Hours

Last week I put in a full week with mostly Internet study and caterpillar basics. I watch a video explaining the sequence to remove an replace drum brakes and wheel bearings. I finished up the drivetrain section of cat basics except for the test.

Hours: 35

Torque Converters.... VERY COOL!

Doing some studying today and came across a video that was pretty informative on explaining how and lock up torque converter works. After watching this, the cat basic videos made a whole lot more sense. Being able to see the real thing torn apart and put back together solidifies the info I have read.

Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2fRCITXn4o&feature=player_detailpage

Quick question for Jeff

I could always ask ya in class tommorow but i thought you may take a look at blogs tonight so here was a question that crossed my mind.

I know alot of parts on vehicles as well as commercial are flat out replaced if gone bad. It was rare as an auto mechanic to ever rebuild a part, it was always replaced. In fact i dont think i have ever "rebuilt" a part or an engine for someone who was paying for service at a shop. Is there anything on these commercial tractor or trailers that are rebuilt or is it like auto shops and everything is just replaced?

Just the beggining

Hours for the week: 35 hours

A few hours of my time this last week was spent replacing lower control arm bushings on a bmw. THe rest of my time was spent continuing testing the boards, and struggling with the cavalier light board. This one gave me a stretch. It was a challening looking at the schematics and trying to figure out exactly what was going on. Once you saw it though it suprised me how i didnt just spot it in the first place. It seems somewhat basic when you really divide and conquer.

I title this post appropriately because as we are moving away from electrical towards drivetrains, i know this will not be the end of the learning on electrical. I will have to continue my learning throughout this class on the subject as well as in the job field.

Helpful Tool

Today, I was finishing up boards 1-3 and i was quite confused with some of it. I had a clue on what was going on in the circuit but had a hard time proving it and explaining why it was doing what it did. I did a bit of research on the internet and came across a pretty helful tool online... it allows you to build circuits (parallel or series) use a multimeter, ammeter, ect.. I found it to really be helful for understanding what was actually going on in those boards.

heres the link:

http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/circuit-construction-kit-dc

2nd week

Last weeks hours: 35hrs

I continued with the circuit boards and took a break from the cat basics. I also have watched the OEM test done 3 times now by other people and should have an easy enough time doing it for myself before my test tommorow 11:30.

I did come up with a question over the weekend about Pos. ground electrical systems. I beleive Kenworth has some of these. I will do some more research myself and maybe jeff could shine some light on this subject?!? what do ya say Jeff?

Week 2: Learn and Re-Learn

So today in class we started on the 2nd set of 16 circuit boards which included the BLACK SPOT boards. These boards contained shorts to ground. Boards 1-16 i got the hang of but thrown in the mix with these new boards i was lost all over again.

As i said before learning by being repetitive and spending time testing, re-testing and re-learning the ins and outs of this current project really seems to ring true. Having an instructor show me how to do something and talk the class through a certain task only does so much for me. There comes a point where i need to get in and teach myself. And it does just stop there. I gotta continue to re-learn the things ive done the day before to really get this stuff to sink in.

Looks like its in the beginning stages of actually becoming permanent in my mind. Wish i had a few circuit boards at home i could mess around with.

Building without a foundation, BAD IDEA!

2nd day of class was a lot more hands on, which I enjoyed. We were able to get our hands on the fluke meters today and use them starting with the absolute basics. Prior to this class i was working as a auto mechanic in Seattle and spend many hours diagnosing problems with a multimeter. The problem with that is all i ever did was read off Identifix (a site to help diagnose problems) and follow instructions on what leads to attach to what wires and what my reading should be. I had no clue what was actually happening when i read 12 volts or when i read 4 volts or when i read 0 volts.

In my last blog i asked the questions what would be a good way to get this stuff locked into my mind. My answer today, after spending time with it for multiple hours, is exactly that. SPEND TIME WITH IT! all the analogies and world pictures that explain volts, amps, ohms, and so on dont seem to stick. But after spending time plugging in the multimeter and challenging myself to think and test these boards, i feel i have a better grasp on it now then ive ever had before. I say that knowing i have plenty to still learn, practice, and understand.

Electric First Day

1st Day way was good. Informing and also confusing in some areas. The little stuff will work themselves out as we go along I'm sure.

As for electricity; what do i know and what do i know i don't know about the topic. I've learned about electricity in school, work, from friends, co-workers, instructors, and occasionally with a paper clip and and outlet... I get the basics of positive, negative, current flow and can load test a battery or alternator on a vehicle as well as can test certain wires to determine wear a faulty part might be. But when it comes to actually remembering volts, ohms, amperes, ect... and how they all work together and what exactly they are, i have yet to find an explanation or a way of learning it so i can keep this locked in to my head. I have heard explanations ranging from water in a pipe to a photographer lens. Evidently none of which have been too successful due to the fact that when i read the question at the bottom of our task sheet about discussing what i know, i found i had to reteach myself the basics so i could have something to say tomorrow.

I wonder what is a good learning style for me with electricity being that I tend to be an accommodating/hands-on learner?