1. Invention & Innovation Unit #6 Mrs. Mattson Carl Ben Eielson Middle School ETP 2006—Tanya Mattson This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0402616. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the National Science Foundation (NSF).

2. Unit #6 Troubleshooting, Research, Development, and Experimentation Information for this presentation was taken from the CATTS curriculum Unit #6 and Valley City State University Unit #6 readings, unless otherwise noted.

3. There are many types of problem solving including: Troubleshooting Research & Development Experimentation These are distinct problem-solving processes that are utilized at several points during and after the design process.

4. Troubleshooting “The act of pinpointing and correcting problems in any kind of system.” (Kuphaldt, 2003)

5. Technological Literacy The ability to use, manage, assess, and understand technology.

6. Complex technology is used in every profession and is found in nearly every job description.

7. A 10 step Universal Troubleshooting Process 1. Get the attitude 2. Get a complete and accurate symptom description 3. Make damage control plan 4. Reproduce the symptom 5. Do the appropriate general maintenance 6. Narrow it down to the root cause 7. Repair or replace the defective component 8. Test 9. Take pride in your solution 10. Prevent future occurrence of this problem

8. Address the problem of specialized knowledge One of the first sources you should turn to is…the manual! The internet is another source Libraries Help menu Phone support E-mail Call in a friend Etc.

9. Focus on our personal demeanor in a time of crises The need to troubleshoot often happens at the worst moment. We need to remain calm and proceed logically. Start by asking yourself simple questions (ex: Is it plugged in?) and then proceed to more complex methods.

10. Think through and analyze the problem Describe it in writing Don’t jump to conclusions and tear things apart

11. Try to bring the system to a baseline state and induce the problem to recur. Record the conditions in which the problem occurs Develop a strategy or hypotheses and repeat it changing only 1 variable at a time so that the problem can be connected to an event. Take good notes Isolate the problem to a single subsystem Swap parts if additional parts are available

12. Stop and employ meta cognition Think about your thinking processes Ask what approach you haven’t tried What clues have you missed?

13. Finally, SLEEP ON IT!! Give your subconscious problem-solver a chance to work its magic!

14. The process of engineering design takes into account a # of factors: Safety Reliability Economic Considerations (cost & profit) Service Life Quality Control Environmental Concerns Ease of Manufacturing Human Factors Engineering (Ergonomics) Serviceability Ease of Troubleshooting Many more

15. It is important in the design process to have ease of maintenance and ease of troubleshooting in mind, as this will decrease costs over the life of the product.

16. Difficult to repair or service products can be profitable in several ways: Competitors do not have specialized knowledge and cannot compete profitably Expensive repairs are a primary reason to buy new products As the world of technology becomes more complex, the issue of reparability and ease of troubleshooting at the design state is ever more important.

17. Troubleshooting is much easier when a product is in the design stage Test points and steps or elements can be built in which greatly ease the burden of later service. Easy disassembly and accessibility are obvious items up for discussion. Many precautions can be taken so that troubleshooting becomes a step-by-step process We have become a throw-away society.

18. Frascoti Manual An international group met in Frascati, Italy in 1963 and proposed many definitions of research, development, and experimentation. (OCDE, 1994) The document has been revised many times and is now known as the Frascoti Manual. In the U.S.A., Congress has attempted to encourage more investment in R & D by creating tax breaks for companies who engage in research. We will discuss this more in an upcoming activity.

19. Basic research is what we all know as science—the discovery of new knowledge, but it is knowledge about nature. It is equally clear that experimental development is engineering, or technology.

20. Standards Covered 10: Students will develop an understanding of the role of troubleshooting, research and development, invention and innovation, and experimentation in problem solving. 10.F: Troubleshooting is a problem-solving method used to identify the cause of a malfunction in a technological system. 10.H: Some technological problems are best solved through experimentation.