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In this issue:

A Dozen Myths About Reliability — Part 2

  • Product reliability is something most people take for granted...until a product fails. Explore the second part in our series "12 myths regarding product reliability".

The latest economic trends - finally some good news!

  • Fed Chairman Foresees Economic Growth in 2004
  • Things are looking up for small business owners
  • Silicon Valley Venture Capital Funding on the Rise
More High Tech Humor
  • Tech Support Stories - Hard to believe
  • Computer Acronyms - What they really mean

Wireless Mouse Performance

  • Percept Technology tests the latest wireless mouse products from Microsoft and Logitech - The results may surprise you

Percept Hires Technology Industry Veteran

  • Al Backlund joins the Percept team as the Engineering Manager of Technical Operations
 
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A Dozen Myths About Reliability — Part 2

In the last issue of Perceptions (http://www.percept.com/news/fall03newsletter.htm ), Dennis Wilkins, Senior Reliability Specialist with Percept, discussed six myths about product reliability:

1. Saving money is what's most important to customers.

2. You know what's right for your customer, so there's no need to ask.

3. There's no need to plan ahead for reliability, since you can always test it in later.

4. All good designers know how to design reliable products.

5. Reliability is the sole responsibility of the Quality department.

6. If you are careful with your designs and purchase components from reputable suppliers there's no need to test for reliability.

Now let's explore the final six:

7. Reliability training is essential for reliability engineers alone.

While it's imperative for reliability specialists to undergo extensive training in reliability issues affecting your technology, it's also important for every individual who can affect reliability. This means that each person involved in choosing materials and components, selecting and implementing processes, and making design decisions that impact the overall reliability of your final product must have a solid understanding of how design practices and component parameters can affect reliability. Comprehensive reliability training programs enable people to recognize when their decisions affect reliability, and help prevent costly mistakes.

8. The best time to consider reliability is after you've produced functional prototypes.

To optimize reliability/cost tradeoffs, reliability evaluation and testing should be done at various stages throughout the design cycle.

In the design phase, reliability prediction and modeling helps assess the reliability of electronic and electro-mechanical designs. Analysis of part types and stresses is a powerful method to predict product performance and warranty periods early on, so adjustments can be made if necessary.

It is also important to test for reliability once hardware is available - in both the prototype and pre-production phases. This testing will give a clear picture of any possible design errors that may compromise reliability and allow correction before mass production and distribution.


9. Design Engineers should focus exclusively on new designs rather than analyze warranty or field data on previous designs.

Leading companies involve their technical staff in identifying and eliminating reliability issues throughout the entire product life cycle. Because it is so costly to keep making the same mistakes, it is vital that engineers are involved in understanding and improving reliability problems in the field as well as in new designs.


10. "Parts is parts" it's best to choose the most economical components.

Buying components based solely on lowest cost and published specifications may seem like a reasonable cost-savings strategy, but may result in expensive reliability problems in the long run.

Be sure a vendor can back up reliability claims with test results or field data before purchasing a component. All parts are not created equal, so be mindful that saving a little on a purchased part can end up increasing warranty costs significantly.

11. Unless you are manufacturing gas-turbines, you really don't need to consider thermal aspects of a design.

Improper thermal design can lead to a number of reliability problems by negatively affecting electrical components, mechanical assemblies and materials.

In general, higher temperatures will degrade reliability, although you must understand the specific effect of temperature on your technology. Some components actually fail faster in low temperatures.

In addition to degrading component reliability, excessive heat may be a cause of customer dissatisfaction. Some early laptop computers caused customer complaints and even returns because the underside became very hot when used on a person's lap.

12. While ElectroStatic Discharge (ESD) is an annoyance, it's not a major concern for electronic designs.

ElectroStatic Discharge, ESD, is well known in dry climates when people feel a shock as they turn on lights or touch certain appliances. It is also a source of significant reliability problems in electronic products, especially products with high density electronic components like processors and memory chips. ESD can cause temporary problems such as changing the settings on a device, and can also cause permanent damage to some components by destroying electrical traces or semiconductor structures. Understanding specific ESD issues and taking the proper steps to avoid them is critical in designing and manufacturing electronic products.

Summary

Optimizing Reliability in Your Products -- Producing reliable products that meet customer expectations is more than a good idea, it's an essential strategy to stay in business in today's competitive marketplace. Companies must recognize the importance of and commit to on-going programs of reliability planning and internal training. Reliability issues must be addressed from the product concept stage, to design and manufacturing, through shipment and support.

The good news is that there are tools and methods available to optimize reliability and minimize costs. No matter the size of your company, there are resources available to help plan, design, and test for reliability to increase sales and customer satisfaction and decrease the cost of failure and support.

Dennis Wilkins is a Senior Reliability Specialist at Percept Technology Labs.



Copyright 2004 by Percept Technology Labs

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Economic Trends - Looking Good…

After some hard years, it's good to see the business outlook brightening a bit. Here are some "good news briefs" we came across this week:

1. Fed Chairman Foresees Economic Growth in 2004 -- By News wire reports, February 12, 2004

Upbeat outlook tempered with warning on deficits

The U.S. Economy may grow as much as 5 percent this year, the strongest pace since 1984, leading to faster job gains, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said Wednesday. But Greenspan also warned that mushrooming federal budget deficits eventually could threaten the national economy, which he said had shown "impressive gains."
Greenspan, delivering the central bank's twice-a-year economic report card to Congress, offered a fairly upbeat assessment and expressed hope that companies would step up hiring.

Against that backdrop, Greenspan reaffirmed the Fed's stance that it would be patient in considering possible increases in short-term interest rates, which are at a 45-year low of 1 percent. The comment pleased Wall Street, with the Dow Jones industrial average closing at its highest level in 21/2 years.

"The picture has brightened," Greenspan told the House Banking and Financial Services Committee. "Prospects are good for sustained expansion of the U.S. Economy," and "employment will begin to grow more quickly before long as output continues to expand." "It's the best of both worlds, with economic growth and low inflation and low interest rates," said Geoffrey Somes, a senior economist at Fleet Bank in Boston.

The Fed's estimate is that the unemployment rate would average 5.25 percent to 5.5 percent in the fourth quarter.
Greenspan tempered his optimism with a dose of caution about the dangers of budget deficits. Last week, the Bush administration projected that this year's deficit will reach a record $521 billion. "Federal budget deficits could cause difficulties even in the relatively near term," Greenspan said. "Should investors become significantly more doubtful that the Congress will take the necessary fiscal measures, an appreciable backup in long-term interest rates is possible."

For complete article go to http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/business/article/0,1299,DRMN_4_2648774,00.html


2. Things are looking up for small business owners -- PRNewswire-FirstCall, CHICAGO, Feb. 17, 2004

Optimism High for business owners

Small business owners are more optimistic than at any time since the 1980s, thanks to rising pricing power, favorable credit conditions and a change in tax laws, according to Bank One Senior Economist Peter Glassman.

Big Budget + Election Year = Strong Production Gains -- That means 2004 likely will be a good year for small business growth, particularly given the big spending that typically comes with an election year, Glassman said.

While small business owners -- like many large companies -- continue to grapple with rising insurance costs, a number of key factors are looking up. Glassman noted: "Strong demand for the products and services of small businesses, is
allowing them to raise prices and boost hiring".

Low short-term interest rates continue to make it easier for owners to borrow cash to invest in their businesses. New tax laws have made it possible for small businesses to take larger deductions, further boosting capital spending.

For complete article, go to http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040217/cgtu043_1.html

3. Silicon Valley Venture Capital Funding on the Rise -- By Matt Marshall, Mercury News, February 15, 2004

Venture capital funding up 20 percent in 4th quarter

Venture capital investment is finally on the rise again, suggesting a turnaround for Silicon Valley start-ups after three years of decline -- and with it could come more jobs.

Venture capitalists invested $1.62 billion in Bay Area companies in the fourth quarter -- up a strong 20 percent from the $1.35 billion the quarter before, according to the MoneyTree Survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, Venture Economics and the National Venture Capital Association. It's the first real upswing in investments in a year and is the most funding since mid-2002.

However, it will take another quarter or two to see whether the trend continues. For the year, 2003 still saw a decline in overall local investments, to $5.87 billion from 2002's $7.02 billion.

A rise in venture investment into start-ups is promising because it is considered one of the earliest signs of a recovering economy, especially in a region so dependent on entrepreneurs. Start-ups have traditionally created the most job growth in the valley.

Nationwide, venture capital investments jumped to $4.92 billion during the last three months of 2003, an 11 percent jump from the previous quarter. Investments declined to $18.19 billion in 2003, from $21.41 billion.

Nationwide, investment in life sciences companies continued to outpace other industry sectors. For the second consecutive quarter, biotech was the leading industry, drawing $1.1 billion. That outpaced the traditional leader, software, which got $978 million.

For full article go to http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/7959847.htm


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High Tech Humor

Tech Support Stories (from the Wall Street Journal)

Undercover Mouse
AST technical support had a caller complaining that her mouse was hard to control with the dust cover on. The cover turned out to be the plastic bag the mouse was packaged in.

Any Key?
Compaq is considering changing the command "Press Any Key" to "Press Return Key" because of the flood of calls asking where the "Any" key is.

Clean Keyboard
A Dell customer called to complain that his keyboard no longer worked. He had cleaned it by filling up his tub with soap and water and soaking the keyboard for a day, then removing all the keys and washing them individually.

Insert Disks
An IBM customer had trouble installing software and rang for support. "I put in the first disk, and that was OK. It said to put in the second disk, and had some problems with the disk. When it said to put in the third disk, I couldn't even fit it in.." The user hadn't realized that "Insert Disk 2" meant to remove Disk 1 first.

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Got Windows?
A woman called the Canon help desk with a problem with her printer. The tech asked her if she was running it under "Windows." The woman responded, "No, my desk is next to the door. But that is a good point. The man sitting in the cubicle next to me is under a window and his printer is working fine."

Computer Industry Acronyms - And what they REALLY mean:

  • PCMCIA => People Can't Memorize Computer Industry Acronyms
  • ISDN => It Still Does Nothing
  • APPLE => Arrogance Produces Profit-Losing Entity
  • IBM => I Blame Microsoft
  • DEC => Do Expect Cuts
  • CA => Constant Acquisitions
  • CD-ROM => Consumer Device, Rendered Obsolete in Months
  • OS/2 => Obsolete Soon, Too.
  • SCSI => System Can't See It
  • DOS => Defunct Operating System
  • BASIC => Bill's Attempt to Seize Industry Control
  • WWW => World Wide Wait

Test Case Spotlight:

Percept Mousinator

The "Mouse-inator" - Custom Test Fixture

 

 

Why did industry giant Microsoft Corp.
choose Percept Technology Labs to test and analyze its two newest wireless mouse products (the Wireless IntelliMouse® Explorer and the Microsoft Wireless Optical Mouse) along with its major competitor's
products?

 

 

 

 

Microsoft Selects Percept Technology Labs to Test Their Newest Wireless Mouse Products

Today's leading technology firms - like Microsoft - realize that it's a fiercely competitive battle to convince consumers to purchase their products with so many to choose from. Most companies make claims of superior product performance, but how many can back them up with unbiased, quantifiable data?

That's why Microsoft turned to Percept to independently test hundreds of wireless mice to determine actual battery life for a typical user in a truly representative usage pattern. Percept tested Microsoft products as well as products from leading rival Logitech. The results are very interesting and compelling.

Testing battery life in a wireless mouse is not as straight forward as one might think. Because power conservation in the idle and sleep modes is significant in a battery life comparison, you cannot simply run several mouse products and observe which one lasts longer. That's why it was vital that Percept determine and use a motion/user profile that was truly representative of how and how much a typical user actually moves a wireless mouse product. After analyzing several mouse usability studies for detailed motion profiles, Percept staff selected the most representative mouse motion profile to be used in testing, which showed that a mouse is in its deepest sleep state 74% of the time and in motion 26% of the time.

In order to properly test the battery life of these advanced mouse products, Percept designed and built a test fixture and wrote customized software that moved the mice on a wilson art counter surface. The "mouse-inator" worked around the clock, moving mice back and forth and letting them rest - just like a human user would. Over the course of several weeks Percept tested over 130 Microsoft mice and Logitech mice.


Test Results & Business Benefits:

Percept's testing revealed that the Microsoft mouse products use less battery current in sleep modes, and use less integrated average current during motion tests. Both of these factors contribute to a longer battery life. Bottom line results indicate that:

  • The battery life of the Microsoft Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer will be an estimated 3.9 times longer than the Logitech Cordless Click Plus

  • The battery life of the Microsoft Optical Mouse will be an estimated 3.5 times longer than the Logitech Cordless Click Mouse.

This independent data validates Microsoft's product performance and gives the firm a competitive edge over rival Logitech products. The Executive Summary of the Percept comparison test report is now posted on Microsoft's web site, and a sticker indicating that battery life has been tested by Percept is attached to the packaging of each of their mouse products.

Microsoft speaks:

"Using an independent test lab to measure and validate our battery life performance is essential to our commitment to deliver the battery life expectancy that is so important to our customers. Percept's staff understood the key issues in designing and running relevant and valid tests that give a truly representative picture of how our products (and our competitors' products) perform in typical usage patterns in true user environments."

Christy Hughes, Mouse Product Manager - Microsoft

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Percept Hires Technology Veteran

Please join us in welcoming Al Backlund, Percept's new manager of technical operations. Assuming responsibility for managing Percept's staff of test engineers, developing hardware and software test systems and overseeing multiple test projects and technical budgets, Al will join the Percept team on March 1st.

According to CEO Brian Cleveland, "We are pleased to welcome Al to the Percept team. Over the past eight years, our customer base has grown substantially (and we have expanded our service offerings in the areas of product test, compliance certification and reliability modeling and testing. Al's solid technical background and proven ability to manage diverse projects and teams effectively will enable him to take on the challenge of planning for and overseeing the firm's many varied and challenging test projects and upholding Percept's commitment to exceptional test services and client care. "

Drawing from more than twenty years experience in high tech engineering and management, Al understands the issues involved in launching quality technology products on time and within budget. Prior to joining Percept, Al held key engineering management positions in several area technology firms including Seagate, Fujitsu and StorageTek.

Al adds, "Today's technology firms face immense challenges as they work to design and build quality products quickly enough to meet market windows. Thorough testing throughout the entire product lifecycle - from product definition through customer shipment - is essential to ensure that products will meet customer expectations. Clients rely on Percept's in-depth expertise and proven test methodologies to meet their most complex and demanding testing requirements and timelines. I look forward to working with the Percept team to work with our clients to identify design, compliance and reliability issues; solve them; and obtain all the necessary data and certifications so they can ship proven, quality products on time and within budget."