An introduction to best practice

This guide is intended to provide an overview of contemporary best practice in electronics design, including design methods and business aspects of the design process, for the benefit of directors and senior managers of companies who are not necessarily expert in the subject. Special attention is paid to the requirements of smaller firms already engaged in the design of electronic products or systems, emphasising the business opportunities open to them by adoption of the latest design method. These methods are described in brief, with particular reference to the establishment of the design specification.

A manager's guide to the design process

The purpose of this guide is to assist you, a product manager or other senior manager within a small to medium sized company, to introduce Best Practice into the design process within your organisation, whether you are engaged in the design of a complete product or just a single IC. The guide is deliberately focused on the design process and it covers many of the most important aspects that need to be considered when you introduce a new way of operating into the company.

Design re-use and intellectual property: an introduction

This guide is intended to provide an overview of IP in electronic design and the opportunities for the re-use of effort and expertise in electronic design, together with some of the associated business implications. It has been written for the benefit of directors and senior managers who are not necessarily expert in the subject.

A guide to successful subcontracting

This guide explains the key elements of subcontracting techniques and processes for the benefit of companies that design and manufacture electronic products and who wish to embark on the subcontracting route. The booklet aims to provide guidance on what to subcontract and when, to select an appropriate subcontractor, to negotiate a safe and sensible agreement and to avoid some of the pitfalls that frequently occur.

Microsystems technology: an introduction

The purpose of this guide is to help directors and senior managers bring themselves up to speed in the technology and explore the relevance of microsystems to their business.

Programmable logic chips: an introduction

This guide is intended to explain the use of programmable logic chips (or Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs) as they are commonly known) and outlines the range of devices which perform this function. These devices come in many shapes and sizes and with many different names e.g. PLDs, SPLDs, FPGAs and CPLDs, but the purpose is the same; to allow designers to configure their own chips, containing just the functions that they require. These devices cost a fraction of more traditional microelectronic technologies. The advantages of adopting this technology is to make the electronic component of a product smaller, faster or cheaper. This guide addresses the business case for using PLD devices, a brief introduction to programmable logic chip technology and how to use programmable logic chips.

Microcontrollers: an introduction

This guide is intended to provide a brief introduction to the role of microcontroller devices and their technologies. The guide outlines the similarity to microprocessors and explains the design flexibility through software over complex digital hardware designs. The guide addresses key considerations such as flexibility, processing power (for complex algorithms and numerical calculations), software complexity and estimating development time.

Digital signal processing: an introduction

This guide explains the field of Digital Signal Processing (DSP) where digital techniques are employed to do jobs previously done in the analogue domain. Companies may now use state of the art chips and techniques to bring functions to products that were simply not possible using analogue - and at low cost in both development and manufacturing. This guide provides a brief introduction to DSP technology and addresses the DSP chip, DSP applications, choosing the right technology, the design process, manufacturing with DSP chips and DSP in real applications.

A guide to project management

Assuming that, like most people in industry, you do not have time to read a book - then this guide will provide you with enough information on project management to avoid the common pitfalls.

A guide to writing specifications

This guide to writing specifications is intended to be used as part of a planned approach to incorporating structure into your design process.

A guide to testing and design for test

This guide is concerned with the role and importance of testing in the overall electronic design process.

A guide to making investment decisions

This guide, intended for use by non-financial managers, aims to introduce some basic tools for the financial assessment of proposed development projects. The tools describe in the booklet can be used not only for assessing individual projects, but also for comparing multiple projects that are competing for resources and for evaluating different approaches to projects.

A guide to design for manufacture & assembly

This guide aims to help in minimising product lifetime costs by introducing concepts such as Concurrent Engineering and Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA). The primer concentrates on those aspects of the design and manufacture process that specifically involve the fabrication of the product. The booklet provides an overview of the processes, tools and techniques used when a DFMA philosophy is adopted.