focus is on introducing key concepts for GCSE Electronic Products in a fun way. Circuit is two LDR based transistor circuits controlling two independent motors. Students work in teams to build (primarily to keep costs down but to also make planning more interesting). . The chassis is very basic because of my workshop setup, but development in this area could also form a strong part. More resources are available on request (this is a subset)
FIrstly just one ppt showing some things that students may wish to consider fif they have chosen an alarm project for year 11 controlled assessment if following AQA or EDEXCEL. This is useful for individual students who need a bit of help in getting going rather than for a full class (why not email it to them as PDF?). Others will follow for different topics
a simple discussion based ppt to get students thinking about why they have chosen the power supply that they have and think about if it is really the best choice for their project. Tries to get them thinking about core spec points such as sustainability.
To follow up and help students improve after an initial design activity, this lesson helps students to evaluate how designs can be improved
This resource has been used with year 7 and 8 students (England) to follow up on an initial design of a nightlight and help them become ambitious with their designs and stretch out into considering more about functionality, sustainability, performance and usability (ergonomics)
an introduction or review of metals and their properties. Resource includes a step through powerpoint together which introduces a series of student based tasks. A full customised worksheet is provided encourage students to make meaningful notes as the lesson progresses.
This lesson takes between 30 and 40 minutes to complete fully and has been successfully used with year 10 and 11 students in England
A student based, step by step tutorial that can be used for remote learning, cover work or independent working in the classroom. Tutorial takes one hour to complete and takes students through creating a simple microcontroller system with a switch and a servo motor then programming it in scratch.
includes differenciated help with embedded videos and solutions that weaker students can use to reverse engineer with
Systems can then be upgraded to replace the switch with other inputs depending upon design need
Tinkercad is free and available entirely online as cloud based CAD software. This tutorial has been used successfully many times with year 8 and year 9 students.
This 14 lesson course introduces the concept of Internet of Things (IoT) to students and develops both a technical and social, moral and ethical thinking about if technology is always good
Content is embedded with practical: an internet controlled MP3 player.
To avoid any issues with the IT department, this is done by setting the microcontroller up that controls the MP3 player in AP mode to act as a local hotspot. Students can then remotely connect to the player with phones, tablets or laptops.
MP3 files are played using an onboard SD card. This sounds very expensive, but it isnt and even with todays (April 2022) prices, can be made for under £2 a unit.
PCB artwork or professionally manufactured PCB’s are available from the author at cost together with the Arduino microcontroller code