The design of the man/machine interface for a transistor tester

This project is a practical exercise in system design undertaken by the previously named group of Electrical and Control Engineering students. The object of the project is the practical embodiment of ergonomic and systems design concepts incorporated within a lecture series in the subject. The whole project took place over the Spring Term and part of the Summer Term of the 1964/65 Academic Year. The material in this report was arrived at by considerable discussion amongst the whole group, although for convenience in the following text, the sections were each compiled by an individual member. This method of compilation has led to a small amount of overlapping between sections. The project itself is concerned with the design of the interface between a machine for carrying out tests on transistors and the operator of such a machine. In essence it amounts to the design of the controls and display panel. The commercial version of this instrument, made by the American firm Tektronix, was not examined until late in the project and consequently much of the design arrived at by the C.O.L. (College of Aeronautics) group is original. The C.O.A. group wish to acknowledge the help and guidance given by Mr. D. Whitfield of the Ergonomics Laboratory, C.O.A., during this project.