Jeff wanted us to answer the following questions in regards to our introduction to electrical:
1. How do you know what you know you know?
2. How do you know what you know that you don't know?
These questions were referencing to shorts, voltage drops, and opens in a circuit. I know these things because we have seen them demonstrated in class.
A short, for starters, is a pathway that provides less resistance than the intended route for current to flow through. This results in the circuit not providing the intended load with power. In many cases a short will cause a larger amount of current to flow through the circuit causing the fuse within the circuit to overload and blow. An extremely useful technique we learned to help isolate where the short in the circuit is located was "replace the fuse that blows with a fuse that glows". In other words, replace the fuse with a light bulb. This will allow you to isolate where in the circuit the short is located. If the circuit is still shorting out the bulb will illuminate.
Voltage drops are areas of the circuit that are placing excessive resistance to the circuit and thus causing the voltage in the circuit to drop. They may be caused by loose connections, corrosion of the cables or wires, improperly sized wires or cables, and improperly crimped connections. Voltage drops may be found on the power side of the circuit as well as the ground side of the circuit. Once completing the test on both sides, both measurements will be added together to find the total voltage drop in the circuit. A general rule of thumb to use is if more than half a volt (.5) is found in the circuit, then the circuit has a problem that will need to be found and fixed.
Finally, we have opens withing a circuit. Opens are fairly easy to explain. A circuit needs to have a pathway to the ground of the circuit for the current to flow freely. If an area of the circuit is damaged, say a wire has been cut, now the circuit has been "opened". The current cannot complete it's intended course and the system does not operate.
This is just the tip of the iceberg for electrical. But at least we now have a firm foundation in the basic knowledge of a circuit and I know it will greatly assist me in my career in the future.
In regards to the second question, I suppose I have a hard time seeing how to use this knowledge in the real world. I know that once I get more experience in real world scenarios, it will make more sense. It's hard for me to visualize these circuit boards as actual trucks versus a board laying on the table. Most of my uncertainty comes from there I suppose.
BTC Hours: 12
Total Hours: 192.5
Good reflection Zachariah.
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