New currents.

New currents. A first-semester high school electronics student attempts tomeasure current with an ammeter ammeter(ăm`mē'tər), instrument used to measure the magnitude of an electric current of several amperes or more. An ammeter is usually combined with a voltmeter and an ohmmeter in a multipurpose instrument. . He has been taught that it must beplaced in a series circuit, but he forgets and places it in parallel. Inthe lab, this would mean a short and damage to expensive equipment.Other students would not be able to use the ammeter. Instead, he merelygets a wrong reading. The student next to him continues, unaffected, onher own project, trouble-shooting an integrated circuit integrated circuit(IC), electronic circuit built on a semiconductor substrate, usually one of single-crystal silicon. The circuit, often called a chip, is packaged in a hermetically sealed case or a nonhermetic plastic capsule, with leads extending from it for board. Meanwhile the other 20 students work on their own projects,unaware of the first student's mishap. How is this possible?Computer simulation--a teaching tool that makes it possible for a wholeclass to acquire hands-on experience in a virtual electronics lab. Equipping an actual electronics lab can be too costly for manyschools. Software packages such as Electronics Workbench Electronics Workbench is an electronic circuit simulator, and was also a company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that first produced the software.The company was originally founded as Interactive Image Technologies , produced byInteractive Image Technologies of Toronto, offer a high-qualitysimulation of a fully stocked electronics lab for a fraction of thecost--$299 for a complete teacher's program. John P. Borris Jr., chairman of the Industrial /Applied Technologydepartment at St. Clair Community College in Port Huron, Michigan Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 32,338. It is the county seat of St. Clair County6. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township, but is politically independent. , saysElectronics Workbench has reduced the first-year dropout (1) On magnetic media, a bit that has lost its strength due to a surface defect or recording malfunction. If the bit is in an audio or video file, it might be detected by the error correction circuitry and either corrected or not, but if not, it is often not noticed by the human rate in theelectronics program by more than 40 percent. Bob Genthner, an instructorat Hudson Valley Community College Locally referred to as HVCC, the school has over 50 active clubs and organizations and has recently completed renovations to the Siek Campus Center. In the near future, the school will also renovate The Marvin Library Resource Center. in Troy, New York Troy is a city in New York, U.S., and the county seat of Rensselaer County. As of the 2000 census, the population was 49,170; in 1910, the population was 76,813. The city's motto is Ilium fuit, Troja est, which means "Troy was, Troy is. , says his studentslearn more quickly since he introduced Electronics Workbench. "Mystudents learn concepts in a third to a quarter of the time." IIT IIT - Integrated Information Technology says its Electronics Workbench is used in thousands of highschools and community colleges worldwide. Says President Joe Koenig,"Just like a flight simulator flight simulator,device providing a controlled environment in which a flight trainee can experience conditions approximating those of actual flight. A simulator generally consists of an enclosure housing a working replica of the interior of the cockpit of an teaches pilots to fly, ElectronicsWorkbench enables students to learn the fundamentals, gain confidenceand acquire extensive experience at their convenience." Have laptop, will learn When the Continuing Education continuing education:see adult education. continuing educationor adult educationAny form of learning provided for adults. In the U.S. the University of Wisconsin was the first academic institution to offer such programs (1904). Division at Aims Community Collegein Greeley, Colorado The City of Greeley is a home rule municipality in Weld County, Colorado, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 87,596.[4] , agreed to provide correspondence training for USWEST Telecommunications employees, they needed a creative approach andfound the solution in Electronics Workbench. The "AC/DC AC/DC?adj. SlangHaving a bisexual orientation.[From the likening of a bisexual person to an appliance that works on either alternating or direct current. Concepts" course developed specifically for US West employeesincludes the software and 18 other materials such as a power supply box,a breadboard A thin plastic board used to hold electronic components (transistors, resistors, chips, etc.) that are wired together. Used to develop prototypes of electronic circuits, the boards can be reused for future jobs. and resistors so students can design and build variouscomponents and systems. This approach allows students to experiment withparts and models at home. (IIT offers a $49 version for students to useat home.) Linda Scott This article is about the pop singer. For the Australian politician, see Linda Scott (politician). For other uses, see Linda Scott (disambiguation).Linda Scott (born Linda Joy Sampson, 1 June 1945) was a pop singer active in the early to mid 1960s. , who oversees the US West program for Aimes, saysstudents flock to the program especially because of its flexibility. Changes in technology, business and government demand flexibilityfrom education, too. The hardest issue for educators is stepping out ofthe mold and restructuring to meet the needs of industry, Scott says."Working with industry can be a very lucrative source of supportfor colleges, especially now that taxpayers are less willing to providethat support. And industry is thrilled to work with us if we can stepout of our traditional molds." Scott herself was a self-described traditional educator who atfirst thought the US West project couldn't be done. Now that shehas broken out, she sees endless possibilities. With US West alone, sheanticipates moving 750 to 1,000 students through the program each yearand is working with other "Baby Bells The nickname given to the regional Bell operating companies after Divestiture in 1984. See Bell System and RBOC. " and a variety ofindustries to develop courses in fiber-optic and wireless technology. Next step: new job Another partnership between educators and a telecommunicationsindustry has resulted in a special degree program for NYNEX NYNEX New York-New England & X for the Unknown (Telephone Company)NYNEX New York Network Exchange employees.Through "Next Step," employees take classes one day a week atone of 20 colleges in the Northeast to earn an associate's degree as��so��ci��ate's degreen.An academic degree conferred by a two-year college after the prescribed course of study has been successfully completed. in telecommunications technology. The education is courtesy of NYNEX,which also pays such expenses as laptop leasing for the duration of theprogram. Electronics Workbench also is part of the Next Step curriculum.Stan Smith This article is about the tennis player. For the animated character, see Stan Smith (American Dad!). For the former NASCAR driver, see Stanley Smith. Stan Smith of Onandaga College, a consortium member, says the softwareprogram helps to eliminate divisions between lecture and lab that existonly because of physical realities. "With Electronic Workbench,which so closely emulates the hardware, switching from lecture to lab ispractically seamless." For instance, in Smith's basic circuits course, studentsfirst learn the concept of series circuits in a short lecture. Then theyfind that module in the software and proceed to build a series circuit,determine the series current through each resistor or element, find thevoltage across each resister and look at the series throughsophisticated simulations of various instruments: an ammeter to measurecurrent, a voltmeter to measure voltage, an ohmmeter ohmmeter(ōm`mē'tər), instrument used to measure the electrical resistance of a conductor. It is usually included in a single package with a voltmeter, and often an ammeter. to measureresistance and an oscilloscope oscilloscope(əsĭl`əskōp'), electronic device used to produce visual displays corresponding to electrical signals. Displays of such nonelectrical phenomena as the variations of a sound's intensity can be made if the phenomena are that lets students see voltage wave formswith instantaneous values. "I have students queuing up to ask me questions now,"says Smith. Last November, IIT released Electronics Workbench version 5.0,which promises more speed and depth. The company says it sells as manyof the software programs to engineers as to students. When studentslearn with such simulation software Simulation software is based on the process of imitating a real phenomenon with a set of mathematical formulas. It is, essentially, a program that allows the user to observe an operation through simulation without actually running the program. , they are using a tool they'llencounter on the job. Simulation programs also mean students are more prepared tobenefit from their real lab experiences. Smith says instructors cansubstitute good simulation software for up to two-thirds of the labexperiences that students need. All systems go At Scioto High School in Dublin, Ohio Dublin is a city in Delaware, Franklin, and Union counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 31,392 at the 2000 census. In 2006, the population was estimated to be 36,565[1], and Dublin continues to be one of the fastest-growing suburbs of Columbus. , Robert Voriac'sstudents are more intent on making--not taking--amusement park rides.But there is nothing Mickey Mouse Mickey MouseFamous character of Walt Disney's animated cartoons. He was introduced in Steamboat Willie (1928), the first animated cartoon with sound. Mickey was created by Disney, who also provided his high-pitched voice, and was usually drawn by the studio's head animator, about his course. It's toughbecause Voriac expects a lot from his students and demands that theycome up with ideas for how they will apply their learning. "If youteach electronics merely as an end, rather than a means, you are notteaching kids the skills they need to survive and thrive in the realworld." He practices a top-down approach Top-down approachA method of security selection that starts with asset allocation and works systematically through sector and industry allocation to individual security selection. that enables students tounderstand how and why things work the way they do, rather than merelyknowing individual components. Getting the big picture precedes study ofthe pieces. He likens the process to teaching English. "If you tryto teach grammar before explaining composition, you lose the key thatmotivates students and makes it possible for them to really learn." Voriac uses Unilab's Alpha Electronics System, a technologyresource package that aids in the design of electronics devices andcontrol systems with function boards. An"input-process-output" design flow chart emphasizes systemsolutions to context-based problems. A range of input devices, such aslight sensors and temperature sensors, are used in conjunction with aselection of process boards that control various outputs, includingmotors, buzzers and lamps. "I let them determine where they want to go with theirlearning. But it's a nightmare for teachers who want to continue toprescribe what will happen in each course." Voriac's2,400-square-foot "classroom" last year looked more like adesign studio, with a research section in front, a design space in themiddle and a back-of-the-room production area. Even first-semester students can build electronic models. Todesign a Ferris wheel Ferris wheel,amusement park ride. It consists of a power-operated wheel that is about 50 ft (15 m) in diameter. It has two rims that are parallel to and equidistant from the shaft about which the wheel rotates. , the student used The Alpha structures andelectronics modules. Unilab also supplies other ideas for applicationsalong with supporting manuals. Gerry Beer, executive vice president of Unilab, says his companyhas introduced a complete modules package that covers not onlyelectronics but structures, pneumatics pneu��mat��ics?n. (used with a sing. verb)The study of the mechanical properties of air and other gases.pneumaticsNoun , computer control, hydraulics,mechanisms, materials testing Articles on Materials testing include: ASTM International Bundesanstalt f��r Materialforschung und -pr��fung European Reference Materials Nadcap and electrical control. "Changes intechnology dictate an integrated approach to learning. Electronicsengineers and technicians have to understand other areas, particularlycomputer control," Beer says, "because that's what That's What is one of the more idiosyncratic releases by solo steel-string guitar artist Leo Kottke. It is distinctive in it's jazzy nature and "talking" songs ("Buzzby" and "Husbandry"). ishappening in the field. The electronics technician who is makingintegrated circuit boards is soldering these components using a computerprogram, which controls the robotics, which mounts the integratedcircuits and components." The new combination of product packages gives students real-worldproblems to solve with an array of technological choices, just asindustry does. As the students progress, normally through a one-yearprogram at the ninth- or tenth-grade level, the projects grow morecomplex. "All kids should experience this type of learning," saysVoriac. "Once they grasp the system concept, they take off and go.It gives kids a reason to understand and explore electronics." Electronics education showcase In his quest to have the top electronics high school program inthe nation, Rich Smith uses every resource he can harness. His programreflects the needs and input from local employers Intel, Hewlett-Packardand Motorola, with whom he works closely both on course content andinternship programs for his students. In his course at East ValleyInstitute of Technology in Mesa, Arizona, students use instruments andequipment from Hewlett-Packard, Techtronics and Digiac, as well asElectronics Workbench and MCM's Universal Testing System. He likes the Universal Testing System, a TENMA product distributeddirectly through MCM (MultiChip Module or MicroChip Module) A chip package that contains several bare chips mounted close together on a substrate (base) of some kind. , because it "performs the functions ofhigh-cost testing equipment very accurately." He runs the TENMAequipment side-by-side with that of Hewlett-Packard with no loss ofquality or function. The new version features increased power andincludes a two-MHZ sweep generator, a one-GHZ frequency counter, athree-and-a-half digital multimeter and a triple-output power supply.Purchased separately, each function would cost between $200 and $300,but the combination Universal Testing System sells at a discount toschools and for volume purchases. It saves space, too, with a compactdesign that is half the size of two individual components. The UniversalTesting System is used in both high school and college electricalcourses. The tools are the same ones students will use on the job. Fiftykits complement the Universal Testing System such as those to design andbuild amplifiers, circuit boards, cassette players, AM/FM AM/FM Amplitude Modulation / Frequency ModulationAM/FM Auto-Mapping/Facilities Management antennae andinfrared code transmitters. "If one of our kits doesn't fit ateacher's needs, we will custom-build one for their course,"says Richard Stein, MCM's national sales manager. He mentions theRS232 interface, which allows computer-based training, something he saysthat more and more schools are demanding in their teaching tools. Before his experience with the Universal Testing System, Smith hada poor opinion of equipment made for students. But the MCM product hasturned his thinking around 180 degrees. "I rate it superior becauseof its functionality and cost. It's a nice little system for themoney." It's durable, too, he says, remarking that theUniversal Testing System has been "thoroughly studentized, andthere is nothing missing." A lucrative field Arizona schools need to focus more on manufacturing technology tomeet the needs of regional industries, says Smith. Advisory committeesof employees from Intel and Motorola stress the need for students tounderstand electro-mechanical processes and physics as well aselectronics. In response, Smith coordinates with the machining, printingand architectural drafting instructors in his school to offer anengineering/semiconductor technology program. Intel estimates a need for 5,000 semi-conductor manufacturingtechnicians by 2000 and projects a critical shortage in the state.Entry-level pay for students with associate's degrees in this fieldis about $30,000 a year. The average technician earns $51,000 withovertime. Although the basics of electronics is not changing, the ways it isdelivered, from vacuum tubes and transistors to integrated circuits andsurface-mount technologies, to whatever comes next, changes rapidly.Walt Seymour of Electronics Industries Association (EIA (Electronic Industries Alliance, Arlington, VA, www.eia.org) A membership organization founded in 1924 as the Radio Manufacturing Association. It sets standards for consumer products and electronic components. ) contends thatthose preparing to enter the workforce must be well-versed in thecomplexity of advanced soldering techniques used in printed circuitboards, large-scale integrated chips and surface-mount technology. The digital home The breakneck break��neck?adj.1. Dangerously fast: a breakneck pace.2. Likely to cause an accident: a breakneck curve. pace of technological change is nowhere more evidentthan in consumer electronics. Everything's going digital, fromsatellite communications to multimedia. The smart house of the future ishere. Inside that house are a range of new electronics products fromhome theaters to digital discs. Seymour predicts that the convergence ofpersonal computer and television interface technology will propel theneed for even more sophisticated technicians with broad-based knowledge.System diagnostics, rather than component repair, will be required.EIA's electronics curriculum, developed by industry people andeducators, reflects recent trends in electronic servicing technology andtheory and is designed for a two- to four-year course of study. Seymour sees above-average growth for a highly trained individual,particularly in the communications field. Entry-level technicians canmake $18,000 to $25,000 annually and engineers from $34,000 to $60,000depending on the industry and region. Brian Mitchell, MCM accountmanager for education, says that demand is strong for qualityelectronics technicians. "It's a great field for young peopleto get into [because there are] so many different areas ofexpansion," he says. Changes in students As curriculum content and delivery change, it comes as no surprisethat students are changing, too. Or is it the other way around? One clear change is the trend toward a more gender-balancedstudent population in electronics programs. Forty percent of thestudents in Aimes College's electronics correspondence course arewomen. Linda Scott attributes that sizable showing to the program'sflexibility, which allows women who are juggling family and careers tofit study time into their hectic schedules. And new teaching and workingtechnologies such as computer software are changing the stereotypicalshop image of the field. Voriac and other instructors have seen the quality of students inelectronics course improve with the growing sophistication so��phis��ti��cate?v. so��phis��ti��cat��ed, so��phis��ti��cat��ing, so��phis��ti��catesv.tr.1. To cause to become less natural, especially to make less naive and more worldly.2. of theteaching tools and methods. In past years, some students might havetaken his class because they thought it would be an easy credit. Nowsome complain that it is too demanding and too much work. Voriac admitsto challenging his students to come up with their own ideas for projectsto force them out of a "command taking" mode and into a moreactive role in their own education. Says Voriac: "As a result, weare getting a higher level of students coming into the program."