The decision to attend DeVry was an easy one for me. Although I had entertained the idea of enrolling at Clemson University, a statement made by the DeVry recruiter sold me on the school: "by the time they graduate, every DeVry graduate would have spent over 500 hours in the electronics laboratory." As much as I loved the electronics lab in vocational school, 500 hours seemed like an eternity!
(In the end, I accumulated over 800 hours at DeVry)
He then asked me the $64K question, "Do you like math?" It was like the moment of truth in "The Matrix," when Neo had to select either the blue or red pill. Instinctively, I knew how I should answer this question - yes! With an affirmative response, he told me if I had answered no then he would have immediately terminated the interview. (I had selected the red pill)

I remember carpooling on a Saturday to Columbia, SC to take the DeVry Application Math Exam. While SAT & ACT scores were important parts of the admission requirements, DeVry used the math exam to weed out those applicants who were not ready for the bombardment of algebra, calculus and differential equations they would receive the first few trimesters. About 14% of the applicants fail the exam. Of the remaining students, those who make less than 80% on the exam are admitted on the condition that they take remedial classes. Fortunately, I passed the exam and elected to attend the DeVry Technical Institute in Woodbridge,NJ. I enrolled in the Electronics Engineering Technology Program, from which later I received my B.S.E.E.T. degree.
Prior to moving there to attend college. I had spent the past two summers in NJ working at a restaurant called Grunnings in South Orange. Grunnings made their own ice cream, candies and hot fudge. You couldn't ask for a better place to eat.. I mean work! I worked at Grunnings during my three years at DeVry, moving from dishwasher, to waiter, to short order cook. The restaurant went out of business a couple of years after I graduated. I still miss the ice cream and hot fudge. Man, that was some good stuff!

From the first moment I walked into the lab at DeVry, I knew that I wanted to be a test engineer. To me, it was like being in a giant toy store. The oscilloscopes, multimeters, function generators, etc. provided me countless hours of experimentation. I blew up my share of power supplies, integrated circuits and fuses, but I learned through trial and error.

This top photo shows a modern lab at DeVry. Students today have computers, GPIB and Agilent test equipment at their disposal.

This is a far cry from the B+K Precision equipment that we used back in the early 1980s. The photo to the right is the old lab at Devry, Woodbridge, NJ. The school has since moved to North Brunswick.



Circuits like the one above helped me learn one of the most important elements of test engineering -- troubleshooting. I found troubleshooting to be a very difficult concept for many students to grasp. I would watch guys spend hours replacing good parts and rebuilding circuits, simply because they did not know how to apply logic to solving a problem. (It also helps to know how to read a schematic)
I built countless circuits using the DeVry issued Experimentor 300 bread boards. They were part of the lab kit that was given to each student for constructing lab experiments. We were also given a kit to build a portable box that contained a power supply and function generator that produced a sine, triangle and sawtooth waveform. This was to allow students to test out their circuits at home.
During my last trimester, our final lab project involved constructing a fully-functional computer using an Intel 8085 processor. This photo shows our design team in the micro lab with our test board.

Frank Farfan (center of photo) was one of the best programming minds that I have every met. He processed opcodes and timing states in his head, and rarely did his programs not work the first time. Obviously, he was the lead programmer for our micro project. Frank did most of the heavy lifting, creating all the core functions.

Al Molica (far left) was the money man (VC). He bought the ICs (which he is proudly holding in his left hand) and the raw materials for building the controller.

Jerome Taylor (blue jacket) was the second programmer. Jerome programmed the user logic (keypad, led display) and some memory functions.

I was the designated tester and ergonomic designer. I created a case that prevented damage to the circuit board (see top photo), and arranged the keyboard and function keys in a user-friendly orientation. Finally, I tested the microprocessor for two weeks straight. I found several bugs, but none that couldn't be fixed by Frank and Jerome. We all received an "A" on the project.

Although it took me nearly two hours to get there (one train, two buses), I would often come in on the days I didn't have classes to work in the lab. I was usually weeks ahead of where the rest of my class was in our lab experiments. The computer lab had a couple of Apple IIE computers, which were always in use.

Often, I helped out the newbies (1st trimester) get their feet wet in the lab. Oh, the myths they were told:

a). The opposite of a short is a long.
b). If you connect a LED backwards you can absorb light.
c). If you connect a resistor backwards, you get negative resistance.

Aside from debunking these myths, I showed them how to use a breadboard, multimeter, power supply, etc., as well as, perform their experiments. The professors didn't mind, since they were always short handed.

In 1986, I returned to DeVry as a Faculty Associate (FA), helping the professors in the classroom and electronic labs. This was a part-time position, which I worked during the evening hours.
I would often support several different classes in the lab, helping the students solder, bread board and troubleshoot. I also helped in the microprocessor labs, helping the students write and debug programs.

During my last year at DeVry, I served as an Electronics Lab Instructor. It was tough work developing a curriculum and grading lab projects, as well as, serving as my own FA. I finally understood why my professors always looked tired.
When not in the main lab, I would go to the microprocessor lab. I enjoyed writing assembly language code for the Intel 8085 processor. Above is a scan of my handy 8085/8080 Assembly Language Reference Card. Over time, I gained more interest in higher-level languages like PASCAL, FORTRAN & BASIC.
       
     
Copyright 2005 Michael T. Freeman. All Rights Reserved.