The component engineer may have to first understand the circuit functionality or has to get the exact parametric values with the permissible tolerance levels for each parameter from the design engineer.
There are various parameters such as electrical, mechanical, environmental, cost, reliability factor, availability (life cycle), etc., which should, at a minimum, be considered while selecting a component.Ĭomponent selection is a process of selecting a suitable component or a set of similar components from different suppliers for the designed circuit to perform its intended operation. However, these databases may take the engineer to the nearest set-of-components but choosing the best one that suits the design is still the selector's task.
There are reference component databases available in the market, both free and subscription-based. Utilizing the web-based parametric tables and other user-friendly methods to select a component is easy but one should know how, when and where to use them appropriately.
Choosing the right component is the most important task involved in the product development cycle because a wrong selection here creates heavy and unpredictable losses (money, machine, men, time, etc.,) throughout the development activities causing failures and delays in the product releases.Įven though the technology advancements, e-commerce and globalisation have made the engineer's life easier, the human interference and intelligence are still very much essential in one or the other form. The component engineer is the one who is approached for the selection of components and suppliers since he acts as the liaison between sourcing/supply chain, design and, manufacturing teams as well as strengthens the supplier relationship. The component engineers need to have the breadth of knowledge and experience in the fundamental understanding of components, their specifications, constructions, and functionalities. Hence in most of the organisations, a dedicated team of component engineers are formed to help the design teams. So, utmost care and precautions are advisable while performing this activity. An error made in the component selection can cause serious damages up to an extent of thrashing and disqualifying the entire design and the product.
It appears as if the process of component selection for the hardware design requirements is very simple and straightforward but indeed there are many considerations and "techniques" involved behind. The method of choosing such "smart" components thus becomes "an art" to be acquired by the engineers today. Obviously, the successful companies and products have utilized 'smarter' components in their designs. The Principles and Process of Electronic Component Selection (part-5)Ĭomponent Selection: "an art" for SMART and Cost-effective DesignsĮlectronics components are the major part of the electronics system design and are rapidly undergoing technology advancements both, in performances and sizes.