So the time has to recall what it was I was doing at the beginning of the semester when my college experience first began. The process of going through old notes and concepts has even brought out a bit of nostalgia in me. It feels good to see that I have understood and learned new theories and methods that I have never heard of or been able to understand before hand. College is definitely a much more rigorous curriculum because a lot of times in high school it felt like I was treading water but at UIUC I have picked up so many new ideas in such a short period of time. I still remember when I was first learning KVL for solving circuits or trying to remember how the heck I did stoichiometry problems in high school chem.
One of the most rewarding experiences that I have had here was having calculus introduced to me. I moved my senior year of high school from Lubbock, TX to Kansas City, MO and due to scheduling complications, I wasn't able to fit in Calculus into my semesters. So, naturally, as an engineer I took Calc 221 this semester and it has been incredible! It is such an interesting and applicable branch of mathematics. Beautiful in its precision and incredible due to the fact that humans have a use the concept of infinity which translates into limits. I really regret not being able to take it in high school where I would have had the more direct learning approach which high school offers in its small class sizes.
Too bad the final for it is 8am-11am on Friday the 18th. :C
In any case, time to hit the books!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Music 199: Music, Science, & Technology
Last summer during registration I decided to enroll myself in a "discovery" class with a very interesting title: Music, Science, and Technology. The relationship between music and technology/electronics is easily seen in our modern western culture. They share much common ground and the products of the two are some of the most beautiful things that I have heard so I was eager to enroll in it and it hasn't let me down.
The class covered a wide aspect of topics: the history of computer music, fundamental ideas in computer music and recording, sound synthesis using computers etc. This all sounds very exciting and cutting edge but in my opinion, the most interesting part of the course came up when we were actually listening to some of the final works of music which were made with these 20th+ century techniques. The immediate question that confronted me when listening to some of these strange compositions was: can I call this music? Do I even find it aesthetically pleasing? Even if I don't, is there an objective answer that defines what music is?
The final part of the class was learning to use an online software, soundmaker, that was develop here at UIUC and make a common composition together as a class.
It sounds like a hell of a mess, and it is. Yet the questions still arise.
Our professor posted it online:
http://ems.music.uiuc.edu/courses/tipei/M199/final09.wav
The class covered a wide aspect of topics: the history of computer music, fundamental ideas in computer music and recording, sound synthesis using computers etc. This all sounds very exciting and cutting edge but in my opinion, the most interesting part of the course came up when we were actually listening to some of the final works of music which were made with these 20th+ century techniques. The immediate question that confronted me when listening to some of these strange compositions was: can I call this music? Do I even find it aesthetically pleasing? Even if I don't, is there an objective answer that defines what music is?
The final part of the class was learning to use an online software, soundmaker, that was develop here at UIUC and make a common composition together as a class.
It sounds like a hell of a mess, and it is. Yet the questions still arise.
Our professor posted it online:
http://ems.music.uiuc.edu/courses/tipei/M199/final09.wav
Electrical & Computer Engineering 110
This has been by far the most difficult class that I have this semester. It is meant to introduce the freshman student to the basics of ECE and boy, it sure does that. The course has covered such a wide array of material and I know that this just the beginning. We have covered so much ground: how to solve a circuit like a sudoku game (Brunet's analogy), what common components like transistors and diodes are, the binary and hexa number system (about time for me), how high and low voltages transmit to logical 1's and 0's, how logic gates interpret and make functions out of said 1's & 0's, sequential gates, data sampling & encryption, and so much more.
For me, this is the equivalent of being throw into cold water. I have had no prior experience with these matters except for a short overview in my physics class in high school. The pace of the course is intense but help is available and our teachers are passionate about their material. I feel that this is a very rewarding experience however because I can honestly say I have learned so much in a short period of time and it has been able to hook my interest and make me more enthusiastic about my major.
On the same note, I have had no programming experience whatsoever, so I'm reallllly looking forward to ECE 190 next semester. I'm sure it will be just as intense and involving as 110.
For me, this is the equivalent of being throw into cold water. I have had no prior experience with these matters except for a short overview in my physics class in high school. The pace of the course is intense but help is available and our teachers are passionate about their material. I feel that this is a very rewarding experience however because I can honestly say I have learned so much in a short period of time and it has been able to hook my interest and make me more enthusiastic about my major.
On the same note, I have had no programming experience whatsoever, so I'm reallllly looking forward to ECE 190 next semester. I'm sure it will be just as intense and involving as 110.
Autonomous Car x 2
Currently,
The idea of such a car has been around since the time technology has begun to exponentially boom; in an old Soviet film, an autonomous car escapes from a laboratory and as man walks by it drinking milk, the self directing car sends him running out of fear and spilling milk from his. The car begins to follow the milk trail he produces and this becomes the final straw for him (in Mother Russia, car drive you!). Such technological capabilities are not intimidating anymore and are now considered basic in the spectrum of electronics. For this lab, we had to design all of the circuitry to make our car move independently using only information picked up by infrared sensors which can distinguish white from black.
In our Engineering 198 class, we were assigned to do a project with an Arduino controller and were simply told, "make it move." Our group had many ideas but when I told them what our ECE 110 class was doing in lab, all of them immediately gained interest. So we decided to do a similar construction, except this one being mostly software based for the logic. And so we did.
It was a little more basic without any split track detection capabilities or such but it was still very interesting to do the project from a different perspective.
The idea of such a car has been around since the time technology has begun to exponentially boom; in an old Soviet film, an autonomous car escapes from a laboratory and as man walks by it drinking milk, the self directing car sends him running out of fear and spilling milk from his. The car begins to follow the milk trail he produces and this becomes the final straw for him (in Mother Russia, car drive you!). Such technological capabilities are not intimidating anymore and are now considered basic in the spectrum of electronics. For this lab, we had to design all of the circuitry to make our car move independently using only information picked up by infrared sensors which can distinguish white from black.
In our Engineering 198 class, we were assigned to do a project with an Arduino controller and were simply told, "make it move." Our group had many ideas but when I told them what our ECE 110 class was doing in lab, all of them immediately gained interest. So we decided to do a similar construction, except this one being mostly software based for the logic. And so we did.
It was a little more basic without any split track detection capabilities or such but it was still very interesting to do the project from a different perspective.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Steam Car Success!
After giving it the final touches and doing damage control last weekend, our car turned into a running beast! Our team has some serious ambitions for tomorrow's contest. We even gave it wings (not pictured) to add to the "meanness" look of it.
One of the serious problems that we ran across was that our rubber band kept slipping off while it was running. It seemed to be at an angle towards the side of the wheel that didn't have a rim to catch it so it would constantly pop off (seen below in the picture).
We thought about this and fixed it by putting the axle on which the turbine spun (the higher of the two in the picture) at an angle which would give the rubber band a tendency to push left, but not so far as to create unnecessary friction. This worked out very well for us.
Another sudden problem that we encountered was our boiler springing a leak for some reason (as seen below).
This also flooded our ethanol flame supply with water, making it burn weaker. We had to replace the wicks for it to be back to normal again.
As for the boiler, we scavenged a new one and after some modifications to fit our car, it all worked.
One thing that I wish we would have done though, is made more customizations in the design and take the time to make it more original. It felt kind of like assembling a Lego with all the instructions in front of us. I'll keep that in mind for our next project.
One of the serious problems that we ran across was that our rubber band kept slipping off while it was running. It seemed to be at an angle towards the side of the wheel that didn't have a rim to catch it so it would constantly pop off (seen below in the picture).
We thought about this and fixed it by putting the axle on which the turbine spun (the higher of the two in the picture) at an angle which would give the rubber band a tendency to push left, but not so far as to create unnecessary friction. This worked out very well for us.
Another sudden problem that we encountered was our boiler springing a leak for some reason (as seen below).
This also flooded our ethanol flame supply with water, making it burn weaker. We had to replace the wicks for it to be back to normal again.
As for the boiler, we scavenged a new one and after some modifications to fit our car, it all worked.
One thing that I wish we would have done though, is made more customizations in the design and take the time to make it more original. It felt kind of like assembling a Lego with all the instructions in front of us. I'll keep that in mind for our next project.
Working the 9 to 5
But not really. Just a couple of hours before, between, and after classes.
Earlier this semester I managed to get a job as a research assistant at the "Center for Plasma Material Interactions" lab or CPMI for short. After all of the paperwork was out of the way, I was finally able to come in and meet the people I was working with. Dr. Vijay Surla (working on his post-doc research here) gave me a tour around the lab and the different things they are working on which was mind-boggling.
Currently, Dr. Surla has me maintaining the experimental conditions for an Ion Beam Gun which has many parameters: the vacuum has to be held, voltages in the right ranges to center the ion beam, the, pressure of the gas input from which the ions are made, etc.
There are many things going on at once but it's very interesting to me nonetheless. The ions made from the argon gas hit a target (lithium is the upcoming one to be tested, I believe) and the interaction data is stored. The ions are made by running a current through a tungsten fillament which creates many loose elecetrons. These loose electrons interact with the argon atoms coming in and a voltage difference is created inside the chamber. All of these things create ions out of the gas and propel it towards the target. The different voltages in different dimensional directions center this beam to be sure that it hits on target (done with a device called Faraday cup).
It's crazy to see so many electrical principles involved in this experiment, as primary research field is more closely related to nuclear interests. That is why electrical engineering is so great--it is applied in practically every modern technology or experiment. It is a fundamental part of our civilization.
One thing I know for sure though, if I wasn't in iFoundry, I would have never met Dr. Neumann and would have never known that there was a position opening at the CPMI lab for an undergrdauate, and I would have never been able to take advantage of this great learning opportunity. Networking, networking, networking!
check it out here:
http://cpmi.illinois.edu/
Earlier this semester I managed to get a job as a research assistant at the "Center for Plasma Material Interactions" lab or CPMI for short. After all of the paperwork was out of the way, I was finally able to come in and meet the people I was working with. Dr. Vijay Surla (working on his post-doc research here) gave me a tour around the lab and the different things they are working on which was mind-boggling.
Currently, Dr. Surla has me maintaining the experimental conditions for an Ion Beam Gun which has many parameters: the vacuum has to be held, voltages in the right ranges to center the ion beam, the, pressure of the gas input from which the ions are made, etc.
There are many things going on at once but it's very interesting to me nonetheless. The ions made from the argon gas hit a target (lithium is the upcoming one to be tested, I believe) and the interaction data is stored. The ions are made by running a current through a tungsten fillament which creates many loose elecetrons. These loose electrons interact with the argon atoms coming in and a voltage difference is created inside the chamber. All of these things create ions out of the gas and propel it towards the target. The different voltages in different dimensional directions center this beam to be sure that it hits on target (done with a device called Faraday cup).
It's crazy to see so many electrical principles involved in this experiment, as primary research field is more closely related to nuclear interests. That is why electrical engineering is so great--it is applied in practically every modern technology or experiment. It is a fundamental part of our civilization.
One thing I know for sure though, if I wasn't in iFoundry, I would have never met Dr. Neumann and would have never known that there was a position opening at the CPMI lab for an undergrdauate, and I would have never been able to take advantage of this great learning opportunity. Networking, networking, networking!
check it out here:
http://cpmi.illinois.edu/
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Danger! High Voltage!
Last weekend, on saturday the 26th, I went to Krannert Center to watch a concert.
This was no ordinary concert, however.
This one involved Tesla Coils producing musical tones and putting on a light show with electricity zooming across the stage.
The overall performance was incredibly unique, loud, and had a guy named Dr. Zeus involved.
Dr. Zeus stood between the two coils and pulled several cool tricks:
1) Wearing platform shoes and a halo that lit up when the electricity went through the suit.
2) Playing with long light bulbs that lit up red to form his Darth Vader Light Saber when Star Wars played.
3) Igniting a piece of wood with the Tesla Coils.
4) Shooting a flame thrower at one of the coils and having the electricity going through the flames.
The whole thing got me so excited that I even suggested doing something with tesla coils for our group's research project in ECE 110. We think it would be interesting to maybe create/research a new trick to implement in the performance. I wonder what a large magnet would do if put in between the two coils...
Right hand rule?
See for yourself!
"Stupid Raiden, always has to show off >_> "
-video comment by Bighappykitty
hahahahahahaa
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