Several Levels of Hardware Development

An excellent hardware engineer, in addition to strong basic theoretical knowledge, proficiency in hardware schematic design technology, hardware PCB design, hardware debugging, must also have the ability to learn quickly, understand communication protocols and standards, and circuit design , communication and overall control capabilities, material selection capabilities, procurement capabilities, etc., even from engineering theory to economic situation, to history, politics, culture, technology, etc., you must understand a little bit...

Based on our work experience, we divide hardware development into the following levels. Most people are on the third level, see which level you belong to?

Lavel Zero:

1. Knowledge of basic technology;
2. Electromagnetic basis of analog electronics, digital electricity, circuit analysis, signal and system, and physics;
3. Basically master the use of welding, circuit design software, oscilloscope use, multimeter and other basic instruments.

Level one:

1. The energy is mainly spent on learning schematic tools and PCB tools;
2. Mainly concerned about whether the PCB line can go through, nervous, and afraid that the line will be connected incorrectly;
3. No time and energy to pay attention to circuit principles, usually copy other people’s circuits, and prefer books with case circuits;
4. For PCB, the main concern is whether the lines can be connected, and there is no clear concept of signal integrity and the length and width of the traces, can master the design of low-speed circuits.

Level two:

1. Familiar with schematic diagrams and PCB tools, and skilled in operation;
2. Start to pay attention to the principle of the circuit, and the indicators of the device affect the circuit work;
3. Allocate energy to study Datasheet;
4. Pay attention to the differences between different types of discrete devices, and be able to think independently when selecting devices. It is not that there are any circuits that can be copied, but which circuits are used.

Level three:

Able to design solutions and solve problems. Proficiency in high-speed digital circuits, radio frequency, FPGA, large-scale circuit design (such as X86, etc.) EMC and other skills.
1. Be able to control the risk of the circuit, and some problems that may affect the function will be considered in the schematic diagram and device selection. It is not when the circuit is returned to the board for debugging to solve the problem;
2. When designing the circuit, consider the tolerance design and the non-ideality of the device, such as the change with temperature, the influence of accuracy, and the influence index of voltage;
3. In PCB design, in addition to line connectivity, the impact of high speed, radio frequency, and high current on circuit performance is also considered. Ability to analyze signal timing and impedance continuity;
4. Will use analysis or simulation tools to solve signal integrity problems.

Level four:

Be able to design stable and reliable products, products that meet industry standards, and products that support mass shipments.
1. Be able to consider dimensions other than functionality: low cost, easy to process, easy to purchase components, easy to test, easy to diagnose problems online, not easy to damage during transportation or vibration, easy to repair, and easy to maintain;
2. The designed products can meet the needs of high reliability;
3. Be able to innovate, and be able to make innovative products based on existing circuits or solutions; or be able to achieve technological advancement in a certain technical field, and the products produced have technical breaking points. Be able to apply for patents with practical value and effectively protect the innovation points of your products;
4. Able to design products that support mass shipments;
5. Be able to control the development and operation of ultra-large-scale hardware systems.

Level five:

Be able to formulate some standards, specifications, patents, etc. to form industry benchmarks, or be innovative.
1. Possess industry thinking, and be able to consider the needs of application scenarios before approving a product project, and be able to macroscopically consider market trends.
2. Be able to predict the entire life cycle of the product, and be able to comprehensively consider product design, cost control, product positioning, and human input allocation throughout the entire cycle from technical realization, project management, supply chain, and market demand.
3. Be able to connect upstream and downstream, and be able to control suppliers and distributors.

Level six：

It has social influence and affects the industry ecology.
1. Possess the ability to deliver high-quality products, have a complete knowledge system, have complete delivery capabilities and experience in more complex hardware products, fully grasp the hardware R&D process, and have a strong understanding of reliability, maintainability, testability, manufacturability, supplies ability have in-depth understanding and practical experience;
2. Problem-solving ability, rigorous problem-solving attitude, problem-analysis ability, and strong logical thinking ability;
3. Solid basic theories such as mathematics and physics, able to analyze problems theoretically, not empiricism;
4. Industrial vision, global vision, quick grasp of the laws of industrial trends, new chips, new technologies, and new fields, with a keen sense of smell.

Hardware engineers play a very important role in the entire R&D team. They not only need to communicate with the outside world to obtain their own design requirements, and then summarize and analyze them into specific hardware implementations, but also contact many chip and solution suppliers to select from them suitable solution.

When the schematic diagram is completed, it is necessary to organize personnel to cooperate with review and inspection, and work with CAD engineers to complete the design. At the same time, it is also necessary to prepare the BOM list, start purchasing and preparing materials, and contact the processing factory to complete the placement process.

So for hardware engineers, the technical improvement path should be like this:

The first level, cognition: possess basic knowledge and be able to correctly understand technology.
The second level, operation: able to weld, draw, layout, code, debugs.
The third level, skills: able to design solutions, able to solve problems. Proficiency in high-speed digital circuits, radio frequency, FPGA, large-scale circuit design (such as X86, etc.) EMC and other skills.
The fourth level, reliable: be able to design stable and reliable products, products that meet industry standards, and products that support mass shipments.
The fifth level, standards: be able to formulate some standards, specifications, patents, etc. to form industry benchmarks, or be innovative.
The sixth level, ecology: have social influence and affect the industry ecology.

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