Sunburn Schematics | Electrical Engineering Services | Hardware Development | R&D, DFM, & Testing

Happy Halloween everyone! 🎃

Ever found yourself knee-deep in custom magnetics at 11:30 PM? Just another day in the life. It's been a whirlwind few weeks. We landed a major deal with an aerospace company, which plunged me headfirst into engineering mode. When inspiration strikes late at night, who am I to argue? Remember how I've been championing the art of doing the unreasonable? Turns out, it works. We delivered a feasibility study and kicked off the serious business of developing space-ready electronics. Never thought I'd find myself designing custom magnetics, yet here we are. Steve Jobs was onto something about connecting the dots looking backward. Dusting off old physics textbooks to calculate core saturation and flux densities—and then watching those calculations line up with simulations—is oddly satisfying. Now, let's see if reality agrees with our math. Big news on the Sunburn Space front: our lunar glassblowing NASA NIAC proposal just passed the first stage! We're now crafting our final project proposal and plan to present it to NASA. Working with the Sunburn Space team to build the foundation for permanent human space habitation has been nothing short of amazing. As if that wasn't enough, ideas have been pouring out of our collaboration, and we've just filed our first provisional patent. Innovation waits for no one! Exciting times ahead, I'll keep you posted. #SunburnSchematics #PassionProjects #SpaceTech #AerospaceEngineering #EngineeringServices #EngineeringConsulting #ElectricalEngineering #HardwareInnovation #ISRU #LunarLandingPads #EngineeringLeadership

As a hardware engineer, I frequently hear complaints about the inadequacies of our development tools and environments. I've experienced these frustrations firsthand. My go-to tool for hardware development is a single-threaded CAD application that often crashes and struggles with large assemblies, even on my state-of-the-art computer. Despite these issues, Solidworks maintains a dominant market share. So why is it so challenging to develop better tools for hardware engineers? Spoiler alert: it all comes down to manufacturing.

Have you ever felt the pull of something you just couldn’t ignore, even when it seemed to diverge from your original plan? That’s been the story of my journey with Sunburn Schematics. Driven by curiosity and a relentless pursuit of what genuinely interests me, I've developed a diverse skill set that spans technical projects, team building, and leadership. Over time, I’ve learned to distinguish between work that truly fulfills me and work that garners external recognition. When I dive into projects that align with my core passions, work feels almost effortless—magical even. The challenges might be tough, but the energy to overcome them is boundless. But it’s easy to stray from this path, chasing vanity projects or working for appearance's sake. And when I do, that boundless energy quickly evaporates. A recent example of this is Sunburn Space. Despite my resolution to focus on a single project this year, I couldn’t ignore the call to research lunar landing pads and ISRU (in-situ resource utilization). At first, I wasn’t sure how this would tie into Sunburn Schematics, but I kept at it—writing, meeting with the team late into the night, and attending aerospace events. Through these efforts, I serendipitously connected with a major space launch provider who needed electronics designed for an upcoming launch. This alignment of my interests and expertise brought a new customer to Sunburn Schematics. What started as a passion project ended up fueling the growth of my business. It’s a powerful reminder that when we pursue what truly captivates us, the universe often responds in kind. Do you have any stories of serendipity in your professional journey? I’d love to hear them. Sunburn Space #PassionProjects #SpaceTech #AerospaceEngineering #EngineeringServices #EngineeringConsulting #ElectricalEngineering #HardwareInnovation #ISRU #LunarLandingPads #EngineeringLeadership

What Do Burning Man, Automotive Mechanics & Product Development Have in Common? Gather 'round, folks, because I’ve got a story that ties together the dusty magic of Burning Man, the gritty grind of automotive mechanics, and the creative thrill of product development. Last year’s Burning Man turned into a #mudpocalypse when an unprecedented storm hit, stranding nearly 100,000 burners in the Nevada desert. Despite media chaos, it was an epic adventure. DJs lifted their sound systems out of the mud, and power lines ran across camp roofs to keep the music alive. Amidst the fun, I met people who urgently needed to leave: a French woman needing chemotherapy, a couple needing to return to their kids, and a Chinese lady with an international flight the next day. So, I packed up, strapped my solar-powered speaker system to the roof, and spent two days ferrying desperate burners from the playa to the highway. Shuttles took folks who reached the highway back to Reno. My van, with its 200,000 miles, took a beating. It overheated, stalled, and limped back to the Bay Area at 3 MPG with black smoke pouring from the exhaust. I considered junking it, but I had sentimental plans for more adventures. So, I saw this as a chance to earn another engineering badge of honor and do an engine swap! The original van, with its 180 horsepower V6, was never meant to house a V8, but I was determined. I leveraged my experience working in the automotive industry with Jimmy Grey and the Levity Vans team to dig into the van. My mission was threefold - I wanted to learn the entirety of how combustion vehicles work, launch a useful product, and get my van back up and ripping. I found a cheap V8 truck engine. I hauled it to Santa Cruz and began the transformation, more than doubling the van’s original power output. The Astro Van has a die-hard following and is still widely driven. I reached out to Journey's Offroad, a company that provides aftermarket support and upgrades to turn minivans into offroad beasts. With my 3D scanner and #solidworks, I designed brackets for the engine, AC, and ignition coils. Our first manufacturing run is complete, and we’ll see how many gearheads want to revamp their rides. My estimate? About $50k in annual revenue. So, if you see any ridiculously loud and fast Astro Vans on the road, there’s a good chance I had something to do with it! This isn’t my first rodeo with product development. The first time I saw one of my creations in the wild was my BOM light. I was in NYC and spotted a skater on an electric longboard with one of my lights. It was a magical moment I hope to repeat! Maybe I’ll share that story another day. 😊 #SunburnSchematics #HardwareEngineering #ProductDevelopment #Innovation #EngineeringExcellence #Manufacturing #Prototyping #TechInnovation

🔮The Future of CAD Design: Embracing Direct and Voxel-Based Approaches As R&D speeds up and manufacturing batch sizes shrink, the need for adaptable design methodologies is growing. Companies like Toyota and Tesla showcase rapid innovation cycles—Tesla frequently updates vehicle designs, resulting in significant variation even within small production batches. Traditional parametric design software can't keep up, making direct or voxel-based design crucial. These methods will be essential for creating parts defined in multiple dimensions, including internal properties like density and material infill. 🌐 The Shift to Direct Design Parametric design has been a CAD mainstay, offering precise control over mathematically defined surfaces and hierarchical relationships. However, it struggles with modern manufacturing demands. Direct design, using discrete points (voxels) to define parameters, is gaining traction. Popular in tools like NVIDIA’s Omniverse and Blender, it promises rapid iteration and customization in mechanical and electrical design. 🚀 The Impact of Generative AI Generative AI can revolutionize 3D modeling. Imagine designing a car using prompt-based commands. While engines need precise definitions, more adaptable elements like body panels can benefit from AI, simplifying design by defining interactions and constraints. 🛠️ Integrating 3D Scanning and FEA 3D scanning bridges physical objects with digital models. For instance, I use 3D scanning to capture real-world components for my van and integrate them into CAD designs, enhancing design and prototyping. Direct design also complements Finite Element Analysis (FEA), improving simulation efficiency and accuracy by starting with a voxel-based approach. 🔮 Future Perspectives and Collaborative Workflows Generative AI can streamline the entire manufacturing process, generating instructions and optimizing designs for cost and production. Industries are moving towards collaborative workflows, inspired by software development and graphic design. Platforms like NVIDIA’s Omniverse enable real-time collaboration, contrasting with the isolated workflows in mechanical engineering. Adopting generative AI and voxel-based design can make workflows more agile and innovative. 🤝 Join the Conversation As CAD design evolves, your insights are crucial. How do you see the future of CAD? Are we ready to embrace direct methodologies and collaborative workflows? Let's shape the future of our industry together. 🚀

Ever poured your heart into creating something flashy only to realize it wasn’t what your business truly needed? When starting Sunburn Schematics, I cobbled our first website together on Squarespace, and it was far from perfect. Sometimes it was downright embarrassing to have customers point out spelling mistakes or broken links, but it was NOT the bottleneck to getting the business off-the-ground and I doggedly persisted on using my energy to close the first large sale. In contrast, I once spent a solid 8 hours working with ChatGPT and DALL-E to design a PCB business card that I would be proud to hand out when meeting potential clients. This card was way over the top and didn't need to be nearly as good for me to close a sale. Here, my personal desire to create something unique and impressive, led me to focus on something other than a true bottleneck. Where do you draw the line between upholding standards in quality/aesthetic and clearing out bottlenecks?  #SunburnSchematics #HardwareEngineering #ProductDevelopment #Innovation #EngineeringExcellence #Manufacturing #Prototyping #TechInnovation

The Real Bottleneck: Prioritizing What Truly Matters In our quest for productivity, we often confuse “productive” work with truly PRODUCTIVE work. Imagine a factory with hundreds of processes running simultaneously—some seamless, others stagnating and fluctuating. Reflexively, we tackle the most visibly problematic process first. It’s satisfying to see immediate improvements, but this approach often leads to local optimizations that don't significantly impact the factory’s overall performance. As Eliyahu Goldratt said, "We are not concerned with local optimums. Local optimums create vanity metrics. Elevate the goal—local optima are a trap." We apply the theory of constraints beyond the factory. What are the real bottlenecks preventing Sunburn Schematics from becoming the business we envision? How do you identify and prioritize the real bottlenecks in your business or personal projects? #SunburnSchematics #HardwareEngineering #ProductDevelopment #Innovation #EngineeringExcellence #Manufacturing #Prototyping #TechInnovation

From Setback to Innovation: The Birth of Sunburn Schematics Last year's layoff gave me the push to finish grad school and spend more time with my family. During this period, I did some consulting and contract work, which led me to realize that turning this work into a full-time business was the perfect blend of sales and engineering I'd always wanted. In my career, I struggled to balance sales and engineering. Despite my experience in robotics and manufacturing management, I wanted to engage with customers and dive deeply into technical work. To achieve this, I worked on professional engineering projects and side projects that allowed me to pitch, sell, and market directly to customers. Through my experience with hardware startups, I noticed common challenges for young teams. Prototyping an MVP is one thing, but engineering a scalable product involves anticipating manufacturing problems, performing DFM, and setting up supply chains and distribution channels. I saw an opportunity to bridge this gap for early-stage companies. Sunburn Schematics was born from my desire to share my knowledge and expertise. A chance meeting with Glenn and Dan in downtown SF turned this idea into a full-fledged engineering team. Over tea at the Center SF, they helped me turn Sunburn Schematics into my professional focus. At Sunburn Schematics, we are a dedicated team of hardware engineers ready to help your team research, design, prototype, iterate, and manufacture your hardware. With over 40 years of combined experience in industrial design, product development, electrical and mechanical engineering, manufacturing, and firmware, we ensure your hardware projects succeed. Join us on this journey. Bring us your toughest hardware challenges, and together, we might make the unimaginable possible. #SunburnSchematics #HardwareEngineering #ProductDevelopment #Innovation #Engineering #Manufacturing #Prototyping #TechInnovation