Senior Project Reflection

(1) Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your 2-Hour Presentation and/or your senior project? Why?

I am most proud of my independent component 1, I created a subwoofer enclosure for my car and it looks awesome. I also now know how to make fiberglass enclosures so i will bee doing more of those later.

(2) Questions to Consider

a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your 2-Hour Presentation (self-assessment)?

AE       P          AP       CR       NC

b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?

AE       P          AP       CR       NC

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?

I really liked the freedom we were given and i liked having to do independent components, chosing what we do as an assignment didnt feel like an assignment.

(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would have you done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?

I am a very bad researcher. i did not like researching, i feel towards the end i came up with very good sources.

(5) Finding Value

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?   Be specific and use examples.  

Thanks to this project I now know what my career will be, i will study for an automotive electrical technician. 

Senior Topic Update

This is my last post, it is hard to recap on everything I have done at the shop in the past year, it has been a great experience mentoring, I am glad to know that I am guaranteed my job at the shop after high school, I will be there virtually every day, my last installation was a full system with 2 12 inch subs into a dodge ram, I am now starting to tamper with lighting in a vehicle I personally installed LED strips and neons inside and outside my personal vehicle. Everything I learned in this year, has helped me decide my career path and all my knowledge will surely follow me through out the rest of my life.

Senior Topic Update

This was my very first installation I ever did, everything turned on but It looked horrible, the wires where placed in unsafe locations and same goes for the electronics. I used improper wiring and cabling for the job, in the end the system played but I would hate to be a passenger in that vehicle, wires where showing and connections where improper, I am proud to say that i have come a long way since that first installation. My installations are now clean, precise, and safe.

Senior Topic Update

Today I added a fifth video monitor to a Dodge Challenger it was my first time installing a video monitor on my own and I had a few difficulties. When you have so many monitors, you need a video amplifier, it allows for more screens to reproduce the same image in sync. When i finally got it all together, all the monitors displayed distorted images and often had white noise. I fixed this by remembering something one of my mentors once told me. Instead of having the same ground like in audio, video requires at least two separate ground terminals, and in this case because all monitors had the same ground it was causing distortion in the imaging. Once I added two more ground terminals, the problem was solved.  

Senior Topic Update

Today I installed 3 subs an amp and an epicenter into an Impalla ss at the shop, it took time to run a 0 gauge wire which was what was needed for such a high powered amplifier. and then there was a problem with the ohms and the amp. since there was 3 15 inch subwoofers, it was hard to wire the speakers to get them at the safe impedance level for the amplifier, it also did not help that the amp was a monoblock which meant that the speakers couldnt be divided into different ports and have the ohms be separate on each different sub. Once everything was installed, the epicenter began to give to much strength for the amplifier to reproduce and the electrical system to handle, so i put a different amp, and we did nothing about the power issue, and because of that the lights dimmed immensely every time the bass hit.

this is a picture once everything was installed  

Senior Topic Update

On this day I installed subs into a 1995 camaro, the wiring was a complete mess and it took some time to figure out, these chevy cars come with a stock bose system, with a stock amplifier. The entire system was tampered with and all the speakers were wired improperly I also had to rewire 2 wires (remote and rca) on separate occasions. Separate occasions meaning i had to take apart the interior twice because of not knowing the problem. in the end I had rewired all the speakers to a new amp, and installed a second amp into the car and was able to connect the two subs. 

Above you see the subs I installed and the head unit I connected it all to.

Senior Topic Update

Today, I did a job for Clara's mother. She approached me and explained that one of her Suburbans door made a strange noise when it was being unlock by the remote and switches she wanted the problem fixed, and while I was at it, she wanted her speakers replaced. I bipassed the rear drivers side stock door lock and installed an aftermarket one, and installed 4 aftermarket 6.5 speakers into their chevy suburban, the door panels are hard to remove and I spent most of my time removing them, they where connected with all sorts of hooks that couldn't be removed with panel poppers so it took a long time to remove them. The car already had an after market pioneer headunit so the sound was immaculate with little evidence of distortion.

Senior Topic Update

Today I installed an alarm system into my uncles Saturn Vue, it took me a while to take apart the dash because of the way it is made, I also specifically remember I accidentally scratched the dash. All the wires where in the back of the centerpiece and the door lock signal was negative, it took a while to find all these wires and adjust the relays to convert the negative signal into a positive signal. It was also the second time I installed an alarm alone. It was the first time I had created relays on my own for negative signals too, so I felt proud of myself, of course i never would have been able to do the installation without bulldogsecurity.com which is a site that has all the wiring information.

This is the interior of the car that I worked on, all the wires I needed where behind the a/c controls, and I scratched the dash next to emergency lights button. in the end however, I got the job done and I got paid.

Blog 25: Mentorship Log

LIA Response to blog:
 Mentorshp Log
     Interpretive
     What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?
The most importat thing I have gained from my experience in my mentorship was the experience I obtained, with the experience I now have the ability to go to any stereo shop, or place and say i have experience in 12v electronics installation I would like to apply, my experience is also professional experience that can be proved, I belive that is the most important thing I have gained.
    Applied
     How has what you’ve done helped you to answer your EQ?  Please explain.
The work at the shop helped me answeer my Essentia Question because any answer i came up with, i was able to test, thanks to working at Car Audio Depot, for example I was told some cars sound better than other, and thanks to working on different types of cars, I was able to prove that. same thing goes with sub enclosures, different sized and shaped enclosures mave the sound either better or worse. I also learned important things at the shop that has to do wth wiring, such as not running power wire with other cables or wires because it creates a magnetic field. Thanks to my mentorship at the shop I was able to proove and test all my answers and show that they do improve sound quality.

Blog 24: Exit Interview

(1) What is your essential question?  What is the best answer to your question and why?

What is most important in obtaining the best performance out of a car audio system? out of my three main answers the best is, Balanced constant, positive and negative current maintains a car audio system at optimum performance, this is the best answer because it is the most basic and most critical thing to take into consideration when installing a system. Speaker location, is key, to give ambient to the car, depending on the speaker location, you can get a surround sound feel, or a full sound feel, or even just a partial feel. Improper positioning of a speaker can also bring damage to the speaker, for example placing it on a door, or in a vulnerable position where it can be damaged by outside sources. It is also important speakers have the right amount of airspace and are placed in the right enclosure. As important as speaker location is, the speaker will regardless still produce sound, and fill the air with the sound waves it produces, it is the signal that the speaker receives that decides the way the speaker will sound. Signal is transferred through wires and cables so it is in the best interest to make sure that electronics are placed in suitable places. For example power wires create a small magnetic field and should be ran separately from rca and speaker wires. They should also be in safe areas for passengers but close to ground and other wires. The signal the wires carry are important but not as important as what gives the signal which is the amplifiers and other electronics, obviously however just buying the best equipment is not an answer, in my science experiment, i found that keeping the voltage at a constant 14.4v maximizes the electronics performance. Ground must also be properly placed, short same size as power and all connected to the same ground.  9092827306

(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?

In order to arrive to this answer, I needed to researched what ground was and how it was used, then I realized that amplifiers perform better under certain volts thanks to my mentor, because of this I performed a science experiment to see if different levels of distortion could be correlated with  different voltages, which proved to be true.

(3) What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them? When perform my experiment, i was unable to obtain as many amplifiers as i would have liked, i did however borrow way more than i could ever hope to test, i also committed a mistake during my first independent component when i connected 5 subs into one amplifier causing issues with the ohms but that was latter solved while reading a book.

(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

The two most significant sources where my mentor and a book named Auto Audio, they are the most important sources because my mentor taught me field work and the book elaborated on what he explained, it gave me more in depth reasons, which helped tremendously in my search for knowledge 

(5) What is your product and why? My product, is a job at car audio depot and my sub woofer enclosure without having met contacts in my mentor ship i would not have been able to accomplish either of them. Because their is always constant production of automobiles I along with my mentor am always learning new things on

Interview 5: 2014 Interview

Content:

1.  Who did you interview and what house are they in?
Tania Negrete South House
2.  What ideas do you have for your senior project and why?
Something with lifeguard and after school outside activities maybe activity coordinator
She likes to be outside and doing stuff hates being in a office.
3.  What do you plan to do for your summer 10 hour mentorship experience?
Santa Fe damn someone she knows she's a lifeguard and program adviser
4.  What do you hope to see or expect to see in watching the 2013 2-hour presentations?
S expects the speaker to be involved listening to questions.
5.  What questions do you have that I can answer about senior year or senior project (or what additional information did you tell them about senior year or senior project)?

How specific does the topic have to be?
I responded by saying that you start with a general topic and throughout out the year it becomes extremely specific, but there is plenty of help in making an specific and well defined Essential Question. 

Blog 22: 3 Column Chart

3 Column Auto Audio Proof

LITERAL
(a) I, Daniel Leon, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
(b) Jorge Cardenas, Auto Electric 
(c) 30 Hours Log 
(d) In my second Independent component I completed 11 jobs, i was aiming for 15 jobs but it just wasn't possible to find them all, I also currently am about to begin 3 custom jobs but where not able to be began on time to be counted in the second independent component.
INTERPRETIVE 
Job 1: I installed an alarm system into my uncles Saturn Vue, it took me a while to take apart the dash because of the way it is made, I also specifically remember I accidentally scratched the dash. All the wires where in the back of the centerpiece and the door lock signal was negative, it took a while to find all these wires and adjust the relays to convert the negative signal into a positive signal. It was also the second time I installed an alarm alone.
Job 2: I installed two subs and two midrange speakers with two amps. Corvetts are difficult to take appart in the interior so that took time, also it took me a while to bipass the bose sound system, and when everything was connected there was a problem with fuses and the radio.
Job 3: This was a simple job, all i did was remove the radio and attach an aux and ipod cable, and run the wires into the glove compartment.
Job 4: Here I bipassed a door lock, and installed 4 speakers into a chevy suburban, the door panels are hard to remove and i spent most of my time removing them.
Job 5: I installed subs into this camaro, the wiring was a complete mess and it took some time to figure out, i also had to rewire 2 wires on a separate occasion.
Job 6: Here I installed two subs and an amp into a camry, there was difficulty with the equipment and the stereo.
Job 7: I installed 3 subs an amp and an epicenter into an Impalla ss, it took time to run a 0 gauge wire and then there was a problem with the ohms and the amp.
Job 8: I replaced a radio on a Toyota Tacoma, I accidentally blew out a fuse when I cut the wires but it was an easy fix.
Job 9: I installed a screen radio into an F150, the radio was to big for the dash so i had to cut it in order for it to fit.
Job 10: Here I added a fifth video monitor to a Challenger it was my first time doing it on my own and i had a few difficulties.
Job 11: I installed subs and an amp into a Charger this job is easily done because the battery is in the trunk of the car, little wireing was needed here.

APPLIED
Doing all these jobs has helped me find new techniques and solve issues with system. I have been able to perfect wiring in series and parallel. Thanks to the jobs I did I was able to see different issues and distortion in action, I was able to solve most of the problems and help prevent others. I also used a lot of ground loops and adapted proper ground wires. I also experienced different sub enclosures that sounded better than others, for example the corvett had smaller and less subs than the impala ss but the corvett sounded better because of the enclosure size.

3 Column Chart

Car Audio Chart

Blog 19: Senior Project and ESLRs

1.  What ESLR have you excelled in most in your senior project? 
I believe that i have become a more Effective Communicator and a better User of Technology.
2.  Please explain why you think you have excelled in this ESLR.
I believe I have become a better User of Technology because in my mentorship all I deal with is audio technology, I realize that wiring and the basis of electricity overlaps into many different things, I found myself fixing wiring issues around the house and in other parts of vehicles not just in the audio systems. I have also become a better Communicator because obviously I don't know everything about audio systems, I always ask questions when I need help, and I usually work in a team to be able to complete a car, there is a lot of communication so we know what each member of the team is responsible for what part of an installation. I also have to demonstrate the new installations into a customers car, and show them how to use their new system, there must always be communication between an installer and a customer in order to avoid trouble to the installer and that is exactly what I have been adapting.. 
3.  Provide evidence from your senior project to support your claim (evidence is a photo of something you are doing, photo of something you made, etc).

I installed neon lighting and created a on/off switch for the neon lights under my car because of basic wiring skills learned through audio system installation.

Blog 18: 2 Answer 3

1.  What is your essential question?
What is most important in obtaining the best performance out of a car audio system?
2.  What is your third answer to your essential question (write your third answer in a complete sentence)?
Balanced constant, positive and negative or neutral current keeps the audio system opperating at an ideal performance.
3.  What are three details to support or justify your third answer (details are examples or facts)?
Ground wires can cause irregularities in the system if not placed strategically and properly.
Constant power levels keep the system performing evenly throught use time.
Power Surges are problems in car audio and need to be regulated in order to keep performance at a proper rate.
4.  What source helped you prove this answer is justified for your essential question?
The book Auto Audio by Andrew Yoder provided me with this answer.
5.  What do you plan to study next and why?
I plan to study electricity behavior in circuits and in wires because they do have a certain way of performing and i think this is essential to know why electricity performs best with certain wires and equipment.

Blog 16: Questions Interview 4

!) What is most important in obtaining the best performance out of a car audio system?

2)How well do capacitors work in power loss and what else do they help do?

3)Why are ground wires so important, and is it possible to have to much ground?

4) How does power affect the sound of the system, does to much energy affect it, what are ways to fix these problems besides capacitors?

5)Does the head unit affect the sound quality even if you replace speakers and install amplifiers, and why?

6)What different type of crossovers are there and how do they differ?

7)Does the positioning of the speakers and components affect the sound? 

8)Does the audio source affect the reproduction of the sound for example, through an equalizer, cassette converter blue tooth etc...?

9)How does the size shape, and material of the speaker enclosures affect the sound?

10)Does amplification distort more than it cleans? What amplifier class is the best class for bass and for highs?

11)Does regular replacement of connectors and cleaning of equipment help audio performance? 

12)What effect does the usage of different sizes in wires in places they should not be used have?

13)What math do you use on the job for installations?

14)What is the best ideal system in your opinion and why?

15)I have seen breakers been used at times instead of fuses and fuse holders, what are the advantages and disadvantages to a breaker?

16)How can line noise be minimized?

17)How can engine noise be minimized?

19)What does a digital processor do and does it really help?

20)Does music dancing equipment affect he car sound?

Senior Project: Update

Today at mentorship i learnd the rue power and importance of ground. A damaged, loose, or improper ground wire can be the result of, crippled performance, and distortion. I have found a couple of people that are very interested in me installing an audio system into their car, my deal with everyone i have approached is, I charge nothing for installation, and they pay for all the equipment.

Blog 16: Answer #2

1.  What is your essential question?
What is most important in obtaining the best performance out of a car audio system?
2.  What is your second answer to your essential question?
The most important in obtaining the best performance out of a car audio system, is knowing the equipment, knowing where to safely install the system and its components and knowing how to do it, also thinking quick to be able to do it.
3.  What are three details to support or justify your second answer?
Basic wiring, ground, power, remote, illumination. Knowing where to place a screw. Knowing where you can reach a wire from.
4.  What source helped you prove this answer is justified for your essential question?
My mentorship taught me this and, Auto Audio by Andrew Yoder.
5.  What do you plan to study next with your second answer and why?
I plan to continue my study of answer 2 by continue to do mentorship and find another book on my topic.

Blog 15: Independent Component 2 Proposal

For my second independent component I will now tackle the full installation of multiple systems (complete or not) into many different cars and create comparisons. What I mean by complete or not is, the system can have all the components to be considered a full system or have a few of them. I will also create improvements in already installed aftermarket systems and also log he differences in the sound improvement. I will also try to make maybe  two custom designs into two cars and I know this indeppendent component will be more than 30 hours because my custom design took over 70 hours last time, and this time I will be doing atleast 2. Also the installation of units can range from 2-3 hours I would probably need to make installations into about 15 cars which I know I can do.

Blog 14: Independent Component 1

I Daniel Leon affirm that I have completed my Independent Component which represents more than 3 hours of work.

Mentor:
Jorge Cardenas
(909)539-8209

In my Independent Component I created a subwoofer enclosure out of MDF wood, Fiberglass and Bondo, and created an amp rack out of MDF wood and speaker coth. I also replaced fron door speakers, installed an equalizer, two amplifiers, a fan, and an epicenter. I also ran wires, troubeshooted issues and leveled the sound.

This Component demonstrates way more than 30 hours because creating cutom boxes and racks take time, especially to fit everything into a certain area, thi project has allowed my to notice th differences in enclosure types and sound and has also helped my learn how to level the sound on a car. The component also allowed me to run wires and safey and neatly install components ino a vehicle because it gave me practice and experience. It also helped my with toubleshooting because i realy have to think to find the problem at hand.

This Component helped me answer my EQ because I had to wire everything properly not do things half fast, I found differences in enclosures and enclosure materials. For example, I chose to make my enclosure ported and out of fiberglass because fibergas expands and muffles the sound a bit but the ports allow it to jump to the next beat quickly, giving it a rolling sound. It really helped me with location because often the size, purpose, and layout of the electronic determined its position and wire running.

Log Hours
Materials List

Blog 13: 30 Minute Lesson Plan

Car Audio 30 Minute Lesson Plan

Note: Activity is subject to change.

Blog 12: Third Interview Questions

1. What is the most effective way to install a car audio system and what is the most important factor to take into consideration when doing so?
2. What is better, fiberglass or wood speaker enclosures?
3. How would you use fiberglass and wood in car audio installation, besides in speaker enclosures?
4. Does the location of interior features, such as seats and size, affect the quality of sound reproduction in a car?
5. What components, in your opinion make the best audio system, and why?
6. I have heard many things about capacitors, do they really work, and of not, are there certain ones that work?
7. Does battery power and power stability contribute to distortion?
8. What brand components do you recomend, and what brands do you use?
9. In certain cars, amp and speaker cables are ran differently, is this because of just a lack of room or is it optional, and what is your favorie way to run these cables?
10. Do you think car audio will soon have a massive revolutionary breakthrough that will completley change car audio, and instalation?

Blog 11: Mentorship 10 Hours Check

Mentorship Log