Project Guides

Each guide chains several PhDino calculators in the order a real project needs them, passing values from one step to the next so you are not re-typing numbers.

Structural

Build a Deck — Check the joists and beam for stiffness and size the footings for a backyard deck, following the load from the deck boards down to the soil.

Electrical

Size a Home Backup Generator — Work out how many watts a backup generator needs to run and to start your loads, convert that to amps, then check the wiring between the generator and your panel.
Wire a Subpanel — Work out the current an individual load draws, then size the feeder that runs from the main panel out to a garage or workshop subpanel so the far end still gets full voltage.

Geotechnical

Build a Retaining Wall — Check the ground under and around a retaining wall before sizing the wall itself, so you're not designing a wall on soil that can't hold it.

Civil / Construction Materials

Pour a Concrete Patio or Slab — Work out how much concrete and gravel to order, how to batch the concrete if you mix it yourself, and how much rebar to place, in the order you'd actually plan the pour.

Chemistry

Prepare a Lab Solution from Scratch — Weigh out a compound to make a concentrated stock, then dilute it down (in one stage or two) to the working concentration you actually need.

Renewable Energy / Solar

Go Off-Grid: Size a Solar Power System — Size the panels, batteries, charge controller and inverter for an off-grid solar setup, in the order a real system gets designed.

Manufacturing / Machining

Machine a Part from Raw Stock — Weigh your starting stock, dial in the spindle speed and feed for the drill you'll use, then estimate the cycle time of the drilling operation.

Aerospace

Plan an Orbital Maneuver — Work out the delta-v an orbital transfer needs, then how much of your rocket's mass has to be propellant to deliver it, and how that changes with the engine.

Motorsport

Set Up a Race Car's Corner Balance — Scale the car's four corners, then use those real weights for weight-transfer and spring-rate setup instead of guessed numbers.

Digital Logic / Computer Engineering

Design a Synchronous Circuit's Timing — Work out your critical path delay, pick a clock period that respects it, then confirm the flip-flops on that path actually meet setup and hold.

Educational tool — not a substitute for a licensed engineer or the official code text.