Learning About Engineering Design Through Product Dissection

The electromechanical watt-hour meter is a familiar sight on utility posts and buildings everywhere. Millions of these meters register electrical energy use for the purpose of revenue billing by electric power suppliers. Watt-hour meters are excellent engineered products for learning about the engineering design process and the engineering disciplines through the use of reverse engineering or product dissection. At Iowa State University, we are using these meters to provide an experiential, hands-on mechatronics laboratory for junior high, high school, and freshmen engineering students. This paper describes the process used in the mechantronic laboratory and many opportunities for using these engineering masterpieces.