[sdiy] Design Process

[Magnus Danielson]

Ian Smith wrote:
> Hey all,
> 
> I'm hitting a variety of walls and want inspiration and 
> ideas from other crazy folk.
> 
> What are your design processes like?
>  What do you do when something just refuses to work?

I have two approaches:

1) Try to analyse it and figure it out. I'm stubborn so I can do a lot 
of it. I try different approaches and various ideas and try to verify 
them or put them into the dust.

2) Leave the problem for a while. Sometimes it just takes an hour of 
trying to do something else to come up with a solution. I've often got 
ideas when trying to fall asleep or during the morning shower.

One of the things I do is to learn to have many different tools in my 
toolbox. If I can't see something in one fashion, then maybe I am just 
looking at it with the wrong mind-set or with the wrong tool. I've found 
that I've been called into the lab at work only to turn the oscilloscope 
for a minute and then point at the signal that should not be there.

Another thing is a few diagnosing techniques... where is the signal 
behaving as expected or being suspect. Probing around could indicate 
where things is OK (then search "down streams") or not OK (search "up 
streams"). Another is to replace/change one thing at a time to see where 
the error follows with which component.

Cheers,
Magnus