ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses practical skills for the design and implementation of optoelectronic systems. It stresses practicalities, examples from painfully acquired experience, and methods of reducing risk. Optoelectronic programs can be put at risk by insufficient definition of the problem, the environment, the constraints, and/or the available tools. A dominant precursor to success in the art of optoelectronics is therefore to get a comprehensive written specification. A specific optoelectronic system is chosen as an example to provide continuity while illustrating many techniques. Almost all measurements and systems for which optoelectronics is conventionally used may be described as instrumentally assisted observation of a phenomenon. Making an optoelectronic system to customer's satisfaction demands that specifications and requirements are understood. Typically with optoelectronic instrumentation, signal and data processing and information retrieval will require software, as will the user interface, with its control, monitoring, and archiving needs. One critical area in any optoelectronic activity is the establishment and comprehensive definition of external and internal interfaces.
