TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
>> they also manufacture turnkey h/w s/w solutions...
In this case, they have a prototype of the system put
together, and a stringent set of requirements from the
customer about the docs. Install, calibration, and
maintenance procedures are required. Trouble is, they've
been working with this prototype for more than 6 months
without documenting ANYTHING. So, the system is all put
together and lovely, and my job is to figure out how you
would put together the thing from scratch. Of course,
the engineers are all busy busy, and I've been limited
to 2 hours per week for brain-picking. <<
Much like writing the assembly docs for a product that
only exists on paper, only you have a real one. This
takes a bit of vision, in that you have to imagine the
bits and pieces and what the components look like, and
how to assemble them.
Some more things to ask.
Sequence of hardware, what must be installed before
something can get installed.
What can be removed from a servicing perspective,
and what needs to be done from a HW & Sw perspective
to do so without compromising personal or data
integrity.
Can components be hot-plugged or not?
Software versus hardware sequencing, does some or
all of the software need to be installed before
or after the hardware?
How do you update the software once installed?
Locations of cabling for air flow for cooling,
and restrictions.
Any cable bend restrictions?
Any particular connector terminating? Some open
connectors interfere with signals and need a special
terminator to quiet the open connection.
Can the unit be shipped or moved after assembly?
If so what restrictions to cables or hardware.
Is positioning of components important relative
to each other?
A bunch of these questions relate to computer
components in a rack, but could be relevant to
any hardware that consists of multiple components.
Any restrictions for servicing components, such as
cables cannot be in the way of a removable component.
Any LEDs or other visual signals on the components
that needs to be made visible and not covered by
cables?
In labs, engineers frequently leave cables just
hanging around loosely and without any organizing.
Customer sites like to have things neat and tidy,
look at it from a walkthrough by the CEO. Would it
look like a professional installation, or was it
done by a fly-by-night group.
Access and tools for calibrationl. Any certifications
for the personnel doing the calibration? Any special
tools or requirements needing to be met? Source of
the certs.
Look at each component and figure out what holds it
in place. How many screws, washers, brackets, etc.
Are any of these common between different components?
If so, how are they to be packaged and distinguished
from one location to another?
Are there seven holes that could be used for a bracket
where only are to be used? Does it matter? If so, find
a way to identify exactly which ones are the ones to
use and which to not use.
If you were given a pile of parts, what would you need
to know to assembly it and get it running.
CB - working hardware for far too long, and now in
the software/hardware world of IO cards, finally
back to hardware after working software for awhile,
where I feel much more comfortable. Something I can
put my hands on!
-- http://www.surfy.net for Free Email <br> http://www.ergova.com for Low Prices on Hotels, Books, and more.
WEBWORKS FINALDRAFT - EDIT AND REVIEW, REDEFINED
Accelerate the document lifecycle with full online discussions and unique feedback-management capabilities. Unlimited, efficient reviews for Word
and FrameMaker authors. Live, online demo: http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Send administrative questions to lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
