A reflective study on industrial training experience

Industrial training serves as an important element in learning processes of electrical engineering because it offers practical exposure to the workplace environment and enables students to apply knowledge gained from university to the industry. This article will focus on discussing the author's personal experience of industrial training related to air conditioning installation and maintenance process.
During my industrial training I had hands-on exposure to servicing and installation processes associated with split unit air conditioners. Through this process I got insight into how the electrical system operations in practice. I was assigned the job of assisting technicians in performing maintenance and installation activities. The activities included wiring, checking the performance of the system, servicing indoor and outdoor units of the split air conditioners daily. Additionally, I followed the technicians closely to understand the operations of the system and how each electrical part contributes to the operation of the whole unit.
One of the most important technical skills gained was how capacitors operate in the outdoor air conditioning units. First, I realized that the system consists of two types of capacitors, namely capacitors for fan motor and another for compressor. To ensure proper system performance, each capacitor must satisfy the required capacitance specifications. In addition, I learned to identify defective capacitors and replace them safely, which involves isolating the power supply, discharging the capacitor, and installing a new component. I believe that such experience enabled me to know more about electrical parts and their operation.