Electrician capstone: plan a small shop lesson plan
Plan a small woodshop end to end on low-voltage models: scope, load calculation, panel schedule, a seal-in control circuit, a motor starter with overload, an inspection test and a portfolio write-up.
Objectives and materials
By the end, students can
- Scope the shop, run the load numbers and balance the panel schedule.
- A three-wire start/stop circuit, then a starter with a real overload model.
- Run an inspection checklist on a PLC-style starter and write the project up.
Materials for the whole unit
- Arduino Uno R3
- Bench power supply x 4
- Character LCD with I2C backpack
- Current sensor, ACS712 x 4
- DC motor
- DPDT relay
- Full-size breadboard
- Half breadboard x 4
- LED x 2
- Limit switch, lever microswitch
- Pushbutton x 2
- Relay module
- Resistor x 9
- RGB LED x 4
- Slide switch x 2
- Traffic light module
Every part is already on the simulator’s bench, so there is nothing to buy or hand out. The counts are the most any one lesson uses, if you build it on real breadboards too.
Plan the job
Scope the shop, run the load numbers and balance the panel schedule.
| Lesson | Time | What students do |
|---|---|---|
| Scope the jobThe brief: a small woodshop with lights, bench outlets, a compressor and a table saw. Read the model panel, measure every stand-in load, and write a one-page scope of what is in, what is out and who does the licensed work. | 60 min |
|
| Load calculationTurn the shop's loads into amps on paper, then prove the 80% rule on the model: a continuous load over 80% of its breaker turns yellow, over 100% turns red, and you fix the circuit until it reads OK again. | 50 min |
|
| Panel scheduleLay the circuits out on the two legs of the panel, see an imbalance warning when one leg carries too much, move a load to balance it, write the schedule, then take the chapter quiz. | 60 min |
|
Materials
- Arduino Uno R3
- Bench power supply x 4
- Current sensor, ACS712 x 4
- Full-size breadboard
- Half breadboard x 4
- LED
- Resistor x 9
- RGB LED x 4
Check for understanding
Each student finishes "Panel schedule" on their own, without opening the hints. The simulator checks 6 of its 6 steps as they go.
Then ask each one to explain, in a sentence or two, the last thing it asked of them: "Quiz: predict the reading".
Motor controls
A three-wire start/stop circuit, then a starter with a real overload model.
| Lesson | Time | What students do |
|---|---|---|
| Control circuitThe three-wire start/stop circuit for the saw, on a 12 V model: a DPDT relay plays the contactor, STOP is normally closed, START seals in, and an overload contact drops it out. Trace it, run it and prove every rung. | 60 min |
|
| Motor starterThe saw's starter grows a current sensor: START seals in, STOP is fail-safe, a jam trips an inverse-time overload, and RESET is refused until it cools. Ends with the chapter quiz. | 70 min |
|
Materials
- Arduino Uno R3
- Bench power supply
- Current sensor, ACS712
- DC motor
- DPDT relay
- Full-size breadboard
- Half breadboard
- LED x 2
- Limit switch, lever microswitch
- Pushbutton x 2
- Relay module
- Resistor x 3
- Slide switch
Check for understanding
Each student finishes "Motor starter" on their own, without opening the hints. The simulator checks 7 of its 7 steps as they go.
Then ask each one to explain, in a sentence or two, the last thing it asked of them: "Quiz: predict the amps".
Test and hand over
Run an inspection checklist on a PLC-style starter and write the project up.
| Lesson | Time | What students do |
|---|---|---|
| Inspection checklistWrite the functional test an inspector or commissioning tech would run on the saw controls, then run it on a PLC-style starter: START, STOP, E-stop, a latched overload and a RESET that never restarts the motor. | 60 min |
|
| Write-up and next stepsGather the evidence from the starter, take the last chapter quiz, and write the project up for your portfolio, with an honest note on the real path into the trade. | 60 min |
|
Materials
- Arduino Uno R3
- Bench power supply
- Character LCD with I2C backpack
- Current sensor, ACS712
- DC motor
- Half breadboard
- LED x 2
- Limit switch, lever microswitch
- Pushbutton x 2
- Relay module
- Resistor x 3
- Slide switch x 2
- Traffic light module
Check for understanding
Each student finishes "Write-up and next steps" on their own, without opening the hints. The simulator checks 6 of its 6 steps as they go.
Then ask each one to explain, in a sentence or two, the last thing it asked of them: "Finish the write-up, and what is next".
Teach this unit as a class
Start a class from this course and its 7 lessons are assigned in one go, in order. Students join with a six-character code or printed login cards, and each one’s work comes back to you.
The class tools are free for 30 days for one class of up to 20 students, with no card. The lessons themselves are free either way.