Hello all.
I would like to increase my education in the world of vehicle electronics, increasingly during my working life I am coming accross more and more problems involving the electronics on modern cars, what with remote locking and sat nav antenna's attached to screens, electronic auto function door mechanisms and the like, and more and more complicated multiplex on the way.
Do any of you guys and gals out there know of any collages that run a course along these lines, ideally a part time course that can fit in with my work.
I do have an ONC in electronic engineering from when I left school in 1989(which really needs a good brush up), but talking to my old tutors from that collage, they didn't know of any off the tops of their heads.
thanks for all responces in advance
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Where do you live GT? lot of good colleges around now. Brooklands is good for automtive/electronics/motor sport.
or try
www.iteltd.com/
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Sorry forgot to mention
Live in Lincoln
Work in Leicester
Quite prepared to tavel. after all I do 100 miles a day just too and from work.
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A few years ago, I joined the www.SAE.org for a year.
That got me subscribed to a few free magazines, including AutoTechnology. www.auto-technology.com
I still get these, even though I didn't renew the SAE membership.
Excellent stuff, an a lot of free seminars and stuff, worth a look, even if its in addition to a college course.
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I know you have been after some info for a while - here's a few thoughts:
Sadly, it is not going to be easy. In your part of the world, the Leicester (Charles Keene) College used to have an excellent motor vehcile dept.. A good friend of mine, John Warner, was the Head and he really built up the electronics side, but he retired and coupled with a lack of student numbers the college has let the area decline. Youngsters don't want to go into the trade any more.
Coalville College had a reasonable dept. too (run by a guy called Bob Kelly) - but again, falling student demand means that they've 'slimmed down'.
Moreover, FE colleges tend to concentrate heavily on powertrain electronics - you will not find many who teach anything about SatNav or multiplexing - which are the areas I suspect you want to learn more about.
A better option for you would be to continue your general education in electronics, but find out about automotive specialisms 'under your own steam'. In your part of the world the De Montfort University in Leicester (www.dmu.ac.uk) run a variety of part-time evening HNC/HND/degree modules in electronics and mechatronics. The guy to speak to is Peter Prickett (prickett@dmu.ac.uk).
Much further afield the Colchester Institure in Essex have a good reputation for automotive courses; as does the Swansea Institute of Higher Education (they have lots of links with the South Wales auto companies - Ford, Calsonic etc.). Again, these will concentrate heavily on powertrain electroncs thought and your will not learn much about multiplexing.
A couple of good books that cover general auto electronics include:
'Automobile Electronics' - by E. Chowanietz
'Understanding Automotive Electronics' - by W. Ribbens
A good general electronics textbook which covers all aspects of electronics is 'The Art of Electronics'- by Horowitz and Hill.
I am a member of the SAE and get lots of technical papers from them - but that's a lot of reading to 'wade through'. You could try attending the next AutoTech exhibition at the NEC - the SAE usually have a stand there and you can look through their books/papers and make some contacts.
I also get a variety of free magazines like 'Automotive World' and some manufacturers' 'house journals' - like 'The Wheel Extended' from Toyota and all the Bosch and Siemens 'newspapers'. But they don't tend to give much technical detail.
As a final thought; on your way from Lincoln to Leicester you pass the AA's Technical Training Centre at Widmerpool (just off the A46) - I have given talks there some years back, its a nice place. You might want to see if they can help out (probably on a commercial basis with training for your company)?
MIRA on the A5 near Nuneaton have a good technical library - but again they may want a fee for access.
Hope that helps.
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