Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1472851
68 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I JULY 2022 and that is where the problem comes in. e assembly manual for the trike must be the absolute worst set of documentation that I've ever seen. Not only is this document filled with trans- lation errors from the language it was initially written in, but there are plenty of other spell- ing and grammatical errors as well. e man- ual appears to have been written for a different model of trike than what we have, as the pic- tures don't match and it isn't laid out sequen- tially from one step to the next as you would expect. For instance, step one shows some pre-mounted bolts in different locations than where they actually were installed at the fac- tory. Step two describes how to mount the rear axis (and I'm guessing they really meant "axle" here instead) to the frame with a pic- ture showing the wheels already mounted on the axle. Step three then instructs you how to mount those wheels to the axle even though the previous step already had them in place. Trying to make sense of it all requires a lot of detective work, and I'm constantly going back and forth between the manual and online vid- eos to reverse engineer this mess and figure out what really needs to be done. However, I must confess, in spite of the extra effort taking up far more time than it should, I'm actually loving the technical challenge of it all. is experience has given me a greater appreciation than ever before for the necessity of creating clear and concise manufacturing instructions when I design a printed circuit board. Aer all, if the rear wheels fall off the trike because I didn't mount them correctly to the "axis," then there is the very real potential for embarrass- ment or injury, neither of which is a desirable situation. Likewise, unclear fabrication and assembly documenta- tion could also result in some negative consequences due to lost time and rev- enue from un-manufacturable circuit boards. To avoid problems like these, and many others as well, here are some ideas I try to keep in mind while documenting a PCB design: 1. Find out what your manufacturer needs and expects. Many manufacturers end up spending unex- pected time conferring with their customers over missing or unclear details in their build instructions. If the information isn't clear from the documentation, or is different than what was already agreed on, the manufacturer must resolve the differences before they can pro- ceed with circuit board production. is lost time can increase the overall production cost or delay the build, but it can be easily avoided by talking first with the manufacturer and find- ing out exactly what they need. Some manu- facturers have even told me that they end up correcting and regenerating their clients' pro- totype documentation to help them transition more efficiently into full production. If this documentation was created clearly to begin with, a lot of time and effort could have been saved. 2. Don't skimp on the details. Manufacturing drawings and other build instructions usually end up with a lot of data and information in them. And although it is