Archive for the 'Electronics' Category

The Right Tools for the Job: A Look at Tools and Productivity

Published on August 24, 2010 by Tim

Whether building a house, designing a bridge, or mixing live sound, having the correct tools in your tool box is essential. Having the right tools not only allows you to do the job to the best of your ability, but it also can decrease the amount of time it takes to do a task. For example, framing a house with a hammer and a box of nails will work, but it will be much slower than using a pneumatic air hammer. This same principle applies in any office today where workers are often plagued with slow computers, small monitors and cheep peripherals.

Many companies, faced with the larger up front cost of more expensive equipment opt for equipment which is smaller, has less features, or preforms sub-par. In the long run though, larger equipment with more features can actually increase productivity to the point where the better equipment would rapidly pay for itself. One example of this is computer monitors. NEC in conjunction with the University of Utah preformed a study in which they tested worker productivity on a number of different display solutions. The findings? A single 24″ monitor could provide a 52% productivity increase from an 18″ monitor while preforming certain tasks. This increase in productivity is by no means insignificant and can result in millions of dollars in savings. I realize this study may have some bias since it was funded by a display manufacturer but the examples don’t stop here. How many of us have been forced to limp along with slow computers? Yeah, the computers that take ten minutes to start, 5 minutes to open the web browser and 3 more minutes just to get to your online destination. Most new computers will accomplish the previous set of tasks in under a minute and a half. That’s about a 92% difference in time. Adding this time up through the year can result in hundreds, thousands or even millions in unrealized worker productivity. Examples of frustrations such as these are unfortunately plentiful.

I believe that tools are an investment, not simply a purchase. Having correct, well working tools can save time, energy and money in the long run. I encourage you, spend the money up front and realize the savings later. It’s worth it.

Posted in Computers and Electronics. 1 Comment

Designing a PCB with EasyPC

Published on August 23, 2009 by Tim

One of the first assignments I was tasked with as a graduate student was learning how to design printed circuit boards or PCBs for short. There are many different pieces of software which allow you to design PCBs but in my case Number One Systems EasyPC was the software of choice.

There are two different ways to design a PCB in EasyPC. The first approach is with schematic files. Schematic files allow a user to create a circuit schematic and then translate that schematic to a PCB design. Alternatively, circuits can be designed directly in the PCB editor. The first method is most often the method of choice for medium to large designs. Small designs can often be done directly in the PCB editor.board

Circuits are designed in both schematic and PCB mode by using components. Components in EasyPC are made up of two distinct parts. The first part is a schematic symbol which is used in schematic design mode. The second part is a PCB footprint which is used in PCB design mode. By using components, translation between schematic and PCB designs can be easily accomplished.

Once you have learned the navigational structure of the program and designed a few components, it is relatively simple to design a simple PCB. The board pictured above is my first design and will host a computer which will be incorporated into a shoe. It is approximately 1.5 inches square. We soon hope to design a new version of this board which is about one quarter of the current size.

Posted in Computers and Electronics. 0 Comments

How to: Mix Lead Vocals

Published on April 26, 2009 by Tim

mixing_boardI have been doing live sound for many years now and if there is one thing I have learned, it is that vocals are one of the most important parts of any mix.

The first step in establishing a successful mix is to make sure that the proper microphone is being used. I will assume here that you have already picked out a good microphone but if you have not, I recommend you start with a Shure SM58. It is a standard vocal microphone which works for almost anyone.

Next, proper placement of the microphone is mandatory. The microphone should be positioned approximately perpendicular to the vocalists mouth with the windscreen just touching or a couple of inches away from the lips. If the vocalist is more than 5 or 6 inches away from the microphone, the resulting sound quality will be very poor. Also, make sure the vocalist is placed properly on the stage. If you place your vocalist directly in front of the drum kit, you might be picking up more drums in the vocal microphone than you want to.

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Posted in Electronics and Sound. 0 Comments

Designing a Sound System for a Portable Church

Published on April 24, 2009 by Tim

speakersThere are a million different factors that come in to play when designing a sound system of any size. The number of factors seems to double if sound system in discussion is a portable one. So where does one even being to nail down details?

I first asked myself the question; what does it mean to be portable? In my mind, being portable means two things. First, making sure equipment is protected for the rough road life. Second, quick setup is important to get your system up and running as fast and as smooth as possible. Lets take a look at each of these areas in more depth.

Protection. To protect the system, EVERYTHING needs to be properly placed in a case. Equipment cases are costly but not having cases for equipment is NOT an option.

Continue reading ‘Designing a Sound System for a Portable Church’

Posted in Electronics and Sound. 1 Comment

The Electric Snowmobile Runs

Published on February 27, 2009 by Tim

After working for a full semester on the Clarkson University Electric Snowmobile, I had the opportunity to witness the track of the snowmobile spinning for the first time. This snowmobile is built on a Polaris 600RR racing chassis and is fitted with a three phase AC motor and 200 lithium polymer batteries. This test was done a number of weeks before the snowmobile was taken to the SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge. More information about the Clarkson University Electric Snomwobile team can be found here.

Posted in Electronics and Snowmobiling. 3 Comments