This morning I helped replace a malfunctioned server in Building WT. I was also given a tour around that building and what each lab does. From the labs I went through, I discovered that there were automated tests on phones testing audio and visuals and it used a different type of DTR to test the phones functions. When I went into the labs all I heard was ringtones going on and off. After the trip to WT, we went back to building Q and I got some more practice on using the Spectrum Analyzer since I will be demonstrating its functions for the iPOL/tour tomorrow. I am confident and ready to present my POL and the tour.
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Today I helped check the the network in the rack rooms and on the PC's. Later today I worked on authenticating the chip emulator for the ones I worked on in building R. I used a script to make sure the system would work properly when the machine is up and running. An issue I faced when working on the authentication was running into Errors on one of the RUMI's. The PC couldn't communicate with the RUMI and I looked for reasons as to why it was malfunctioning. The reason it wouldn't work is because one of the pins to the card on inside the RUMI was bent and it also required screws to stay in place. We also had to re image the PC in order for the computer to work.
Below is my iPOL presentation: Click here On this last Tuesday of internship I helped move in the RUMI systems (chip emulators) from a lab in building Q to building R across the street. The work started from 8-11 am and we received help from the other Lab Ops team members to setup computers, RUMI's and the flex cards. I helped setup a row of benches and made sure the computers were connected to the network, connected flex cards and made sure we gave it a power module of 5 volts, then connected the RUMI's and switches connected to it. One problem we encountered when setting up the machines was the switches for the RUMI's required 12 volt power modules and other RUMI systems had the 5 and 12 volts mixed up.
New appreciations I developed while working as an intern was respecting the work engineers do on a daily basis. The phones we have today wouldn't be this advanced without the help of hard working people prepared to change technology. Some qualities that I saw in the people around was how nice, cheerful and hard working they were. It seemed like they loved every second of their job, no matter how hard or frustrating it was. They always kept a smile on their face and gave nice gestures to the people around them. My view of life beyond high school changed a lot during my time as an intern here at Qualcomm. I have a new found respect for the people in the workforce especially for the career I want to get into. I also realized that the workforce isn't all that bad as I thought it was and as long as I work in the job I love then I'll be happy. This internship has showed me a pathway to possible future careers I want to get into and from this experience I can use this knowledge I have gained to attain that position. In a working environment communication is one the most important traits a person needs in order to be successful in their field of work. People communicate here at Qualcomm all the time and through this they have made products from the use of advanced technology. Without communication this business would have been successful nor would this Lab Ops team. Today I worked on retiring an old rack used in one of the labs. I helped dismantle and move the rack out of the lab and sent it back to manufacturing. I also assisted in moving the RUMI systems and computer setups out of another lab. I participated in a ticket to help install an ALU radio at the top floor of building Q. An ALU radio is another type radio frequency generator.
From my experience working at Qualcomm for a month I have made some contributions in the decreasing the work load for the Lab Ops team and I have helped with many tickets that have been backed up. My work as an intern has expanded my knowledge on technology and how business works and I think this will further aid my work in college and so on. Working at Qualcomm has helped me become a more independent and responsible person and I have learned the daily difficulties of work. For my final project I planned on giving a tour of the building I work in, but after working here for many weeks that idea became more engineer tailored. I will be giving an in depth tour of the labs and its functions as well as demonstrating the equipment I have used and give a presentation of what Qualcomm Lab Ops does. Through this experience I learned how to work in a fast paced environment and I also learned that hard work and determination will lead you closer to your goal. Today I worked on the RUMI system mentioned in the past logs at building BF. We finally acquired the components needed for the system which was the memory cards (DDR3). However, after we installed the memory cards and ran the program, it required another link system for the RUMI to work. So I spent a lot of time looking for the port for the chain link on the inside of the RUMI. It turns out we needed a special usb - to micro port cord to connect the link. So we went to other buildings to look for the cord and we found some at building M. It took some time to find the port for the RUMI system because it was hidden in among the other components. We found the port by looking at other RUMI systems.
From my internship experience I think teachers can replicate the technology/hands-on work more in classrooms. If work was more technology related, I feel people would be more interested in what they do in class. However the technology in HTHI isn't really up to par, but that can be fixed. Another suggestion is inviting guests and having them give a presentation on what they do at their job. Some new skills that I've learned from working at Qualcomm is being ready to face challenges and being eager to work. These skills will help me in the future with school and my career. This morning I went to building BF to help setup computers for a new team moving in then went to building AQ to see if the adapters for the RUMI system were there. However, we couldn't find the adapters that we were looking for yesterday so we went back to building Q to see what work had to be done. I helped run RF cables from one bench to another using adapters to connect existing cables to new ones. After that, I got to work on the Spider Boards on the DTR's. I learned how to power on and off the power module to the Spider Boards as well as do troubleshooting with an issue with the PC detecting multiple Spider Boards instead of one. I learned how to distribute power to the different ports on the power module as well.
Wednesday, January 20th, I worked on nstalling RUMI systems at building AQ. I learned that the program required to check the components for the RUMI called VISR is non existent, so the check for the components is put on hold till we find another program to use. However installing the components was fairly simple, mostly plug and play. I also took a tour at building AY and assisted in repairing a downed panda system. Through the installation of the panda system I learned that the turf cards required for it have two different types: FFE or non FFE. FFE in short it is fiber connection and it speeds the process of data transport without path loss unlike coaxial cables.
BLOGS
So this blog post is less formal since it's not related to my other blogs, but I have looked over other Intern's blogs and they all seem to be having a lot of fun. I looked at Destin, Mason and Karla's blog posts and from what I have read, they are all learning a lot. I am very excited to hear about their experiences when we come back to school. Everyone is working very hard at their internships and I am hoping their work will lead to a better work experience at school and their future careers. Today I assembled and cabled a Spider Board on the DTR racks. A Spider Board is a test device that communicates between a PC and UE (User Equipment). Engineers use the DTR to test phone capabilities and in order to do so it requires a power module and a Spider Board to connect it. It requires 12 Volts to power it on and the power module controls how much voltage is distributed in each port. The component is called a Spider Board because there are many pathways cables take to connect to the PC, power module, etc. Besides working on the DTR I attended a meeting for the support engineering team done every Tuesday. I also helped in fixing downed Slimcat systems in the labs.
Today I worked at building M, a manufacturing building for assembling parts for the Panda Systems, etc. While I was there I was taught the 3 main roles in the manufacturing building. The roles are design, manufacturing and testing and analysis. If a system or board is malfunctioning in testing it goes back to design or the manufacturing department. I also learned the basics of excel and pivot charts and how it is used in an engineering career. Engineers use these programs to document all data collected from testing and analysis and they use this data to make changes in their products. Because their products are very conductive, I was told to wear a static proof smock to avoid conducting electricity. I also learned about the use of an Attenuator Box. An Attenuator Box is a device used to control the db and run multiple loops/tests. They use this in conjunction with the Signal Generator and the Spectrum Analyzer.
From my first week experience, the work at school is much like Qualcomm. Some days are busy, some are not. People expect to get the work done when it needs to be done through the ticket system. From this internship experience so far, I have learned to be more open and confident with my work even if it is wrong. Working at Qualcomm has opened new pathways to future careers I would like to take, like Electrical Engineering. From what I have learned from internship, I can translate to school for any future classes. One example is Dr. Don's engineering class. This morning I successfully installed a Wildcat system on and my own as well as renaming and rebooting the software. I worked on a 1x4 system and the other two people I was working with installed a 1x12 and a 1x8 system. The amount of times required to reboot and rename the systems depends on the size of the Wildcats. Later that day I attended a meeting discussing work orders and how their technology orders are placed and shipped to other countries. After that I took a tour to the Qualcomm museum and saw the history of how Qualcomm developed.
Today I ran some coaxial cables to benches and attached BNS and SMA adapters to the cables. The cables were attached to RF distribution panels and the panels were directly linked to the radio. We didn't test the RF with the spectrum analyzer because an engineer was already working on the bench and we didn't want to disturb him. The engineer sent a request for Wireless One signal and we finished the ticket in about half an hour. I also helped install a Linux server in the server rooms in building R. I drilled and installed the server to the rack and routed an Ethernet cable to the device.
For my project I plan to do a full tour of the building I work in (Building Q). I plan on showing my peers the components required to operate a server, spider board, etc. I also plan on doing a presentation on what each role everyone in Lab Ops does. This morning I worked on more Wildcat systems and ran some more RF cables to benches in the labs. I found out that the radio needed an attenuation to make the signal less hot. Apparently, there was no attenuation connectors to be found so we will need to wait for an order to be placed for more. I helped install and distribute signals to the benches. These signals included: GSM, LTE, C2K, WCDMA and TDS CDMA. These signals are used to test out RF on phone chips and engineers on the benches bring out the capabilities through the RF signals provided. On this eventful day we discussed lottery winnings. I learned you shouldn't trust anyone and you shouldn't spend all your money at once. Besides talking about the lotto, I installed a power strip to one of the racks and moved some network ports and building AM. I also assisted in linking the screen rooms to the network. Apparently it had reoccurring network issues and we had to fix it. A screen room is a copper grounded room located in various labs and it tests specific signals of RF, but insures little, to no interference of other RF in the area.
Today was comprised of running cables from DTR's to benches. DTR stands for Data Testing Rack, and is used to distribute RF to the benches using coaxial cable. After plugging in the cables to the benches we use the Spectrum Analyzer to check the decibels and make sure the frequency isn't too high for the equipment the engineers use. (If the frequency is too high it can damage the equipment.) I learned that there were different types of RF like GSM, 1x CDMA 2000 and W CDMA. They both utilize Radio but emit in different frequencies. There are many other types of RF distributors, but these are some that I have worked on today. It is a little different from Wildcat or Panda systems because it uses RF, but Wildcats generate RF.
Because of the storms happening lately, there was a leak at a nearby building. I helped out mopping the floor of the "rack room" or server room to avoid electrical conductivity. I also helped install turf boards to the Panda Systems in one of the server rooms in the main building I work in. (Turf boards help distribute LTE signal to the benches and requires maintenance from the support mechanics.) Daniel, one of my other mentors, guided me on how to install and program the turf board. It is an easy process to do the hardware but a tedious process for software because you have to manually upgrade each version of the software on a computer. I was also given an expanded tour of the building I work in and the building beside it. These first two days were very interesting. In order to work in this environment you have to be willing to work and learn. You also have to be proficient in programming as well as having good communication skills. So far I have no dislikes. I have learned a lot on these first two days like how LTE and communications work, etc.
The support engineer team is comprised of a small group of people working to help support the other engineers working on projects for cellphone chips. They help through fixing the private servers engineers use to mimic 4G LTE. Upon further speculation, the work is very tedious because it involves a lot of programming and using Linux. Linux is an operating system, like windows, but is used for web serving, networking, databases and scientific computing. Because I am not very experienced in programming and using Linux I helped with installing Radio Frequency (RF) cables. Based on my work here I learned how 4G LTE has developed and I also learned how Qualcomm was established.
Qualcomm is a chip manufacturing company improving telecommunications. The building I will be working in is a Lab and Research facility (Building Q). I will be working with the Lab Ops team and their role is to help support other labs and help fix any repairs engineers need. Careers needed in order to join this company is any branch of engineering, but mostly Electrical and Computer Engineering. Work in the Lab Ops team is distributed through a ticket system. When engineers need repairs on their benches (work stations), they send in requests through tickets. In order to be successful to work at Qualcomm, an individual needs to be able to communicate and have a good work ethic, besides having an engineering degree. I am very lucky to have acquired this internship and am pleased to work here. I look forward to working here in the upcoming days.
Since tomorrow is my first official day of working at Internship I am very excited to learn about how Qualcomm works and I get to immerse myself in the professional world. I am excited to learn more about the career I want to take in the future and expand my knowledge on engineering. However, I am most nervous about meeting new people, and since I am the only Junior working in this specific building, i'll be alone. |
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