From almost its creation the Machines and Motors Laboratory had a classroom to offer a suitable space for the teaching of the theoretical foundations of their operation, and the practice of the instruments to use during its tests.
After many years without a suitable maintenance it was evident that repairs in ceiling, banks, platforms, general painting, etc. were needed. So in 1996 with the commitment of the Department of Mechanics to get the resources to complete works within this regular classes period, these began at a significant rate but soon after they stop because of lack of economic means, when due to the nonexistan ceiling the classroom no longer could fulfill its function.
In the regular classes periods from 1997 to 2000 tasks continued during brief periods separated by prolonged times without any activity. A good part of the walls and ceiling of the Classroom were rebuilt in this way and also a good part of the electrical system.


In the second half of 2000 year Professor Gustavo Marín suggested the inclusion in the Classroom of a Pneumatic board that he was constructing in the Mechanics workshop with the 5th and 6th Year students of the Specialty and the idea was received with total approval by the School's authorities.
Thus it was neccesary to rethink the destiny of the Classroom that would be not only used for the teaching of the machines' function but also for the practices with this board of own design that would be incorporated as equipment for the Laboratory.
Most of the elements necessary to construct it were obtained by donation or using the available ones within the Establishment. Those that were necessary to buy were acquired once again with the valuable contribution of the Asociación Cooperadora.


In the second 2001 semester the School received in donation a very important Hydraulic and Pneumatic Controls teaching equipment our authorities decided to destine it to this Laboratory. We must stand out that due to its size (several boards, two cylinders commanded by five types different form valves -retention, sequence, directional, manual and electronic, retention and piloted- ; motor and oil tank with hydraulic pump (power unit), three pressure gauges, a flowmeter, pressure controllers and hydraulic motor with torque meter plus an important power supply) it became necessary to redesign the disposition of the Classroom.


During 2001 an impulse took place that we can consider decisive for the tasks of reaconditioning due to three essential factors:
a) the participation of Mechanics 6th year students who strongly involved themselves with the work and contributed, not only with their work force in many of the tasks, but also proposed solutions to solve the problems that appeared in special due to the limited resources.
b) to Cooperadora which in the critical situation that our country bore and is still bearing always received with enthusiasm our proposals and contributed resources still far more of which seemed possible.
c) to Professor Marín who not only contributed ideas but worked himself in the painting tasks, installation, etc.


During 2001 the following works took place:

On July 5th of this year the first practical classes with the Pneumatic Board using a compressor Donkey Tiger 200 bought to such aim by Asociación Cooperadora.

The donated illumination system was scraped, polished and painted. It will be constituted, with a combination of fluorescent and mixer lamps, after having discarded plafonds with fluorescent lamps that gave not the minimal required illumination conditions, and other systems for budgetary reasons.

During the year the Schools' Carpentry workshop planed the benches' tables, they were varnished and its metallic structure was painted.


The Classroom's floor has ceramics; many of them were broken at the beginning of the work and at the end of the 2000 year it was seen that some of them bended and rose. This led to the necessity to withdraw many of the ceramics of the floor, and due to the impossibility to obtain the original ones, it was decided to place again recovered ceramics in certain areas and put a cement carpet with ferrite over the rest.


Painting of the display cabinets by the students.

The platforms were planed and reinforced by the Carpentry workshop and painted by the Mechanics students and Professor Marín.


We proceeded to transfer to the Classroom the elements for the Hydraulic Controls teaching equipment received by donation. We must emphasize the remarkable effort done by part of the students to move up to the Classroom the power unit (motor oil pump and tank) over not very wide stairs that demanded the use of chains and additional equipment due to its great weight.


During 2002 the following works take place:

At April 10th a magnetic board was received and two days later the first class in the classroom (works not finished yet) was performed. The students were seated in banks without writing desk.

The electric general board of the classroom was completed: three-phase and illumination.



The floor is finished. The electrical system was completed. The lamp of the retro-projector was bought.

At October 25th the electricity supply was connected and it was used for the first time the illumination and the retro-projector in a class given by professor Marín.



During 2003 the following works took place:


In March the structures that would serve as support for the components of the hydraulic board were painted.

In April the ceiling of the classroom was repaired and the lumbers were placed on the platformss. Also the blackboard was painted.


At May Prof. Marín fixed the structures of the hydraulic board to the wall of the classroom by means of bended straps and the elements of the same were mounted.


In June the BIM Hydraulic test equipment was sent by the Mechanics Superior Cycle Workshop and the devices that allow to open and to close the windows of the classroom were repaired.

The grate that surrounds the structure of the hydraulic board was build to contain the oil that escapes when carrying out the connections with quick - connecting devices among the different elements of the board.


In July the magnetic blackboard next to the main blackboard was mounted.

In September the office's writing-desk was repaired and painted with melacrylic lacquer.

In October the writing desks were fixed to the platforms.

In November the metallic closets were placed in the annex office to the classroom in which is believed its definitive location.

Slowly the classroom begins to see itself as it should...