Resources

Useful Online Resources

Here is a listing of websites that I've found particularly useful at one point or another during my career. Some of these are so helpful they get visited on a daily basis. I will update this list periodically as additional websites are found for easy reference.

General Sites (Tool Boxes & Calculators)

Engineer’s Edge * iCrank * The Engineering Toolbox * Martindales * Maryland Metrics * MechaniCalc * Unit Conversion * SLH Designs * GD&T * GrabCad * Design Data * Wavelength Calculator * Scientific Calculator

Technical Journals and Research Papers

International Journal on Mechanical Engineering and Robotics (IJMER)

Structural Design, Analysis and Test

OnlineVib (Sinusoidal Vibration Calculator) * AmesWeb (Vibration Calculators) * NASA Finite Element Modeling * FEMCI GRMS * Determination of Mechanical Properties of PCB (IJMER) * Sinusoidal and Random Vibration Testing Primer

Thermal Management Design & Analysis

Thermoelectric Cooler Calculator * Peltier Coolers * Laird Thermal Management * Engineering Toolbox (Finned Heat Sink Design Guidelines)Estimating Parallel Plate-fin Heat Sink Thermal Resistance * Heat Pipes for Electronics Cooling * Heat Pipes Design Considerations * Heat Pipe Design Guide * EMC and Thermal Design Conflicts in a PC * Henkel Bergquist (Thermal Interface Materials) * Birk (Heaters) * Omega Engineering (Heaters) * Tempco (Heaters) * Boyd Corporation (Heat Sinks) * Celsia (Heat Sinks) * Wakefield-Vette (Heat Sinks) * HeatSinkUSA * Alexandria Industries (Heat Sinks) * Advanced Thermal Solutions (Heat Sinks)

Cooling Fans

Comair-Rotron * Delta Fans * ebmpapst * ETRI Rosenberg * NMB MinebeaMitsumi Oriental motor * Orion Fans * Sanyo Denki * Sunon * Titan

Specifications and Standards

Mil Standards Quick Search (DLA) * IHS Standards * IEEE GlobalSpec * American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) * American National Standards Institute (ANSI) * American Society of Testing & Materials (ASTM) * International Organization for Standardization (ISO) * Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) * Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)

Material Properties

MatWeb * Engineer’s Edge * ULProspector (Plastics) * ULProspector (Metals) * ASM Materials * MatMatch * MakeItFrom

Surface Finish, Galvanic Series and Protection

Surface Finish Specifications for Metals * Corrosion Doctors * Galvanic Series Chart * Metal Finishing Guide Book * Surface Finish Charts, RA, RZ, Measurements, Callouts and Symbols

Fastener and Electronics Hardware

Mil Spec and NAS * ANSI (English) * ISO (Metric) * PEM Fasteners * RAF Hardware * Keystone Electronics Corp * Globe Electronic Hardware * Unicorp * Lyn-Tron, Inc * E&T Fasteners (PEEK) * Metric Bolts - Minimum Ultimate Tensile and Proof Loads * US Bolts - Minimum Ultimate Tensile and Proof Loads

Cables and Wire

Wire Calculator (WireBarn)

Connectors

D38999 Overview * Positronic * Amphenol Aerospace * Samtec * Airborn * Aero-Electric Connector * TE Connectivity * Carlisle * Molex Inc * Delphi * Virginia Panel Corporation * PEI Genesis * Digikey * Mouser * MilNec (D38999) * Souriau Sunbank (D38999 & MilSpec Backshells)

Electrical

Electricity * Electrical Current * Voltage * Ohm's Law * Inductors * Capacitors * Series Circuits * Parallel Circuits * Diodes * Relays * Transistors * 120V 240V AC * Single Phase AC * Three Phase AC * Electric Motor * Ground Neutral Hot * KWh * Batteries

Hardware and Material Sources of Supply

McMaster-Carr * Alaskan Copper & Brass * Metal Shorts * Thomas.Net * Mouser Electronics * Digi-Key Electronics * CarrLane * Accurate Plastics (FR4/G10 sheets) * Drake Plastics (Torlon & PEEK) * Boyd Corporation (Gaskets & Bonding)

Rapid Prototyping

Jemco * AP Coating (Powdercoat) * IDL Precision Machining * RAM Technologies (Foams) * Plastic Injection Molding * Aero-Plastics

Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Design & Development

Prototron Circuits * Qualitel * PCA Corp * Parylene Engineering * PhotoFab Etching (EMI) * Tech-Etch (EMI) * Boyd Corporation (EMI)

Environmental Test Facilities

Cascade Engineering Services * Element Test Labs * National Technical Systems (NTS) * CKC Laboratories (EMI/EMC) * Wind Tunnel Test Facilities (US)

Desktop Quick References

ANSI Screw Slide Chart Selector * GD&T ASME Y14.5 Wall Chart * GD&T True Position Coordinate Conversion Chart * Radio Spectrum Frequency Allocations

Online Coursework & Professional Development

edX Engineering * Coursera * Access Engineering * USC Viterbi (DEN)

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Reference Book List

I've been asked several times now about some of the reference books that I use on a regular basis, so I thought it might be useful to post a listing for future reference. 

For those considering a career path in Mechanical Design, Analysis and Test for Electronics Systems development in the broad range of fields including avionics, aerospace, alternative energy, commercial electronics, communications, industrial electronics, medical devices, network systems and transportation - as well as good references for Systems and Electrical engineering types that desire to broaden their understanding (particularly the Thermal Management and Product Reliability references). 

I have found these to be an excellent core reference set (by topic):

Design

Electronic Packaging and Interconnect Handbook” by Charles A. Harper • ISBN-13: 978-0071430487

Advanced Electronic Packaging” by Richard K. Ulrich • ISBN-13: 978-0471466093

"Composites Design" by Stephen W. Tsai, 4th Edition • ISBN-13: 978-0961809027

Statics and Dynamic Loading

Roark’s Formulas for Stress & Strain” by Warren C. Young • ISBN-13: 978-0071742474

Theory of Elastic Stability” by Stephen Timoshenko • ISBN-13: 978-0070647206

Vibration Analysis for Electronic Equipment” by Dave S. Steinberg • ISBN-13: 978-0471376859

Thermal Management

Cooling Techniques for Electronic Equipment” by Dave S. Steinberg • ISBN-13: 978-0471524519

Hot Air Rises and Heat Sinks” by Tony Kordyban • ISBN-13: 978-0791800744

More Hot Air” by Tony Kordyban • ISBN-13: 978-0791802236

Product Reliability

Reliability and Failure of Electronic Materials and Devices” by Milton Ohring • ISBN-13: 978-0120885749

Preventing Thermal Cycling and Vibration Failures in Electronic Equipment” by Dave S. Steinberg • ISBN-13: 978-0471357292

Electromagnetics (EMI/EMC)

"Antenna Theory, Analysis and Design" by Constantine A. Balanis • ISBN-13: 978-0471592686

"Field and Wave Electromagnetics" by David K. Cheng • ISBN-13: 978-0201128192

"Computational Electromagnetics for RF and Microwave Engineering" by David B. Davidson • ISBN-13: 978-0521518918

General Reference

Mark’s Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers” by Eugene A. Avallone • ISBN-13: 978-0071428675

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