Jim Comstock OK?

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For most of my career in industry I was in one way or another a 'Systems Engineer'....now that is another whole can of worms....so we introduced the term 'Systems Architect', I am sure on my CV somewhere it used to say 'Enterprise Architect' when i worked in the heady environment of 'Systems of Systems' development and integration.

In the US these are thought to be skills you can teach in a primary degree course.

In the UK (and elsewhere) there is a different view. We tend to think the only real way to get these skills is a baseline engineering qualification, degree or otherwise and a lot of experience, most of which tells you not to trust everything you were taught getting your baseline engineering qualification!

To some degree this leads to individuals who can outperform those trained in narrower and narrower specialisations at the system level, by fostering a very broad skill base and the ability to helicopter above a project to get the full view, which is what I think a Systems Engineer does.

It is the case that Engineering as a discipline is not respected in the UK, and the teacher's comment is typical of educators and academics. Since it is those people who control education it is also the case that insufficient effort is therefore spent getting kids STEM qualified. But it is also true that the UK generally does not invest in its future, and never has.

You can lead this right back to the demise of every great British industry that died through both arrogance and lack of investment.
 
I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. I wasn't one who liked riding a desk. I worked for a defense contractor for 20 years. I worked in manufacturing, field installation, and design. While they all had their good points, I liked the design the least. When I started there, we manufactured our products from raw materials. When I left 20 years later, our products were mostly documents specifying how contractors should manufacture our products for us. We had become a "systems integrator".

I am a hands on type of guy. I took some machine shop and welding classes at local community colleges over those years to learn those skills. The company paid, so why not? My bosses had to approve tuition reimbursement and some didn't understand why I wanted to take such classes. I told them it would make me better at my job because it would give me a better idea of what was required to actually fabricate things. It was true, but not why I was interested. A lot of the students I encountered in those classes were not the sharpest tools in the shed. They were young and trying to learn skills to make a living with. Good for them. Apparently it wasn't attractive to the brightest youngsters.
 
I’m just waiting patiently for my head but I guess that will not be any time soon if Jim is about to go on a big road trip
 
gortnipper said:
I work with software developers for the last 25 years...they are also called "software engineers" and I am an "Engineering Manager" with teams ~75. But, it isn't really Engineering.

www.theatlantic.com

Programmers: Stop Calling Yourselves Engineers

It undermines a long tradition of designing and building infrastructure in the public interest.
www.theatlantic.com www.theatlantic.com
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I take exception to this. I am both an EE and a Software Engineer (CS degree). Nowadays pretty much everything electronic has some intelligence built in which requires software. The software engineer has to know both the hardware architecture and the firmware requirements. My job is to write the code for embedded processors that make the damn thing work. Without software engineers, your cell phone would be a paper weight.

The product line that I work on is pressure transducers. which can be used in safety critical applications. People's lives depend on our software working correctly. Yes, we do extensive analyses, testing and software design reviews and validation. I'm an engineer, not a friggin "programmer".

That article seems to imply that only Civil Engineers - people who design bridges and roads - qualify as real engineers. That's BS.
 
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FWIW,
Computer Engineering is now a sub-set of Electrical Engineering when taught in college. My son has an “Electrical/Computer Engineering, BS” 4 year degree. Now working on his Masters in Engineering Management. He works for the government at the FAA. Some of his classmates went into the Electrical Engineering field, but some are now doing a lot of coding.
The interesting thing is my son and all his close Engineering friends are equally comfortable at a keyboard or holding a wrench.
Also there is a sort of apprenticeship program in these fields. They are called “intern” positions, where a student can work for a company in their chosen field, usually in their 3rd and 4th year of school. This way they have experience and a lot of times a job upon graduation.
Pete
 
maylar said:
I take exception to this. I am both an EE and a Software Engineer (CS degree). Nowadays pretty much everything electronic has some intelligence built in which requires software. The software engineer has to know both the hardware architecture and the firmware requirements. My job is to write the code for embedded processors that make the damn thing work. Without software engineers, your cell phone would be a paper weight.

The product line that I work on is pressure transducers. which can be used in safety critical applications. People's lives depend on our software working correctly. Yes, we do extensive analyses, testing and software design reviews and validation. I'm an engineer, not a friggin "programmer".

That article seems to imply that only Civil Engineers - people who design bridges and roads - qualify as real engineers. That's BS.
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you are certainly correct regarding embedded devices being paperweights without SW. And so I agree with what you say about some software developers having to know about HW architecture and firmware, as I worked on smartphone development platforms '99-'03 and GPS Sat Nav platforms '04-'09. However, on those projects we also had plenty of software developers who knew not much (if anything at all) about HW and firmware.

Certainly, most SW developers dont know anything at all about HW arch., kernel code or firmware. Especially in the consumer applications development space.
 
I, too, am also in an unfortunate position regarding my engine parts with Jim. When I spoke with him in March, he assured me that I'd have my head and barrel back by early July. I have sent him several polite emails and calls requesting he mail my stuff back to me, but he has not responded. He has the entire top end of my 72 Combat. If anyone has another mechanism to contact him or have had success with getting things back, I'd love to hear about it. I understand that he's beyond swamped with work...that's a great thing for him. However, I am not in a position where I can have my projects open for months (or as some have indicated) years. I simply want my parts back at this point so I can move my project along. Thoughts?
 
CrustyNorton924 said:
I sent my engine to CNW over 4 years ago to be rebuilt and it’s still not done. I think Jim still hasn’t finished my head. I’ve emailed Matt and he just keeps saying that Jim is starting to send him heads and other engine components I guess. I’m just beyond frustrated and I actually started worrying I might die before it gets finished.
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If anyone is curious. Ups just dropped off my engine from CNW. Yes it took 4 years no more to the story than that. I’ve had a lot going on in my life, sold a house, lived in a camper, built a house, changed jobs a couple of times, so the Norton engine rebuild was not a priority at times. But it’s home and it’s beautiful! Thanks Matt!
 
Just after Christmas holidays I sent out a set of cylinders to be relined and pistons fitted. It needed custom liners and I knew that going in. Two days ago shop called telling me job done. Fine, give me you details and the'number' and Ill transfer funds directly. But no, I was required to deal with ordering in a courier. After a bit of faffle they agreed to deal with this and generate a new invoice and ship info. Still waiting...
It is wot it is. Plenty of reasons why things are the way they are but a lot is just down to too few tool rooms and they go where the money is best. It isn't small old bike jobs I can tell you. How many of those widgets do you you want my CNC station to spit out....? Fact is we are at their mercy and have to be happy with that.
 
fatcaaat said:
I, too, am also in an unfortunate position regarding my engine parts with Jim. When I spoke with him in March, he assured me that I'd have my head and barrel back by early July. I have sent him several polite emails and calls requesting he mail my stuff back to me, but he has not responded. He has the entire top end of my 72 Combat. If anyone has another mechanism to contact him or have had success with getting things back, I'd love to hear about it. I understand that he's beyond swamped with work...that's a great thing for him. However, I am not in a position where I can have my projects open for months (or as some have indicated) years. I simply want my parts back at this point so I can move my project along. Thoughts?
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Holland Norton Works may be a good alternative to JC. They will give you a turnaround time. HNW is more expensive I guess, but that's the tradeoff for shortened delivery times. I have no affiliation with HNW but consider using them myself. Another reputable address is SRM Engineering in the UK.
No endorsement for either implied.

- Knut
 
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Still find P Seager my best option, unless Steve decides to do a bit in his spare time. Lol
 
mdt-son said:
Holland Norton Works may be a good alternative to JC. They will give you a turnaround time. HNW is more expensive I guess, but that's the tradeoff for shortened delivery times. I have no affiliation with HNW but consider using them myself. Another reputable address is SRM Engineering in the UK.
No endorsement for either implied.

- Knut
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I would be extremely wary of SRM.
 
CrustyNorton924 said:
If anyone is curious. Ups just dropped off my engine from CNW. Yes it took 4 years no more to the story than that. I’ve had a lot going on in my life, sold a house, lived in a camper, built a house, changed jobs a couple of times, so the Norton engine rebuild was not a priority at times. But it’s home and it’s beautiful! Thanks Matt!
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Pictures. Pictures. Pictures.

Whats wrong with you man? We need pictures !!
 
I have placed 2 orders for parts from SRM.

1. Spokes were a gauge less than oem.

2. Brake cams were missing the grease lube holes.

Not going to risk it again.
 
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