Course Reflection

Taken from http://www.explainthatstuff.com/radio.html

1. External, telescopic FM antenna: The one on this radio extends to about 30 cm (1 ft), which is plenty long enough to catch a good range of FM broadcasts. You can extend and swivel the telescopic antenna for better reception. Generally speaking, the longer the antenna (known as an aerial in the UK), the more signals you can pick up.

2. Battery compartment: This radio is either battery or AC powered. When you plug in an AC lead, a switch automatically cuts out the battery power.

3. Loudspeaker: There is only one loudspeaker, so this radio can reproduce only mono sounds. Generally, the bigger the loudspeaker the louder the radio (and the better the quality of sound it will make).

4. AC power input: A cable plugs into this socket so you can run the radio economically from a domestic power supply (mains electricity socket).

5. Transformer: The radio's electronic components operate on very small voltages (less than 6 volts), but the power that comes in from the AC outlet is typically 110 volts (in the USA), 240 volts (in the UK), or similar. The transformer's job is to scale down the AC voltage so it's safe and appropriate for the radio's delicate components.

6. Internal AM antenna: When you're listening to an AM (also known as MW or medium wave) broadcast, the external FM antenna is redundant. Instead, signals are picked up by this tightly coiled AM antenna concealed inside the case. If you're listening on AM, you have to turn the entire radio to reorient the built-in antenna and improve your signal reception.

7. Transformer: A series of smaller transformers help the radio hone in on just the station you want by blocking out other, nearby stations.

8. Amplifier: This small chip boosts the signal strength so it's powerful enough to drive the loudspeaker. The amplifier is based on transistors, electronic components that take in a small current and put out a much larger one—scaling it up in size. Small radios are often called "transistor radios": it was the development of the tiny transistor, from the late 1940s onward, that made it possible to pack all the components of a radio into a small portable unit. Before transistors came along, radios were typically huge wooden boxes that stood in the corner of your home, as big as an old-fashioned TV (and often even bigger).

9. Earphone socket: You can plug a small mono earphone in here to listen in privacy. If you plug stereo headphones into the mono socket, you'll hear sound in only one of the two earpieces.

10. Volume control: This is the back of the volume knob. Turning the volume knob adjusts an electronic component called a variable resistor or potentiometer, which increases or decreases the electric current flowing to the loudspeaker. A bigger current makes a louder sound with more volume; a smaller current makes a quieter sound with less volume.

11. Tuning control: This is a variable capacitor that tunes the radio in to a specific station.

Bring in car stereo to show.

6

Make a poster board and video in group of 2!

Investigate a career in technology that interest your group

(groups of 2!). Determine the following:

Demand and salary growth rates and averages.

Typical day in the profession.

Skills and qualifications required; scientific principles involved.

Spend about 40 minutes doing this and then take 10 minutes to compose a video presentation (use p. 425&426 as resource). Use your phones. Once you have made your video, email it to me for me to grade.

ETSC 101 Chapter 11 Hacker