Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for Technology for Secondary education

Essential Passive and Active Electronic Components

Resistors: Current Control and Sensing

Fixed resistors act as current limiters and are used to protect other components that cannot handle very high current. Resistor applications include:

• Fixed Resistors: Used for current limiting and voltage division.
• Potentiometers (Variable Resistors): Can vary resistance, making them useful as voltage regulators and power controls.
• Dependent Resistors (Sensors): Allow use as sensors in automatic systems (e.g., LDRs, Thermistors).

Capacitors: Charge Storage and Filtering

Capacitors are passive components designed to store electric charge. The main characteristic of a capacitor is its capacitance (C), representing the amount of electric charge (Q) it is capable...

Woodworking Layout & Measurement

Layout Tools & Techniques

For marking on surfaces and in the air, various tools are essential:

• Active Tools: Pencil for drawing, compasses for points and arcs.
• Measuring & Marking Tools: Ruler, square, and marking gauge.
• Compasses & Templates: Used for molded shapes, internal and external curves, and beam quadrants.
• Joint Layout: Marking for carpenter's joints, lapped joints, heel joints, or bevels.

Sawing Techniques & Saw Types

Characteristics of Saws

Saws are defined by:

• Teeth: Size and shape (e.g., alternating, wavy, or tri-set/trislado).
• Cutting Depth: The level or depth of the cut.

Types of Saws

A variety of saws are used for different tasks:

• Hand Saw
• Coping Saw
• Back Saw (with a reinforced rib)
• Marquetry

Properties of Metals

• Good Conductors of Heat
• Good Conductors of Electricity
• Resistant: They withstand forces of compression, traction, and flexion.
• Pliers: They can withstand blows without breaking.

Differences Between Soft Iron and Steel

Soft iron is considered pure, while steel is malleable, ductile, and oxidizes (reacts with oxygen) easily. Steel tongs are common.

Foundries produce materials that are less ductile and less tenacious than steel but harder. Carbon provides hardness but increases fragility.

Non-Ferrous Materials

Examples include:

• Brass
• Bronze (copper and tin)
• Aluminum
• Copper
• Magnesium
• Titanium

Properties and Applications of Copper and Aluminum

Copper: Red, excellent electrical conductor, resistant to thermal corrosion, easily welded, very ductile,...

Residential Electrical Systems and Key Components

The Rush component is part of the installation that links the public distribution network with the home building or through General Protective Cases (CGP).

Essential Electrical Protection Devices

• Main Automatic Circuit Breaker: Automatically disconnects the entire home's electrical system when it detects a short circuit or increased voltage.
• Differential Breaker: Quickly disconnects the electrical installation where there is a current leakage (earth fault).
• Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB): Disconnects a circuit in the event of overheating due to excessive consumption or short circuit.

Electrification Levels and Required Circuits

Basic Degree (Grado Básico)

This level foresees a minimum output of 5750...

Project Methodology

1. Identifying and Defining the Problem: Before solving the problem, it is important to analyze the situation to accurately detect it.
2. Investigate and Seek Information: Sometimes the problem can be solved using knowledge and imagination, but on other occasions, it will be necessary to investigate how to find information on different sources (books, magazines, internet, etc.) to solve it.
3. Find Possible Solutions: A way of doing this is by brainstorming. All group members share their ideas for some time.
4. Choice of Solution: To choose the solution that solves the problem in the easiest, safest, and most economical way.
5. Design: For this, the first sketches are made of what is to be built. These plans should contain all the design details

Automation and Control Systems

The main elements of a structure, motor circuits, actuators, control devices, regulatory, and other control mechanisms are often referred to as having an authoritarian system of automation and control.

Types of Automated Machines

Machines can be classified according to:

• Technology Involved: They can be electric, mechanical, etc.
• Complexity: Based on the number of pieces they comprise.
• Level of Automation: How dependent they are on human intervention.

Based on the level of automation, they can be:

• Machines Without Automation

  Control is done manually.

• Fixed Cycle Automatic Machines

  Concrete operations are repeated over and over again in the same way. Modification is needed to change the cycle.

• Programmable Machines

  Similar to

Machines and Heat Engines

Machines transform thermal-mechanical energy into thermal energy or vice versa.
Heat engines are machines that transform drive energy into heat or thermal-mechanical work.

External and Internal Combustion Engines

External combustion: Combustion occurs outside the machine. The external combustion burns and uses the machine's heat to vaporize water; the resulting gases drive a device to perform work.
Internal combustion: Fuel burns inside the engine, and the gaseous products are responsible for producing the driving work.

Reciprocating and Rotary Machines

Reciprocating (alternative) machines: Incorporate a plunger or piston that has an alternating rectilinear movement. A crank mechanism transforms rotary motion into reciprocating...

Compressor Group Components

To use the air in a pneumatic circuit, it is necessary to increase the pressure, and this is achieved by the compressor group:

1. The compressor: This is the basic element, and its function is to increase the pressure of the air sucked from the atmosphere. The simplest is the single-phase piston compressor, and the pressure is usually between 6 and 7 bar.
2. The auxiliary engine: This communicates rotary motion to the compressor shaft. It can be a combustion engine or an electric motor.
3. The cooler: This reduces the temperature to 25ºC and eliminates up to 80% of the water it contains.
4. The tank: This stores the compressed air for use when needed.
5. The maintenance unit: This is responsible for achieving good air quality, and for

Fundamentals of Prototyping and Digital Manufacturing

A prototype is an early example of an object that is manufactured to evaluate certain aspects during the construction phase of a technical project. It can cover anything from a specific element to the entire project.

What is Digital Manufacturing?

Digital manufacturing is a manufacturing process where data from a digital design is transferred to computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) tools that execute the prototype manufacturing process without the need for human interaction.

• CAD (Computer-Aided Design): The foundational tool used for creating the digital design.

Understanding 3D Printing Technology

A 3D printer is a machine that can print figures with volume from a computer design.

Key Components

Key Electrical Terminology

• Electric circuit: Circuito eléctrico
• Electric current: Corriente eléctrica
• Flow of electrons: Flujo de electrones
• Load: Carga
• Cells: Células
• Battery: Batería
• Electrochemical cell: Célula electroquímica
• Wires: Cables
• Light bulb: Bombilla
• Resistor: Resistencia
• Switch: Interruptor
• Push button: Interruptor de botón
• 3-Way switch: Interruptor de 3 salidas
• Fuse: Fusible
• Conductor: Conductor
• Insulator: Aislante
• Semiconductor: Semiconductor

Fundamentals of Electric Circuits

• An electric circuit consists of a generator, a switching device, and a load.
• The amount of energy that a generator can transfer to electrons depends on its voltage (V), measured in volts (V).

Circuit Connection Types

• Series: Two or more elements are connected in series