Engineering Service Charges

In that case...

It has been my experience from watching his interactions with others that Joerg Schulze-Clewing is knowledgeable, professional, ethical, and helpful.

(I have no financial or business connection with Joerg or with

other than, on one occasion, working on a project with a cardiologist who was using two of the products that he designed (FloMap and WaveMap).)

Hello Guy,

Thanks. But I did not design those except for some redesign. We built these two for several years in our production facility at the division I was heading. Kind of like a manufacturing service to another division which didn't have a systems production. Of course, when there were any analog issues, part obsolescence or whatever I had to get involved. Rank or turf didn't matter much at this company which made for a really pleasant work environment. Almost like a family.

I did design part of the IVUS system though. That thing is cool, especially the transducer. I believe it is still the smallest ultrasound array in the world.

Regards, Joerg

Hello Terry,

Deduct tool costs from the $25. In the US they often have to provide their own full range of tools. I know a retired car mechanic who now sits on several expensive boat anchors he had to buy for his tool cart. Specialty tools for cars that aren't around anymore.

Regards, Joerg

These days I stick mainly to replacing air filters, plugs and blown bulbs. I do like to watch our annual MOT test though ( the one where they checkout that your car is still roadworthy ). Many garages even provide a suitably located viewing position for this.

I have however occasionally been able to diagnose something the garage missed simply because I drive the thing all the time and that'll occasionally give you a clue. I had a curious occasional 'misfire' - 'lack of power' and no-one could work it out. The flexible hose from the air inlet / filter / air mass meter to the throttle body had small leak. Depending on the torque the engine was producing the leak might open up a little. When it did, the ECU couldn't understand what was going on and I got the odd symptoms. A bit of 'superglue' fixed it dead. It works well on rubber.

Graham

That's because they can't put an apprentice on the job if you are watching.............

--
Tony Williams.

It allows an absolutely crushing remark in the negotiation.

"But that's only about the same as the garage charges me for servicing the car!"

--
Tony Williams.

I know an ex IT guy and an electronics graduate who couldn't find a decent full-time job in that area who now both work as 'tree surgeons'.

Doesn't pay that well but they don't have to put up with the often present office politics shit etc etc...

Cue the next recession / depression btw. I think it'll be accepted it's here in about a year's time. I'm already attempting to find some plan to deal with it.

Graham

Apparently the most common way of becoming a millionaire in the US is to work from home (or somewhere equally cheap) and sell goods or services directly to householders.

--
Tony Williams.

The spell-checker song:

I have a spelling checker. It came with my pea sea. It plane lee marks four my revue Miss steaks aye can knot see.

Eye ran this poem threw it. Your sure lee glad two no. It is core wrecked in every weigh, My checker tolled me sew.

A checker is a bless sing. It freeze yew lodes of thyme. It helps me right stiles ewe can reed, And aides me when aye rime.

Each frays come posed up on my screen Is trussed too bee a joule. The checker pours o'er every word To cheque sum spelling rule.

Bee fore a veiling checkers Hour spelling mite decline, If wee R lacks oar have a laps, We wood bee maid two wine.

Butt now bee cause my spelling Is checked with such grate flare, There are know faults with in my cite, Of nun eye am a wear.

Now spelling does knot phase me, It does knot bring a tier. My pay purrs awl due glad den With words sew fare too hear.

To rite with care is quite a feet Of witch won should be proud, And wee mussed dew the best wee can, Sew flaws are knot aloud.

Sow ewe can sea why aye dew prays Such soft wear four pea seas, And why eye brake in two averse With righting sure two please.

when

My approach has always been that the initial consultation sets out the scope and expectations. It is the contract negotiation and is therefore the same as submitting a tender - my cost. After that, if they want me back to their premises for meetings/design_review/change_of_plans etc then I bill for time at the meeting and usually (but not always) for the travel at 100% rate. That is for local (i.e. same city, driving distance) clients.

The thing they DO get as a freebie is my time when they ring me, even though it is often unrelated to a current job, although if they call when I'm doing their job then the clock keeps ticking. Sometimes when I have finished a job they ring and discuss other design issues and look for hints/approaches to use for projects for their clients further up the food chain. These calls can often last half an hour. I consider that good PR and it sometimes does generate follow-on work. Not always of course, but PR is always a percentage game.

ROTFLMAO! Briliiant. A garage I went to in Hamilton a couple of years back charged $90/hour for its mechanics (who got paid more like $25/hour).

Cheers Terry

Ouch. that ranks up there with paying waitresses less than minimum wage and expecting them to beg from customers.

Cheers Terry

Perhaps he shoudl work faster. ;-) BTW, they *love* brake jobs. They can beat the clock by 2:1 on 99% of the jobs. The ones that are so rusted that have to be cut off screw up the percentages, though since it's a new car dealership they don't run into too many of those.

Yes they are W2 employees though are paid hourly, whatever hours are in the book (the same one the boss charges the customer). I don't know about the tool write-offs. I'll have to ask if I get a chance. I *believe* the uniforms are supplied by the employer, though there was some discussion over this.

Since when is the IRS fair?

--
  Keith

A comedian joked on TV a few months back about how the nouveau-riche are showing off nowadays - they are the only ones who can afford to have a builder working on their homes.

I know an ex-cobol programmer who is now a plumber. we charge the same hourly rate.

Cheers Terry

Hello Keith,

I didn't know that. The friend told me they never made that much though and this was in the Bay Area.

Freelance is fine. But since they are employees I guess that the IRS will not allow them to deduct tool costs unless they exceed 2% AGI. I do not think that 2% rule is fair to them because it is expenses they have to incur in order to generate taxable income.

Regards, Joerg

Hello Graham,

I met an IT guy with degree and all who turned himself into a home remodeling contractor. Lots more money, he said. No boss, except the customer who usually isn't there when he works. Best of all, this task cannot be outsourced to India or some other place.

The only caveat (for some) is that such jobs must be bid per project. Hourly billing is the rare exception.

Regards, Joerg

I have never experienced the "freezing" that I hear so much about... -Guy from Los Angeles

I've made about 4x as much money from doing that as from engineering over the last 3 years. I am the customer too, which makes life easier :)

when my sidekick turns up, I'm gonna stop drawing bode plots with my

3577 and rip out 2 walls, so I can install a fireplace - this house is freezing. I have taken to working until 2am then sleeping until lunchtime, as the house is about 10 degrees colder than outside until 1pm or so. Then install ducting so I can pipe the hot air around too. Underfloor insulation is next.....

Cheers Terry

Thanks for the info guys, I have enough to see that we are in-the-ballpark.

Joel