Skip to main content

Back to School: Round 3, Week 6

Week 6 already!

I had two tests this week:
Electrical Theory (87.06%)
Code (84.21%)

This week we've finally gotten out of the electronics lab and into the electrical shop, where we've started to learn some programming of a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD). I've installed a few of these, but have never programmed them, it was often up to the HVAC mechanic who had the specs for what was required for the motor.

It allows motors to run at varying speeds, instead of only be turned on or off as needed. This is proven to be a more efficient method of heating and cooling control.

There also seems to be more overlap between the classes. We might cover the same topics in Electronics, Code and Theory, but all from a slightly different perspective. It certainly helps with making the information stick.

There are a couple assignments coming up, but no more tests until the final week, which is all testing.  I get the sense everyone is feeling a bit drained with the additional classroom hours. But, as we're broaching the last of the topics to be learned, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The "Social Impacts" of a Female Working with "Mostly Male Construction Workers"

The first time I'd heard anything about comments made by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was on Newstalk 1010' s The Night Side with Barb DiGiulio .  For reference, here is a section of the comments from Mr. Trudeau at the recent G20 summit as posted in an article from the National Post : " Even big infrastructure projects, you know, might now say, well, what does a gender lens have to do with building this new highway or this new pipeline or something? Well, you know, there are gender impacts when you bring construction workers into a rural area. There are social impacts because they’re mostly male construction workers. How are you adjusting and adapting to those?"    A lot of people are focusing specifically on the "social impacts... ...of mostly male construction workers" part in a negative light. I'd agree, it certainly doesn't sound good, does it? The resulting public interpretation of what that comment meant spinned the narrative to that of t...

Back to School: Round 2, Week 5

Now we're getting into the good stuff. And the tests just keep on coming. I had one in Electronics yesterday, a midterm actually. (This week has a couple of those). I studied on the weekend until my brain melted. Quite literally. I had to change the toilet paper in the bathroom, and instead of putting the holder through the new toilet roll, I tried putting the now spent roll through. No wonder it didn't fit! I managed an 81% on that test. Not bad you might think, but as I told my teacher, I've never had to fight so hard for an 80. I had to laugh at myself on Tuesday as well. My first class starts at 11. I had such a hard time getting up for it. What am I going to do when I have to be at work for 6 or 7am?  We had a midterm test in Monitoring & Communications. Another in Instrumentation and a Friday Quiz in Theory. Yay! At least my grades are still rolling in the 80's and 90's (and even a couple 100's).  I'm officially halfway through school now, 5 week...

Back to School: Round 2, Day 1

Well, after 16 months of working post-electrical basic schooling, I'm back at it for intermediate. Apart from a former teacher I ran into, and one other classmate I worked with for 4 months, I hadn't  said more than 10 words to anyone else by lunchtime. There seem to be clusters of people that know each other, either they work together or old friends from the last block of school. I thought I was lucky to know even one person. There are 2 other women in the class: the aforementioned former coworker, and another woman who also doesn't appear to know anyone. I made eye contact with her,  but she glanced over me sitting on my own at lunch to take a table to herself. So much for solidarity. The group of 60 in this block are split between 3 different schedules. Some of our schedules overlap, shop time has to be separated for space. I'm curious to see which faces will end up in my group. I have started a list of textbooks I have to buy. By the looks of it, when I...