Hardware FYI

Topic	Replies	Views	Activity
What are the advantages & disadvantages between a buck converter and a LDO? Electrical Engineering apple , power-electronics	2	4646	May 24, 2022
Additional Useful Resources Online Consumer Hardware Guide	0	1426	May 6, 2021
What are the key components in a consumer electronic laptop? Mechanical Design general , apple	2	2413	October 3, 2020
Two cars are at the top of a hill. One car is just a simple wheel axle car (not power), one car has a spring suspension system. Which one will reach first? Free Body Diagrams spacex	3	3588	June 3, 2023
Is it faster to cook pasta if you add it in before or after a pot of water starts boiling? Heat Transfer heat-transfer , synapse	2	3901	April 22, 2022
Your friend is coming over soon and you made them coffee. You want this coffee to be as hot as possible by the time they get to you. You can use creamer to affect the coffee, what should you do to make the coffee as hot as possible when they arrive? Heat Transfer synapse , heat-transfer	4	2964	October 30, 2024
How do the strength-to-weight ratio of aluminum vs. steel compare? Materials Science materials , tesla	1	4492	August 7, 2020
A disk with the hole in the middle is heated. Does the hole get bigger, smaller, or stay the same size? Heat Transfer apple	2	3655	March 27, 2022
Describe how you approach material selection/design for a component where strength is critical, and how you would approach a different component where stiffness is critical? Mechanical Design apple , spacex	2	3611	May 28, 2022
When selecting a material what would you take into consideration more, tensile strength or yield strength? Materials Science	3	2980	November 29, 2021
What are the different types of stress & force a material can endure? Mechanical Design	1	4152	August 3, 2021
Two cylindrical tanks are full of water, where one is oriented horizontally and another vertically. If a hole is drilled in the bottom of the tank, which one empties first? General ME Questions general	2	1906	January 6, 2025
A floating helium balloon is in the backseat of a car. If the car accelerates forward, which direction does the balloon float and why? Free Body Diagrams tesla	1	4100	August 4, 2020
How can you reduce moisture absorption in nylon? Materials Science tesla , materials	1	4019	September 28, 2020
What are design for manufacturability (DFM) considerations you would assess while designing an injection molded part? Manufacturing & Consumer Product Design manufacturing	1	2210	August 8, 2020
Can you describe the two-shot injection molding process? Manufacturing & Consumer Product Design apple	2	3122	May 3, 2022
Basics of Compression Molding Consumer Hardware Guide plastics	1	3607	September 6, 2020
What's the optimal size rock to throw if you want to throw it as far as possible? Free Body Diagrams apple	1	3466	February 10, 2021
How do you test for waterproofing on consumer electronic products (smart phone, tablet, etc)? Mechanical Design apple	3	2447	August 28, 2023
What's the difference between a true stress-strain curve and a traditional stress-strain curve? Materials Science waymo , materials	1	3345	August 5, 2020
Can you apply MMC to a profile of surface call out in GD&T? Manufacturing & Consumer Product Design	1	1798	August 12, 2021
What's the working principle behind common analog sensors? (strain gauge, thermocouples, etc.) Aerospace Engineering	0	788	December 23, 2023
Can you draw the block diagram for an inverting operational amplifier and derive the gain equation? Electrical Engineering apple	2	2479	April 4, 2022
You have a concentrated load at the center of a beam with two point supports on either end. Describe the shear force and bending moment diagram Cantilever Beams general , zoox	2	2442	March 3, 2024
What are the equations of motion for a mass-spring damper system? Free Body Diagrams zoox , amazon	1	2980	October 4, 2020
Given an adjustable crescent wrench, which cross-sections would you use for different parts of the wrench? Mechanical Design mechanical-design , apple	2	2418	July 31, 2021
What are seven ways to bond plastic and metal? Mechanical Design	2	2417	June 15, 2023
For a simply supported beam, which beam would have less deflection: a single stacked or double stacked beam? Cantilever Beams	3	2055	January 30, 2023
A garden hose has stopped flow. There is constant static pressure and no water hammer. Why does the hose tear in the axial direction at the end of the hose? Mechanical Design spinlaunch , spacex	2	2358	April 24, 2022
What's the difference between thermoset plastics and thermoplastics? Materials Science tesla , apple , materials	1	2862	April 25, 2022
What DFMA considerations would you have when switching the material of a machined component from aluminum to steel? Manufacturing & Consumer Product Design	2	2273	March 8, 2022
A beam is made from two cylinders, where the inner cylinder is steel and the outer cylinder is aluminum. Which cylinder will yield first if beam is a simply supported cantilever beam? Cantilever Beams general	1	1563	April 2, 2024
What are some important characteristics for material selection? Materials Science materials , apple	2	2239	October 27, 2024
Describe a CPU heat sink geometry and why it has that geometry. What would you do to improve or decrease the heat transfer of a heat sink? Heat Transfer	1	2716	March 3, 2022
What are some differences between aluminum and steel in terms of material properties? Materials Science materials	1	1523	August 6, 2020
Why is a manhole cover round? General ME Questions microsoft	1	2657	March 22, 2022
The buckle on your backpack is breaking. How would you redesign the part to ensure this doesn't happen? Mechanical Design synapse	1	2652	August 10, 2020
Basics of Injection Molding Consumer Hardware Guide plastics	1	2649	September 3, 2020
You have a long slender vertical member with a compressive force on one end, what if the dominant failure mode? Mechanical Design	2	2114	February 15, 2022
Types of Thermal Cooling for Consumer Electronics Consumer Hardware Guide heat-transfer	2	2047	October 4, 2020
If you have an enclosed room and I open the refrigerator, how will room temperature change? Heat Transfer thermodynamics , htc	1	2481	August 4, 2020
What does open-drain & push-pull mean? Electrical Engineering gpio , analog-design	2	2018	January 31, 2023
What are the key parameters to consider when selecting a fan for forced airflow? Mechanical Design heat-transfer	2	1985	February 17, 2022
Basics of Blow Molding Consumer Hardware Guide plastics	1	2418	September 6, 2020
If I have sealed tubing subjected to its maximum pressure rating, where would it fail and why? Mechanical Design spacex	1	2409	October 3, 2020
You're designing a product rated to last for 5 years. How would you validate the design in terms of testing for performance, durability, and reliability? Reliability & Mechanical Test mechanical-testing , zoox , apple , google	1	2399	February 21, 2022
Basics of Plastic Extrusion Consumer Hardware Guide plastics	1	2395	September 3, 2020
Testing 101: Reliability, Design Validation, Component-Level Testing, & Factory Testing Consumer Hardware Guide	2	1939	August 13, 2020
When should you counterbore vs. countersink a hole? Manufacturing & Consumer Product Design	1	2273	July 31, 2021
Your product is within spec at one location, but out of spec in another. Why? Manufacturing & Consumer Product Design	2	1840	January 21, 2025