A student based, step by step tutorial that can be used for remote learning, cover work or independent working in the classroom. Tutorial takes one hour to complete and takes students through creating a simple microcontroller system with a switch and a servo motor then programming it in scratch. includes differenciated help with embedded videos and solutions that weaker students can use to reverse engineer with Systems can then be upgraded to replace the switch with other inputs depending upon design need Tinkercad is free and available entirely online as cloud based CAD software. This tutorial has been used successfully many times with year 8 and year 9 students.

models logic gates as switches. Students must identify which switches need to be pressed for an LED to come on and from that build up truth tables.

a quiz to encourage deeper thinking about components, insulators and conductors, polarization, symbols and real images

A markbook for Edexcel GCSE design technology subjects. Ued to keep track of controlled assessment and to automatically work out 'WAG' (working at grades). Divided into sheets by assessment criteria to make the sheet easy to print and read for students on A4

A useful starter for all DT lessons. Puts what good design and bad design actually means into somesort of context. Good to present at the start of a design project or after the generation of initial ideas Website added with examples of good design for each strand of design technology (images mainly from twitter)

an introduction or review of metals and their properties. Resource includes a step through powerpoint together which introduces a series of student based tasks. A full customised worksheet is provided encourage students to make meaningful notes as the lesson progresses. This lesson takes between 30 and 40 minutes to complete fully and has been successfully used with year 10 and 11 students in England

To follow up and help students improve after an initial design activity, this lesson helps students to evaluate how designs can be improved This resource has been used with year 7 and 8 students (England) to follow up on an initial design of a nightlight and help them become ambitious with their designs and stretch out into considering more about functionality, sustainability, performance and usability (ergonomics)

This 14 lesson course introduces the concept of Internet of Things (IoT) to students and develops both a technical and social, moral and ethical thinking about if technology is always good Content is embedded with practical: an internet controlled MP3 player. To avoid any issues with the IT department, this is done by setting the microcontroller up that controls the MP3 player in AP mode to act as a local hotspot. Students can then remotely connect to the player with phones, tablets or laptops. MP3 files are played using an onboard SD card. This sounds very expensive, but it isnt and even with todays (April 2022) prices, can be made for under £2 a unit. PCB artwork or professionally manufactured PCB’s are available from the author at cost together with the Arduino microcontroller code

examples of good & bad design sources of design inspiration suitable for use as a starter year 9 or 10 in graphics or rm

For older KS3 classes and above. A series of definitions for given keywords for a class to assess and find the right one. Definitions are deliberately wordy to help with literacy and make them think more deeply about if the definition makes sense

introduction to binary & hexadecimal numbering and why they are important in electronics

for use in KS4 or KS5 electronic products an introduction to ohms law, potential dividers & calculating power

An overview of different types of switches (PTM, PTB, DPST etc) as well as different implimentations (rotary, embrane, rocker, toggle etc). Useful for GCSE Electronics and Electronic Products courses

For Units 3 & 5 (applications of computers and electrical engineering), booklets that have been used before. Unit 3 concentrates on solving an industrial automation problem - designing é programming a line following robot, whilst unit 5 concentrates on building the electronics for it ( a hbridge motor circuit and PIC controlled servo system for the steering) Other units that I dont teach also link into this sol that over the 2 years, students build a line following car effectively, where they have machines the chasis, suspension, motor mounts and motor/directional control system

Some worksheets and powerpoints to get students into the thinking of PCB design. Some material is biased towards circuit wizard usage but can be easily changed if neccessary

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For this unit I designed a simple metronome circuit to build and a simple aluminum case for it to sit in which could be manufactured as part of Unit 2. The circuit wizard (v2.0) file for the metronome PCB and circuit diagram is enclosed - you will need to change the file extension from .txt to .cwz after downloading 2d designer files for the case are also included

primarily aimed at year 9 students to develop their PCB design skills before year 10. A simple LED based project consisting of two PCB's. One PCB is given to the student, the other they must design (a simple 555 astable circuit). They must use what they have designed in their final system. The attached file is a circuit wizard v2 file (change extension to .cwz) containing all instructions and activities. Other supporting materials to follow

a very simple introduction to circuit wizard using elementary circuits to make LED circuits, introducing the concepts of simulation and CAD. Leading onto automated PCB creation and linking then to onward manufacture. Written for Circuit Wizard version 2,.0. No additional files required. In a one lesson, should take a year 7 student 45 to 50 minutes to complete with time for a plenary on the embedded questions at the end

a simple introduction to thyristors and RS logic gate latching. Also included are two circuit wizard 2.0 files (change extension to .cwz) to show a thyristor latch and an NOR gate based RS latch as part of a final year project