Hardware FYI

Topic	Replies	Views	Activity
What DFMA considerations would you have when switching the material of a machined component from aluminum to steel? Manufacturing & Consumer Product Design	2	2812	March 8, 2022
If I have sealed tubing subjected to its maximum pressure rating, where would it fail and why? Mechanical Design spacex	1	3434	October 3, 2020
The buckle on your backpack is breaking. How would you redesign the part to ensure this doesn't happen? Mechanical Design synapse	1	3398	August 10, 2020
You are machining two plates with identical hole patterns that will bolted together. How do you ensure that they perfectly line up? Manufacturing & Consumer Product Design	2	2674	January 21, 2025
What is a unity feedback loop and the core components of the system? Electrical Engineering	1	3270	September 7, 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	3268	February 21, 2022
What are common grades of stainless steel used in manufacturing? Materials Science general , waymo	1	3248	July 27, 2020
Types of Thermal Cooling for Consumer Electronics Consumer Hardware Guide heat-transfer	2	2643	October 4, 2020
You have a long slender vertical member with a compressive force on one end, what if the dominant failure mode? Mechanical Design	2	2636	February 15, 2022
Basics of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) Consumer Hardware Guide	1	3186	December 8, 2023
Your product is within spec at one location, but out of spec in another. Why? Manufacturing & Consumer Product Design	2	2587	January 21, 2025
Is a laminar or turbulent boundary layer better for heat transfer from the surface to the environment? Heat Transfer waymo , heat-transfer	1	3115	August 5, 2020
You have two objects that mate together, you want to decrease the total linear tolerance stack up. What can you do to decrease the total tolerance stackup? Manufacturing & Consumer Product Design	2	2525	October 30, 2024
If you had to pressurize a pressure vessel in testing, would you rather pressurize with liquid or gas and why? Mechanical Design spacex , firefly	1	3090	January 21, 2024
When should you counterbore vs. countersink a hole? Manufacturing & Consumer Product Design	1	3085	July 31, 2021
What is the Nyquist Theorem and how do you define a sufficient sampling rate? Electrical Engineering roam-robotics	2	2425	April 18, 2022
Can you draw the block diagram for a non-inverting operational amplifier and derive the gain equation? Electrical Engineering apple	2	2392	April 4, 2022
On the material datasheet of most polymers, the glass transition temperature, Tg, is provided. What does the glass transition temperature refer to? Materials Science tesla	1	2874	January 5, 2024
CNC vs other techniques Manufacturing & Consumer Product Design manufacturing	3	1138	July 31, 2024
Name all the ways of actuating an object you can think of. What are the pros and cons of each? Mechanical Design	2	2289	February 15, 2022
What are the base and peak loads of a generation system, which methods of power generation and storage are suitable for each? Electrical Engineering	0	700	July 4, 2024
5% failure at reliability test, how to solve? Reliability & Mechanical Test apple	1	2779	June 13, 2023
Name all the ways to to lighten a cantilevered I beam with a point load on the end, while minimizing weight and deflection Cantilever Beams	2	2226	October 30, 2024
Draw the schematics for a simple first-order low-pass filter Electrical Engineering	1	2708	May 18, 2024
What is the difference between a capacitor and an inductor and how are they commonly used? Electrical Engineering analog	2	2185	May 23, 2024
Manufacturing 101: Plastics Consumer Hardware Guide	1	2653	October 12, 2023
If there is a diving board, how would you half the deflection? Cantilever Beams	1	2649	July 31, 2021
How would you design a snap fit? Where are snap fits used most often? How much force does it usually take to insert a snap fit? Mechanical Design	1	2596	February 16, 2022
Rank the section options below with regards to their stiffness in: 1) tension, 2) compression, 3) bending, and 4) torsion Cantilever Beams	1	1421	September 14, 2025
Draw an I-V curve for a diode. How you interpret the graph in terms of the diode's behavior? Electrical Engineering diodes	1	2456	April 20, 2024
Identifying Metals Consumer Hardware Guide	2	2006	February 26, 2025
Imagine a dashed line down a mile length of a straight road. Explain how you would calculate the volume of paint required for this mile stretch of road General ME Questions general , synapse	1	2436	September 15, 2023
How would you design an experiment to measure the thermal conductivity of corrugated cardboard? Heat Transfer heat-transfer , gradient	1	2435	September 12, 2024
For the following joints (images) describe the forces and failure modes of the bolted connections. Why is pretensioning the bolts important? What would fatigue failure look like for the bolted connections? Mechanical Design	1	2429	August 12, 2021
In the context of injection molding, can you explain the difference between a slide and a lifter? Specifically, how do they operate, and in what situations would you use each mechanism? Manufacturing & Consumer Product Design apple , manufacturing , plastics	1	2425	June 17, 2024
You have a bench (image), where would you sit to maximize the reaction force on one end? Cantilever Beams	2	1970	August 12, 2021
How do you interpolate the physical property of one unknown metal among metal sheets of known physical properties? Materials Science apple	1	2352	April 21, 2022
How does power draw differ between thick and thin cabling? Electrical Engineering waymo	1	2309	September 11, 2020
What are the differences between MOSFETs and Bi-Polar Junction Transistors? Electrical Engineering amazon	1	2307	March 7, 2022
If you have a cantilevered beam with one end fixed to a wall and the other end free, and there is a moment acting on the free end, where will the beam fail? Cantilever Beams	1	2303	July 31, 2021
What are diodes and which purpose do they serve in electrical design? Electrical Engineering	1	2287	March 7, 2022
Is a pressure vessel more likely to fail from repeated cycles of low pressure or a one off high pressure spike? Mechanical Design	1	2258	August 12, 2021
How would you design a satellite that orbits the earth and passively maintains a temperature of 300K +/- 10K? Heat Transfer heat-transfer , gradient	2	1825	September 12, 2024
When parts are designed, how do you ensure the manufacturer is building what you intended to design? Manufacturing & Consumer Product Design facebook	1	2221	January 5, 2024
MCU vs ASIC vs FPGA Electrical Engineering	1	2207	July 11, 2023
There are three buckets with water, air, and gasoline. If you put a sensor in the buckets, what type of sensing technology would you use to tell them apart? Mechanical Design	1	2196	November 29, 2021
Brainstorm 15-20 ways to remove balloons from a room General ME Questions apple	0	3102	October 26, 2022
Crafting an Effective Engineering Resume Consumer Hardware Guide	3	1544	November 14, 2023
Can you describe the injection molding manufacturing process? Manufacturing & Consumer Product Design manufacturing	1	2172	January 5, 2024
What are the major design considerations for optimizing airflow? Mechanical Design	1	2163	September 18, 2023