S1 Using a systems approach to circuit design
This area of the audit has been marked at '1' meaning very little knowledge if not any at all.
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What I have learnt and what I understand now
At first I had no clue what so ever as to what this area of the audit entailed but now we have had a few taught sessions on this and I have been able to go away and find a bit more about it for myself, so already I have developed more of an understanding.
I have learnt that a SYSTEM is something that has an INPUT, an OUTPUT and a PROCESS. We were asked in our taught session to look at every day electronic products and recognise the processes that are involved within the system. This exercise for me as a learner helped to make things a lot clearer and now I understand that having a systems approach to circuit design is to be able to create a system for a circuit and recognise the processes that you may have.
Here is a diagram that I created on Photoshop. It shows a computer as a system, the Inputs, the processes, and the outputs.
This is an example of a system we looked in class.
We have also learnt that there are two types of systems an open system and a closed system. I found some really good diagrams on the Bitesize website to help me determine and understand the differences between the two. Below are these examples and they have also considered the manufacturing process as well. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/design/systemscontrol/
Open-looped system
From my understanding so far. I would say that this is a basic example of a system. It has an input, a output and a process.
The materials I feel refers to the PCB ? The components are things like the resistors or the LED'S. Processing would be the board reacting to the input and the output would be a outcome, some lights flashing or a buzzer making noise (sound).
Closed system
Again the same principle applies with this system in terms of the INPUT-PROCESS-OUTPUT concept however, feedback I would say means that it is reading information or looking for information in order to process.
For example I have learnt so far in our sessions that you can have senors in systems. Sensors such as a LDR, (Light Dependent resistor), a moisture sensor, heat sensor or even sound. These basically read levels of sound or light and constantly feed the information back to the circuit which then determines whether it will turn on and so forth. So I have learnt that a feedback represents something like a LDR.
These images can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/design/systemscontrol/workingwithsystemsrev1.shtml
For example I have learnt so far in our sessions that you can have senors in systems. Sensors such as a LDR, (Light Dependent resistor), a moisture sensor, heat sensor or even sound. These basically read levels of sound or light and constantly feed the information back to the circuit which then determines whether it will turn on and so forth. So I have learnt that a feedback represents something like a LDR.
These images can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/design/systemscontrol/workingwithsystemsrev1.shtml
To further my understanding what I decided to do is just give a brief explanation of me turning on a light in my room because I felt that doing something practical with this term 'systems' in mind can help me develop my understanding and look at other ways that I can translate this information to students.
System for my Bedroom lamp
In this case the input is the switch, it is a component that can be used to send a signal to the processor aka the switch.
Once I have turned the switch on the light processes the input. The process is the part of the system that switches outputs on or off deepening on the inputs.
Once I have turned the switch on the light processes the input. The process is the part of the system that switches outputs on or off deepening on the inputs.
The output is that the light blub is then turned on.
I also started to think about other products that do not rely on electricity as a system, for example riding a bike.
I think that this has helped me to apprehend the idea of a system within other contexts but also how I can design a circuit with a system in mind.
- The Input - Someone pressing the brakes to slow down and stop
- The process - The mechanism on the bike which reacts to the breaks being pressed
- The Output - The brakes causing the bike to slow down and stop
I think that this has helped me to apprehend the idea of a system within other contexts but also how I can design a circuit with a system in mind.
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Analysis of new gained knowledge and the next step
Initially, I marked this area of the audit as a '1' meaning little knowledge if not any at all. In reflection, now I believe that I have really come a long way with this and finally feel as if I am making progress in this unknown subject of systems and controls.
As I was learning during the taught sessions and within my own engagement I felt that I was most successful when I went away and read more about the content. The Bitesize website I find really helpful as a learning tool because it seems to break down the principles and the visuals also enable me to understand the content further. I did find the taught session useful and was a great introduction to systems but I think I needed to go away and explore by myself and because of this it did help.
What also was successful during this time was when I looked and explored other items and thought about them as systems. Being able to work out what their input, output processes were allowed me to progress supporting my learning
I felt that I was less successful when at first I was looking at more complex systems such as the computer, although after a while I did in fact understand the principles I found that when we were in class I had different ideas as to what a particular out put was compared to some course mates. So just looking at smaller and basic systems is something that i would do when teaching this to children and then obviously working my way up to something like the computer because for me I did not grasp it straight away.
My next step now is to use a systems approach in my circuit designs. I know we have a systems and control module where we have to create some sort of basic circuit and this would be a great chance for me to develop this and illustrate my understanding of the area.
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Analysis of new gained knowledge and the next step
Initially, I marked this area of the audit as a '1' meaning little knowledge if not any at all. In reflection, now I believe that I have really come a long way with this and finally feel as if I am making progress in this unknown subject of systems and controls.
As I was learning during the taught sessions and within my own engagement I felt that I was most successful when I went away and read more about the content. The Bitesize website I find really helpful as a learning tool because it seems to break down the principles and the visuals also enable me to understand the content further. I did find the taught session useful and was a great introduction to systems but I think I needed to go away and explore by myself and because of this it did help.
What also was successful during this time was when I looked and explored other items and thought about them as systems. Being able to work out what their input, output processes were allowed me to progress supporting my learning
I felt that I was less successful when at first I was looking at more complex systems such as the computer, although after a while I did in fact understand the principles I found that when we were in class I had different ideas as to what a particular out put was compared to some course mates. So just looking at smaller and basic systems is something that i would do when teaching this to children and then obviously working my way up to something like the computer because for me I did not grasp it straight away.
My next step now is to use a systems approach in my circuit designs. I know we have a systems and control module where we have to create some sort of basic circuit and this would be a great chance for me to develop this and illustrate my understanding of the area.
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Further Development
So now I have begun to generate some initial ideas for my systems and controls project and I have been considering this idea of a systems approach within my work.
At the moment most of the concepts or designs that i have generated include inputs such as a LDR aka light and push switches, the outputs that I have considered are LED's (Light) and Buzzers (Sound).
Here is a video that I have uploaded to Youtube showing my final working piece.
Explanation of the system...
With this example of my work, the INPUT here is LIGHT. The light enables the OUTPUT to happen. The OUTPUT is the LED'S or LIGHT sequence. Once the system recognises the INPUT then the PROCESS will occur, this means that the LDR is reading the level of light in order to determine whether or not the LED'S should turn on. This has been processed by programming a PIC. The INPUT's information has been processed by the chip which then causes the OUTPUT. There is not switch with this product and therefore, it is constantly flowing as a circuit.
With this example of my work, the INPUT here is LIGHT. The light enables the OUTPUT to happen. The OUTPUT is the LED'S or LIGHT sequence. Once the system recognises the INPUT then the PROCESS will occur, this means that the LDR is reading the level of light in order to determine whether or not the LED'S should turn on. This has been processed by programming a PIC. The INPUT's information has been processed by the chip which then causes the OUTPUT. There is not switch with this product and therefore, it is constantly flowing as a circuit.
Professional Year Further Development
In the session today Dean gave us a really nice teaching source which enabled us to design basic systems. I have included this within my audit not only because I really liked the aid but also it demonstrates me designing basic systems.
The blue cards represents the INPUTS. The Yellow are the OUTPUTS. The Green is the PIC with the various pins.
Myself and Sandra created a 'Night Light' which had a LDR (INPUT) which measured and read the amount of light, and a LED (OUTPUT) which turned on the light. We also thought about a 'Cooking Tool' with a Temperature sensor being the INPUT which read the temperature and a Buzzer being the OUTPUT which made a sound once a certain temperature was measured. Finally we also designed something which made a noise once a switch was turned on. Main switch being the INPUT and the Sound was the OUTPUT.
This was a really useful exercise and was helpful to revise the possible systems that you can create.
The blue cards represents the INPUTS. The Yellow are the OUTPUTS. The Green is the PIC with the various pins.
Myself and Sandra created a 'Night Light' which had a LDR (INPUT) which measured and read the amount of light, and a LED (OUTPUT) which turned on the light. We also thought about a 'Cooking Tool' with a Temperature sensor being the INPUT which read the temperature and a Buzzer being the OUTPUT which made a sound once a certain temperature was measured. Finally we also designed something which made a noise once a switch was turned on. Main switch being the INPUT and the Sound was the OUTPUT.
This was a really useful exercise and was helpful to revise the possible systems that you can create.