GCSE Electronics and Control Systems Notes

Mechanisms

Worm and wheel gear

Benefits
The worm can turn the pinion but
the pinion cannot turn the worm
locking action
Good mechanical advantage
Good accuracy
Stays where you put it.

Disadvantages
Worm and wheel materials are
expensive
Produces a lot of heat

Nut and Bolt

Purpose To lock mechanism on the desired place (shaft)

Why do engines need oil?

The oil lubricates the mechanism

To reduce the amount of friction
Cools down the mechanism

Drip feed

A container containing oil placed on top of a mechanism as oil drips onto it.
Why is a drip feed used to deliver the oil?

Provides a continuous however limited supply of oil

Sustainable design

Materials:
Softwood

Advantages
Can be recycled
More sustainable than hardwoods
Lower cost
High strength under compression

Disadvantages
Easily flammable
Needs protection from water/damp
Prone to attack from
insects/termites.

Hardwood

Advantages
Exotic/desirable aesthetic
Generally more durable
Used for expensive furniture/fittings

Disadvantages
More expensive take longer to
grow
Leads to a greater risk of
deforestation

Plastic

Advantages
Low cost
Can be easily moulded
Extremely versatile huge range of

Disadvantages
Takes a long time to decay
Must be sorted when recycling
time consuming

plastic with different properties

Made from oil non-renewable

source

Aluminium

Advantages
Does not rust
Very ductile
Easy to recycle recycled
aluminium used 80% less energy to
make

Disadvantages
Comes from bauxite nonrenewable source
High energy consumption when
producing new aluminium

Steel

Advantages
Easy to recycle and sort from other
metals (magnetic)
Very strong
Can be made into different types of
steel - depending on carbon content

Disadvantages
May be more expensive compared
to other structures
Could corrode if frequently exposed
to air or water (e.g. bridges)

The 6Rs
Recycle using a product of parts of a product again if possible but sometimes the product
might be reprocessed in some way in order for it to be reused.

3 types of recycling:

Primary second hand use of items

Secondary the materials from product of parts of a product is used again
Tertiary products are broken down and reformulated

Reuse products that are used again result in less waste. Some product may have parts
which could be adapted for different uses.
Upcycling using an unwanted product and
making it into something better.

Reduce when designing new products, designers need to consider whether the product is
sustainable based on the materials, manufacturing and how it is used.
Refuse Processing, manufacturing, packaging and transport of products uses a high
amount of energy and creates a lot of waste. Environmental and social factors need to be
considered.
Re-think As resources become scarce, we need to rethink of reasons why we buy products
and the way in which we use energy. Designers need to rethink their designs so they are
less harmful to the environment.
Repair Many products are not designed to be repaired and are often cheaper to buy than
repair. Some products are difficult to get replacement parts.

Things to consider
Recycle
Can different
materials be
separated
easily?
It is made
from lots of
different
materials?
Does it take a
lot of energy
to reprocess?

Reuse
Does it have
another
valuable uses
without
reprocessing
it?
Are there
parts that can
be recycled?

Reduce
Are there
parts that are
not needed?
Could it be
made with
less material?
Could it use
less energy?

Refuse
Is the product
going to last?
Are there
materials
which are not
sustainable?

Rethink
How can it do
its job better?
Can it be
redesigned to
make it
better?

Repair
How easy is it
to replace
parts?
Could be
repaired or
designed to
be a
throwaway?

Energy

Electricity is made using a generator where a magnet turns inside a coil of wire
There are different methods in making a magnet turn; some uses a steam turbine
and some turn the generator directly using fan blades
When a steam turbine is used, the heat source that creates the steam determines the
method of generation.
Some generating electricity are renewable while some are non-renewable.

Non-renewable
These methods use fuels that will run out.
Fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas,
nuclear, shale gas)

Renewable
These will not run out.
Solar, wind, hydroelectric, tidal
waves, geothermal biomass