Electronics in High Schools anywhere?

[Cutch]

Does anybody offer electronics classes at the high school level
anywhere, besides here in British Columbia? It is offered in 300 of
the 360 high schools in the province as an elective in the "tech ed"
industrial ed programs. We even have a standard curriculum for the
course.

Do you know anybody interested getting a high school credit by taking
an intro to electronics class on line - through the Vancouver School
District Distance Education Program.

I'll forward info regarding the course to anyone interested. It would
start in January.

Dave C

 

[happyhobit]

Cass Technical High School, Detroit Michigan.

For at least the last 40 years. My first class project there was a "All
American 5 Tube AC/DC AM Radio", many many noons ago.

Jay

 

[John Robertson]

We offer work experience here in Vancouver, BC (Canada) for lots of
these high school electronics students. We train about twenty a year
to do soldering IC pulling (without damaging the boards) and basic
mechanical skills in one week at our shop. This is in conjunction with
the schools and is reasonably popular with the kids (my shop services
and sells pinball and video games). LMK if you need any placements!

Oh, and we have hired a number of the better students for part/full
time work while they are going to college (BCIT etc.)

John :-#)#
www.flippers.com

Does anybody offer electronics classes at the high school level
anywhere, besides here in British Columbia? It is offered in 300 of
the 360 high schools in the province as an elective in the "tech ed"
industrial ed programs. We even have a standard curriculum for the
course.

Do you know anybody interested getting a high school credit by taking
an intro to electronics class on line - through the Vancouver School
District Distance Education Program.

I'll forward info regarding the course to anyone interested. It would
start in January.

Dave C

(Please post followups or tech enquires to the newsgroup)
John's Jukes Ltd. 2343 Main St., Vancouver, BC, Canada V5T 3C9
Call (604)872-5757 or Fax 872-2010 (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games)
www.flippers.com
"Old pinballers never die, they just flip out."

 

[Baphomet]

Cass Technical High School, Detroit Michigan.

For at least the last 40 years. My first class project there was a "All
American 5 Tube AC/DC AM Radio", many many noons ago.

Jay

I was introduced to my first oscilloscope in a junior high school
electronics lab and of course, immediately fell in love. That would have
been about '58 and it was a Heathkit.

 

[Mark Carroll]

Does anybody offer electronics classes at the high school level
anywhere, besides here in British Columbia? It is offered in 300 of
the 360 high schools in the province as an elective in the "tech ed"
industrial ed programs. We even have a standard curriculum for the
course.

(snip)

At Truro School in Cornwall I had an interesting year of them -
compulsory for all pupils - plus a bit more in the physics classes
(using Hall probes, whatever). It was transistors, op amps,
oscilloscopes, that sort of thing, plus things with LEDs and knobs
that you could put in plastic boxes. And putting ten-ohm resistors
across the DC power supply when the teacher wasn't looking.

-- Mark

 

[Bill Bowden]

I was introduced to my first oscilloscope in a junior high school
electronics lab and of course, immediately fell in love. That would have
been about '58 and it was a Heathkit.

I took a 7th grade electronics class the same year, actually it was in
the fall of 57. We started with a crystal radio, then moved on to a 3
tube "TRF" receiver and the last project was a superhet which nobody
finished.

The instructor had an interesting way of finding shorts. He connected
a couple probes to a power supply then probed the circuit looking for
sparks. I built two of the crystal sets but couldn't get the second
one working, so I asked the instructor to help out. The spark test
revealed a missing mica insulator in the trimmer section of the tuning
cap. The trimmer was tightened all the way down with no insulator
shorting out the capacitor. The radio worked just fine after loosening
the trimmer a bit.

-Bill

 

[John Fortier]

Does anybody offer electronics classes at the high school level
anywhere, besides here in British Columbia? It is offered in 300 of
the 360 high schools in the province as an elective in the "tech ed"
industrial ed programs. We even have a standard curriculum for the
course.

Do you know anybody interested getting a high school credit by taking
an intro to electronics class on line - through the Vancouver School
District Distance Education Program.

I'll forward info regarding the course to anyone interested. It would
start in January.

Dave C

Britain.

John

 

[Watson A.Name - Watt Sun]

I took a 7th grade electronics class the same year, actually it was in
the fall of 57. We started with a crystal radio, then moved on to a 3
tube "TRF" receiver and the last project was a superhet which nobody
finished.

The instructor had an interesting way of finding shorts. He connected
a couple probes to a power supply then probed the circuit looking for
sparks. I built two of the crystal sets but couldn't get the second
one working, so I asked the instructor to help out. The spark test
revealed a missing mica insulator in the trimmer section of the tuning
cap. The trimmer was tightened all the way down with no insulator
shorting out the capacitor. The radio worked just fine after loosening
the trimmer a bit.

-Bill

I was introduced to a (small) Tesla Coil by the Electronics Shop
instructor. Might have used a 807 tube - I don't remember - back in
the early '60s.

--
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[ddwyer]

My love of electronics in England was not helped by my science teachers
at grammar school rather by the Ham (amateur radio fraternaty)
electrostatic machines were as near as school got.
Higher education brought me lecturers who did not know the difference
between pin and varicap diodes. (I did) .
Ultimately it was my father who gave me a battery and bulb at 6 years.
My childrens school did not want the interference of a qualifierd
electronics engineer offered freely.
Now my children are in advertising and art.

 

[Bob Penoyer]

Cass Technical High School, Detroit Michigan.

For at least the last 40 years. My first class project there was a "All
American 5 Tube AC/DC AM Radio", many many noons ago.

Been there, done that! I graduated in Jan. 1965. I recall that the
5-tube radio that we built was a Knight Kit. It was instructional
because the teacher rewrote the construction instructions so that the
radio was built in a sequence in which individual stages were
completed one at a time. This made more sense from the perspective of
understanding the operation of the radio.

I recall that Mr. O'Brien (sp?) taught us about superheterodyne
receivers and then led us through the building of the 5-tube radio. He
also taught the first course of the curriculum, in which we learned
the National Electrical Code--and, believe it or not, actually wired a
2/3 scale wood frame building that was enclosed in the rather large
classroom. We drilled through studs, ran Romex cable, installed
outlets, switches, fixtures, etc.

Mr. Brown was the department chairman and the only electrical engineer
on the faculty.

Mr. Applebaum taught us all about 3-phase motors and generators. We
did a lot of analyses of loads, currents, and losses in 3-phase
systems--much more than I ever did in college. In the lab, we wired up
patch boards and ran 3-phase motors and generators, including
synchronizing and paralleling a pair of motor-generator systems. He
also taught a course in which we had to build an electrical/electronic
gadget of our own choosing. Some of our predecessors' work was still
on display in that classroom and it was very impressive for high
school stuff. One guy had built an inductive heater that could get
several large nails red hot in only a few seconds. Another legacy
project was a crystal-controlled clock driving vacuum tube astable
multivibrator frequency dividers to drive a 60-Hz, 120V alarm clock.

I don't remember the name of the teacher who taught us about
single-phase motors and generators. (Similar lab as the 3-phase lab.
In the classroom, there were lots of so-called streetcar problems.)
And I don't remember the name of the teacher who taught us general
theory.

Things are probably much different now. For better or worse, I
suppose.

Alas, this year I think, the old Cass Tech is being razed and a new,
modern facility is being built in its place.

For those interested in the school, see
http://schools.detroit.k12.mi.us/sites/cass/

For those who might be surprised by the famous people who attended
Cass, visit
http://www.angelfire.com/stars3/casstech/
They include singer Diana Ross, comedienne Lily Tomlin, actress Ellen
Burstyn, and comedian David Alan Grier.

 

[happyhobit]

Hi Bob,

A-Bomb, a red head and a temper, if I remember, or was that O'Brian? I
want to say that A-Bomb did the Radio in '63, they probably swapped classes
to stay sane. ?

Do you remember breadboarding a circuit? On a breadboard.

R.J Hocking, a grumpy old man, that I'm soon approaching, taught motors and
generators. He gave out copies of his tests, without values, the night
before the test, open book, notes anything and people still failed.
Explained that all the 'Left Hand Rules' were now 'Right Hand Rules' because
the electricity had changed direction and all our textbooks were all wrong.
(If you were there it would make sense) I think he retired in '63.

Affholter ?? (I've punched in a request to my long term memory but still
waiting.)

I remember that induction heater, was built in '63. Ended up, for a couple
years, working for a company installing and servicing induction heaters.

I graduated in June '63, started an apprenticeship for Electrician in
November, was back in Cass the following spring as part of the
apprenticeship education. The apprenticeship education taught me nothing I
didn't learn in 'Cass Tech'. A couple years later the apprenticeship program
started using Hank Ford Community College for training. By the end of your
apprenticeship you would have an Associates degree.

Ah life.

Jay

 

[Bob Penoyer]

Hi Bob,

A-Bomb, a red head and a temper, if I remember, or was that O'Brian? I
want to say that A-Bomb did the Radio in '63, they probably swapped classes
to stay sane. ?

I recall that O'Brian had hair that was probably some shade of red,
maybe sort of brown. It seems to me that he had a temper.

He once told us that he had stayed in college 7 years until he no
longer had an excuse for not graduating. He also said that he could
count the Cs (i.e., grades of C) he received on one hand.

He had a phrase that I've never forgotten: "If there's someone dumb
enough to buy it, there's someone smart enough to sell it."

As I said, I graduated in Jan. 1965. Some years later I was living in
California. In 1981 I returned to Detroit to visit a relative. I took
the opportunity to visit Cass, which was between semesters at the
time. I went to the office and explained when I graduated. I asked if
I could visit some of the teachers. The guy readily agreed and then
asked who I wanted to see. I mentioned O'Brian and Brown. When I said
each name, he looked puzzled and asked me to repeat when I had
graduated. It turns out that O'Brian had died around the time I
graduated and that Brown had died that same year.

When I asked about Applebaum, who I was most interested in seeing, he
told me that Applebaum had retired and that he couldn't give me home
address information. I was very disappointed.

Despite not having permission to roam the hallways, I did so anyway. I
was struck by how old and worn even the marble stairs seemed. It was
an old building.

Do you remember breadboarding a circuit? On a breadboard.

We did build impromptu things but I don't remember actually building
on a breadboard. This could just be my memory slipping.

R.J Hocking, a grumpy old man, that I'm soon approaching, taught motors and
generators. He gave out copies of his tests, without values, the night
before the test, open book, notes anything and people still failed.
Explained that all the 'Left Hand Rules' were now 'Right Hand Rules' because
the electricity had changed direction and all our textbooks were all wrong.
(If you were there it would make sense) I think he retired in '63.

There was one guy who taught DC motors and generators. He seemed like
a decent guy but I can't remember his name. I don't remember Hocking
and the guy I'm thinking of might have been 40 years old. And this guy
wasn't grumpy.

I remember that the first thing he did on the first day of class was
hold up both hands with his fingers spread. He emphasized that he
still had all of his fingers and he expected us to have all of ours
when the semester was done.

Affholter ?? (I've punched in a request to my long term memory but still
waiting.)

The name sounds familiar but I can't put a face with it. Hmm. I wonder
if that is the guy who seemed like sort of a cool guy. He was maybe
the youngest member of the electrical faculty. He seemed to have fun
teaching his classes.

I remember that induction heater, was built in '63. Ended up, for a couple
years, working for a company installing and servicing induction heaters.

I graduated in June '63,

We must have crossed paths more than once.

started an apprenticeship for Electrician in
November, was back in Cass the following spring as part of the
apprenticeship education. The apprenticeship education taught me nothing I
didn't learn in 'Cass Tech'. A couple years later the apprenticeship program
started using Hank Ford Community College for training. By the end of your
apprenticeship you would have an Associates degree.

I don't remember the existance of an apprenticeship program.

One big event that I remember no doubt occurred after your graduation.
They closed Commerce High School, which was right across the street.
They were getting ready for the expressway that was to come through.
So, Cass, already with 3000 students, suddenly had 1700 girls transfer
from Commerce. Very nice!

 

[happyhobit]

We did build impromptu things but I don't remember actually building
on a breadboard. This could just be my memory slipping.

The breadboards (18 in X 24 in) were for wiring pushbuttons, bell and
transformer circuits. They had a rack where at the end of class you slid
your breadboard back in a slot where it waited until the next day. There had
to be several hundred breadboards.

We must have crossed paths more than once.

I'm sure we did.

I don't remember the existance of an apprenticeship program.

The apprenticeship training was held in the Electrical classrooms but wasn't
part of the High School program, I believe they had their own teachers. They
later moved it to Washington Trade School near Davidson and Dexter.

Do you remember soldering a 'Bellhanger Splice' with a 'Soldering Copper' in
the house wiring class? Ah wirenuts.

One big event that I remember no doubt occurred after your graduation.
They closed Commerce High School, which was right across the street.
They were getting ready for the expressway that was to come through.
So, Cass, already with 3000 students, suddenly had 1700 girls transfer
from Commerce. Very nice!

The bridge to Commerce was still open when I graduated. My mother had
graduated from there.

Cass had what 4 or 5 elevators? Was in an elevator one day when it broke, we
had to stand for a couple hours waiting to get it fixed. Couldn't sit, we
were packed in like sardines.

R.O.T.C. in the basement, lunch on the sixth floor, had a math class on the
seventh, it was above the elevator penthouse.

Coming back form a casino a couple months ago, saw Cass Tech, the original,
and the new one behind it, now they're going to tear the old one down. Seems
every time I turn around their tearing down another piece of my past.

The Lodge freeway took the first house I grew up in. Wayne State got the
next. Another neighborhood I grew up in had trees that formed an arch over
the street. Went back, 20 years later and the trees were all gone, Elm trees

Well, as long as I can keep ahead of the wreaking ball I guess I'm doing
O.K.

Jay

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Coming back form a casino a couple months ago, saw Cass Tech, the original,
and the new one behind it, now they're going to tear the old one down. Seems
every time I turn around their tearing down another piece of my past.

Jay

I know how you feel. I recently talked to an old friend from high
school and was told the school district had just torn down three of the
five schools I attended, and my high school is scheduled to be torn down
next summer. Several small companies I worked for have closed, after the
owners died of old age.

 

[Bob Penoyer]

The breadboards (18 in X 24 in) were for wiring pushbuttons, bell and
transformer circuits. They had a rack where at the end of class you slid
your breadboard back in a slot where it waited until the next day. There had
to be several hundred breadboards.

I don't remember those at all. That doesn't mean we didn't use them,
however.

Do you remember soldering a 'Bellhanger Splice' with a 'Soldering Copper' in
the house wiring class? Ah wirenuts.

I sure remember the bellhanger splice. There were others but I don't
recall their names. I remember that all of the guys in the class had
to talk their dads into buying them linemen's pliers so that we could
cut and bend the wires. I occasionally fall back on that training when
making repairs around the house.

Cass had what 4 or 5 elevators? Was in an elevator one day when it broke, we
had to stand for a couple hours waiting to get it fixed. Couldn't sit, we
were packed in like sardines.

I only rarely took the elevators. Walking was just as fast and, as you
say, people packed in like sardines. I remember that upperclassmen
would sell "elevator passes" to incoming freshman. Since I wasn't
inclined to take the elevators, I didn't fall into that trap.

R.O.T.C. in the basement, lunch on the sixth floor, had a math class on the
seventh, it was above the elevator penthouse.

If you're talking about the classroom on the roof, I think, I never
had a class there though some of my friends did.

Coming back form a casino a couple months ago, saw Cass Tech, the original,
and the new one behind it, now they're going to tear the old one down. Seems
every time I turn around their tearing down another piece of my past.

Yup. By the time of my visit to Detroit in 1981, the house where I
grew up, a two-family flat where my mother had been born, was torn
down. Now when I look at http://www.terrafly.com/ and enter my old
address, it appears that the entire neighborhood has been torn down,
including my grade school. I'm not kidding, the entire neighborhood!
Both my mother and aunt attended that grade school--and my aunt would
have been 96 this year.

It's been great talking about this even though we got way off of the
thread subject.

Thanks and best regards,

Bob