Chapter Three for engineering design projects: specifications, block diagram, calculations and BEME

The shape of the chapter

Most engineering departments expect this order, under a title such as “Design and Methodology” or “System Design”:

When you set up the report, choose Design and construction as the type of study and put your components and ratings in the brief. InkScribe then plans sections named after your actual stages, not a generic template.

Design specifications

Start with what the device must do, as numbers: supply voltage, power, capacity, operating range. This becomes the yardstick for your testing in Chapter Four, so every row here should be something you can measure later.

Block diagram

The block diagram shows the stages of your system and how power and signals pass between them. Draw it before the calculations, because each block becomes a sub-section.

Click under the heading, choose Insert → Diagram, and describe the system in a sentence or two: which block feeds which. InkScribe draws it with proper blocks and arrows, and you can move or relabel anything.

Design calculations

This is the heart of the chapter. For each stage: the formula, what each symbol means, the values you used and where they came from, the result, and the standard part you chose because of it.

• Show the working, not just the answer. Equations are numbered automatically, as Word does.
• Justify assumptions such as sun hours or efficiency with a source or a measurement.
• Explain the margin. If you chose a bigger part than the calculation needs, say why. Supervisors always ask.

Not sure you can explain a calculation at your defence? Ask InkScribe: “Explain how the panel size in 3.5.2 was worked out, as if my supervisor asked me.”

Hardware design

Describe each circuit: the microcontroller and sensor interface, the driver and switching stage, the display, the power supply. For each, explain the connections and any resistor or transistor values you calculated. A circuit diagram for each goes here, drawn in Diagram Studio with standard symbols.

Software and flowchart

If your device has a microcontroller, explain the program’s logic and include a flowchart. Describe the steps in plain words, including each decision and loop, and InkScribe draws it.

Put the full program code in an appendix, not in the chapter.

Component selection

For each major component, say why you chose it over the alternatives: its rating against your calculation, availability in your local market, and cost. One short paragraph each is enough.

Bill of engineering measurement and evaluation (BEME)

The BEME is a table of every component with its specification, quantity, unit cost and total, and a grand total. Ask InkScribe to draft it from your components, then replace every price with what you actually paid.

Before you submit

1. Every specification is measurable, and Chapter Four tests each one.
2. Every block in the block diagram has a section that explains it.
3. Every calculation shows the formula, the values, the result and the part chosen.
4. Every figure and table is numbered, captioned and mentioned in the text.
5. The BEME uses the prices you actually paid.
6. You can explain each calculation in your own words.