Teardown and Rebuild (Electronics)
Time 4.7 hrs

Difficulty Intermediate
Prerequisites Teardown Lab
Departments Human Technologies
Authors Ross Parker
Groupings Individual
Pairs
Threes
Minimum Year Group None

Blurb

We buy things, use them, and then throw them away. But lots of the electronics we buy can be used in a different way: we can take them to pieces, learn how they work, and then put them back together. In this unit, you get to do just that.

License

This work is shared under the following license: Creative Commons BY-SA-NC

Outline

The Pitch
Why should I bother learning this?
  • The companies who make computers, printers, speakers, phones and other electronics do not want you to take them apart: but I do. Learn to take things apart, learn how they work, and put them back together.
Resources
What is needed to run this unit?
  • Hand tools (various Philips heard screw drivers, small electronic-specific screw driver set)
  • Old electronics to take apart.
Interdisciplinary Links
Do not try and force this. What areas of other subjects might this reflect and/discuss language. For IB, links with ToK.
  • ...
Teacher Reflection
What was successful? What needs changing? Alternative Assessments and Lesson Ideas? What other Differentiation Ideas/Plans could be used?
  • ...
Credits
Any CC attribution, thanks, credit, etc.

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5 mins
Bending The Rules
The Pitch
  • The companies who make computers, printers, speakers, phones and other electronics do not want you to take them apart: but I do. Learn to take things apart, learn how they work, and put them back together.
  • By bending the rules a little, we can learn how things work, and how to fix them when they go wrong.
5 mins
WARNING!
Electricity Is Bad For You
  • Electricity is a powerful force: IT CAN KILL YOU!
  • AT NO POINT IN THIS UNIT ARE YOU TO PLUG IN THE DEVICE YOU ARE WORKING ON.
  • This unit is for practice only: do not test your work using power.
    • This will come in later units.
15 mins
Screwing
Using A Screwdriver
  • Many electronic devices are held together with screws, and so can be opened up with the right size screw driver.
  • Watch the (somewhat dull) video below to learn about how to correctly use a screwdriver:

  • Some of the key ideas you should now have are:
    • Turn left to loosen, right to tighten (aka "lefty loosey, righty tighty").
    • Choose the right type of screwdriver for your screw (e.g. Philips, Flathead, Torx, etc).
    • Choose the right size of screwdriver head for your screw.
    • Push downwards whilst using your screwdriver.
    • Keep the shaft of the screwdriver parallel to the screw (this takes some skills, as the tendency is to move the screw drive to the side, as shown below):

45 mins
Partial Teardown & Rebuild
Hands On
  • Choose an item from the school's supply of old electronics.
  • DO NOT PLUG IT INTO THE POWER!
  • Collect the tools you need from your teacher.
  • Use this time to take apart the device, and get it back together.
  • You will most likely not have time to do a complete teardown, depending on the complexity of the device: keep an eye on the time, and do as much as you can.
  • Remember to keep your screws and parts organised, and don't lose any.
70 mins
Full Teardown & Rebuild
Hands On
  • Take the same device as last time: now you know it better, you might be able to do a full teardown and rebuild in the time given.
  • DO NOT PLUG IT INTO THE POWER!
  • Collect the tools you need from your teacher.
  • Remember to keep your screws and parts organised, and don't lose any.
  • Take some photos or video as you go.
70 mins
Teardown, Rebuild & Analyse
Hands On
  • Take the same device as last time: now you know it better, you might be able to do a full teardown and rebuild in the time given.
  • DO NOT PLUG IT INTO THE POWER!
  • Collect the tools you need from your teacher.
  • This time take it apart as fully as you can, given the time available, but leave time to look at all of the parts, and try to work out what they do.
  • Ask for help with this analysis if you need.
  • Remember to keep your screws and parts organised, and don't lose any.
  • Take some photos or video as you go.
  • The video below shows a very thorough teardown (more thorough than you need, and he destroys the machine, which you should not do), but his method of investigation and analysis is very interesting:

70 mins
Evidence
Finishing Up
  • Your task now is to produce a neat, hand drawn diagram of how the main parts of your device and how they work together.
  • In doing this, it might be worth thinking of your device as a system:

  • Many systems have multiple inputs, processes and outputs, but simple systems might only have one of each.
  • As an example, consider a DVD player:
    • Inputs - electricity, the DVD disk, front-panel buttons, remote control
    • Processes - converting digital data on disk into moving image and audio that a screen can display, dealing with button presses, outputting information to the LCD display
    • Outputs - back-panel connectors to TV and external speakers (e.g. HDMI, RCA connector), LCD display on front panel
    • Sometimes input and output are coupled together, as in network connections (Ethernet, WiFi)
  • Your diagram should be more detailed than the example above!
  • Submit your evidence to finish up the unit.

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Unit Students

Katie
Shared on 01/03/2019

Thomas
Shared on 22/06/2016
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