Tales From The Cube
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Long shots, short shots, and hip shots
Vance Harwood, consultant, May 10, 2012Production of one company's new automatic-test systems screeched to a halt when a simple self-test for the driver output’s path resistance started intermittently failing. What was the cause? More -
Smack attack
Terry Staler, Specialty Concepts Inc, April 19, 2012Amid a maze of wires, a junior engineer must find out why his company's telephone-usage-monitoring equipment is failing. More -
Pulp packs a punch
Mike Page, Free-lance designer, April 5, 2012In a war between a no-contact tension-control system and the copy machine, no lives were lost due to flying rolls of paper or irate office workers. More -
It's a bird! It's a crane!
Earl Schlenk, Engineer, December 15, 2011This tale recounts how a cigarette break resolved a perplexing microwave failure. More -
The sun will screw up tomorrow
Clark S Robbins, GS Engineering, December 1, 2011Thermal deformation occurs in a hydraulic-control system that operates in the sunlight. More -
Where there's smoke
Chris Fazekas, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, November 17, 2011Smoke billows out of a test station; operator error, or some other mysterious phenomenon? More -
Tales From The Cube: Tell Us Your Tale Contest Finalists
EDN Staff, November 11, 2011It was a difficult choice but we’ve selected six finalists. We now leave it to you, our audience, to vote for a winner who will receive a Tektronix scope valued at approximately $5,000. More -
Murphy's Law applies even under water
David Jeffrey, Marine Applied Research and Exploration, November 11, 2011While working on a hydroelectric feed tunnel through the Andes in Peru, one engineer learns that Murphy’s Law is relevant when it comes to a manipulator and a mountain. More -
Printer parking brake
Dan Dull, Novo Engineering, November 11, 2011A so-called feature nearly foils plans to speed up wide-format inkjet printers. More -
Copy that
John E Rogers, Test Engineer, November 11, 2011A copy machine causes trouble for two engineers chasing phantom oscillations. More
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TALES FROM THE CUBE
In EDN's Tales From The Cube, engineers relate their most vexing design challenges—and how they conquered them. From the cubicle to the test bench to the field, hear how your peers solve real-world problems.
What's your story?
EDN gratefully acknowledges the contributions of all the engineers who share their stories here.
We also thank illustrator Daniel Vasconcellos, who delivers on short notice and adds an oft-needed note of levity.
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