Team Vandy Del Valle

Last day of work, we will make it count!
Let's hear from the team about what they did on their final day with the Del Valle students at Obras Sociales del Hermano Pedro!!!

Alison and Cristian check continuity

Hey, it's Alison! Today I worked on a Welch Allyn universal charger. After determining that the power cord and fuses were functioning properly, I worked with Cristian and Alex to troubleshoot the circuit inside the device. We isolated the problem as a non-functioning transformer. Then Alex and I called the company that manufactures the transformer as well as Welch Allyn but both told us that they couldn't give us any info about it so we couldn't do anything. The charger will either have to be sent in and repaired or a new one bought. I learned a lot from Alex because he was really familiar with circuit components and good at troubleshooting the circuit.
- Alison

I worked with Matías on blood pressure machines. We took apart 3 machines to test their batteries and found that two were broken. We conducted a series of charging tests and subsequent usage to determine whether the batteries could charge and whether they could hold a charge during use. We replaced the batteries in the two broken units.
-Meredith

Today I spent the day entirely building a bilirubin light for the Palin Maternity Hospital. Alex and Kevin helped me yesterday prepare the LEDs and resistors on the perf board, and today Yucely helped me solder all the components together, after which Kevin and Alex rejoined us to integrate all the components and celebrate in our working phototherapy light. With the time-intensive nature of the project, it would have been so incredibly difficult to complete.
- Ryan

Ryan and three Del Valle students: Ycely, Alex, and Kevin

Ryan is showcasing the bilirubin light!
Way to go Ryan!

Today we worked on an OR table that was having problems with leaky hydraulic fluid. We located the source of the leaks, which was in the controller, but ran into trouble because the controller had square holed screws of which we did not have screwdrivers for. So we traveled all around Antigua with Cecilia looking for this unique screwdriver piece. The hardware store worker finally found one in their scratch pieces, and it just so happened to fit perfectly in the screws the controller had. Once we were able to inspect the inside of the controller, the Del Valle students, Jose Roberto, Luise Jose, and Cristian, and Professor Adams and I were able to come up with a solution. We left the suggestion for fixing the leak with their hospital technician, who was excited to get to fix the problem. In the meantime, we'll look for replacement tubing to fully fix the leak. It was awesome getting to collaborate with the Del Valle students. We had a really fun time working and telling stories, and just having an overall good time.
-Lydia

Lydia, Professor Adams, and Jose work on OR table

Today I worked with Linus, Erick, and Julio on fixing a light source as well as finding a cable for an insufflator. I had a great time getting to know and learn from the Del Valle students and am so glad I had the chance to collaborate with them!
-Claire

Cassie and Quinn brainstorm about solutions!

Today Quinn and I worked on vital signs monitor with Matias Velasquez and it was great. Unfortunately, we spent a lot of time on the phone with technical support, only to finally be told that it needed a new battery. Before that though, we spent time working through errors that would come up on the screen when we used the screen. It would die every time we inflated 170 mmHg (which was the fault of the weak battery).
-Cassie and Quinn



Sami, Kevin and I worked on two endoscopy light sources. The first one had some mechanical issue in the brightness adjustment switch, but because the model is old and manuals were no longer available, we could not take apart the switch to check throughly. The light source is still functional but only at it's maximum light output. The lamp in the second light source detached from its bracket and caused reduction in light output, with Kevin's help we were able to glue the lamp back into its position and the light source was fully functional. It was such a great experience to work with Kevin and other Del Valle students. They are incredibly knowledgeable and easygoing. I would love to keep in touch with them!
-Joanna

Joe and Monica work on surgical irrigation system

Today I worked on a surgical irrigation system with Mόnica Castellano. We ended up going through the entire machine and isolated a malfunctioning capacitor. We hope to order a replacement and have it working as soon as possible.
-Joe

I worked with Claire, Erick, and Julio today to try to fix a fiber optic light source and an insufflator. We weren't really able to fix the light source because we didn't have an oscilloscope to look at the voltage but we were able to find the gas connection for the insufflator that we would potentially want to buy, depending on the price. Otherwise, I spent a lot of the day talking with Erick and Julio and learning Guatemalan slang words, which was incredibly fun. Saying goodbye to them later tonight will be really sad because we've gotten to know them well over the course of this week while working together and hanging out together.
-Linus


Today I worked on two light sources! One light source is fully functional, however, the other light source was a bit more challenging. Upon inspection, this light source had an old fuse and needed a replacement. Unfortunately, I did not have the required fuse, so Celicia, Lydia, Professor Adams, and I walked around town to several electronic/ hardware stores in search of a fuse and various other supplies the team needed. We were fortunate enough to find a small shop that had only one 5 Amp fuse left! Returning back to the hospital, I excitedly replaced the fuse in hopes of restoring functionality. To my dismay, the fuse blew immediately, according to the manual this indicates that the PCBA auxiliary board needs to be replaced. There was nothing more that I could do to fix the light source, however, I was able to find PCBA auxiliary board purchasing information and share it with the hospital administrative staff!

-Jasmine

Jasmine checks functionality of light source

My work today was to organize, cheerlead, teach, and counsel, trying to keep 12 Vandy students and about that many students from Universidad del Valle busy. I also got to learn a bit more about circuits from the students and from my colleague Carlos Esquit, professor and head of mechatronics at UVG.
- Dr. P.

 Vandy and Del Valle made such a good team; it is so hard to say goodbye. We look forward to staying in touch with our friends and continuing to build a friendship with Del Valle.