Electronic Circuit Design 2A

(ECDS201)
Bachelor of Engineering Technology
Department of Electronic & Computer Engineering

Compiled by
Mr MM Molefe
Fundamentals of Engineering Design
(Design approach, Engineering Design processes)
• Engineering has existed since ancient times, when people devised inventions
such as the wedge, lever, wheel, and pulley, etc.
• Engineering is the application of science and mathematics to solve problems
of economic importance and those essential to the progress of the society.
• Or Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build
machines, structures/architectures, and other items.
• Engineers are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build, and test
machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets, and materials to fulfill
functional objectives and requirements while considering the limitations
imposed by practicality, regulation, safety, and cost.
• The work of engineers forms the link between scientific discoveries and their
subsequent applications to human and business needs and quality of life.
 Roles of engineers include:
• Design: This is where engineers usually develop new technological solutions.
During the engineering design process, the responsibilities of the engineer
may include defining problems, conducting and narrowing research,
analyzing criteria, finding and analyzing solutions, and making decisions.
• Analysis: Engineers usually apply techniques of engineering analysis in
testing, production, or maintenance. Analytical engineers may supervise
production in factories, determine the causes of a process failure, and test
output to maintain quality. They can also estimate the time and cost
required to complete the projects.
• Specialization and management: Most engineers can specialize in one or
more engineering disciplines. Numerous specialities are recognized by
professional societies, and each of the major branches of engineering has
numerous subdivisions.
Types of engineering:

• The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of

more specialized fields of engineering, each with a more
specific emphasis on particular areas of applied
mathematics, applied science, and types of application.
• Engineering is characterized into four main branches:
chemical, civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering.
• Engineering is also a broad discipline that is further
characterized into several sub-disciplines.
 Design
• A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or the
implementation of an activity or process, or the result of that plan or specification in the
form of a prototype, product, or process.
• Design is a mixture of analysis and creative thought, it’s also the central activity of the
engineering profession.
• It produces the information needed to realize a manufacturable product, usually of some
utilitarian value.
• Design is an iterative decision-making process, in which natural sciences, mathematics,
and applied sciences (engineering) are applied to meet a stated objective in an optimal
manner.
• Examples of designs majorly include: architectural blueprints, engineering drawings,
circuit diagrams & sewing patterns
• Engineering design can be defined as the process of devising/inventing a system,
component or process to meet desired needs
• Engineering designs can be classified as inventions- devices or systems that are created
by human effort which did not exist before or improvements over existing devices or
systems.
Principles of Engineering Design
Engineering design is guided by a set of principles that govern the process of creating new products & systems or
effective solutions to engineering problems. These principles include:

• Functionality: The primary goal of engineering design is to create a product or system that performs its intended
function effectively and reliably.
• Reliability: The design should be reliable and operate consistently under various conditions.
• Efficiency: Designers should strive to create products that are efficient in terms of energy consumption,
materials usage, time efficiently and other resources.
• Safety: This is a top priority in engineering design, and designers must consider potential hazards and implement
appropriate safety measures to minimize risk. A design should be safe for users and the environment and should
comply with relevant regulations and standards.
• Durability: A well-designed product should be durable and able to withstand the stresses and strains of its
intended use.
• Maintainability: The design must be easy to maintain and repair.
• Manufacturing: The solution must be manufacturable using the available manufacturing processes and
techniques.
• Materials: The materials used in the solution must be appropriate for the intended use and environment.
• Sustainability: Engineers must consider the environmental impact of their designs and strive to minimize waste,
reduce energy consumption, and create products that are environmentally sustainable. A design should consider
the long-term impacts on the environment and society and aim to minimize negative effects.
• Usability: The design must be easy to use and intuitive for the user.
• Cost-effectiveness: A design should be cost-effective, taking into account factors such as production costs,
maintenance costs, and product lifespan.
• Creativity: A design should be innovative and creative, exploring new possibilities and challenging existing
assumptions.
 Design Approach
• This is a design methodology that provides a solution-based approach to solving the
problem. This is very useful in tackling complex or unknown problems. It consists of the
linear and non-linear approach
• 5 Steps of Linear Approach to Design
• Empathizing: this requires consulting experts to find out the area of concern through
observing, engaging and understanding the human needs of the problems that need to
be solved.
• Defining: this step is where the analysis of the observations from the information
gathered from step 1 takes place (defining the problem in human-centric ways)
• Ideating: creating or generating many ideas in ideation sessions (brainstorming).
• Prototyping: production of inexpensive or scaled-down products to investigate the
generated problem solutions (developing a prototype)
• Testing: rigorous testing (Taking measurements) of the product is required by the
designers, using the best solutions identified from step 4. Here alteration and
refinements are done to rule out problem solutions and derived a better understanding
of the product for the users.
Design Approach Cont’
• Non-linear Approach to Design: This is a more flexible way of
designing. That is, the design team/engineer may conduct more than
one stage concurrently.
 Engineering design processes
• Engineering design processes are a series of steps that engineers follow
when they are trying to solve a problem and design a solution for
something.
• Noting that most engineers may have their twist to how the process
works, for there is no single universal design process accepted.
• Process may vary from one industry to another
• This process generally begins with a problem and ends with a solution,
but the steps within may vary.
• The process is highly repetitive- some parts of the process often need to
be repeated many times before another.
The Engineering design process
The 8 steps are as follows:
• Identify the need or the problem
• Analyze the need or the problem
• Develop possible solutions
• Select the best possible solution
• Construct a prototype
• Test and evaluate the solution
• Communicate the solution
• Redesign
Stepwise Flow of Engineering Design Process
Teams required for Engineering Design Process:

• Design teams: use brainstorming techniques to generate large

numbers of ideas within a short period.
• Engineers: conduct research to develop their knowledge base,
stimulate creative ideas, and make informed decisions.
• Designer: uses an engineering notebook to chronologically document
all aspects of a design project.
The Need: Identification and Analysis
• A need can be described as a gap between “what is” & “what should be”.

Types of Needs
• Direct Needs: are expressed by customers to the designer during several
processes of identification. (specifications)
• Latent Needs: hidden needs which may arise in future after the
customer has started using the product
• Constant Needs: demand on the products (never change)
• Variable Needs: change in the product with time due to various factors
(improvements)
Need Identification is the most important step in the engineering design process
for its directly related to the satisfaction of the customer.
• Customer Needs Identification is the process of determining what and how a
customer wants a product to perform.
Two major goals of Need identification:
• To keep the product focused on customer needs
• To identify not just the explicit needs of the customer, but also latent needs
(which are hidden needs)

Methods for identifying customer needs:

• Gather raw data from customers
• Interpret the data in terms of customer needs
• Organize the needs
• Reflect on the process
Needs analysis is defined as a formal process focusing on how a product addresses the needs of a human.
It is not an official business development tool but is considered as a valuable analytical technique
to better gauge the marketability of a product or a service to a human consumer.
• It is often used across many industries, such as software development, automobiles, consumer products
and banking services, etc.
Principles of Need Analysis
• The opinion of end-users is essential to unify a diverse, opinionated design team, and their opinion
should transcend the desires of your design team.
• Market research is essential to unify end user opinions and to use quantitative and qualitative research
to find the best direction for product or service designs.
• Appeal to the lowest common denominator in end-user needs. Marketing to the lowest skill levels
results in the largest potential market.
• Do comprehensive tests of your products over a long period of time to allow adequate adjustments
before "freezing“ your product for the final manufacturing stage.
• Continue to monitor user feedback after the product launch, and address defects quickly and keep an
accurate record to apply to future releases, if they cannot be addressed immediately in the current
product.
• Elegant designs are the end product of successful needs analysis and will put your product head and
shoulders above industry peers.
Design Specifications:
detailed document providing information about the characteristics of a product to set criteria
that the developers will need to meet. It is useful in the area where a structure or product has to be
specially made to meet a need.
For example, a design specification must include all necessary drawings, dimensions, environmental
factors, ergonomic factors, aesthetic factors, cost, maintenance that will be needed, quality, safety,
documentation and description. It also tells specific examples of how the design of the project
should be executed, helping others to work properly.
A design engineer formulates the design specification. These specifications can be divided into the
following:
• Performance Specification: is prepared on the basis of market research information or the specific
requirements specified by a particular customer.
• Product Design Specification: this specifies the characteristics, capabilities and limitations of the
product.
• Manufacturing Specification: this comprises the information that is necessary for the manufacture
of the product.
• Sales Specification: this includes the information related to performance, safety and reliability as
claimed by the manufacturer.
Standards of performance and constraints are a set of complex requirements
which are a must to ensure the matching of reliability level, cost, safety level and
overall performance as expected by the customer. The success of a system depends
upon whether the design performs its function to the desired level of requirement
or not. If it performs well, we say the design is successful otherwise the system
fails.
 Product Life Cycle
A product has a life of its own and goes through cycles. Although different products have
different types of life cycles.

The product life cycle normally goes through four stages:

• Introduction stage
• Growth stage
• Mature stage
• Decline stage
Common stages or phases of project development

• Research: is creative and systemic work undertaken to increase the

stock of knowledge. This also involves the collection, organization,
and analysis of relevant information to increase understanding of a
project.
• Conceptualization/ conceptual design/ study/ concept generation or
ideation: this is a phase of project planning which includes producing
ideas and taking into account the pros and cons of implementing
those ideas. This stage is done to minimize the likelihood of error,
manage costs, assess risks, and evaluate the potential success of the
intended project. In any event, once an engineering issue or problem
is defined, potential solutions must be identified.
Concept Generation

The following are techniques widely used in generating the concept generation:
• Trigger word- A word or phrase associated with the issue at hand is stated, and subsequent words
and phrases are evoked.
• Morphological Analysis-Independent design characteristics are listed in a chart, and different
engineering solutions are proposed for each solution. Normally, a preliminary sketch and a short
report accompany the morphological chart.
• Synectics- The engineer imagines him or herself as the item and asks, "What would I do if I were
the system ?“ This unconventional method of thinking may find a solution to the problem at
hand. The vital aspect of the conceptualization step is synthesis. Synthesis is the process of taking
the element of the concept and properly arranging them. Synthesis creative process is present in
every design.
• Brainstorming-This popular method involves thinking of different ideas, typically as part of a
small group, and adopting these ideas in some form as a solution to the problem
Feasibility assessment

It outlines the methods of achieving the desired outcome and helps to

narrow the scope of the project in order to identify the best scenario. The
purpose of this assessment is to determine whether the project can
proceed into the design phase.
• Detailed design or detailed engineering (final design): do consist of procurement
of materials and elaborates each aspect of the project/product by complete
description through solid modeling, drawings as well as specifications
• Also, computer-aided design (CAD) programs have made the detailed design
phase more efficient as it provides optimization to reduce volume without
hindering the part’s quality.
• Production planning and tool design consist of mass production planning of the
product and which tools should be used in the manufacturing process. The task
to be completed in this step includes selecting materials, selection of the
production processes, determination of the sequence of operations, and
selection of tools. It also involves additional prototype testing iterations to ensure
the mass-produced version meets qualification testing standards.
Challenges in Engineering Design:
Engineering design is a complex process that requires a deep understanding of mathematics,
science, and technology. There are several challenges that engineers must overcome in order to
create successful designs, some of these include:

•Cost: Developing new products or systems can be expensive, and engineers must balance the cost
of development with the potential benefits of the final product.

•Safety: Engineers must ensure that their designs are safe for users and comply with relevant safety
regulations.

•Environmental Impact: Engineers must consider the environmental impact of their designs and
ensure that they are sustainable.

•Balancing conflicting design requirements: A design may need to be lightweight and durable,
which can be challenging to achieve with traditional materials.

•Managing risk. The design of complex systems, such as aircraft or nuclear power plants, involves
significant risk, and engineers must take steps to identify and mitigate potential hazards.