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HVAC Keeps You Cool During Summer And Warm In Winters
HVAC stands for heat, ventilation and air conditioning, this technology provides indoor as well as ventilation comforts to the household. HVAC systems are used in mechanical engineering to achieve thermal comforts in building. This equipment includes chillers, radiant systems, humidifiers, air conditioners,dehumidifiers, boilers, heat pumps and many more.
In modern buildings HVAC equipment plays an important role in residential structure. It helps in enjoying luxurious life to the people living in the building. With the help of HVAC equipment, if cooling is required in building then the heat inside the building can be pumped out to give cool environment but if the hot environment is required then heat can be either generated or pumped inside from outside. HVAC system use in commercial and domestic environment for providing acceptable indoor air quality and thermal comfort within reasonable installation, operation and maintenance cost. Technology used by HVAC systems company is discussed below:
Heat Generation System used in HVAC
1. Furnaces and Boilers- Furnaces and Boilers are used to produce and distribute heat. Boiler is a vessel which can used to burn natural gas, heating oil, wood etc. combustible fuel and then pushes the steam or hot water using radiators, baseboards, or under floor radiant heating. Furnace is used to force heated air through ducts. The replacement of filters and cleanliness of duct work is required on a regular basis to preserve the air quality.
2. Electric Resistance Heaters- Electric resistance heaters heat up while current is passed through it. baseboard heaters, Convector Heaters, Wall Heaters , Radiant Heat , uses electricity to heat up air.
3. Solar Thermal- Solar thermal uses sun energy rather than fossil fuels to generate heat HVAC system because it is based on climate.
Heat Moving Systems in HVAC
Heat pumps are used to move thermal energy rather to generate heat. Few heat pumps can be used to move heat either outside or inside the building. It transfers heat in the building by circulating a substance called a refrigerant through a cycle of evaporation and condensation.
HVAC systems Size and Efficiency
The size and efficiency of HVAC system depends upon the design of the building, mass and openings etc. The size of heating and cooling unit depends on the rate in which it is supplied. Heating size is calculated in Btus per hour and cooling size in tons.
Btus can be calculated below:
BTUH = .33 x [square footage of building to be heated] x [difference between outside and inside design temperatures]
If the proper sized HVAC system is used the efficiency of the system is more as compared to wrong sized system.
HVAC Installation Steps
To install the HVAC system in your building following steps are used which are given below:
1. Calculate the load for proper sizing of unit.
2. Find a suitable location for the fan coil unit.
3. Cut the return air opening.
4. Construct a simple platform to implement the unit.
5. Attach supply plenum ring to move the fan coil past the platform edge to accommodate the plenum ring.
6. Connect the condensate drain to the fan coil unit.
7. Connect refrigerant lines from outdoor condensing unit to indoor fan coil unit.
8. Connect supply tubing and plenum duct.
9. Install terminator outlets and sound attenuation tubing.
10. Install supply tubing.
After completing the installation process the last step is to supply the power to make it working. In modern buildings HVAC system provides healthy environment to the people living in them. This technology improves the lifestyle of the people in the great manner.
Technical Writing for Home Appliance Circuitry and Documentation
Remember that combined washer and dryer unit that seemed like a steal the first time you brought it in? The friendly salesman was helpful; patient with his explanations while stamping his brand of approval on your choice. Then one day, it all went up in smoke as frequent breakdowns and storage issues became the norm.
Appliance Circuitry can be Complicated and Proprietary
To make matters worse, the application’s circuitry is too damn weird for you to roll up your sleeves and help yourself. This might seem like a commonplace problem but it is gradually approaching epidemic levels. The availability of technical writing for home appliance circuitry and documentation is sparse and unsystematic. Hence, consumers are forced to make costly modifications and frequent trips to the electrician.
But a simple catalog of effective technical writing for home appliance circuitry and documentation is all that is needed to save yourself from these ordeals. The choice of a washer/dryer unit can be deceptively simple. It is common wisdom to go for integrated washer and dryer units for convenience and economy. At first glance, a blow by blow comparison of separate washer and dryer units with integrated ones do verify this widely accepted wisdom.
Integrated Systems
Integrated systems perform approximately equal to separate washer and dryer units, they obviously save space and there isn’t much difference in their prices as well. Even so, a closer look at the circuitry can quickly assure you that it isn’t as simple as that. Integrated systems consume more water since the dryer unit needs water to cool off its condenser.
While a single standard supply circuit can be shared by separate washer and dryer units, the dryer can conveniently be disconnected when not in use. This load then can be shared by your massage chair as you lie back and watch your laundry being washed. Integrate washer and dryer units in contrast need a dedicated circuit which is immensely more consumptive and lack the versatility of separate washer and dryer units.
The Home appliance circuitry can be an intimidating multi headed hydra- a fresh problem cropping up once you solve one. Yet, the circuitry by itself is extremely linear and easy to understand. Take for instance, the good old remote control which has bred generations of couch potatoes. The simple remote can be easily assembled using an IR sensor, IC Counter and a relay linearly to a battery. All it will cost is a trip to the local convenience store and a few dollars.
Internet Of Things
The advent of IOT (Internet Of Things) has brought a deluge of automated devices. We have wifi enabled devices, RF transmitters, digital controllers and other optoelectronic devices which control our appliances at the blink of an eye. It is easy to modify your washer/dryer unit using modules available easily online to make your life faster, simpler and hassle free. It is easy enough to document the application circuitry for you don’t want to fly blind when something goes haywire. You most certainly do not want the electrician to overcharge you as well. Simple drawings of major components, serial numbers et al can go a long way in saving costs and making sense of the chaos.
References:
http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/internet-of-things/overview.html
Finding the Best Ergonomic Mouse and Keyboard for Technical Writers
The world of computing has revolutionized over the past few years owing to various factors among which is the growing ubiquity of the internet.The internet has almost half of the world population connected to it and i am guessing you are part of this number.A keen factor to take into account however, is the fact that the internet market like any other market has market segments.
Among the market segments are technical writers who play a pivotal in the improvement of technology. Those in this segment vary from tech geeks who are budding in the software engineering field or just like to crunch some code,or simply an online content creator who needs those fast mouse keystrokes in order to land that job that you have been waiting for all night long.
This guide is meant to aid you to find the best ergonomic mouse and keyboard for technical writers by giving you a number of pointers to look out for when you are out shopping for a new mouse after having the need to look out for a better one to suite your needs best.
So,now without wasting time,let’s get right to it and catch to the chase, below is a list i have personally compiled of a few thins that you should have an eye for when you are out looking for an ergonomic mouse or keyboard for technical writing.
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Comfort.
Not just limited to mouse/keyboard, your ergonomic desk setup should include everything listed above.
Yes i said it, this is one thing of paramount importance that one cannot go without mentioning.When you are using a mouse and keyboard while you are on your computer,you need to have your palms at the most comfortable position to reduce stress and strain to your wrists while you are typing or scrolling through pages. Some keyboards even have negative-slope attachments and a large wrist pad to ensure that your arms are in a relaxed natural position. This is linked to mice in that,while operating the mouse,you should be able to move it around easily with minimum strain on you wrist in order to ensure ease of movement.
2. Speed.
This is another very important factor to consider when you want to upgrade either your keyboard or your mouse at any particular time. Speed is of the essence especially for content writers who have deadlines to beat,and if you have a keyboard that has its keys very hard to press or or are not built to meet your ergonomic needs, then you should probably not consider choosing it since it is going to slow you down, what you should be looking for instead is a keyboard with very soft keys,some even come as fully-split keyboards while others are partially separated but have a number part completely split from the main keyboard so as to ease typing and locating the various keys on the keyboard.
3. Repetitive Motion Syndrome (RMS)
This disease has been there only that there has been an increased number of cases of people with the disease.When one is involved in a particular activity over and over again,the part of their brain that is responsible for the carrying out of the activity becomes overused and this might end up culminating into the damage of that part of the brain.Related nerve damages in the wrists and hand are a relatively new form of RMS.
Keyboards may cause strain due to the relatively fixed position one has to stay in when they are typing.Mice on the other hand can cause this in their own subtle way in addition to the tendon and nerve affecting issues that some of the latest and modernized mice are responsible for.
To avoid having such complications,one should look for a keyboard that can fully be split so as to be able to reduce strain to the neck and shoulders that occurs especially when you have to hold your hands close together when typing. For mice,one should look for one that is easy to move around and that have an ergonomically designed arch that rises vertically to your knuckles,then parallels the quick fall off to your wrist and finally slopes to your fingertips.
Additional Resources:
http://www.safecomputingtips.com/best-ergonomic-mouse/
Salaries of Technical Writers
Technical writers are those creative souls who write technical reports, articles and informative content on a wide range of topics. Technical writers employ their writing skills to bring structure to information so that people can comprehend it. The variety of topics for technical writers is a vast universe which contains fields like glass making, automobiles, computer programming, quilting, equipment installation manuals and much more. Technical writers write manuals, installation guides, reports, and articles on a technical topic like gear box assembly for a four wheel drive. They need to be articulate, well-structured, crisp and fluff free so that the reader can clearly understand the information presented in the text.
After reading about the arduous tasks that these writers do you must be wondering how much are they paid? What are the salaries for technical writers?
A lot of factors go into deciding the salaries for technical writers. Most technical writers are required to be college graduates as the information they deal with is pretty complex and needs a lot of processing. Experience in the industry relevant to the subject matter, familiarity with the subject matter and overall writing skills are also factored in the salaries of technical writers. As per the Occupational Outlook Handbook by U.S. government, technical writers usually make between $38,000 to $170,000 annually including bonuses and profit sharing. The median salary was found to be about $69,850 with a 10% increment project in the next 10 years. This translates to about $33.58 per hour which is a respectable amount of money. While most entry level technical writers at least had a Bachelor’s degree, they had less than 5 years of experience. Hence, Technical writing is a good job with a decent pay grade. The biggest benefit of technical writing is one can choose the hours one wants to put in and comfortably work as a freelancer.
SMALL WORLD, FAR WORLD
Looking for work in another country isn’t an easy task and the recent economic downturn has only made it harder. Our digital world has made the world seem much smaller, but the reality of moving around it for work is often the opposite; the dream of working in another country can often seem far away.
I recently received a CV from a young Serbian woman seeking a position in marketing here in Brussels. Recently graduated and with a few years’ work experience in economics, she now wants to reach out and work in another country to get international experience. I’ve done such a move myself on a few occasions and highly recommend it.
Unfortunately she has several obstacles in her way. However, there are things we can all do to help increase our chances of finding work abroad.
Watch your language
Obviously it’s important that your CV doesn’t have any typos and grammatical errors. However, working in another country can often mean living with another language. If you’re writing your CV in a language other than your mother tongue, get the text checked by a native speaker. Don’t know any native speakers? Get to an online forum and ask for help to edit your text.
Do your homework on the country’s work environment
Someone apparently told the Serbian woman that it would be easier to get a marketing job in a multinational as the work would be in English. Her CV Profile states that she’s looking for an opening position in Marketing. Unfortunately she’s no experience in the domain, her written English isn’t good enough to do copywriting and she doesn’t know Adobe InDesign. If a potential employer had read past the quirky English in the CV, they’d have given up at this stage. Few companies will hire a beginner who needs work papers. They can hire locally.
It can be a risky decision to do a career change when looking for work in a country where you need work papers but don’t have any practical experience to offer in your new career direction. Get as much experience as you can before seeking work in another country. You need something to sell!
Research the job market and types of companies in the country that interest you. The Serb was fluent in several languages but only in one (English) of the three important languages for working in Brussels (French and Dutch also matter). Realistically she may have a better chance of finding work in Germany as companies there may be more commercially active in the Balkan region than companies based in Belgium. So her knowledge of that regional market could perhaps be a selling point to a German company. Understand what the market is looking for.
The challenge to get work papers
The unfortunate reality is that work papers can be hard to get. Few companies will hire you directly from another country without first meeting you. You will increase the chance of finding work by going to your desired country for a month or more (the longer the better) and making as many face-to-face contacts as possible to hunt down that opportunity made for you. It can take time to knock on all those doors and follow up leads. Simply mailing out CVs isn’t enough.
When a company wants to hire someone from outside the EU (which is 28 countries), they need to be able to show the authorities that they couldn’t find someone in the country suitable for the job on offer. Another condition prospective employers may need to meet could be the minimum salary level that they can offer. In Belgium, for example, it is currently nearly 40,000 euros ($54,000) a year for a skilled position (salary reference). In other words, you won’t get work papers to do a low paid job. You need skills and experience.
It’s hard looking for work in another country, particularly if you’re not based there and will need work papers. It takes determination and focus to chase a dream and make it happen.
THE RESULTS OF OUR RECENT MEMBER SURVEY
We’re currently planning our Watercooler Chats for the next year and recently asked our members what topics you would like to discuss and when would best suit you. The results are shown below. We have 83 members and had 13 responses; a 15.6% turnout. Low, but it still lets us see how to do our Watercooler Chats over the next year.
Day and time of our monthly SIG Watercooler Chats is changing
From October onwards, the chats will move to the second Wednesday of the month at 6pm CET (12 noon ET).
Agenda for the next three months
Based on member feedback for topics to discuss, the chats for October, November & December will be:
October 15 = Terminology management
November 12 = Prioritising and determining the ROI when internationalization technical content
December 10 = Getting started in and planning localization projects
Results of the survey
What type of work do you do? (More than one answer is possible)
Type of work Percentage
Technical writing in English 70%
Manage a documentation team 46%
Technical writing in a language
other than English 31%
Manage/co-ordinate
localization projects 31%
Other 15%
Translation 7%
Which categories of topics would interest you the most for discussion? (Ranked in order of preference)
Localisation and translation issues
Internationalisation issues
Intercultural issues in the work environment
What’s your experience in internationalisation and translation?
Amount of experience Percentage
More than 6 years 39%
No experience 23%
Up to 3 years 23%
3 to 6 years 15%
What’s your experience in internationalisation?
Amount of experience Percentage
More than 6 years 38%
No experience 31%
Up to 3 years 31%
3 to 6 years 0%
What’s your experience working with intercultural issues?
Amount of experience Percentage
More than 6 years 62%
Up to 3 years 23%
No experience 8%
3 to 6 years 8%
What topics would you like to discuss in our chats? Proposed topics are listed below. Ranked in order of preference:
Documentation standards for global content
Developing a global strategy for your content
Terminology management
Impact of the business environment when producing content for a global market (e.g., mergers & acquisitions, outsourcing, virtual teams, organizational silos, cultural issues)
Metrics and localisation
Getting started in and planning localization projects
Localisation and agile
European Union directives and their impact on documentation
Working with English as a second language and with multiple versions of English
Regulatory/legal issues related to the European market
Translation memories Getting the most from them
Working with localization service providers
Topics proposed by respondents:
Translation management technology and workflow
Component content management in multiple languages
How to demonstrate ROI and priority of internationalization
Which day of the week would you prefer the Watercooler Chats to be held once a month?
Day of the week Percentage
No preference 54%
Wednesday 39%
Tuesday (current day) 7%
What time of day would you prefer for the Watercooler Chats?
Time of day Percentage
18:00 CET (12.00 pm ET) 46%
17:00 CET (11.00 am ET) 39%
19:00 CET (1.00 pm ET) 15%
LET’S CHAT ABOUT… CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AT WORK
In this month’s Watercooler Chat we discussed the cultural differences we can encounter when working in a global environment.
Coping with different Englishes
All of us taking part in the chat were Anglophone and worked in English. However, we all worked with colleagues and customers scattered around the world for whom English isn’t a first language.
Some of us worked in environments where there can be different versions of English in use across the company worldwide; US, UK, Indian, Australian. It’s not always possible for technical communication groups to expect that only one version of English can be used in documentation worldwide. Regional markets can have their own demands. We need to understand local as well as global situations. There was also the challenge of ensuring correctly written English from globally dispersed writers who used another version of English in their own country.
China and documentation standards
Chinese manuals. Infamous. Often incomprehensible. The “contaminated English” found in many Chinese manuals often seem to be covered in the fingerprints of Google Translate (or an equivalent tool). The English can be amusing but it’s also frustrating to understand and challenging to rewrite.
The reality is that most Chinese companies only sell within China. So when selling internationally, they write their English manuals using the same practices as when they write documents for their own local market. The content is often more descriptive than instructional.
Manuals are usually written by engineers (an increasing number of whom have been trained in the US) as well as translators, whose training may not always produce a good quality of English. The concept of technical communication is in its infancy in China. Few Chinese writers are familiar with the principles of information design.
Chinese companies still have a long way to go in appreciating the benefit quality documentation can have on their profits.
Phone etiquette
We all regularly teleconferenced with colleagues located worldwide. Although great for work and for developing working relationships, a common problem encountered was poor sound quality. This could be due, for example, to people phoning in from their desks or cars, or using mobile phones.
Distracting background noise makes it difficult to clearly hear what’s being said. Native speakers can also speak too quickly. Unfortunately people may not speak up to say that they can’t follow the conversation, either through shyness or for fear that their English could be considered too poor. In a successful teleconference, everyone needs to understand phone etiquette.
Accents can cause problems. Unfamiliar ones can be difficult to understand over a phone line, particularly if there are no visual cues to help. Video conferencing is great but not everyone has access to it.
We all agreed that it’s important to write up the meeting so that everyone is clear on what was discussed and agreed upon, particularly if some may have had problems hearing or understanding what was said.
It takes practice and patience to get used to working with different accents as well as the English spoken by those who don’t have English as their first language.
Great chat
We had a great informative chat with everyone participating and sharing their experiences. Yet cultural differences don’t just cover language and national issues. Unfortunately we ran out of time to discuss the other hot cultural issue, corporate culture, and how it differs around the world.
About
This website is the home of the Europe SIG, a Special Interest Group in the Society for Technical Communication. Topics cover all aspects of technical communication as they pertain to technical communication in Europe.
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