A Tale of Engineering Projects

There are various reasons the Computer Engineering course is an expensive investment.

First, as a five-year degree course, there is at least ten semesters to pursue the course. Sometimes it is longer. If things go wrong such as financial constraints, failure to cope up with subjects and flunking due to lack of focus on studies, then there is a risk that the initial investment spent will never yield results. Well, at least, these explanations do not limit themselves on the course aforementioned.

As a cutting edge program (of such reason the course got huge following in the mid 90′s), Computer Engineering does the unconventional way of proving one’s worth. Although projects are simply common on almost all disciplines, CoE students are driven by their own innovative thinking and that technology unfounded yet are their masterpieces. When first few "techno projects" were unveiled midway through the course and after half of the students parted ways, the enthusiasm was there. The multitester project has always been the baptism of fire for the group. Its introduction somewhat changed a student’s lifestyle. More often than not, project-making is dragged up to the last hour prior to deadline due to poor time management. And consequences can be costly.

And while time is gold, time management is vital in managing such projects. Lack of self confidence translates to group project making. Perhaps Psyche, Erwin Alfevin or Jose Punongbayan can "host" tonight’s session so that contacts are made in such a way that those who do not have the tools (breadboard, connecting wires, power supply, type writers or dot-matrix printers can take advantage of such opportunity).

Sky is the limit. Yet out of this world thoughts prevailed on the early years. Once asked to do a feasibility study by Mr. Jesus Reyes in English 4A, the group of Marlon, Raul, Vincent, Harold, Elmer, Oscar, Dums and Lawrence proposed a bulletin board system which will link Annex campus to the Main in Bankerohan. Excited yet doubtful of the outcome, the group went to talk with PLDT people on the cost of having leased lines. Dismayed over the high cost per leased line, the group made another talk to a rival line of PT&T. On weekends, the group would go to Harold’s in Bangkal to work on their strength – the documentation, complete with schematic diagram, perspective layouts, cost of operation and other justifications to overcome lack of practical know-how. But somehow it served best as the subject was more focused on writing good technical papers rather than justifying what was written there. Kita ta sa (gawas sa) Mercury Drug (along Bonifacio-CM Recto), alas 8 sa gabii. Ay 9:00pm na lang. Pagdala ug chichiria ug soldering iron", said one contact. "Panghulam ug breadboard sa kaila nimo nga higher year para naa koy magamit", replied the other after the late Strength of Materials class of Engr Narisma. Waiting is one of the hardest tasks to do, especially if the one you are waiting for has loads of alibis prepared. "Sorry ha, gisugo pa man gud ko palit ug spark plug sa motor sa akong papa, traffic kaayo sa Uyanguren uy!" At a time when beepers outnumber cellphones with text messages, there is little chance of communicating to a mobile friend. Breadboards cost hundreds of pesos, so are the resistors, wires and soldering rod. Much more to this is the convenience of family members of the ones who host the nights project session. Guests come for dinner, watch TV and do not start pulling out their things until Charo Santos says bye bye at Maalaala Mo Kaya. Except for those who really start working things out even while still in the campus, overnights have since become a pastime. " Sige, ikaw lang sa diha trabaho sa breadboard nimo kay sundugon nalang nako unya. Nindot man gud ning palabas sa HBO. Isa pa, puno na man mo diha sa la mesa." The more reasons you state, the more justified your gatecrashing-just-for-dinner-and-for-chichiria-and-TV thing become. Thankfully, no big bellies were shown yet as proof of our late night junk food binges. Kle, Marlon and Lee Anthony can attract lots of followers because of their uncanny ability to finish the job in no time. But while Lee can join groups, whoever invites him for the night, Marlon and Kle prefer to be secluded on their own homes after the proverbial "no thanks" to offers. No wonder they finish it way before deadlines. Such actions even drew criticisms that they are selfish and unable to share their expertise. Armed with long nose, soldering iron and other tools, a pool of reference materials and of course non-pea sized brains they made a name for themselves as the most successful performers. Ironically, yet understandably, overnights work worst on Friday nights. It was supposed to be ideal since all can have the luxury of extending the work til mid morning the following day. But it has become one of the most unproductive days to some. "Kapoy kaayo akong brain huna huna sa quiz nato sa circuits bai, magbanig na lang sa ko diri sa sala para kung gusto pod mo mag nap, ready na ni. Pukawa na lang ko pag alas-12 na sa gabii." Frowned upon hearing this, the host just nods his head and continues to disassemble the Magus multitester. As expected, the sleeping friend braces for tough days by semester’s end. With the extended time of stay at the hosts home, family members could even recognize who was knocking at the door. "Ah kaila na ko kinsa ning nanuktok". Baldwin’s father would quip. And even dogs get tamed, baby nephews and nieces get used to strangers hugging and carrying them across the house. Moving forward to non-procedural projects – designs which used to linger in one’s fantasy – it was crucial to be in a group with diligent members who can work on their own. As the cost of projects are much higher than in the past assignments, students have the freedom to select group mates, preferably those they get along very well and have less conflict of schedules to deal with the projects. Most groups have both male and female members. Under Engr (now also an attorney) Casquejo’s Advanced Logic has this arrangement took place for the first time. Learning from the basic logic teachings of Engr Allan Gierran, enthusiastic fourth year students have pushed the limits on how these learning foundation will be used. From triggering solenoid to remote access, logic comes into different shapes and sizes. From then on, the barrio barrios emanated. With a group concentrated on one particular project, members spend more time to buy materials, do research, submit project proposals, spend weekends together starting the type.

NAME OF PROJECT: Keyboard Tester SCOPE/FUNCTION: To be able to invent a stand alone device which will check the continuity/functionality of each keys(101 keys-Standard) without the hassle of using the software + CPU + monitor. GROUP MEMBERS: 1) Baco, Lovella Concepcion D. 2) Dagaas, Rosamie 3) Malilong, Amerrynor A 4) Montecillo, Raquel F 5) Victorio, Veda Joy P NAME OF PROJECT: Phone Patch SCOPE/FUNCTION: Enable the ordinary telephone unit to receive or initiate calls from or to an RDO (radio). Operate the switching on/off of any gadget or appliances which require connection from a 220V source. GROUP MEMBERS: 1) Marlon Pabilona 2) Psyche Martirizar 3) Rosalie Taga-an 4) Kle Roger Lazaga 5) Jonilie Echavez NAME OF PROJECT: Computerized Free Falling Device System (CFFDS) SCOPE/FUNCTION: The Computerized Free Falling Device System or shortly known as CFFDS, eliminates the inaccuracy of performing experiments regarding free falling bodies. As you could remember in our Physics lab experiment about free falling bodies, it would take several persons to perform such experiment. One would be releasing an object from a certain vertical distance, another would be starting the time clock and stopping it as soon as the object touches the ground and another person to measure such height or vertical distance. Such manual method would surely lead us to inaccurate findings or results. Seeing the inaccuracy in such experiment, we were able to have an idea of making it automated and computerized. Through the materialization of our idea, we were able to make such experiment an accurate one. The CFFDS would automatically pick up the metal ball and bring it to the desired height the user pressed or opted on the front panel. The moving up of the metal ball is then simulated on a monitor showing its movement from the time the metal ball was picked up, brought to a certain level or height, and then released. As the metal ball is released, the timer would then start and end as soon as the metal ball reaches the drop point or level zero. The time is then registered and displayed at the front panel and at the monitor as well. Thus, the inaccuracy of such manual experiment has been eliminated. Group members: Lawrence R Pantalla Anecito V Dumdumaya Jr Ronald S Andulana Charlemagne Nambong Danilo Quevido

This sometimes lead to flourishing romances which other classmates may not seem to notice at first. "Pirmi lagi mo kauban niya". " Ay langan, kauban man mi sa project". Even after the documentation has been submitted and the grades are released, the couple is still seen together. None of anybody’s business anyway. But not all barrios last long. On one February night when Jonathan, Toto, Butch and Elmer has decided to work the power supply project of Engr Abad at a kababayan’s place, all seemed to work well until 2am.

By midnight, typically early by overnight’s standard, the auto shut off features worked. It was a sign of celebration. A bottle of two of the intoxicating Red Horse beer at Malativas, a stone’s throw away, seemed a perfect way to do. But Jonathan’s beer was digested in his brain and influenced the way he thought. Apparently influenced by James Hetfield or Phil Anselmo’s videos, he wailed "f*** you everybody" while the group started to move out. Students of nearby University of Mindanao who were at the place were provoked and instantly engaged into a one-sided fist-fight. Jonathan suffered bruised eye, lost his left shoe and tons of pride in the fracas.

The group quickly disbanded but somehow managed to reunite at times.

Other barrios simply don’t work well. After some differences in philosophy (whether in life or in logic), group members leave and prefer to work on their own. Worse, renegade members don’t talk anymore with other members.

Seeing other then-freshmen friends have graduated in their respective four-year courses, it was time for the final test. About 60% of those who enrolled in 1992 have gone but the ones who remain do not necessarily mean intellectually-gifted, at least there’s perseverance. Whether it was translated positively (thinking hard to learn Assembly Language lessons) or negatively (trying hard to copy Assembly Language assignments), it depends on who are you referring to. With recently-graduated predecessors becoming instructors, it was a walk in the park trying to win their nod on each group’s proposal and rationale.

Overhead:
"Ah! approve man gain to ni Moso ug ni Casquejo, siya pa ba?" But sometimes, it just does not go its way. Raul once had a disgusted look, sitting on the tiled floors across the former Annex Library now (circa 1996) the Audio Visual Room. "Wa ko kasabot ngano dili daw pwede ning among project", referring to his instructor Ray de Leon’s remarks on checking their project. Other members Rizza, Liezl and Jumar sat silent, staring at the ground. With such experiences, many groups have shunned away from their previous projects and chose the more scientifically accepted laws of Physics. Two groups readily adopted it. Projectile motion simulator became the pet project of Ariel Falcis and company while Dums and his crew selected the more challenging free falling velocity.

There are always bad times, but there are good too. One especially inspiring experience was that of the all-female group of Raquel, Amy, Lovella and Veda Joy. Often facing adversaries and difficulties, the quartet quietly made a stir when they were among the first who finished their project, without the extensive overnight sessions. They simply occupied the corner at the Microprocessor and Digital Lab. While others were busy playing that bomb game and waiting for other group mates to arrive, Veda Joy was about to finish their documentation.

Projects, as tangible yet inanimate as they can be, could even be a reason for shedding tears too. When working for the free falling acceleration simulator, the team of Butch, Lawrence and Dums had some troubles. Results do not yield close to the widely accepted velocity. Having checked everything to be working, including transistors, power supplies and timer sensitivity to calculate results, Dums who was sleepless for days just had to cry his frustrations out.

Six years later the black hard bound laminated documentation may have been borrowed at the library a hundred times, or stolen for safe keeping and sold at the black market for a hundred bucks, the memory remains. Whether it was Jonathan’s black eye, Reynante vs Deozar wrestling match during the exhibit or Flint and Jose’s dance number at the presentation to the parents it was in the essence of diligent project making. From the proposed Digital Bulletin Board Marlon envisioned to the remote controlled security system his group implemented, it was an ominous sign of failures… and successes.

Batch97 may have copied ideas from Sleepless when it launched Unleashed, nevertheless it came out with its own style, inspired by the successes of its predecessors. And even if it comes as an expensive investment and unsure of returns, the experience was worth more than the tuition fees, project costs and personal allowances combined. Not to mention the trips up North.

Post Script:
We can only wish our projects were given more life and allowed to flourish, if proven to be commercially viable, and not just a requirement to pass college. If the more prestigious submissions were getting support from say, Department of Science and Technology or TESDA and harness the talents of engineering wannabes, we would have more concrete evidence we were once part of that team, rather than confine ourselves to memories (like writing this article) that we once built these amazing projects.