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Hello friends!
People always focus on the train
wrecks and the things that don't
go as planned, but here at
PCDworks we believe in happy
accidents-- it's then that some
of the greatest innovation
emerges. This month Mike gives
five lessons on happy
accidents and enhancing
creativity and innovation to
weather through tough economic
times.
Also this month, we're pleased
to feature our
electronics design services,
particularly our custom circuit
design capabilities and all of
the tools utilized by our
in-house design lab. You will
also read about a smart
tiedown circuit design that
the Department of Defense asked
PCDworks to create.
As always, we appreciate all
of our readers and encourage
your feedback on how to
better serve you through
this newsletter. If you like
what you read and would like
to
forward this on to a friend
or colleague, we welcome
that as well!
Donna Rainone
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 Rainone's
Rules on Happy Accidents
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 I
believe that innovative companies
win when times are tough. Let's talk
about enhancing your innovation
odds. In this environment, it might
be useful to think about happy
accidents for a change, instead of
train wrecks.
A while back, CBS Sunday Morning had
a wonderful segment about how many
of today's most interesting products
came from happy accidents- otherwise
known as serendipity. Penicillin,
Post-It Notes and Velcro were
created by people who stumbled upon
the ideas while looking for
something else.
Martha Teichner, the Sunday Morning
correspondent, cited Dr.
Morton Meyers book, "Happy
Accidents: Serendipity in Modern
Medical Breakthroughs." Meyers says,
"Serendipity refers to looking for
one thing and stumbling over
something else that proves to be of
greater
value." He goes on to say, "What
serendipity means is misadventure,
an inadvertent observation, a
happenstance that a sharp, open mind
can
exploit to find its true benefit."
With all due respect to Dr. Meyers,
I contend that there isn't any
misadventure about it. Most
serendipity comes from
well-intentioned
pursuits, not blind error. What is
required is that sharp, open and
prepared
mind that recognizes that somewhere
in your results, lurks something
else of greater importance. To that
end, here are five of Professor
Rainone's lessons on enhancing
creativity...
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Electronics
Design: Custom Circuits for
Breakthrough New Products
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At PCDworks, we know today's new
products increasingly rely on
some type of electronic
functionality, be it controls,
alerts, or actuation. So, we
maintain strong in-house
electronics design skills, and
our lab is equipped with
everything we need
to provide highly effective
product design services.
Typically, we perform the front-end
analysis and analytical design using
Mathcad and/or Matlab, depending on
which tool is most appropriate for
the problem at hand.
On the hardware side, we create
custom contemporary surface mount
technology circuit board layouts
using tools such as NI Electronics
Workbench Ultiboard.
On the software side, our Electrical
Engineering department writes custom
firmware in a wide range of
development environments and
programming languages, such as
LabVIEW, C#, C++, Visual Basic,
Microchip PIC IDE C and ASM, Cypress
PSoC, HI-TECH C, TinyOS with GCC,
SQL Server, and TI Code Composer
Studio for the MSP 430 family. When
appropriate, these designsare analyzed
using our COMSOL multiphysics and
simulation software in areas such as
heat dissipation, frequency
response, and noise.
With these tools in
hand, PCDworks can efficiently
create smart electronics to
power and control almost any new
product. Do you have
a particular product in need of
smart controls? Check out our
engineering webpage or call
Bert at extension 105.
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Case
Study: Smart Tiedown Circuit Design
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 When the
Department of Defense needed
a smart, semi-autonomous tiedown
system for use on amphibious
vehicles, it came to PCDworks. While
you can read more about this system here,
it required a circuit with a high
level of on-board intelligence, such
as monitoring, local and remote
control, wireless communications,
sensor interpretation and response,
and actuation.
Given the size
constraints, PCDworks designed three donut-shaped
circuit boards which held all of the
necessary electronic capabilities.
We also optimized the
mission-critical aspects of the
system, such as power consumption,
communication, and autonomous
decision-making. The unit was also
designed with integrated application
specific watertight (IP66) user
interface controls.
The firmware was developed in two
components. The first component,
written in C for the Cypress PSoC,
controlled the gripe itself. It
controlled the motor to maintain the
tension setpoint, and respond to
user commands. The second component
acted as the wireless sensor node.
It was written in GCC on TinyOS for
the Atmel 128 processor.
The resulting new product:
- Reduces hovercraft loading
time by 80%
- Increases safety
- Ensures loads reach their
destination with no damage
All that, in a small,
lightweight package that can
withstand severe environmental
conditions during its daily use.
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About PCDworks |
Founded by Mike and Donna Rainone in
1997, PCDworks is a full-service
technology development company
specializing in breakthrough product
innovation for a broad range of
consumer, medical and military
clients. Located on a 25-acre wooded
campus outside Tyler, Texas,
PCDworks houses testing labs,
engineering shops, sleeping
accommodations and meeting
facilities. Client services include
technology problem solving, product
ideation, research, engineering,
prototype manufacturing and product
testing. The company is closely
networked with research and
production facilities in the region,
including UT Tyler and East Texas
Medical Center.
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Want
a Lively and Thought-Provoking
Speaker?
Start your new year out right.
Book a lively and
thought-provoking speaker
who can challenge, motivate and
inspire your management or
engineering team.
Mike Rainone is a highly
regarded expert on emerging
technologies and breakthrough
product creation, and a sought
after speaker for companies
looking to light a fire under
their research and development
efforts.
Whether it's a hands-on look at
emerging technologies and their
applications, or a lesson in
rapid and effective product
development, Mike offers a
unique perspective designed to
both inform and challenge his
audience.
Choose from a
list of topics, or
contact Mike to create your
own agenda for a session that is
guaranteed to be inspirational
and though provoking. |
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Be a Guest Contributor
Do you have some interesting
technology news to share? We welcome
guest contributions to our
newsletter, so if you come across
breakthrough technology or weird
science, send an email to
Mike Rainone. We'll make sure to
attribute it to you. |
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