Forget about robots for a second, the engineering notebook is hands down the most important material any team will produce in FIRST Tech Challenge UK. On the other hand, if you're an engineering student in need of a laptop with a tablet mode, the Spectre x360 delivers. That's when I realized how taking notes can spark engineering inspiration and in my mad rush to find the perfect note taking app or software suite remembered not to devalue pen to paper notes. A great laptop for engineering students must operate high-powered applications simultaneously with many open program windows - a CAD window, a large mapping service, and a large Excel sheet.

Offering the best of both worlds, the HP Spectre x360 offers tablet and laptop mode for more flexibility.Manufacturers design engineering notebooks to hold not just the results of your work but also the dates you conceived of the idea, when and how you tested it, and other information necessary for a patent.

Documenting work in an Engineering Notebook is a widely used engineering and design industry practice. It’s very tempting to waffle when informing and explaining, but text has to be engaging as well as informative — the last thing you want to do is bore your reader. Learn more about the purpose of an engineering notebook and why it’s much more valuable than an average journal with this guide. In a paper notebook, leave the first few pages of the notebook empty so that the contents can be filled in as the notebook fills up.

One of the interesting features about OneNote is that when an external document is embedded in such a way the details of the document are included in the notebook and edits to the content are propagated to the external file, providing a win-win for both notebook types. Portability and ruggedness are key features - you should be able to carry your laptop around all day, wherever you need to work.

A Digital Engineering Notebook also exists online rather than as a physical object, so students can collaborate together from separate places and at any time as long as they have access to the technology required to access it. No team can be assessed for an award without one, however, teams have won awards without a working robot — it’s true!Students can use the Engineering Notebook Rubric as a guide to understanding what judges will be looking for as they evaluate Engineering Notebooks for Judged Awards at an event. It is possible for many different types of notebook and different communication styles to present relevant content explaining the design process.

The Asus ROG Strix SCAR G834JY boasts an incredible array of specs that promise to make this machine rocket to the top of wishlists for engineering students and gamers.

You need to present enough info for someone else to understand the progress and replicate or improve on it. Team members who are uncomfortable with an electronic notebook can use Excel and the engineers comfortable an electronic notebook can create a link to the document. It provides a stunning multi-touch display, a beautifully designed chassis, and an excellent keyboard experience. Documenting ideas, designs, prototypes, experiments and processes provides a trail of rich information that can be followed now and in the future. The only way to protect a paper notebook is to place it in a safe which for a large team could be quite costly.