Where do factory techs get their training? at DVinfo.net

Eric Lian · March 30th, 2004, 03:41 AM

Hypothetical.

I'm 15 days from the nearest road, and the nearest airport is an additional 15 days from that point in the road. I'm changing tapes, the tape door is open, a Land Rover drives by through the middle of a mud puddle, covering me, the camera, and the exposed tape head. This is the only camera we have. I have to fix it.

If I can spend the next 48 hours in a mosquito net with a Swiss Army knife, water, alcohol, Q-Tips, and a cleaning tape, I will have saved the production.

I know there must be a handful of people who could actually do this because they learned this stuff somewhere. Where?

If I wanted to work on my XL-1 and perform the work that the factory techs currently perform, where would I get that training?

Is there a school, university, vocational program that teaches rudimentary service skills?

I'm looking for an answer other than the school of hard knocks or trial and error.

Frank Granovski · March 30th, 2004, 04:01 AM

Tom Hardwick has a good article about how to clean cam heads, but his article is down at the moment.

I assume techs take engineering and then get further training with the company that hires them.

Don Palomaki · March 30th, 2004, 05:03 AM

Factory techs typically have vocational or two year t3echnical trainig followed by factory sponsored (not necessarly at the factory) training on the specific gear they work on to learn its characteristics and the stuff that is not covered in the service manuals.

My observation is that most electrical engineering schools are more theory oriented.

Jeff Donald · March 30th, 2004, 05:12 AM

Many of the Factory Chief Technicians in this country are Japanese and spend several years in the states before rotating back to Japan. The training requirements are probably higher in Japan than in the states. Don is correct that most have vocational or trade school training. The factories (manufactures) also offer training on repairs. The courses are usually a week long, fairly expensive, and do not cover most of the prosumer cameras.

Eric Lian · March 30th, 2004, 12:08 PM

Thanks, Guys.

My expertise with my XL-1 is limited to a standard cleaning tape at the prescribed hours. Is there anyone here doing significantly more than this? If yes, are there links other than the "down" Tom Hardwick link that you have used as a reference?

March 30th, 2004, 03:41 AM	#1
Eric Lian Regular Crew Join Date: May 2003 Location: Sonoma County, CA Posts: 61	Where do factory techs get their training? Hypothetical. I'm 15 days from the nearest road, and the nearest airport is an additional 15 days from that point in the road. I'm changing tapes, the tape door is open, a Land Rover drives by through the middle of a mud puddle, covering me, the camera, and the exposed tape head. This is the only camera we have. I have to fix it. If I can spend the next 48 hours in a mosquito net with a Swiss Army knife, water, alcohol, Q-Tips, and a cleaning tape, I will have saved the production. I know there must be a handful of people who could actually do this because they learned this stuff somewhere. Where? If I wanted to work on my XL-1 and perform the work that the factory techs currently perform, where would I get that training? Is there a school, university, vocational program that teaches rudimentary service skills? I'm looking for an answer other than the school of hard knocks or trial and error. __________________ www.liandigitalmedia.com www.henry1.com

March 30th, 2004, 05:03 AM	#3
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,487	Factory techs typically have vocational or two year t3echnical trainig followed by factory sponsored (not necessarly at the factory) training on the specific gear they work on to learn its characteristics and the stuff that is not covered in the service manuals. My observation is that most electrical engineering schools are more theory oriented. __________________ dpalomaki@dspalomaki.com

March 30th, 2004, 05:12 AM	#4
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	Many of the Factory Chief Technicians in this country are Japanese and spend several years in the states before rotating back to Japan. The training requirements are probably higher in Japan than in the states. Don is correct that most have vocational or trade school training. The factories (manufactures) also offer training on repairs. The courses are usually a week long, fairly expensive, and do not cover most of the prosumer cameras. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

March 30th, 2004, 12:08 PM	#5
Eric Lian Regular Crew Join Date: May 2003 Location: Sonoma County, CA Posts: 61	Thanks, Guys. My expertise with my XL-1 is limited to a standard cleaning tape at the prescribed hours. Is there anyone here doing significantly more than this? If yes, are there links other than the "down" Tom Hardwick link that you have used as a reference? __________________ www.liandigitalmedia.com www.henry1.com

March 30th, 2004, 04:01 AM	#2
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	Tom Hardwick has a good article about how to clean cam heads, but his article is down at the moment. I assume techs take engineering and then get further training with the company that hires them.