Re: Suspension losses

On Sun, 5 Jan 2025 11:27:48 -0600, AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:

On 1/5/2025 10:25 AM, Frank Krygowski wrote:

On 1/5/2025 5:40 AM, zen cycle wrote:

>
I worked with a curmudgeonly older engineer many years ago
who quipped "do a shitty job well and it's yours forever".

 
One of my colleagues had a sign in his classroom:
"If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have
time to do it over?"
 

Per Ray Gasiorowsky, "There are two ways to do anything. The
right way and again."

One of my former employers was very much into "first to market"
project design.  Everything we did was fast and furious.  His tag line
was something like "Do it right the first time because there won't be
a second time if the company goes broke".

This was somewhat put to the test when we were working on the
AN/SRD-22 Doppler direction finder for the USCG (US Coast Guard):
<https://www.learnbydestroying.com/jeffl/AN-SRD-22/>
We were at the point where the PCB's were being laid out when I had a
better idea, which would eliminate two of the major PCB's (printed
circuit boards), replace a control cable full of wires with one coax
cable, and substantially reduce the complexity and cost.  I camped out
in my office for a weekend and built a working proof of concept
prototype.

Everyone agreed that it was better in every way.  The problem was that
if we stopped the design process and switched to my new and improved
design, we ran the risk of missing the delivery deadline.  It took a
few days to debate the change in direction, but when done, management
decided to go with the superior product.  Amazingly, we met the first
article delivery deadline without any fatalities.  It was about 3(?)
months between the decision and delivery.  I got very little sleep and
was sweating bullets for the duration.

--
Jeff Liebermann                 jeffl@cruzio.com
PO Box 272      http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Ben Lomond CA 95005-0272
Skype: JeffLiebermann      AE6KS    831-336-2558