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Updated Sept 1, 2005

** Note that this is info on the 2005 class **

2005 PE Exam Review Course
Below is information about the web seminars, links to
study materials, and links to the official California PE
exam website. As the course goes along, more
information will be added to this page. To sign up for
the current class or for more info, please contact
John Prince at (714) 968-5501.
Contents
General Information
Class Meeting Location
Important Dates
Registering for the Class
Books and Study Materials
Course Outline
About the Instructors
About the California Exam
General information
The Section will provide breakfast pastries, coffee and bottled water at the beginning of each class. If you would like any other snacks or refreshments other than these, please bring them from home.
Important dates
For exam dates and information on the exam, visit the State of California PE Exam webpage.
The review course is being held on Saturday mornings, 8:00am to 1:00pm, beginning July 23 and ending in mid-September, with no classes on August 6, 13 or September 3. Also, we may hold additional problem-working sessions during September and October or show the webseminars again if there is enough interest. Click here for the complete schedule.
Class Location
For class location, please contact
John Prince at (714) 968-5501.
Registering for the class
The PE Review Course is presented by the Los Angeles Section of ISA beginning in July 2005. This year the class will be based on the ISA web seminars (see below) which received high praise last year. Certificates of Achievement will be awarded to all who complete the course.
The registration fee for the course is $195 for ISA members and $280 for non-members. (Non-member registration includes a one-year membership in ISA, an $85 value.) The registration fee includes all sessions, including the web seminars, but no class study guide or other books. These are available directly from ISA. See "Books" below.
The class will be limited to the first ten (10) ISA members who register, with those planning to take the 2005 California CSE exam having first priority. To register for the class, please mail a check payable to "ISA Los Angeles Section" to the address below. (The section is not set up to accept credit cards.) Please note that registration is not complete until payment has been received by the Section.
(Note - this is a new address as of Aug 2005)
ISA Los Angeles Section
PE Exam Review Course
P.O. Box 5770
El Monte, CA 91734
To join ISA or for more information about its benefits, please contact Membership Chair,
Bill Campbell.
Books and study materials
Each class member will be required to have a copy of the official ISA study guide, which can be purchased directly from ISA. Also, ISA is making each of the Liptak books (not required for the course) available to us at a 10% discount off the normal price.
Click here for more info on these study materials.
Course outline
Please note that the class sessions as listed below is subject to change, so check by phone or email if you need the latest information.
The following are descriptions of each web seminar session excerpted from
www.isa.org. Click on the title for more detailed information about that session. (The scheduling and pricing information given on the ISA pages do not apply to this course as we are using them by special permission of ISA.)
Session 1: Standards and References
Paul Darnbrough, Instructor
July 23, 2005
This is the first of six sessions focused on the Control Systems Engineer (CSE) Professional Engineer (PE) exam. It will give control systems engineers an introduction to the background and format of the CSE PE examination produced by NCEES and administered by the state professional license boards. The exam specifications, knowledge areas, and skill requirements are outlined. References, test taking tips, and standards/codes are included in this session.
Session 2: Control System Analysis
Victor Wegelin, Instructor
July 30, 2005
This session will give you a quick overview of the most likely exam topics in control loops, methods of loop documentation, various loop types, characteristics of control function, and some loop problems. Controllers and their function are included in the application portion of the review. Some advanced control techniques are also surveyed.
August 6 and 13, 2005 - No Class
Session 3: Control Systems Implementation
Paul Darnbrough, Instructor
August 20, 2005
This session will give you a quick review of control loop tuning, control system implementation, architecture, configuration, programming, and safety instrument functions, as well as open and closed loop tuning, system layout, and considerations for safety integrity levels (SILs).
Session 4: Measurement, Part 1
Joe Hohn, Instructor
August 27, 2005
This session will give you a quick review of the base primary measurement of pressure, level, and analytical properties. The review topics include units of measurement, sensor types, transmitter fundamentals, applications and calculations.
Session 5: Final Control Elements
Victor Wegelin, Instructor
September 10, 2005
This session will give you a quick review of control valve types, characteristics, installation, and application, as well as valve sizing and selection, with references for additional study. Relief valves will be reviewed briefly with additional reference material noted.
Session 6: Measurement, Part 2
Joe Hohn, Instructor
September 17, 2005
This session will give you a quick review of the base primary measurement of flow and various signal types and transmission. The topics include units of flow measurement, sensor types, transmitter fundamentals, and applications. Signal types, transmission methods, and installation considerations are also reviewed.
Session 7: Review and Problem Working Session
Details to be announced later
September 24, 2005
This session will be an informal review of any topics that students need additional help with. We will arrange to work as many problems as needed at this session. Additional problem-working sessions may also be set up after this class if needed.
Also, we will arrange to show one or more of the webseminars again as needed and as they are available.
Click here for a list of all archived pre-recorded ISA Web Seminars.
Click here for a list of all upcoming live ISA Web Seminars.
About the instructors
Paul Darnbrough is a registered Electrical Professional Engineer with
KDC Systems
in Los Alamitos, and has 15 years of experience in design, engineering, programming, and construction of electrical systems and process automation projects. He is a 1989 graduate of UCLA. His industry experience includes plastics, food, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals, while his process experience includes material handling, batch and continuous processing, scaling/metering, extrusion, evaporation, and the development of OEM equipment. Paul's recent experience include I&C design and programming on two 10,000+ I/O DeviceNet and Foundation Fieldbus pharmaceutical projects, and he is currently acting as lead project engineer on a large DN and FF water treatment project.
Joe Hohn is an I&C engineer with
Dynalectric
in San Diego and has 25 years of experience in the application, commissioning and troubleshooting of instrumentation. Among Joe's recent projects was the 16,000 point Biogen Idec (now Genetec) plant in Oceanside, California, where he served as design lead for instrumentation and valves. He will review traditional analog and discrete equipment and circuits as well as the more common of the fieldbus technologies. Joe is a 1977 graduate of the University of Maryland. He has taught the ISALA review course a number of times and is an exam writer for the ISA CAP exam. Joe has also taught ISA seminars, including "Field Buses and the Controls Technician," an overview of the more common buses, their applications, troubleshooting techniques, configuration and diagnostic tools and best practices for maintaining both the bus infrastructure and the instruments, valves and I/O that are routinely connected to the buses.
Victor Wegelin is owner of
PMA Concepts, an independent consulting firm based in Westminster, California, and has over 25 years experience in the design, implementation and support of Industrial Networks, total integrated solutions that include measurement, control, operator interface, and business system links. He holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from University of Cincinnati, and an MBA from The University of Chicago. He is a licensed professional Control Systems engineer. Victor joined ISA in 1983, and was recently named a Fellow. Victor began teaching for ISA in 1990, and now specializes in the teaching and development of many popular courses dealing with industrial network technologies. He also helped develop and now teaches the Industrial Controls Certificate program at California State University, Fullerton., and a Wonderware HMI course for Texas State Technical College.
Gerald Wilbanks, is the instructor who presents the web seminars in the videos that will be shown at each session. (He will not be present in person during the class.) He is Vice President of Documentation & Engineering Services at
ISA - The Instrumentation, Systems and Automation Society and has over 36 years of experience in engineering, management, consulting, and design in heavy industry. He served in progressive positions of increasing responsibility as an Instrument Design Engineer, Senior Design Engineer, Engineering Manager Control Systems, and Vice President Quality Improvement with Union Carbide and Rust Engineering before becoming a principal of his own firm. Mr. Wilbanks is a registered professional engineer in 14 states, a member of NSPE, ASQ, and an International Former President (1995) of ISA -The Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society. Gerald is a graduate of Mississippi State University with a Bachelors Degree in Electrical Engineering and was recognized as the Engineer of the Year in 1991 by the Engineering Council of Birmingham. He serves on the Advisory Board for the College of Engineering at Mississippi State University and is a Distinguished Engineering Fellow of the university. The Birmingham Section of ISA accorded Mr. Wilbanks the Engineer of the Year award in 1996, as well as the Distinguished Society Service recognition in 1997 and Young Engineer of the Year award in 1978. He has served as an instructor in many courses, classes and other educational sessions.
Additional information about the instructors will be added here as it is received.
About the California Exams and PE Registration
The Official State of California PE Exam website, contains examination and application information, future exam schedules and filing deadlines for both PE and EIT/FE exams, downloadable forms, laws and regulations, a searchable PE licensee database, publications and links, exam sites and maps, and exam reference materials, and statistics of past examinations since 1998.

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