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Unit 3 Technical Principles
Quick questions on Electronic systems and programmable components - WJEC A-Level Design and Technology
5short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is the systems approach?Show answer
This block thinking is how designers reason about electronic products; you should be able to draw and label a systems block diagram for a given product.
What is process sub-system?Show answer
The process block decides what to do with the inputs. Traditionally this was fixed logic (logic gates, timers, counters wired together). Increasingly it is a programmable microcontroller, a single chip whose behaviour is set by a stored program, which can read inputs, make decisions, count and time, and drive outputs.
What are programmable components?Show answer
A programmable component, usually a microcontroller, stores a program that sets the product's behaviour. The big advantages are flexibility (reprogram rather than rewire), fewer parts (one chip replaces many), smaller and cheaper products, more complex functions, and easy updates and testing. This is why so many modern products are built around a microcontroller.
What is q1?Show answer
State which sub-system (input, process or output) each of these belongs to: LDR, buzzer, microcontroller. [3 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
Give two reasons a designer might choose a programmable microcontroller instead of fixed wired logic. [2 marks]
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