A Taste of CAD and Electronics

Last week I took part in a taster session to see the company and courses from a potential learner’s point of view.

First up was an hour with Ian Ward who teaches CAD courses.
CAD (Computer Aided Design) is used by a lot of people in the engineering industry and architects use it too.

We got shown the basics of the program within the first ten minutes and were then left to decide what image we would like to recreate from 4 images that have already been done.
Once left to our own doing, it became quite apparent that most in the session were quick learners and very computer literate. A few people had previously had a taste of CAD at school but said that participating in the session here was a lot different to school and they really enjoyed the hour spent on the computer. Ian also explained that there are always new versions coming up every so often and the learner’s who start in September 2010 will have the latest version to work on and it is more complex.

Then we went from the computer room through to the workshop and were introduced to Richard Barrett who was taking the Electronics course taster session. We were given a brief talk on the importance of safety and cleanliness when using the equipment we will be using. We were shown a computer motherboard and Richard explained to us that machines solder different pieces onto the motherboard, however when a piece becomes loose or needs replacing, an engineer will actually be soldering it back on, not a machine. 

Once given our task and overalls and safety glasses, we went to the workbench and got familiar with the soldering iron.

 The task was broken down and first we were given a small board, four pins and told to put one pin in each corner of the board. Once the pins were securely in place, we then had to solder two resisters to a small board (it didn’t matter where on the board as long as it was secure.)

First we selected where on the board the resister will be put, and tried to make the wiring on each side as even as possible. Once the resister was in place, we then soldered the two wires in place on the opposite side of the board. Making sure the resister didn’t come loose whilst trying to solder it on was a bit tricky but we all managed it in the end.  We then attached two wires onto the board by first stripping 1cm of insulation off the wire and securing it against one of the 4 pins that we put in previously.   
Once we had all finished the last step, we admired our handiwork and set about clearing up. I do have pictures of the finished product and will upload them when I can =)

Then I went back to the office to get on with my day to day things with a bit more of an insight on both what goes on in the workshop and also how it feels and how things look as a learner.
Overall a very good experience and I would definitely recommend it, even if you do not end up going on one of the courses, it is a good way to see if you actually like the kind of work and learning that will be involved to gain the qualification.

I will be learning more about other departments/industries and will keep everyone updated on my experience.