you can wrench your bike and do pretty much everything very easily?
if you are a mech engineer does it mean...
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invictus43
Well-known member
Not necessarily..although most do have some inclination toward practical mechanical knowledge..
CruiserGoneSport
Well-known member
LOL!
I'm an Electrical Engineer but I refuse to touch anything that's not rated in milliamps.
Engineers (university) are strong theoretically, Technicians/Technologists (college) are strong practically.
As one of my profs explained: "Engineers design, Technologists roll up the sleeves and get dirty."
LOL!
I'm an Electrical Engineer but I refuse to touch anything that's not rated in milliamps.
Engineers (university) are strong theoretically, Technicians/Technologists (college) are strong practically.
As one of my profs explained: "Engineers design, Technologists roll up the sleeves and get dirty."
education rarely has anything to do with how handy someone is.
that being said, i'd expect your average mech engineer to be more handy than say a communications major.
No alot of mech engineers dont know which way to turn a wrench let alone fix something.
bboySushi
Well-known member
I'm a mech eng, and I'm mechanically adept. I can fix most things just by looking at them (unless it involves electronics, hate those things!) or going through a manual. People who work on their bikes know way more than I do. All engineering really did was give me a basic understanding and a way to look at problems so you could apply it universally. I always loved taking things apart and building stuff anyways though.
I'd say most mech eng's know what they're doing, but not really because they have a mech eng degree...more so we went into mech. eng because we already liked that kind of stuff in the first place.
Bottom line: Given a choice between a mech eng and a mechanic I would take my bike to a mechanic.
I'd say most mech eng's know what they're doing, but not really because they have a mech eng degree...more so we went into mech. eng because we already liked that kind of stuff in the first place.
Bottom line: Given a choice between a mech eng and a mechanic I would take my bike to a mechanic.
eljay
Well-known member
I swept mech eng based purely on mathematical skill and being able to use autocad with no mouse while drunk... never touched a tool except for building a pneumatic control system as a project.
I'm not an engineer any more. That was all another lifetime. I'm better at finding efficient ways to break things than fixing them.
I'm not an engineer any more. That was all another lifetime. I'm better at finding efficient ways to break things than fixing them.
rmemedic
Well-known member
I bet there are a lot of "backwoods" mechanics that I would take my truck/bike/sled to have fixed before a lot of mechanical engineers.
They're based on theory and some get the attitude that they have the degree so anything should be simple and easy for them when they haven't really ever turned wrenches.
Not taking anything away from them, as they have their place which is designing and figuring out the best way to make the compromises needed while developing whatever it is they are working on, but it doesn't make them a natural mechanic.
It takes at least 5 YEARS to get a ticket as a mechanic, that's more time than it takes for that degree, and it's almost all hands on time, and if they are in the right shop they could have learned quite a bit of stuff!
They're based on theory and some get the attitude that they have the degree so anything should be simple and easy for them when they haven't really ever turned wrenches.
Not taking anything away from them, as they have their place which is designing and figuring out the best way to make the compromises needed while developing whatever it is they are working on, but it doesn't make them a natural mechanic.
It takes at least 5 YEARS to get a ticket as a mechanic, that's more time than it takes for that degree, and it's almost all hands on time, and if they are in the right shop they could have learned quite a bit of stuff!
Half of the ones I know can't figure out why after 4 years of school, they still haven't had the chance to drive a train yet.
My experience with engineers messing with their area of expertise was more along the lines of them being more likely to break what they're working on and fixing. That includes electrical engineers running phone wiring, civvies and their building projects and mechs on mechanical system. Put the tools down, step away from the piece, slowly, slowly, and noone gets hurt 
My experience with engineers messing with their area of expertise was more along the lines of them being more likely to break what they're working on and fixing. That includes electrical engineers running phone wiring, civvies and their building projects and mechs on mechanical system. Put the tools down, step away from the piece, slowly, slowly, and noone gets hurt
if that were true how come city infrastructures haven't destroyed itself yet?
invictus43
Well-known member
I'm a mechanical engineer. Some mech eng's are good with tools, others aren't. It depends on their own individual background and experience. As noted above, a lot of the time, the mech eng went through that line of education because they already had some level of knowledge about mechanical things. That was my situation ... my dad was a machinist and had his own shop in the garage and was always building and repairing things, and little kiddo (me) was interested from a very young age, and watched and eventually started helping and doing my own things.
I build and fix my own stuff, but I wouldn't make a good mechanic. My toolbox is a disorganized mess and I spend half the time looking for the right tools and I don't have the patience to put them all back neatly and organized - when I'm finished with a tool, I typically just set it down right there (or chuck it in the box from across the shop), and then later on, I forget where I put it.
My real job very much involves understanding how industrial processes work. Robots, assembly equipment, MIG welding, etc. Since in this area this type of work is 80% automotive related, I also have a pretty good overview of how vehicles in general work and how they're put together. It also means that I could tell you things about the next generations of vehicles that few people know yet ... but then I'd have to kill you. Non-disclosure agreements and the like.
Everyone has their own areas of expertise. Mechanical assembly processes, thermodynamic processes (engines), fluid mechanics (hydraulics, air, etc), I have no problem with. Solid state component level electronics ... not so much. I haven't the faintest clue how this computer works inside. It's not my area. I just type at it ... and cuss at it when it doesn't do what I want it to do.
I build and fix my own stuff, but I wouldn't make a good mechanic. My toolbox is a disorganized mess and I spend half the time looking for the right tools and I don't have the patience to put them all back neatly and organized - when I'm finished with a tool, I typically just set it down right there (or chuck it in the box from across the shop), and then later on, I forget where I put it.
My real job very much involves understanding how industrial processes work. Robots, assembly equipment, MIG welding, etc. Since in this area this type of work is 80% automotive related, I also have a pretty good overview of how vehicles in general work and how they're put together. It also means that I could tell you things about the next generations of vehicles that few people know yet ... but then I'd have to kill you. Non-disclosure agreements and the like.
Everyone has their own areas of expertise. Mechanical assembly processes, thermodynamic processes (engines), fluid mechanics (hydraulics, air, etc), I have no problem with. Solid state component level electronics ... not so much. I haven't the faintest clue how this computer works inside. It's not my area. I just type at it ... and cuss at it when it doesn't do what I want it to do.
LOL!
I'm an Electrical Engineer but I refuse to touch anything that's not rated in milliamps.
Engineers (university) are strong theoretically, Technicians/Technologists (college) are strong practically.
As one of my profs explained: "Engineers design, Technologists roll up the sleeves and get dirty."
This is exactly how our office is.
The university guys are great explaining it to the higher ups, but have never actually seen anything installed as they don't want to leave the office, where as the college guys fight over who gets to go to site and do the installs and troubleshooting when needed.
Because technicians (whatever their titles are, depending on the trade) did the actual building.
By the way, it's not true in every case. I know of one mech eng who can outwrench most grease monkeys on a bike and another who designs and builds some pretty sophisticated electronic gizmos, but in most cases.............
Sabex
Well-known member
pretty much what everyone said.
also, what SHOULD work in theory, does not always work in practice.
Sometimes you have to creative and go against theory/common sense, to make something actually work. In a perfect world, practicality would be the same as theory, but in this imperfect world that never happens.
Like bashing something with a hammer to get it unstuck! (don't try this with fragile parts, or things you still want to keep...)
which reminded me of CRT tvs. When it stopped working, you'd give it a slap to the side, if it still didn't work try the other side. if that doesn't work, you hit the top. and if it still doesn't work, throw it off your roof!--- and if it STILL doesn't work... I have no idea. Usually it'd work after the first few slaps for me.
also, what SHOULD work in theory, does not always work in practice.
Sometimes you have to creative and go against theory/common sense, to make something actually work. In a perfect world, practicality would be the same as theory, but in this imperfect world that never happens.
Like bashing something with a hammer to get it unstuck! (don't try this with fragile parts, or things you still want to keep...)
which reminded me of CRT tvs. When it stopped working, you'd give it a slap to the side, if it still didn't work try the other side. if that doesn't work, you hit the top. and if it still doesn't work, throw it off your roof!--- and if it STILL doesn't work... I have no idea. Usually it'd work after the first few slaps for me.
Just 'cuz ya went to some ivy covered school doesn't mean you know which end of the hammer is the business end. My experience is quite the opposite.
An engineer is an "expert".
A "expert" is someone that has learned more and more about less and less, eventually knowing everything about nothing.
I was a gear for three years at UBC (structural).
I figure I got out just in time.
A Japanese electronics company did a study years ago. They tasked a varied cross section of people with programming a VCR. There were students, housewives, kids, electronic engineers, mechanical engineers, time and motion study engineers (these people have a special section of hell reserved for them)... you get the idea.
The winner? A 12 year old boy. (He read the manual).
An engineer is an "expert".
A "expert" is someone that has learned more and more about less and less, eventually knowing everything about nothing.
I was a gear for three years at UBC (structural).
I figure I got out just in time.
A Japanese electronics company did a study years ago. They tasked a varied cross section of people with programming a VCR. There were students, housewives, kids, electronic engineers, mechanical engineers, time and motion study engineers (these people have a special section of hell reserved for them)... you get the idea.
The winner? A 12 year old boy. (He read the manual).
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nesobriquet
Well-known member
In the majority of cases, this worked because it jarred a circuit board that has a lose pin whose solder joint has been compromised. Usually due to expansion and contraction of temp changes over the years on a solder joint that didn't have quite enough heat for a proper bond when being mfg'd. You have to be careful on old TV's because some of their bigger capacitors can carry quite the punch days after it's been powered down.
The loose solder pin example above though isn't restricted to just old TV's. Many a board I have fixed by systematically trying to move the backside of each pin till I find a loose one. Then resolder and Bob's yer uncle. In some cases you should wear a grd strap to avoid static shock if you are working near chips. There's tons of other crap too to know, of course, and I'm still in a haze on most jobs like that myself.
