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Without documentation the valuable work an engineer develops would be wasted, as others would fail to repeat their work and build upon it, stifling innovation. In a competitive industry, poor documentation could cause a business to make serious mistakes. Here are five key principles teams can follow to help them produce award-winning engineering notebooks. Thanks to the revolutionary ARM-based Apple M2 chip - an update from the previous M1 chip - that powers the new MacBook Air, this is a stunning achievement: a thin and light laptop that offers great performance while offering incredible battery life. During our time with the MacBook Air, the laptop performed incredibly well, whether we were playing around with GarageBand or editing 4K home movies in iMovie. In fact, the fan was silent when in use - although we'd expect that to change under seriously heavy workloads, such as 8K editing. Forget about robots for a second, the engineering notebook is hands down the most important material any team will produce in FIRST Tech Challenge UK. No team can be assessed for an award without one, however, teams have won awards without a working robot — it’s true! So, what’s an engineering notebook and how can your team produce an award-winning one? Francis, one of our HQ intern alumni, shares his expert advice for developing a notebook set to wow the judges.
An engineering notebook that contains a daily log of discoveries and issues encountered that day provide a written record of the slow steps forward that can help make such reflections far easier. The daily log can help put what seem like only minor successes into perspective and help to boost a development teams’ self-esteem and outlook on a project. Another part of the equation was the covers that looked cool but clean so I created the Technical Engineering Notebooks. As you can tell, I enjoy delving into the history of engineering and upon reading many quotes from the engineering greats realized I wanted to make the best engineering notebook for motivation so I stitched up some favorites and made it available for everyone to buy a copy. Since you will likely be using complex programs like AutoCAD, MATLAB, and SolidWorks, you will need a laptop with sufficient power to run them smoothly and effectively. It can be graphically intensive when using programs like the best graphic design software and the best 3D modeling software. It's also worth asking your school, college, or university if they have preferred machine, or minimum hardware specifications. In many instances, the engineering software you use will be restricted to a particular operating system - usually Windows - so it's best to get that information before committing. How we test the best laptops for engineering students It is becoming increasing popular for engineers and technologists to use digital tools, instead of pen and paper notebooks, for recording observations and activities. Software like Microsoft OneNote allows easy entry and filing of notes for almost any purpose. A key advantage of digital notebooks is that they allow for easy integration of photos, video, and audio directly into the notebook entries. However it is harder (but not impossible) to add a hand drawn sketch to a digital notebook.
Using Digital Notebooks at a Competition
Don't worry, I have an easy way to determine if an engineering quotes notebook is for you, but if there is something you can think of that you'd like to see in these books, feel free to reach out and let me know.
Typical laptops focus on a lightweight frame, long battery life, or other specifications for easy communication and media consumption (eg. webcams, WiFi, screens). Laptops for engineering students need to be able to perform advanced operations easily, even if they don't have all-day battery life. Engineers have kept meticulous notes for centuries. Leonardo da Vinci had many notebooks full of drawings and notes on ideas and inventions. Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, and Nikola Tesla—just to name a few other inventors—kept meticulous records. A bright 15.6-inch FHD display and generally robust build quality mean that while this isn't the most lightweight laptop in the business, it's comfortable pulling double duty as both a desktop replacement and a tool for on-the-go work. It's also a good choice for the environmentally conscious, with a chassis made partially from post-consumer-recycled plastic and eco-friendly water-based paint.
A digital notebook is not in danger of being misplaced; as long as members of the team have access, the notebook can still be used. For instances where a physical notebook is needed, a digital notebook can be printed out.
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