CareersNG

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More twisted than dreadlocks

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Fowe.
Choices make or mar Chances ... add extra care to your choices today.

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More twisted than dreadlocks

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Genius begins great works;
Labour alone finishes them

guys i can't really all the sites i checked, but i experiencd that when i was trying to build a circuit that can make i robot move back and forth i.e. H-bridge circuit (but i'm can do that well for now even if u wake me from sleep), i us to think may they had all the resources at there disposal, but come to think of it, these guys started from somewhere e.g. China.[/quote]

check this site [http://forums.basicmicro.net/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=6122]

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More twisted than dreadlocks

I guess designing from the scratch is a something we need to pay attention to if we want to be competitive in the outside world. Our educational system has not helped us to develop a desire for innovations. We'ld rather copy than go through the discipline involved with innovation.
Designing any system weather mechanical, civil, electrical or a mix of these involves using results from scientific experiments and theories and having access to modelling tools. How many Nigerian schools can we access their scholars scientific works?
However, we as individuals who desire to make a difference need to go all the way in breaking this ground. And i think forums like this regarded as a knowledge portal will play a very important role in bringing together like minded people to make it happen.

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A doubtful man is unstable in all his ways!

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More twisted than dreadlocks

It dosen't have to be a Nigerian school. But not getting such "support" from Nigerian schools indicates our level of awakening.

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A doubtful man is unstable in all his ways!

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Fowe.
Choices make or mar Chances ... add extra care to your choices today.

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Fowe.
Choices make or mar Chances ... add extra care to your choices today.

The fastest way to develop technology is to steal it!

Technology evolution rate does not give room for re-inveting the wheel.

BTW, Ife is a school I admire so much. The "average" Ife Science/Engineering graduate is always "above average". I hope they keep it up.

UNIBEN, where una dey?

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More twisted than dreadlocks

Yea the IFE example is very commendable. I wasn't suggesting re-inventing the wheel. I was actually looking at the issue from a wider perspective and not just electronic designs. I had in mind creation of systems using knowledge from various engineering and science disciplines. I thought we'ld have a need for indigenious study of our enviroment if we wanted to design a system that will enable/enhance food/agricultural products by farmers in our various localities in Nigeria. I thought it will be necessary to have data on our transportation system in order to design both hardware and software that will enable our traffic controllers to ease the life of road users.

Design involves using existing devices and knowledge arranged in a creative way to build a system that is of economic benefit to the people. Microprocessor is a part of a whole and even then you don't just pick a microprocessor for just any application. You have to study and understand its characteristics to be able to leverage on its functionalities.

Picking up circuits from the internet and building it is not design. Design is having a problem (NEPA problem for example) and creating an inverter based on engineering calculations that will produce adequate power, safely and in a user friendly way.

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A doubtful man is unstable in all his ways!

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More twisted than dreadlocks

creating new systems (which could rely on, or combine existing systems). Its hard anywhere to see things being "designed from scratch" without recourse to something that already exists.

I guess i have to agree with you on this.

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A doubtful man is unstable in all his ways!

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Fowe.
Choices make or mar Chances ... add extra care to your choices today.

Yea Fowe, thats the idea. The whites will only solve a problem they are motivated and even capable of solving easily. For a white man to solve the IVR problem, he has to understand the xteristics of the yoruba language for example and also considers if spending money and time doing it is economically justifiable.

As an example, i happen to visit a location in Oyo state where they sell a kind of grain they have to sun dry before selling. Whenever it rains, they lose a lot of the grains. I asked if there was no machine/equipment to do the drying, they said the ones that had been developed so far always get the grains burnt. Hence i decided to look into the issue as i strongly believe that if i can carry out a successful temperature profile of the grains, i'll be able to determine the right temperature / conditions that will dry this system without burning it.

This is an example of a problem that is economically viable but which we need the input of our indigenious food scientists to solve. As an engineer, i should be able to look into results of scientific investigations on the characteristics of the grains, then design a regulated/controlled heating system probably using a microprocessor as a controller and writing a software to cater for varying conditions.

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A doubtful man is unstable in all his ways!

As am example, during my first year studying EE, I designed a PC based Oscilloscope "from scratch". I only needed 3 resistors, and my PC soudcard, plus some rigorous C++ codes. The Oscilloscope uses the A/D converter in my soundcard (microphone Line-In) to convert any "attenuated" electrical sigal into digital form, and then I read off the digital data from the soundcard buffers and the display on my PC screen; simulating a real Oscilloscope. The entire "project" cos me 25 Naira only; If I were to buy a standard oscilloscope, I would have needed to shell out $1000 at the very least. I relied on the A/D converter existing on my PC sound card, didnt reinvent the wheel in that sense. At least 2 of my friends have extended it miles further.

This is a creative design example. Money has been saved, a useful product has been created, time has been well utilized and the body of knowledge of electronic engineering has been improved. However, if X-2-X had gone to the internet, picked up this design and built it, it will be very wrong to claim designing it as he only built what has been designed. Any first year or even high school student could have done it. For example, i've been building rectifiers, amplifiers and multivibrators since i was in the secondary school (SS1) but that doesn't imply my designing the system i built.

This is the very reason we need to emphasise it to our final EE and computer science students not to resort to the internet to get circuit diagrams for their final year projects. Doing an original work will serve them both economic and mark wise.

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A doubtful man is unstable in all his ways!

Ife is a school I admire so much. The "average" Ife Science/Engineering graduate is always "above average". I hope they keep it up

Why is the Ife science/Engineering graduate above average? is it because God endowed them with above average brains or aptitudes? This is not about touting schools, it is about looking at the influence over them. If there is a Proff Kolade Kehinde in Ife who is research oriented and there is funding available, what excuse will Ife have not to pioneer iLabs in Nigeris and even Africa? As an extension will this not rub off on the students? How many professors teach the EE students throught their 5 years study in Ife?

I happen to attend a school where NO proff taught me throught my 5 years of EE study. Infact the number of PhD holders that taught me was less than 10 throught my program. Whose fault is this? Would you expect any product of this institution to match an institution like Ife?

A child that grew up playing with Lego Mindstorm will likely outshine another that did not in creativity and intelligence. Hence when we talk about background and influence, it is an important factor in creativity which is a strong factor in design.

However, it is not a valid excuse to sit on background and influence as a reason for not moving forward. I believe any Nigerian EE graduate has a responsibility to ensure he measures up with the suppossed standard of his certificate.

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A doubtful man is unstable in all his ways!

The fastest way to develop technology is to steal it!

I bet the highest development of a stolen technology will be second to the original developers of the technology. Enough of intellectual and mental laziness. They said a mind is a terrible thing to waste. We all have this mass of matter that can do wonders if we apply ourselves to our tasks faithfully and diligently.

There is a place for technology transfer, but stealing technology is neither ethical nor dignifying.

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A doubtful man is unstable in all his ways!

Fantastic. I have limited internet connection, but trust me to reply soon . . . .

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More twisted than dreadlocks

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More twisted than dreadlocks

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More twisted than dreadlocks