Computer Hardware Engineer Research, design, develop, or test computer or computer-related equipment for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use. May supervise the manufacturing and installation of computer or computer-related equipment and components.
Computer Hardware Engineer is Also Know as
In different settings, Computer Hardware Engineer is titled as
- Design Engineer
- Engineer
- Field Service Engineer
- Hardware Design Engineer
- Hardware Engineer
- Physical Design Engineer
- Project Engineer
- Staff Engineer
- Systems Integration Engineer
Education and Training of Computer Hardware Engineer
Computer Hardware Engineer is categorized in Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Experience Required for Computer Hardware Engineer
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Education Required for Computer Hardware Engineer
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Degrees Related to Computer Hardware Engineer
- Bachelor in Computer Engineering, General
- Associate Degree Courses in Computer Engineering, General
- Masters Degree Courses in Computer Engineering, General
- Bachelor in Computer Hardware Engineering
- Associate Degree Courses in Computer Hardware Engineering
- Masters Degree Courses in Computer Hardware Engineering
- Bachelor in Electrical and Electronics Engineering
- Associate Degree Courses in Electrical and Electronics Engineering
- Masters Degree Courses in Electrical and Electronics Engineering
- Bachelor in Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Associate Degree Courses in Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Masters Degree Courses in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Training Required for Computer Hardware Engineer
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Related Ocuupations
Some Ocuupations related to Computer Hardware Engineer in different industries are
- Software Developers
- Electronics Engineers, Except Computer
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians
- Computer Systems Engineers/Architects
- Calibration Technologists and Technicians
- Mechatronics Engineers
- Robotics Technicians
- Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians
- Microsystems Engineers
- Robotics Engineers
- Electrical Engineers
- Electrical and Electronics Drafters
- Computer Network Architects
- Mechanical Engineers
- Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers
- Computer Systems Analysts
- Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers
- Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians
- Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment
- Radio Frequency Identification Device Specialists
What Do Computer Hardware Engineer do?
- Update knowledge and skills to keep up with rapid advancements in computer technology.
- Provide technical support to designers, marketing and sales departments, suppliers, engineers and other team members throughout the product development and implementation process.
- Test and verify hardware and support peripherals to ensure that they meet specifications and requirements, by recording and analyzing test data.
- Monitor functioning of equipment and make necessary modifications to ensure system operates in conformance with specifications.
- Analyze information to determine, recommend, and plan layout, including type of computers and peripheral equipment modifications.
- Build, test, and modify product prototypes, using working models or theoretical models constructed with computer simulation.
- Analyze user needs and recommend appropriate hardware.
- Direct technicians, engineering designers or other technical support personnel as needed.
- Confer with engineering staff and consult specifications to evaluate interface between hardware and software and operational and performance requirements of overall system.
- Select hardware and material, assuring compliance with specifications and product requirements.
- Store, retrieve, and manipulate data for analysis of system capabilities and requirements.
- Write detailed functional specifications that document the hardware development process and support hardware introduction.
- Specify power supply requirements and configuration, drawing on system performance expectations and design specifications.
- Provide training and support to system designers and users.
- Assemble and modify existing pieces of equipment to meet special needs.
- Evaluate factors such as reporting formats required, cost constraints, and need for security restrictions to determine hardware configuration.
- Design and develop computer hardware and support peripherals, including central processing units (CPUs), support logic, microprocessors, custom integrated circuits, and printers and disk drives.
- Recommend purchase of equipment to control dust, temperature, and humidity in area of system installation.
Qualities of Good Computer Hardware Engineer
- Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
- Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
- Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
- Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
- Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
- Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
- Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
- Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
- Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
- Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
- Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
- Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
- Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
- Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
- Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
- Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
- Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
- Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
- Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
- Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
- Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
- Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
- Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
- Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
- Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
- Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
- Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
- Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
- Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
- Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
- Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
- Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
- Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
- Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
- Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
- Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
- Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
- Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
- Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
- Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
- Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
- Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
Tools Used by Computer Hardware Engineer
- Alternating current AC power analyzers
- Alternating current AC power sources
- Bit error rate testers BERT
- Circuit memory testers
- Circuit testers
- Color plotters
- Communications analyzers
- Communications signal analyzers
- Computer scanners
- Desktop computers
- Digital analysis systems DAS
- Direct current DC power supplies
- Dynamic signal analyzers
- Feeler gauges
- Frequency counters
- Function generators
- Impedance analyzers
- Inductance capacitance resistance LCR meters
- Inspection scopes
- Isolators
- Laptop computers
- Logic analyzers
- Logic probes
- Mainframe computers
- Multimeters
- Oscilloscopes
- Pattern generators
- Personal computers
- Personal digital assistants PDA
- Power sensors
- Probe card devices
- Probe stations
- Protocol analyzers
- Protocol exercisers
- Pulse generators
- Resistance meters
- Sampling oscilloscopes
- Signal generators
- Signal source analyzers
- Spectrum analyzers
- Thermal chambers
- Traffic generators
- Universal source generators
- Voltage sensors
- Waveform generators
Technology Skills required for Computer Hardware Engineer
- Apache Subversion SVN
- Application-specific integrated circuit ASIC logic synthesis software
- ASSET JTAG ScanWorks
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Automatic test program generation ATPG
- Block diagram software
- Boundary scan description language BSDL
- Boundary scan insertion software
- Built-in self-test BIST debugging software
- C
- C++
- Cadence Allegro PCB Designer
- Cadence Concept
- Cadence Dracula
- Cadence Encounter RTL Compiler
- Cadence Opus
- Cadence OrCAD software
- Cadence PSpice
- Cadence Schematic Composer
- Cadence Virtuoso Layout Suite
- Cadence Virtuoso Spectre Circuit Simulator
- Cisco IOS
- Complementary-symmetry/metal-oxide semiconductor CMOS layout software
- Computer aided design CAD software
- Computer diagnostic software
- Computer simulation software
- Dassault Systemes CATIA
- Data acquisition systems
- Database software
- Design-for-testability DFT insertion software
- Discrete Fourier transform DFT analysis software
- Eko
- Electronic design automation EDA software
- Failure analysis software
- Fast Fourier transform FFT analysis software
- Field programmable gate array FPGA design software
- Field programmable gate array FPGA logic synthesis software
- Freescale CodeWarrior Tools
- Hardware description and verification language
- Hardware description language HDL
- Integrated circuit simulation software
- Internet search engine software
- Linux
- Logic synthesis software
- LogicVision icBIST
- M-Sim
- Magellan Firmware
- MAGIC software
- Magma Design Automation Blast Create
- Magma Design Automation Blast FPGA
- Mathsoft Mathcad
- MathWorks Simulink
- MathWorks Simulink DSP Blockset
- MathWorks Simulink Fixed-Point Blockset
- Mentor Graphics BSDArchitect
- Mentor Graphics Calibre
- Mentor Graphics LeonardoSpectrum
- Mentor Graphics Precision RTL
- Mentor Graphics Xpedition xDX Designer
- Microarchitecture simulation software
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Visio
- Microsoft Visual Basic
- Microsoft Visual C# .NET
- Monte Carlo simulation software
- National Instruments LabVIEW
- Operating system software
- Oracle Java
- PARTHENON
- PCI Express PCIe
- Perl
- Place-and-route software
- Project management software
- PTC Creo Parametric
- Python
- Register transfer language RTL
- SAS
- Schematic editors
- Shell script
- Simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis SPICE
- SKILL FMEA software
- SoftICE
- Spreadsheet software
- State diagram software
- Structured query language SQL
- Synopsys Design Compiler
- Synopsys Hercules
- Synopsys HSIM
- Synopsys HSPICE
- Synopsys TetraMax ATPG
- Synplicity Synplify
- SystemVerilog
- The Mathworks Control System Toolbox
- The Mathworks Data Acquisition Toolbox
- The Mathworks Embedded Coder
- The MathWorks MATLAB
- The MathWorks Real-Time Workshop
- The MathWorks Signal Processing Toolbox
- The MathWorks Symbolic Math Toolbox
- The MathWorks Wavelet Toolbox
- Timing analysis software
- Tool command language Tcl
- UNIX
- Verification software
- Verilog
- Very high speed integrated circuit VHSIC hardware description language VHDL simulation software
- Very high-speed integrated circuit VHSIC hardware description language VHDL
- Web browser software
- Windows kernel debuggers
- Word processing software
- Xilinx ISE Foundation
- Xilinx ModelSim
- Xilinx Synthesis Technology XST