Tuesday, February 22, 2011


All the groups in the class were given the option to choose a mechanical tool, with some electrical elements, to apply reverse engineering. Spin Me Around chose a hand mixer.






The group detached the stakes from the mixer. Then, they unscrewed the handle of the hand mixer, which is basically the entire top half, which then revealed the inside of the machine.






On the inside, you will be revealed to:

-internal wiring: each wire represents a different speed.

-a black accessory bit, covering the ends of the wires

-2 poles, inside 2 black springs, that go into the center of the gears

-2 spinning gears, where the stakes are attached

-1 fan, which spins the gears, and leads into the electrical unit

-an electrical unit, surrounded by metal so it doesn't come in contact with the other parts

-a white base, that is attached to the internal parts by nails


You'll then detach the internal wiring/electrical unit by unscrewing the nails that are attached to the base.

**Once, you have taken out the internal wiring/electrical unit, there are no further steps to disassemble the hand mixer. The wiring is hazardous, so make sure to not mess around with the electrical unit.














To reassemble the hand mixer, screw in the nails back into the base of the machine, being careful of the internal wiring.

There is a hole in the handle (top half) of the mixer. The black accessory bit has a stubby segment on it; stick the segment through the handle's hole. Then screw the handle back onto the mixer (there are deep holes, with the screws at the end).


Attach the stakes into the designated holes, then the hand mixer has been reassembled.



Friday, February 18, 2011

The group, Spin Me Around, includes Hannah Floyd, Devin Pughsley, and Jake Edwards. Hannah, Devin, and Jake are 9th graders at Spain Park High School, and are in their first year of the Engineering Academy.

The engineering class has been learning about Reverse Engineering, which is the process analyzing a subject system to create representations of the system at a higher level of abstraction. You discover how a device works by taking it apart and go backwards through the development cycle.

Reverse Engineering helps you to develop a systematic approach to thinking about the engineering design of devices and systems and acquire a mental data bank of mechanical design solutions.