Name: Charles College Rank: Senior Major: Engineering Technology Hometown: Rutherfordton, NC About Me: I am highly involved in my church's youth group.

Thursday, March 30, 2006

Posted 2 years, 1 month, 1 week, 6 days, 2 minutes ago

This week has been filled with some challenges.  I am in a computer modeling class that is very fun, yet very demanding.  The theme of the assignment was learning how to offset datum planes at various angles relative to given ones.  One of the parts that I drew was a three-lobed cutter.  It looks really neat.
I had to order a programmer for my robot this week also.  I searched among major electronics distributors such as Digi-Key, Mouser,and Arrow and surprisingly enough, none of them had it in stock.  After searching over the internet, I finally found it at a company by the name of Dontronics.  Much to my utter amazement, this company is located in Australia.  With no other alternatives to which to turn, I ordered the programmer from them last Thursday and it just arrived at my house today.  Now, I can continue on my robot which is to be completed by the end of April.

Charles Davies

Thursday, March 23, 2006

Posted 2 years, 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 22 hours, 58 minutes ago

Since I am the only distance education student represented on Western’s blog, let me tell you a few of the great offers that Western provides through its distance education engineering technology program.  For one, it is close to home.  Western provides this program at Isothermal Community College in Spindale, NC and at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, NC.  Engineering Technology courses are also taught at AB Tech in Asheville, NC.  For innovative-thinking, engineering oriented students who want to live close to home, this program is a ball-in-glove fit - not to mention that beginning in the fall of 2006, tuition rates will be only $76.29 per credit hour.  I have been told by my advisor and distance education coordinator, Dr. William McDaniel that there are a lot of industries in the western part of the state that are looking for ET graduates from Western.  No doubt, it is a career-based program with a multitude of possibilities.  I began this program in July 2004 and I anticipate graduating in December of this year.  This program has been very flexible because classes are at night; therefore, I have been able to work durring the day.  One of the most outstanding features of this program is the helpful and cooperative faculty and staff at the university.  Although I am a distance education student, I am treated with the same consideration and given the same focused attention.  See it for yourself at http://et.wcu.edu/BSET.htm

Charles Davies

Friday, March 17, 2006

Posted 2 years, 1 month, 3 weeks, 4 days, 23 hours, 52 minutes ago

I had an exciting moment today.  After much hard work and fervent prayer, I finally, with the help of two electrical engineers, found the problem with the robot I am building for my senior project.  I had previously been working on this particular problem for the last three to four weeks.  That is what is so exciting about engineering - problem solving.  Many times the process of finding the problem tries your patience, but once you find the kink in the system, it becomes very rewarding.  The real problem was that the layout on the schematic, which came from a robotics book, was wrong.  Nonetheless, the important thing is that I can continue on the robot, which is scheduled to be completed at the end of April along with a PowerPoint presentation, a research report, and a video.  A word of advice - it is always too soon to quit.