May 28th, 2010 → 11:52 pm @ admin
Your folio will naturally contain many photographs of your Major Design Project as it develops. When working in either school or home workshops always make sure you have safety in mind. You need to mention how you observed safety regulations and this should be evident in any photographs you present in your folio. A student [...]
February 21st, 2010 → 11:10 am @ admin
One of the questions I regularly receive from Design and Technology Students is asking my advice on the suitability of their proposed Major Design Project.Sometimes the ideas proposed are either going to need very expensive manufacturing equipment or processes which are not available to the average student or for that matter members of the general [...]
January 25th, 2010 → 6:30 pm @ admin
Firstly what is sustainability? We hear the words ’sustainable’ and ’sustainability’ almost every day. But what does it mean exactly? Is it about people and culture, our environment, or jobs and money? Is it about cities or the country? Is it about you and me or is it something for other people to worry about?
Sustainability [...]
January 24th, 2010 → 7:32 pm @ admin
Often it is necessary to produce a number of similar items for a Major Design Project. One method of achieving this is by manufacturing a silicon mold and producing the items using the mold. Firstly, make sure the positive mold is correct in it’s detail as any error will be reproduced in every molding.Attached is [...]
January 23rd, 2010 → 8:05 pm @ admin
Students often choose to use mild steel for the manufacture of their Major Design Project. Mild steel tends to form rust after a very short time and really needs to have a protective surface finish applied. There are a number of surface preparations which include painting, electroplating to mention but a few.
Many students may be [...]
January 19th, 2010 → 11:16 pm @ admin
Once a concept has been developed by a student there is a tendency to launch head-on into the project without quality planning. What do I mean by quality planning? All aspects need to be planned if you are going to produce a worth while project or innovation. While not compulsory CAD ( computer assisted drawing) [...]
December 16th, 2009 → 3:10 pm @ admin
From time to time students want to use a microprocessor of some type in their Major Design Project. I came across this valuable little book which offers a thorough introduction to the open-source electronics prototyping platform that’s taking the design and hobbyist world by storm. Getting Started with Arduino gives you lots of ideas for [...]
December 6th, 2009 → 10:25 pm @ admin
I would like to wish a very Happy Christmas to those students who are taking advantage of the Design and Technology Mentoring Programme.
I know it’s a time of holidays and Christmas, but do try and achieve vital research over the holidays. Next year you will not have the time to visit companies and obtain samples [...]
November 18th, 2009 → 10:50 pm @ admin
Making your own solar panels
As most people are aware solar panels are relatively expensive. I was interested in installing solar panels on my home to generate energy and to reduce costs. For about 5 years I have experimented with commercially made solar panels powering small lights for my courtyard and charging batteries for radios.
I researched [...]
November 17th, 2009 → 9:28 pm @ admin
This video presentation is of a commercially constructed wind generator but it is not impossible to construct your own as a Major Design Project.
A quick look around the internet reveals many DIY sites which would be useful for quality research. You would need to assess the following; what is the electrical load of the home [...]