As you can see in the Press Releases, Amalthea Trust is again looking for volunteer engineers to help train up our students in Uganda. So, if you have experience in any of the modules mentioned, or would be interested in volunteering for any further modules (the Trust runs 3 blocks of 8 weeks for each 2 year course), then please let me know and we'll see how we can use your skills.

We are also interested in course materials / notes that we can adapt to the needs of the course.

Feel free to ask any questions related to the course and I'll be happy to answer them.

Steven

I'm wondering why the file is in .docx format.

It's the latest version of MSWord.

Yes. But not everybody has (or wants) that.

A way around .docx if you don't have (or want) the latest MS word is to download and save the file, then alter the file type to just .doc - you might even be able to change the file type when saving it from download.

It will then open in any prior version of word that you may have.

Sorry nerobot, I don't want to derail your thread.

@Geoff. Agreed - but Microsoft have decided that, that is the way it's going to be.

Converters are available for older versions of MSWord and OpenOffice on my Linux box opens it with no problems.

Sorry, didn't realise there were any issues around the new Word format. Please find attached a pdf file.

Hi Steven,
Looks good. Will see what I can find re x ray coursework etc that may be of use to you. Just a quick question, why PIC programming? Is this for test equipment applications? Just curious.
regards
Ed

Thanks for the .pdf Steven.

Like Ed, I was also wondering "why PIC programming"?

But I suppose that, as you have been out there, you have a fair idea about what it is the students actually need (or have asked for, whatever)?

Also (just out of interest) did we ever see the previous programme (semester)?

@Huw: no surrender! Myself, I believe that it's "for the best" to distribute files at the "lowest common denominator", unless there's an absolute reason (embedded stuff, for example) for using this month's favourite.


That may well work Chris ... but only for relatively recent iterations of MS-Word. Otherwise you need to get hold of add-ins.

"PIC programming". Yeah, I was quite surprised when I first heard this. While over in Uganda, we had several informal discussion with the students about what they would like to be taught and what would help them at work (about 6 of our current students already work in a hospital). On every one of these occasions, the students came up with PIC programming, which did surprise me.

There explanation was that they believe they would be able to fix some very simple problems by replacing a broken circuit with a "home-made" one made using a PIC. For some things, this actually does make sense, such as giving simple control to a autoclave's machine's door if the timer fails.

We won't be going into a huge amount of detail, just a couple of projects to give them the idea of where to start if they wish use them in the future.

Hope that makes sense.

Steven

Interesting. But how about:- "basic electronics"?*

* Or (for the example you give) ... relays!

Geoff,

This is the second block (of 3) for the current set of students. The necessary electronics was covered in the first block, while I was there in October / November.

Also, we are working in the Electronics Department within the University, and they are able to cover most of the non-medical based electronics theory.

Steven

Yes. So the guys are already at the "required level", then.

I thought I would draw that out. Many years ago I saw cases where "ex-GPO" techs (well, so-called techs) from a "certain country" were brought across to the UK to be trained on biomed kit. As you can probably guess from my preamble, it was a complete waste of time and money, as those guys (as willing as most of them were) were basically ... er, clueless.

Meanwhile, have you checked out what Frank has available?

Hi All,

It's the time again. We are once again looking for medical engineers / technicians to volunteer for our BME training program at Kyambogo University, Uganda.

The next training session will start in late October, and this will be our 3rd such session, so we have a better idea of what to expect, though we are still learning all the time. There will be both current and new students to be taught.

We are also in need of test and calibration equipment, both for training, and to donated to hospitals where our engineers are based. There's next to no calibration equipment within Uganda's hospitals, and as you all know, the equipment would be of no use without proper training. Therefore we would be looking at providing proper training on any test equipment donated.

The attached document contains rough details of what we are looking to cover, but please feel free to ask any questions on what's being covered or about the Trust in general.

Regards,

Steven Daglish

Project Manager
Amalthea Trust

www.amaltheatrust.org.uk