Unit 6 Trouble shooting, Research and Development, and Experimentation

1. Unit 6 Trouble shooting, Research and Development, and Experimentation ETP 2006 – Jeff Pegg This material is based upon work supported the National Science foundation under Grant No. 0402616. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the National Science Foundation (NFS).

2. 6 Types of Problem Solving. • Invention • Innovation • Engineering Design • Troubleshooting • Research and Development • Experimentation. In this unit we will betalking about the last three.

3. What is Trouble Shooting? • A process utilizing several points during the engineering design process. • An act of pinpointing and correcting problems in any kind of system (Kuphaldt, 2003) • A reactive type of problem solving process.

4. 10 Step Universal Troubleshooting Process (Litt, 1996) • Prepare. • Get a complete and accurate symptom description. • Make damage control. • Reproduce the symptom. • Do the appropriate general maintenance. • Narrow it down to the root cause. • Repair or Replace the defective component. • Test. • Take Pride in your solution. • Prevent future occurrence of this problem.

5. Here is an example in troubleshooting. Video link: (4min, 49 sec) Citigroup Skyscraper Design Problem http://www.teachersdomain.org/6-8/sci/engin/design/bbskyscraper/index.html

6. If something doesn’t work.. • Read the manual. • Contact someone who may know. • Step back- Review what you know. • Think and analyze the problem. • Ask yourself questions. • Try to bring the product to a new state and try to make the problem recur. • Develop a strategy and change one item at a time. Record your results. • Think about you thinking process • Sleep on it.

7. Are we a throw away society? • What does throw away society mean? • What are the good and bad about a throw away society?

8. Research and Development. • There are Three areas that we will study for Research and Development. • Basic Research. • Applied Research. • Experimental Development.

9. Basic Research. • Known as science. • Is experimental or theoretical work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge of the underlying foundation of phenomena and observable facts without any particular application or use in view. • The results are not generally sold but are usually published in scientific journals or the colleges.

10. Applied Research. • Also known as original investigation undertaking in order to acquire new knowledge. • It is directed towards a specific practical aim or objective. • The knowledge or information derived form is often patented but it amy also be a secret.

11. Experimentation. • A systematic work, drawing on existing knowledge gained from research and practical experience that is directed to producing new materials, products or devices. • To install new processes, systems and services. • To improve substantially those already produced or installed.

12. Experimentation Steps. • Make observations. • Form a hypothesis. • Make a prediction. • Perform an experiment. • Analyze the results of the experiment. • Draw a conclusion. • Report your results.

13. Step 1:Prepare • Every human activity requires preparation. In troubleshooting, one must prepare his/hers tools, work area, documentation and most of all his/hers attitude. • You must have the right attitude to succeed. You CAN solve it. • Don’t try to fix, it just try to narrow it down. • Don’t panic or get mad • Be patient or skip steps. Back

14. Step 2: Get a Symptom Description • Description must be complete and accurate. • The more detailed the description the less work you will need to do. • Good description minimizes the risk of “fixing the wrong problem.” • Back

15. Step 3: Make a Damage Control Plan • Safety precautions to prevent injury to people. • Machine precautions prevents damage to the machine or system. • Data Precautions prevent loss of valuable data. • Product precautions prevent loss of production in the production line. back

16. Step 4: Reproduce the Symptom. • You Can’t fix what you can’t see! • If you can’t reproduce the symptom, you may assume the wrong problems. Back

17. Step 5: Do the Appropriate Corrective Maintenance • Corrective maintenance can be generalized as preventive maintenance. • If you car doesn’t start what should you check first? • The battery. Back

18. Step 6: Narrow it down. • Try to find the single problem from a larger problem. • Complete system tests that will eliminate the working portions of the system. Back

19. Step 7: Repair or Replace Defective Component • Disassemble the product carefully. • Use the proper tool for the job. • Remember the proper way to reassemble the product. Back

20. Step 8: Test • Did the symptom go away? • Did the right symptom go away? • Did I fix the right cause? • Did I create any other problems? Back

21. Step 9: Take Pride in Your Solution. • This step keep you in shape. • Troubleshooting is an intense mental effort. • After each solutions take pride in your work. Back

22. Step 10: Prevent Future Occurrence of this Problem. • Inform people how this problem happened. • Share you findings with a co-worker, they may have to fix same problem. So they don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Back

23. Standards Standard 2: Students will develop an understanding of the core concepts of technology. M. Technological systems include input, processes, output, and, at times, feedback. P. Technological systems can be connected to one another. Q. Malfunctions of any part of a system may affect the function and quality of the system. S. Trade-off is a decision process recognizing the need for careful compromises among competing factors. U. Maintenance is the process of inspecting and servicing a product or system on a regular basis in order for it to continue functioning properly, to extend its life, or to upgrade its capability. Standard 10: Students will develop an understanding of the role of troubleshooting, research and development, invention and innovation, and experimentation in problem solving. F. Troubleshooting is a problem-solving method used to identify the cause of a malfunction in a technological system. H. Some technological problems are best solved through experimentation.

24. Standards cont. Standard 19: Students will develop an understanding of and be able to select and use manufacturing technologies. H. The manufacturing process includes the designing, development, making, and servicing the products and systems