Hardware Hub
I love exploring blogs that talk about the next big thing and what technology is driving it. My problem is that even though I feel like I'm gaining inspiration for future ideas, I'm not really learning what I want to focus on. I find that software engineering and electrical engineering are heavily documented by hobbyists, but since so much of mechanical engineering changes when you're looking to design at scale, it's counterintuitive to learn these skills from hobbyists.
So much of designing hardware for a startup as the lone mechanical engineer at Line Health was learning by doing... while this is undeniably the best way to learn anything, it's not always the most efficient. I've spent a lot of my spare time exploring the different design resources in my industry. There wasn't any specific hub that incorporated everything, so I made this page to act as a consolidated resource page for anyone looking to learn more about the hardware design process.
Blog
The best places to learn about hardware
This is by far the most practical and helpful guide to hardware design for manufacturing that I've found. Scott Miller is a top notch guy who led this video series that is rich with guidelines and facts gained from his years of manufacturing experience.
Fictiv is a good source if you want to send out custom machined, 3D printed, or Cast urethane parts. They've created a hardware guide that includes articles that dive deep into aspects of hardware design that often go uncovered.
Protolabs is a well known sourcing option that makes quick turn, low volume molded parts. Their design tips are intended to optimize parts for functionality and cost.
If you can sift through the advertisements, Machine Design highlights materials, processes, and products in a very informative fashion.
Geared toward electrical engineers, their specialists in PCB layout go in depth about the process of laying out a board and how to transition to production by controlling the BOM and versions in a clean manner.
Inspiration
Ben Einstein and the Bolt team are at the forefront of Hardware startups and offer keen insight and new ideas about what it takes to make hardware successful.
Dragon has a team of experts when it comes to sourcing and manufacturing parts, especially overseas, and focus their thoughts on how to design and plan for success.
PCH Hardware Weekly Newsletter
An email newsletter that features new blog posts, recent funding in companies, job postings, and trends in the hardware industry.
Similar to their hardware guide, a series of blog posts that offer details about scaling up and news in hardware.
An industrial design magazine that features cool ideas and products that are always well designed.
A mix of entertainment and education, Hackaday features creative engineering in the hackerspace that typically focus on electrical and firmware hobbyist projects.