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Northern Ireland · CCEASyllabus
Technology and Design syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the Northern Ireland Technology and Designsyllabus, with a focused answer for each one. Click any dot point for a worked explainer, past exam questions, and links to related dot points. Written by Claude Opus 4.8, Anthropic's latest AI.
A2 1 Electronic and Microelectronic Control Systems
Module overview →- How are analogue signals converted to digital so a microcontroller can process them?Analogue and digital signals, the binary number system, analogue-to-digital and digital-to-analogue conversion, resolution and quantisation.12 min answer →
- What is a microcontroller (PIC), and why does it replace hard-wired logic in control systems?The microcontroller (PIC): architecture, input/output ports, memory, the program cycle, and the advantages of programmable control over discrete logic.12 min answer →
- How does feedback turn an open-loop system into a self-correcting closed-loop one, and what is PID control?Open- and closed-loop control, feedback and the error signal, and proportional, integral and derivative (PID) control.12 min answer →
- How are op-amps used to amplify, sum and difference signals in control systems?The operational amplifier as a summing amplifier, difference amplifier and voltage follower, with the ideal op-amp assumptions.12 min answer →
- How is a control program designed using flowcharts, and what programming structures does it use?Flowcharts and their symbols, programming constructs (sequence, selection, iteration), inputs/outputs, delays and subroutines for microcontroller control.12 min answer →
- How do flip-flops store a bit, and how are they combined into counters?Sequential logic: the bistable/flip-flop (set-reset, D and JK), latching, and binary counters and frequency division.12 min answer →
A2 1 Mechanical and Pneumatic Control Systems
Module overview →- How do ratchets, clutches and intermittent mechanisms control and direct motion?Ratchet and pawl, clutches and brakes, the Geneva mechanism and intermittent motion, and screw threads for converting rotary to linear motion.11 min answer →
- How are work, power and efficiency calculated for mechanical systems, and where is energy lost?Work, power, torque and efficiency in mechanical systems, and the relationship between mechanical advantage, velocity ratio and efficiency.12 min answer →
- How are pneumatic logic and control valves combined to control a cylinder?Pneumatic logic (AND, OR via shuttle and two-pressure valves), pilot operation, and controlling a cylinder with directional control valves.12 min answer →
- How are pneumatic time delays and automatic sequences of cylinders created?The pneumatic time-delay circuit (reservoir and restrictor), flow-control of cylinder speed, and sequencing cylinders with limit valves.12 min answer →
- How do we quantify how a material responds to load through stress, strain and the modulus?Stress, strain, the Young modulus, the stress-strain graph, elastic and plastic behaviour, and factor of safety.12 min answer →
- How do structures carry loads through ties and struts, and how are members made stable?Structural members in tension and compression (ties and struts), triangulation, beams and the forces in simple frameworks.12 min answer →
A2 2 Product/System Design and Manufacture
Module overview →AS 1 Design and Manufacture
Module overview →- How are engineering materials classified, and what distinguishes each family?Classification of materials: ferrous and non-ferrous metals and alloys, thermoplastics and thermosets, natural and manufactured timbers, and composites and smart materials.12 min answer →
- How do designers communicate proposals accurately to clients and manufacturers?Graphical communication: sketching, orthographic and isometric drawing, sectional and assembly drawings, dimensioning and rendering.11 min answer →
- What are modern composites and smart materials, and why are they used?Composites (GRP, CFRP) and modern/smart materials (shape-memory alloys, thermochromics, piezoelectrics) and their applications.11 min answer →
- What makes a design specification useful, and how do its different types differ?Writing measurable design, engineering and manufacturing specifications, and using them as evaluation criteria.11 min answer →
- How do designers judge whether a product actually meets the need?Evaluation against the specification, user testing and feedback, objective and subjective evaluation, and modification.11 min answer →
- How do designers generate, develop and model ideas before committing to manufacture?Idea-generation techniques, developing ideas through annotation and modelling, CAD and prototyping.11 min answer →
- How are products shaped, and how does production scale change the chosen process?Manufacturing processes for metals, polymers and timbers (casting, forming, moulding, machining, joining) and matching process to scale of production.13 min answer →
- Which material properties decide whether a material is fit for a job?Mechanical and physical properties of materials: strength, hardness, toughness, ductility, malleability, elasticity, stiffness, density, conductivity and corrosion resistance.12 min answer →
- How do manufacturers keep products consistent, safe and within specification?Quality assurance and quality control, tolerance, standards and the use of jigs, fixtures and templates in volume production.11 min answer →
- How do designers gather reliable evidence, and how do ergonomics and anthropometrics shape a product?Research methods (questionnaires, surveys, product analysis) and the use of ergonomics, anthropometric data and percentiles in design.12 min answer →
- How can products be designed and made with less harm to people and the planet?Sustainability, the 6 Rs, life-cycle assessment, and the social, moral and environmental responsibilities of designers.12 min answer →
- How does a designer move from a problem to a justified, manufacturable solution?The iterative design process: identifying needs, research, specifications, generating and developing ideas, modelling, evaluation and the role of the client and user.12 min answer →
AS 1 Electronic and Microelectronic Systems
Module overview →- How do sensors and potential dividers turn a physical quantity into a usable input voltage?Input transducers (LDR, thermistor, switches) and the potential divider as a sensing subsystem.12 min answer →
- How do logic gates make decisions, and how do we describe and combine them?Logic gates (AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR, EOR), truth tables, Boolean expressions and combinational logic for decision-making.12 min answer →
- How does an operational amplifier compare two voltages and amplify a signal?The operational amplifier as a comparator and as an inverting/non-inverting amplifier, with gain and the use of a reference voltage.12 min answer →
- How are output transducers driven and protected by the process subsystem?Output transducers (LED, lamp, buzzer, motor, relay, solenoid), current-limiting resistors and driver/interface circuits.12 min answer →
- How does the input-process-output model let us design electronic systems as blocks?The systems approach: input, process and output subsystems, block diagrams, signal flow and feedback.11 min answer →
- How does a transistor act as an electronic switch driven by a small signal?The bipolar transistor and MOSFET as switches, base/gate biasing, the Darlington pair and switching inductive loads.12 min answer →
- How do RC timing and the 555 timer produce delays and oscillations?The capacitor-resistor time constant, and the 555 timer in monostable and astable modes.12 min answer →
AS 1 Mechanical and Pneumatic Systems
Module overview →- How do cams convert rotary motion into a controlled reciprocating or oscillating output?Cams and followers, cam profiles (pear, circular/eccentric, heart-shaped/snail), dwell, rise and fall, and crank-and-slider mechanisms.11 min answer →
- How do gears change speed, torque and direction, and how is the gear ratio found?Spur, idler, compound, bevel and worm gears, the gear ratio, and the trade-off between speed and torque.12 min answer →
- How do levers and linkages multiply force and change motion?The three classes of lever, the principle of moments, mechanical advantage, and linkages (reverse-motion, bell-crank, parallel).12 min answer →
- How do pneumatic components use compressed air to produce controlled motion?Pneumatic components: single- and double-acting cylinders, control valves (3/2 and 5/2), and calculating the thrust of a cylinder.12 min answer →
- How do pulley, belt and chain drives transmit rotary motion and change speed?Belt and pulley drives, the velocity ratio from pulley diameters, chain and sprocket drives, and pulley systems for lifting.11 min answer →
- What are the four types of motion, and how do mechanisms convert between them?The four types of motion (linear, rotary, reciprocating, oscillating) and the role of mechanisms in changing the type, direction or magnitude of motion and force.11 min answer →