sure I'll leave out some poll options or mess something else up, so we'll correct that on the next go-around as well.

View Poll: Engineers Community Profile 2008

In addition to taking the poll, please reply to this thread and tell us more about yourself. Even if you're not quite an engineer yet, we're interested in hearing about what your life is like. Some possible starter questions:

Why did you choose engineering?
How did you decide on your specific discipline?
What's a normal day like for you?
If you're a student, where are you in school?
Any cool big projects you've worked on recently?

Again, please answer these questions as a reply to this post, not a separate post (we discourage intro posts because they get cluttery in big communities like this one). If you're new, don't worry about posting late here, this is everyone's thread! Welcome to engineers.

intro posts for engineers?

Sat, 10 May 2008 12:17:34 GMT

lots of communities have "intro templates", where they ask people to introduce themselves when joining the community. I think something like this would be a good thing for engineers but wanted to bounce the idea off you members first.

A huge reason I want to start this is that the general population doesn't have a great idea of what engineers DO on a daily basis. There are a million things you can do with an engineering degree and it's almost overwhelming, but individual stories help. The gap in understanding is, I think, what prevents a lot of smart people from becoming engineers. So this community could hold a lot of examples. Plus it wouldn't kill us to be a bit more active, we're at about a post a month right now.

Here's my starter idea for what the intro template would look like... if you've got suggestions, let me know.
Your name:
Location:
Engineering discipline:
Why did you decide to be an engineer?
If you're working, what is your job like? What's a normal day for you?
If you're in school, what's that like? Any favorite classes or big projects going on for you now?

job- PLC/automation, mech. design for entertainment

Sun, 04 May 2008 00:23:48 GMT

I just had to turn down two awesome jobs, so please, someone take them!

1:
Bill Ferrell, Co. - Los Angeles (Van Nuys, CA)
Automation Technician/Technical Director
Lead projects designing and using stage equipment, including PLC automation, lifts, turntables, and all the typical fun stuff for film, television, and music videos. They also have a resident crew in Georgia supporting an amazing Christmas show every year a la Disney's Electric Parade. billferrell.com (Bill, President)

2:
StageLight, Inc. - Houston, TX
Project Manager
Support design/installation of rigging and stage equipment. Support work on cutting edge self-climbing truss R&D. Amazing people to work for, seriously. StageLight.com (Jerome, President)

The industry is dying for engineers. This is classic engineering with way more fun applications. They're both solid companies to work for, both under 30 people, and willing to pay for expertise and energy.

Mechanical Engineer Wanted--Product Development

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 01:09:28 GMT

I'm not sure how many people are looking for work right now, but my company is accepting resumes for a product development position.

A bit about the job:

You will be expected to carry projects from conception to completion. From first sketches to detailed design to documentation to facilitating manufacturing. Not all phases are present in all projects.

You will need to be comfortable communicating with clients, vendors, and coworkers.

Experience with consumer product development is ideal--especially in areas like electronics packaging.

We are looking for individuals with from 3-10 years of experience and consider advanced degrees as experience.

We value individual skill sets and interests beyond straight engineering coursework.

A bit about us:

We are small and rapidly growing company in Huntsville, Alabama. We provide engineering and design services on a consulting basis. Projects range from small electronics enclosures to large flat bed printers and a helicopter simulator. Clients range from government contractors to individual innovators.

We have machining and rapid prototyping facilities in house. We run Solid Edge (Version 20) for our CADing needs and use both FemPro and Algor as analysis tools.

You can check out our company website at http://www.inergi.com

A bit about the area:

Huntsville is a growing area with a population of about 150,000-200,000. Cost of living is (comparatively) low and the area is rich in technology opportunities. A large proportion of the population is employed as engineers, so salaries are competitive.

For extensive data (and charts!) check out this website: http://www.city-data.com/city/Huntsville-Alabama.html

Want more information?

I have been working for Inergi for 1 year now and I really love it. I am happy to answer any questions you may have about the company, the position, or the area. Either respond here or email me at mrsdragonswares AT gmail DOT com. If you are interested in applying, just email me and I will give you the name and contact info of the person you will need to send it to.

(Cross posted to various engineering communities. Apologies if you are seeing it more than once.)

What do you guys think about this idea for an "Over-Engineered" website?

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:20:36 GMT

I've been kicking around an idea for several years now about a website that chronicles the great and terrible results of "over-engineering". Sadly, overengineered.com and overengineering.com have already been taken by some worthless sites that look to me like a link farm.

Anyways, a typical article example would be an in-depth look at the Douglass DC-3 aircraft. The plane was designed in the 30's and is still flying strong today for a number of reasons (mainly due to over-engineering). Do you all think this would be something worth reading about and maybe even contributing to?

Thanks in advance everyone,
--Jon

A little guidance

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 04:47:45 GMT

As part of a project I'm working on, I need to be able to make a sort of hierarchy of systems to be started up in a new plant. My thought to make it easy to read and easy for other people to work on it was to keep it MS office compatible and use a flow chart sort of idea. I can get access to any office program. I have very little experience with MS project and Visio and was wondering if these could serve my needs as I tried to state them. Would I be better off using linked tabs in Excel, or possibly linking excel to Visio. I would really like this to be as intuitive as possible so our construction manager can use it without too much training.

I'm still very young (in fact this is a co-op job) and would really like to work for my company when I graduate, so I try to hold myself to a ridiculous standard. Just looking for people's experience with these capabilities.

This is kind of a long shot, but... (cross posted)

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 18:51:16 GMT

I have a simulink model that is almost identical to a matlab script (it uses the exact same function, but there are feedback loops in the model whereas in the script a for loop is used). But in simulink the output is off. My advisor and I think it's an integration scheme/ time step problem, but I've played around with all the settings and the numbers come out the same. The steady state numbers are good if I make the time step ginormous, but the transient values don't look as nice.

Sooooo are there any simulink whizzes out there who have any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

edit: to clarify: what possible things can make a simulink model act differently from a matlab script, when they're essentially the same?

If star trek engineers were more realistic

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 08:41:25 GMT

Hey guys, I'm thinking of starting a new Star Trek show but this time make it more realistic based on my engineering experience so far.

things will be a lot different on the ship. for one thing they'd use Microsoft Windows. The captain would send out weekly status reports, or "captain's log", to the federation and it would mostly consist of microsoft excel spreadsheets and updated tasks in microsoft project. When they meet alien races, first they'd schedule a meeting with them and send them an Outlook Calendar invite over their Blackberry. Then when it's time for the meeting they'll beam down some consultants, which the captain calls "resources", with laptops and a powerpoint deck prepared to sell them new projects or see if they can outsource or offshore any work for them. There will be five or so teams responsible for supporting the proprietary faster than light engines, but most of them don't know where the technical documentation is, while the rest are overly secure about their jobs as they realise the only other people who could replace them are at least a coulple of universe sectors away.

I thought I'd run this idea by you, I'm sure with some collaboration we can improve on it and make it a very er.... interesting show that is also educational for kids who are considering a future in Engineering.

Cable grips applications

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 08:06:02 GMT

Hello all,

I'm a technical translator and I usually find the answers to my engineering and technology-related queries in technical dictionaries and in online sources. But now I'm stumped and I hope to find an expert here who can help me. I'm translating a text about "cable grips"; "tools that can be used for laying electric cables, control cables, communication lines and overhead circuits, to name but a few applications. Their purpose is to seal, relieve strain, pull and support."

Now, my problem is the word "seal". Do cable grips really do seal? As in "isolate, stopper"? Or does the word have a different meaning here? Or is this nonsense and I better leave out that one word and get on with the rest of the text?

Help, suggestions or pointers to good online resources are very much appreciated.