Trade Related Digital Skills – JSS3 Digital Technologies Lesson Note (Second Term)

Trade-related digital skills are practical skills for repairing and upgrading digital devices, which a person can use to earn a living.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Name five tools in a phone or computer technician’s toolbox and state the use of each.
2. Identify the main parts inside a GSM phone.
3. Describe two simple hardware upgrades: adding RAM and changing to an SSD.
4. List the three steps of the repair process in order.
5. State two ethical rules a repair technician must follow.

What is hardware repair?

Hardware repair is the skill of finding and fixing faults in the physical parts of a device such as a phone or computer.

• Trade skill: a skill you do with your hands to solve problems for people and earn money.
• Examples: replacing a cracked phone screen, cleaning a charging port, adding memory to a slow computer.

What tools does a phone or computer technician use?

A technician’s toolbox holds small, careful tools made for delicate electronic parts.

• Precision screwdrivers: very small Star, Philips and flathead types, because electronic screws are tiny.
• Anti-static wrist strap: protects delicate chips from static electricity in your body.
• Plastic pry tools (spudgers): open phone cases without scratching them.
• Magnifying glass: helps you see very small parts and marks on a board.
• Tweezers: pick up parts as small as a grain of rice.
• Multimeter: checks whether electricity is flowing correctly through a wire or a battery.

The Golden Rule: never force a component. If a part will not move, a hidden screw is probably holding it.

What is a GSM phone?

A GSM phone is a mobile phone that works on the Global System for Mobile Communications network. GSM stands for Global System for Mobile Communications.

What are the main parts inside a phone?

There are five key parts a technician must know: the logic board, screen, battery, SIM card and antenna.

1. Logic board (motherboard): the “brain” of the phone, where the CPU and memory are found.
2. Screen (LCD or OLED): shows the display and is the part that most often breaks and needs replacement.
3. Battery: stores power. If a phone dies quickly, the battery is usually the cause.
4. SIM card: identifies you on the network. It is linked to your phone number and can also store contacts.
5. Antenna: picks up signals from the service provider’s mast.

What are the common phone problems?

Most phone faults come from dirt, wear or damage to one part, as the table shows.

What is a hardware upgrade?

A hardware upgrade is the replacement or addition of a part to make a computer work better. It is like giving a car a bigger engine.

• Why upgrade: a computer may not be broken, only slow, and an upgrade costs less than a new one.
• Two easy upgrades: adding more RAM and changing to an SSD.

What is RAM and how does adding it help?

RAM is the temporary working memory a computer uses for the programs that are open.

• Problem: a computer with too little RAM struggles when many apps are open at once.
• Upgrade: add an extra stick of RAM, for example moving from 4GB to 8GB.
• Result: the computer handles many apps more smoothly.

What is an SSD and how is it different from an HDD?

A Hard Disk Drive (HDD) stores data on spinning disks. A Solid State Drive (SSD) stores data on memory chips and has no moving parts.

• Upgrade result: replacing an old HDD with an SSD makes the computer start up and open files much faster.

What safety steps must a technician follow?

Always switch off and remove the power source before touching any internal part.

• Power: remove the battery or unplug the power cable first.
• Static: wear an anti-static wrist strap when handling chips and boards.
• Force: never force a part. Look for a hidden screw or clip.

What are the steps of the repair process?

The repair process has three steps: interview the customer, observe the device, then try the smallest fix first.

1. The interview: ask the customer what happened. Did it fall, get wet or just stop working?
2. Observation: look for physical clues. Is the screen cracked? Is the charging port wobbly?
3. The smallest fix first: do not replace the whole screen if the fault is only a loose cable.

What ethics must an honest technician follow?

Technician ethics are the rules of honest and respectful behaviour when handling a customer’s device.

• Privacy: never look through a customer’s photos or messages. It is unprofessional and a breach of the customer’s privacy.
• Quality: always tell the customer whether you are using a new part or a used part.

Class activity: identifying parts

• Activity: the teacher brings an old “dead” phone or system unit.
• Task: students practise identifying the battery, the RAM and the SIM slot.
• Rule: do not touch the delicate parts.

Evaluation

1. What is the use of an anti-static wrist strap?
2. State the full meaning of GSM.
3. Name two simple hardware upgrades and state what each does.
4. List the three steps of the repair process in order.
5. Give two ethical rules for a repair technician.

Assignment

A customer brings a phone that will not charge. Write the questions you would ask, two things you would look for, and your smallest first fix.