Week4 " Truck and trailer lighting test board test and scoping a working ABS wheel speed sensor"

I started out week 4 of this quarter preparing for our final exam for the electrical part of the quarter. We were separated into teams combining 1st and 2nd year students and were given the task of wiring up mock truck and trailer test boards. We were required  to make all lights, switches and relays properly function with out blowing a 1 amp fuse. We were not given a time limit how ever we were timed. Me and the group I was teamed up with managed to finish in 2 hours and 10 mins. We blew one fuse, yet we found the problem and were able to make everything function properly in the end. 

 These are the test boards we tested on. It was a fun yet frustrating test, but I can truthfully say I walked away with a little more confidence and understanding of what we had just done.

 Another thing I did this last week was test a working ABS speed sensor that was still attached to the wheel assembly. The reason I did this was that in week 3 we were all given different types of sensors by our instructor and asked to find out what type of sensor it was and test if possible. Now in my last blog I explained what type of sensor this is and how to test it. The thing was my sensor was bad and I wanted to test a good wheel speed sensor.

So I spent some time after morning lecture hooking up the Modis to one of our practice axle assemblies. below is a picture of my test leads hooked up to the sensor.

 The first test I performed was to graph the signal using the multimeter function on the modis, and below is what I was seeing when I spun the wheel.

After accomplishing the task of hooking up the modis to the sensor and actually testing it and seeing the signal. My instructor then asked me to put it up on the big screen and use the lab scope function on the modis instead of the graphing multimeter function.

I was able to connect the modis up to the big screen easily, I found the hardest part was finding the right settings on the modis to get and be able to read a clear signal. With the help of Travis our instructors assistant, I was able to get a really clear signal.

Another one of our assignments in class this last week. Was our instructor asked each group to go out into the shop and decide on an engine that we as a group would like to work on. We would be removing the cylinder head, 1 piston, 1 liner, 1 cylinder of valves, injector and measure the crankshaft rod bearing journal. My group decided on a Detroit Series 60, the one in the picture below. I am really looking forward to this.

My reflection for the week comes right back to one of the biggest problems I think we can have, communication. Previous too and even during our final exams on the light boards, I was having problems with my group. One half of us wanting to go about it one way and the other half a different way. At first we had one part of the group going off of a paper schematic while the other half was going off a completely different schematic. The problem wasn't that one half of the group was right and one was wrong, both sides would have succeeded if they would have gone about it at separate times. Instead we tried to do two things at once and when we thought we were done, we weren't. We had only manage to waste an hour and blow a fuse all due to the lack of communication. I was remind once again that one of the biggest keys to staying on track and properly completing a task while in a group or team setting is to have an open line of communication between everyone.

Week 4
Hours 16
Quarterly hours 73ish