Still learning... Stupid Mistakes - Smart Solutions
Hey guys,
So I'm sure this is obvious to all you, but I kinda just had this reinforced to me. If something goes wrong because someone screwed up... Don't let that get to your head. Instead, worry about fixing the solution.
My Formula Hybrid team's just throwing together the last of the car and getting ready for comp. I get a message from one of the guys that reads something like this: "Hey, where can we get replacements for those Clippard GPS-P3 sensors you ordered? I think we shorted and/or overheated them."
I was livid. I'm trying to study for my last final (I need to do well on this one, I got ~30% on the midterm) and now I need to go out there and help troubleshoot? FUUUUUU. Turns out, somehow, they fried the BJTs on those sensors. The sensor works great, but there's either no output or always high. The little LED works great, though.
So Zach (Team-member) and I start throwing ideas out.. Linear Pot? Nah, too much integration work. Find local replacements? Probably not. Make our own sensors (he mentions he thinks he has some HESs at home)? I'm hesitant because I'd be doing it totally blind, but sure. (I have ZERO experience doing magnetic sensing or anything like that, I know basics about Schmitt triggering and such.. but not much really) He runs home and grabs them. Turns out they're SOT-23 package. Yay. Break one trying to get a test rig, so we're down to the last one. Turns out it works. Holy shit. We ended up finding some TO- package that'll be much nicer to secure/tape to the cylinder
Long story short, don't worry too much about things you can't fix. Worry about finding another solution.
Y'know, unless you want to figure out how to idiot proof things further.
In case you were wondering, part of this was totally my fault as I just left everything for others to integrate, and part of this was just down to sheer timing - we pushed our time schedule too far and I wasn't able to help integrate the things that I wanted to integrate. I still have no idea who did the mistake, nor do I really care.
