David Thompson Email & Phone Number

Memphis Tn

The automated process is protein extraction from soy beans. The I/E crew at this plant have come up through the ranks as electricians or other various backgrounds with no formal training on Instrumentation. My employer is contracted to provide support to their crew. Any instrument that we are asked to repair or calibrate is added to our permanent work load for periodic maintenance. Of the more than six thousand instruments in the plant; so far, we have claimed four hundred. The calibrations we perform are accomplished by:STOP and have safety firstremove the instrument from service.simulate the process by adapting a test device to the sensor.generate three input values that represent 0%, 50%, and 100% of the instrument’s intended measurement range.record the resulting three point analog dc amperage output readings as “as found”.if the readings are outside of the allowable tolerance, ‘zero’ and/or ‘span’ adjustments are made until the instrument is again within tolerance or replaced.the three-point measurements are repeated at this time and the readings are recorded as “as left”.once the instrument is returned to service and proper operation is verified the mechanical portion of the calibration is complete.This summarized calibration procedure applies to most of the instruments that we manage whether the instrument is for measuring temperature, pressure or level, and it applies to the I/P’s and control valves which are almost all pneumatic.Key AccomplishmentsResolved excess water usage problem by performing I/P and positioner calibrations followed by actuator/valve linkage adjustments. Three of the nine valves in question were initially installed improperly, such that the valve was held from fully seating when the actuator was at fully closed position. Also, in a very short time, I have achieved the confidence of my employer to be trusted to fill-in as lead technician to allow for vacation etc.

Lufkin, Tx

Individually responsible for maintenance for more than 50 tower sites across 5 counties. Started each day by checking the status of the sites. I then planned my day depending on the types of troubles and their distance from me. I would gather the replacement parts and material needed from my supply, which I maintained. If a trouble was effecting phone traffic it was top priority. An annual maintenance requirement was to measure the performance of each antenna and it's transmission line. An “Anritsu Site Master” is used for the testing. It sends a signal--sweeping through the 2 Gigahertz Band--up the transmission line to the antenna and records the VSWR or “reflected power” as a data capture. The data capture was two different files. One file showed the reflected power in relation to frequency and the other file was TDR (Time Domain Reflectometer). Simply put TDR is ‘how many feet from the Anritsu to the spike in reflected power’. This test showed the antenna’s ability to transmit and receive as well as giving location of the trouble. I would also test the output power of the transmit amplifiers annually. The results of these annual tests typically resulted in contracting a climbing crew to be my hands and eyes to repair troubles with the antennas and transmission lines.Key AccomplishmentsI never turned down the request to be part of the emergency response effort for each of the hurricanes: Ivan, Matthew, Dennis, Katrina, Rita, Humberto, Gustav, & Ike. The main thrust of these efforts was to shuttle 30 kw and 50 kw generators from a staging area to the cell sites. We would bring the sites up and make test calls before moving to the next site. When the commercial power began coming up we would begin the reverse effort of retrieving the generators and loading them on flat beds for transport.

Associate Of Science (As), Instrumentation Technology, 4.0/4.0

Activities and Societies: Phi Theta Kappa

Electrical And Electronics Engineering