Yes we are an isolated group. On reflection I'm not sure things are as bad as I made out.
Re books: Anything micro/computer/electronic etc changes so fast that these books always seem to be out of date, apart from some classics like Horowitz and Hill. Given the small audience for these it's not surprising that your average book store does not carry them. Also the subject area is so vast now as I say micro/computer/electronic but then that subdivides into special interests, digital, analog, radio, robotic, audio, tube audio, musical, computer etc. There is maybe not enough demand in each sub category of "electronic" to justify stocking anything.
Re magazines: They can keep up with the fast pace of change but again the subject area is still vast. You can try to encompass it all in one title but then say the guitar freaks who wants to build effects pedals and strange amps are not going to buy all those issues full of micro controller projects. So again there may not be enough demand in each sub category to keep the mags going.
Re shops: Radio Shack, Tandy, Maplin etc seem to have lost interest in this kind of market. Again things change all the time and to keep everyone happy they would have to stock a vast range of components. Practically that market is better served by the big catalog guys and online suppliers.
Re clubs: Hmm, now a days I don't know, haven't looked for any. Glad to see my old East Kent Radio Society is still running. www.paulnic.com/ekrs/. By the way the first meeting I attended there in the early seventies included a guy giving a lecture on the "new" digital electronics and presenting a design for a do-it-yourself digital clock made from TTL and nixie tubes. It was awesome.
So, have things got worse ? I don't know. Looking around the net there are lots of interesting sites devoted to everything from speaker building to rocketry. Parallax is a fine example. There are thousand (millions?) of individuals writing up their DIY electronic efforts. As a teenager I had to trek into London to get hold of any technical books, so perhaps what we have now is an improvement. There are suppliers of just about anything you may want for any kind of project.
Looking back at my school days, there were only a hand full of us in a school of 500 interested in such things. We have always been isolated.
One thing that is decidedly worse is that since we have outsourced all our manufacturing the supply of cheap surplus junk to play with has dried up. Kids today don't just happen to find themselves surrounded by interesting things to fire up their curiosity.
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For me, the past is not over yet.
whicker said...
This is a somewhat opinionated post, bear with me.
The reason I personally didn't want to join a local electronics club when I was in junior high or high school was because of how it was described: A HAM radio club. I was like, ewww analog and talking to creepy old guys. It was more along the lines of thinking: (digital and integrated circuits and eproms and programming was the future.) Take that for what you will, I was young and stupid, and didn't see the overlap. Plus when I did finally go to a meeting, it was so off-topic like the guitar sub-discussion here.
As different as todays teenagers are I fear we have become some of the creepy old guys. <smirk>
whicker said...
What angers me is how undocumented and proprietary every device has to be. There's only so much focus an individual can have. Yeah, it's fun at first, but it gets sadistic as it's pure hell to try and get any two different devices to communicate with each other. It truly is a major accomplishment to get, say, an LCD screen to even show a picture. Or poll a gaming controller. Or read a temperature sensor over a digital serial bus. There's so much effort getting something working, that it feels like more of an accomplishment that everything is set up to work, "if I could just now write" the application logic or whatever.
This one of the things that we need to overcome to reach the next generation. We will need to shorten
the distance a little between start<-to->success to keep them connected. Their attention span is just too
short to spend hours of frustration trying to connect the LCD. More tools, more documentation.
For example there were some game creators released back in the 80's that empowered the user to
create their own video games. There weren't toy tools, and sometimes hard to use by their own
right, but opened the door of success to those who might not have ventured that far.
The Boebot is another fine example.
Re books: Anything micro/computer/electronic etc changes so fast that these books always seem to be out of date, apart from some classics like Horowitz and Hill. Given the small audience for these it's not surprising that your average book store does not carry them. Also the subject area is so vast now as I say micro/computer/electronic but then that subdivides into special interests, digital, analog, radio, robotic, audio, tube audio, musical, computer etc. There is maybe not enough demand in each sub category of "electronic" to justify stocking anything.
.
I'm not willing to let them off the hook quite so quickly. It may be a failing of Borders. For example the "erotica" section {strangely only one isle away} only appeared to have 4 shelves of books and I know there is a much higher participation there. [noparse]:)[/noparse]
OBC said...
We will need to shorten the distance a little between start<-to->success
A little story. At the age of eight or so in the sixties I happened to find knocking around the house a microphone and headset from some old WWII gear. Having sussed out something about wires and electricity from hooking 6v light bulbs years before I asked by father if I would get any sound out of the headset if I wired it in series with the mike and a battery. He reckoned it would not work and that I'd need an amplifier bla bla. Well I tried it any way and WOW my friend could hear me over a long cable the other side of the garden. Instant success a great motivation to look into this "electrics" some more.
I really wonder what would be the equivalent WOW experience for kids nowadays. Mostly I don't see kids surrounded by interesting stuff to play with. Their mothers won't let them solder on the kitchen table and, well, anything messy is just not encouraged.
N.B. I was lucky, that experiment only worked because it was an ancient carbon microphone. Todays experimenter would be sadly disapointed using an electret mike or whatever.
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For me, the past is not over yet.
Here is a profound statement...·· "If it weren’t for me receiving this kit on my 8th birthday, I probably would not be here to write this message in the forum."
We need more "kits" like this.· The abundance of possibilities to choose from (mentioned earlier in this thread) has slowly dwindled over the years.· The disposable one size fits all approach stifles creativity.
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ Beau Schwabe
IC Layout Engineer
Parallax, Inc.
Thanks Beau, that is the exact kit that I got started with! Had it for many years too. The book was well written (I believe by Forest M. Mims III) and started things off pretty easily, the added schematics, and finally had you building from the schematics. Circuit theory was explained and the components were each introduced over time and in practical projects that made sense for learning that component. It was the same where I lived in NY before coming to Parallax. I was the only kid in my school into electronics and computers. I tried for years to get others interested but we lived in a very small village and the only atttraction there was the race track (Watkins Glen), so everyone was more interested in watching car races.
There is another thing that seperates some of us as well...some people are simply into other microcontrollers for whatever reason. There is an inherent rivalry between those who use different microcontrollers, usually in the form of each side thinking theirs is better. I think to some degree this keeps the group as a whole segregated some. Can you imagine the things we could accomplish as a united group? Yeah, I know...dream on...
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ Chris Savage Parallax Engineering
Well, you see, that is what I'd call something "pre-built". Those costed quite a bit, so I built one myself using a wooden drawer and spare components . Making tools always attracts my attention.
Wow. This thread happened fast. I was going to say something, but every one has beat me to it.
It has been said before but I am going to say it again, thanks Parallax!
@MSDTech
What a coincidence. I am going into the nuclear field and work with the deaf. I wonder if there is a connection...
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The pessimist is never disappointed.
Van Alstyne, TX is a small town of less than 3,000 that's about 50-miles north of downtown
Dallas yet the local Texoma Home Educators (THE) robotics team earned a return(!) trip to
the regional Texas BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science, and Technology) competition.
So far as education goes, it probably takes only one person to go out and get kids interested;
that's what Parallax can do well. More folks could/should try it if they want the local schools
and educators to aim more kid toward science and technology. Teachers are s'pose to keep
upto date with "continuing education". Suggesting the course for educators from Parallax
might be a way to start!
Van Alstyne does have a small public library in town but the nearest bookstore is Books-A-Million
20-miles to our north. The nearest Borders is about 30-35 miles to our south. B-A-M has a
pretty fair stock of computer and electronics books although the Borders and B&N's close to
Dallas are far better. And there's Nerdbooks.com down in Richardson. Again, just keep asking
the store manager for more books on things that interest you (technology, erotica, etc .
It helps to offer a nice list of possibilities. They do the ordering so it's the local interest
(or perceived! interest) in a subject that gets the shelves stocked! Better yet, have all your
friends start asking for more technology books. It won't happen immediately but, with time,
results generally occur. Been there, done that. Sorry, no instant gratification here...
An old George Carlin routine that seems apropos went something like this:
"Have you ever started a path? No one seems willing to do this. We don't mind using ones that are
there but we rarely start new ones. If you ever take the time, start path. It's a little hard; you have
to hold the grass down at first... " :-D
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-Rusty-
--
Rusty Haddock <=> AE5AE
**Out yonder in the Van Alstyne (TX) Metropolitan Area**
Microsoft is to software what McDonalds is to gourmet cooking
Post Edited (Fe2o3Fish) : 11/3/2008 8:33:06 PM GMT
As a college professor (20 yrs) I have noticed a disturbing trend in the past 10 years; students are less willing to do assignments that are even moderately difficult.
I’m not sure if it is the culture, or the difference in generations. Possibly, with the instant gratification of video games, things that are perceived as difficult lose their appeal.
Scary thought, but I’ve often wondered if there was some catastrophe, how many people of the current generation could rebuild society.
Beau Schwabe (Parallax) said...
Here is a profound statement... "If it weren’t for me receiving this kit on my 8th birthday, I probably would not be here to write this message in the forum."
We need more "kits" like this. The abundance of possibilities to choose from (mentioned earlier in this thread) has slowly dwindled over the years. The disposable one size fits all approach stifles creativity.
You'll never believe it, but I actually owned the very kit you show in your post! I loved it and played with for ages. I think my dad bought it at Tandy (Radio Shack) and got it for me for Sinterklaas (Dutch Santa-like present giver person). Oh, the nostalgia! The only thing I hated about that kit was that your nails could get jammed in between the springs and go right under and hurt you very badly. This usually happened when you were putting a new wire in. I still loved it!
Xander
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| To know recursion, you must first know recursion.
| Current projects and ramblings: I'd Rather Be Building Robots
Quick response: I got one of the kits Beau posted too - I didn't get through a lot of it, because at the time much of it was over my head, but it still piqued an interest. My folks used to let me take things apart if they broke, so I could see the guts. Before microcontrollers, there actually WERE guts. [noparse]:)[/noparse] When I was 14, a friend called while I was grounded, and my mom took my phone away. I built another telephone from various parts I had in my bedroom and called him back within about 10 minutes. When I was young there was no internet, so learning how stuff like that worked took more effort, but it was also a little less intimidating because things were more 'physical' in nature. For example, the mic was an old carbon-button style, and was easier to understand and use than an electrect.
I also think my parents did a good job of allowing me that exploration. People today seem to be very overprotective. How I never electrocuted myself while taking televisions apart is a mystery, but my folks, knowing the danger, still allowed me to do it. OBC's avatar is funny to me because I imagine someone TAKING that picture, instead of freaking out and grabbing the kid. [noparse]:)[/noparse]
My attraction to microcontrollers is that I can use my knowledge of programming (without a lot of knowledge of electronics) to do something physical again, and it's very rewarding. I think the discovery kits, robots, and so on are the perfect way to infect people with this hobby. I also applaud Parallax's approach of making devices that are easy to use, have a supportive community, available source code, etc.
Yup.. Had the same kit! Two of them actually.. wore the first one out... [noparse]:)[/noparse]
(As long as we can use the word "wore" to express what really happens when the smoke leaves. [noparse]:)[/noparse]
I'm not willing to let them off the hook quite so quickly. It may be a failing of Borders. For example the "erotica" section {strangely only one isle away} only appeared to have 4 shelves of books and I know there is a much higher participation there. [noparse]:)[/noparse]
OBC
Bookshops vary hugely. Here in the UK, Borders are fairly new - I hadn't seen one until about 5 years ago. They're better than another big chain, Waterstones, who have very few technical books even in their biggest stores.
But there are better shops - Blackwells in Oxford is possibly the best I've been to, but Heffers in Cambridge (also part of Blackwells) and Foyles in London have technical sections that are a lot of fun to browse.
Powells Bookstore in Portland is my favorite place for technical books. They have a whole city block of regular books (Garder to fiction to erotica to literature and so on), but they created a second store about 200 yds away just for technicals. It's about the size of a Borders or B&N, and filled with books from Java to Mechanics to Electronics to Math to Science to history of technology. One case that I noticed had about 3 shelves dedicated solely to robotics. I'd live there if I could, but unfortunately, I have to be in SoCal... [noparse]:([/noparse]
Chris, I remember a beginners book on Electronics by Forrest M. Mims. It was handwriten, no typewriter was used for the text. I cant forget the *funny* drawings in the book !
Does anyone know if this book is available anywhere today ?
peterz said...
Chris, I remember a beginners book on Electronics by Forrest M. Mims. It was handwriten, no typewriter was used for the text. I cant forget the *funny* drawings in the book !
Does anyone know if this book is available anywhere today ?
Mims had a lot of those handwritten books - I've got one sitting right here (Electronic Formulas, Symbols & Circuits), which I picked up at Amateur Electronic Supply. Amazon has several available. They're like gold. I spent a lot of time building things from another one of his that I had as a kid.
If your local university has a Engineering and Physics club try to get involved.· In my case, the local university is about 3 blocks from my house, and they do have such a program.· Out of this group, they hold the annual Science Fair·where several of the local high schools participate.
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ Beau Schwabe
IC Layout Engineer
Parallax, Inc.
peterz said...
Chris, I remember a beginners book on Electronics by Forrest M. Mims. It was handwriten, no typewriter was used for the text. I cant forget the *funny* drawings in the book !
Does anyone know if this book is available anywhere today ?
I have all of his Engineer's Mini Notebook series from 1987.
Forrest does have a WEB site with·a redesigned Engineer's Mini Notebook Series.
I'll have to check out the Science and Communications Circuits & Projects.
I had the same kit!!! Wow, wonder how many people that owned this kit are here on the board because of it.
Dan
I had that kit too. It was one of my first.
Actually I was into computers 1st, then got into electronics as a way to make my computer control stuff.
And I don't mean I just "used" a computer. I wrote assembly programs without an assembler. On paper, and hand calculated all the jumps. This was when I was still in high school on my Timex Sinclair 1000. The TS1000 was so slow...But that only made me want to learn assembly because it was super fast compared to a program written in BASIC.
I/We still owe a great debt to Radio Shack for getting me/us into electronics. That is why it hurts so much to see the LACK of parts (and knowledge)·in the stores now... How many have ever used TRS-80 Model 1, 2, 3, 4, Coco, MC10, xxx-in-1 electronic kits, Forrest M Mimms books, etc.
P.S. Has anyone heard about Circuit City closing 155 stores ? I fear Radio Shack will suffer the same fate... I hope not... But I get that feeling.
"I don't mean I just "used" a computer. I wrote assembly programs without an assembler. On paper, and hand calculated all the jumps." - That's funny, because I did the same thing. Even printed out a generic Assembly coding sheet derived from coding experiences that I adopted from a COBOL class I took. (<-and I still have my COBOL book - lol - why I'm not exactly sure.)
Many of the things I did early on were peripheral type interfaces. i.e. Using the ATARI 400/800 game ports as Inputs as well as Outputs to drive external circuits (motors, relays, lights, etc.) in Assembly language. -- Come to think of it if you are any part of the Parallax forum, ALL of us are doing that -- LOL!
It's obvious that these early experiences are building blocks that wired our way of thinking at a very young age. Think of what you would have done if you didn't have such a learning tool.
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ Beau Schwabe
IC Layout Engineer
Parallax, Inc.
Post Edited (Beau Schwabe (Parallax)) : 11/4/2008 6:02:51 AM GMT
I used to think the the Professional Development boards were way over my head, and not to be touched with a five foot stick (I'm still fairly new to electronics). So, I fiddled around just willy nilly. Yet when I broke down and bought the Parallax PDBs, I found that daily experimentation became common. I can take out a component, and figure out how to use in about 15 mins. It's so easy, I wish I had it before. This is what makes a hobby accessible: something prebuilt, where you just connect a few dots. Most of the recent posts in this thread have been about just that: an electronics kit in a box. The main difference between the two is that the PDBs cost about $100 more, too much for most young students. So they never get to connect the wires and see the "instant" gratification. Rather, they have to make do on a $5 breadboard where the main concern is trying to figure out how to hook up the uC (and potentially failing at that), not the simple joy of getting something to work. Once they see it working, it's often very easy to go back and figure out the theory.
Comments
Re books: Anything micro/computer/electronic etc changes so fast that these books always seem to be out of date, apart from some classics like Horowitz and Hill. Given the small audience for these it's not surprising that your average book store does not carry them. Also the subject area is so vast now as I say micro/computer/electronic but then that subdivides into special interests, digital, analog, radio, robotic, audio, tube audio, musical, computer etc. There is maybe not enough demand in each sub category of "electronic" to justify stocking anything.
Re magazines: They can keep up with the fast pace of change but again the subject area is still vast. You can try to encompass it all in one title but then say the guitar freaks who wants to build effects pedals and strange amps are not going to buy all those issues full of micro controller projects. So again there may not be enough demand in each sub category to keep the mags going.
Re shops: Radio Shack, Tandy, Maplin etc seem to have lost interest in this kind of market. Again things change all the time and to keep everyone happy they would have to stock a vast range of components. Practically that market is better served by the big catalog guys and online suppliers.
Re clubs: Hmm, now a days I don't know, haven't looked for any. Glad to see my old East Kent Radio Society is still running. www.paulnic.com/ekrs/. By the way the first meeting I attended there in the early seventies included a guy giving a lecture on the "new" digital electronics and presenting a design for a do-it-yourself digital clock made from TTL and nixie tubes. It was awesome.
So, have things got worse ? I don't know. Looking around the net there are lots of interesting sites devoted to everything from speaker building to rocketry. Parallax is a fine example. There are thousand (millions?) of individuals writing up their DIY electronic efforts. As a teenager I had to trek into London to get hold of any technical books, so perhaps what we have now is an improvement. There are suppliers of just about anything you may want for any kind of project.
Looking back at my school days, there were only a hand full of us in a school of 500 interested in such things. We have always been isolated.
One thing that is decidedly worse is that since we have outsourced all our manufacturing the supply of cheap surplus junk to play with has dried up. Kids today don't just happen to find themselves surrounded by interesting things to fire up their curiosity.
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For me, the past is not over yet.
As different as todays teenagers are I fear we have become some of the creepy old guys. <smirk>
This one of the things that we need to overcome to reach the next generation. We will need to shorten
the distance a little between start<-to->success to keep them connected. Their attention span is just too
short to spend hours of frustration trying to connect the LCD. More tools, more documentation.
For example there were some game creators released back in the 80's that empowered the user to
create their own video games. There weren't toy tools, and sometimes hard to use by their own
right, but opened the door of success to those who might not have ventured that far.
The Boebot is another fine example.
OBC
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New to the Propeller?
Getting started with a Propeller Protoboard?
Check out: Introduction to the Proboard & Propeller Cookbook 1.4
Updates to the Cookbook are now posted to: Propeller.warrantyvoid.us
Got an SD card connected? - PropDOS
Post Edited (Oldbitcollector) : 11/3/2008 2:26:34 PM GMT
I'm not willing to let them off the hook quite so quickly. It may be a failing of Borders. For example the "erotica" section {strangely only one isle away} only appeared to have 4 shelves of books and I know there is a much higher participation there. [noparse]:)[/noparse]
OBC
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New to the Propeller?
Getting started with a Propeller Protoboard?
Check out: Introduction to the Proboard & Propeller Cookbook 1.4
Updates to the Cookbook are now posted to: Propeller.warrantyvoid.us
Got an SD card connected? - PropDOS
A little story. At the age of eight or so in the sixties I happened to find knocking around the house a microphone and headset from some old WWII gear. Having sussed out something about wires and electricity from hooking 6v light bulbs years before I asked by father if I would get any sound out of the headset if I wired it in series with the mike and a battery. He reckoned it would not work and that I'd need an amplifier bla bla. Well I tried it any way and WOW my friend could hear me over a long cable the other side of the garden. Instant success a great motivation to look into this "electrics" some more.
I really wonder what would be the equivalent WOW experience for kids nowadays. Mostly I don't see kids surrounded by interesting stuff to play with. Their mothers won't let them solder on the kitchen table and, well, anything messy is just not encouraged.
N.B. I was lucky, that experiment only worked because it was an ancient carbon microphone. Todays experimenter would be sadly disapointed using an electret mike or whatever.
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For me, the past is not over yet.
That's what comes from hanging around near the erotica section at Borders, you know.
Also explains the proximity of the two sections. [noparse]:)[/noparse]
OBC
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New to the Propeller?
Getting started with a Propeller Protoboard?
Check out: Introduction to the Proboard & Propeller Cookbook 1.4
Updates to the Cookbook are now posted to: Propeller.warrantyvoid.us
Got an SD card connected? - PropDOS
We need more "kits" like this.· The abundance of possibilities to choose from (mentioned earlier in this thread) has slowly dwindled over the years.· The disposable one size fits all approach stifles creativity.
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Beau Schwabe
IC Layout Engineer
Parallax, Inc.
There is another thing that seperates some of us as well...some people are simply into other microcontrollers for whatever reason. There is an inherent rivalry between those who use different microcontrollers, usually in the form of each side thinking theirs is better. I think to some degree this keeps the group as a whole segregated some. Can you imagine the things we could accomplish as a united group? Yeah, I know...dream on...
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Chris Savage
Parallax Engineering
One of those 2-1/2" screens in the corner and various buttons, etc.
OBC
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New to the Propeller?
Getting started with a Propeller Protoboard?
Check out: Introduction to the Proboard & Propeller Cookbook 1.4
Updates to the Cookbook are now posted to: Propeller.warrantyvoid.us
Got an SD card connected? - PropDOS
It has been said before but I am going to say it again, thanks Parallax!
@MSDTech
What a coincidence. I am going into the nuclear field and work with the deaf. I wonder if there is a connection...
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The pessimist is never disappointed.
I got as far as learning ASL, but no one will let me near their nuclear facility..
{Can't figure out why... could it be my avatar?}
OBC
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
New to the Propeller?
Getting started with a Propeller Protoboard?
Check out: Introduction to the Proboard & Propeller Cookbook 1.4
Updates to the Cookbook are now posted to: Propeller.warrantyvoid.us
Got an SD card connected? - PropDOS
It all depends on who's in the community!
Van Alstyne, TX is a small town of less than 3,000 that's about 50-miles north of downtown
Dallas yet the local Texoma Home Educators (THE) robotics team earned a return(!) trip to
the regional Texas BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science, and Technology) competition.
So far as education goes, it probably takes only one person to go out and get kids interested;
that's what Parallax can do well. More folks could/should try it if they want the local schools
and educators to aim more kid toward science and technology. Teachers are s'pose to keep
upto date with "continuing education". Suggesting the course for educators from Parallax
might be a way to start!
Van Alstyne does have a small public library in town but the nearest bookstore is Books-A-Million
20-miles to our north. The nearest Borders is about 30-35 miles to our south. B-A-M has a
pretty fair stock of computer and electronics books although the Borders and B&N's close to
Dallas are far better. And there's Nerdbooks.com down in Richardson. Again, just keep asking
the store manager for more books on things that interest you (technology, erotica, etc
It helps to offer a nice list of possibilities. They do the ordering so it's the local interest
(or perceived! interest) in a subject that gets the shelves stocked! Better yet, have all your
friends start asking for more technology books. It won't happen immediately but, with time,
results generally occur. Been there, done that. Sorry, no instant gratification here...
An old George Carlin routine that seems apropos went something like this:
"Have you ever started a path? No one seems willing to do this. We don't mind using ones that are
there but we rarely start new ones. If you ever take the time, start path. It's a little hard; you have
to hold the grass down at first... " :-D
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
-Rusty-
--
Rusty Haddock <=> AE5AE
**Out yonder in the Van Alstyne (TX) Metropolitan Area**
Microsoft is to software what McDonalds is to gourmet cooking
Post Edited (Fe2o3Fish) : 11/3/2008 8:33:06 PM GMT
I’m not sure if it is the culture, or the difference in generations. Possibly, with the instant gratification of video games, things that are perceived as difficult lose their appeal.
Scary thought, but I’ve often wondered if there was some catastrophe, how many people of the current generation could rebuild society.
Hope we never have to find out.
Dan
I had the same kit!!! Wow, wonder how many people that owned this kit are here on the board because of it.
Dan
Xander
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| To know recursion, you must first know recursion.
| Current projects and ramblings: I'd Rather Be Building Robots
I also think my parents did a good job of allowing me that exploration. People today seem to be very overprotective. How I never electrocuted myself while taking televisions apart is a mystery, but my folks, knowing the danger, still allowed me to do it. OBC's avatar is funny to me because I imagine someone TAKING that picture, instead of freaking out and grabbing the kid. [noparse]:)[/noparse]
My attraction to microcontrollers is that I can use my knowledge of programming (without a lot of knowledge of electronics) to do something physical again, and it's very rewarding. I think the discovery kits, robots, and so on are the perfect way to infect people with this hobby. I also applaud Parallax's approach of making devices that are easy to use, have a supportive community, available source code, etc.
My 2c in random order.
Jason
(As long as we can use the word "wore" to express what really happens when the smoke leaves. [noparse]:)[/noparse]
OBC
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Bookshops vary hugely. Here in the UK, Borders are fairly new - I hadn't seen one until about 5 years ago. They're better than another big chain, Waterstones, who have very few technical books even in their biggest stores.
But there are better shops - Blackwells in Oxford is possibly the best I've been to, but Heffers in Cambridge (also part of Blackwells) and Foyles in London have technical sections that are a lot of fun to browse.
Does anyone know if this book is available anywhere today ?
Mims had a lot of those handwritten books - I've got one sitting right here (Electronic Formulas, Symbols & Circuits), which I picked up at Amateur Electronic Supply. Amazon has several available. They're like gold. I spent a lot of time building things from another one of his that I had as a kid.
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Beau Schwabe
IC Layout Engineer
Parallax, Inc.
There are others listed, varying S&H, etc, y'know; that's ebay, man.
Forrest does have a WEB site with·a redesigned Engineer's Mini Notebook Series.
I'll have to check out the Science and Communications Circuits & Projects.
forrestmims.com
Interesting stuff with photo of his workbench - http://www.forrestmims.org/biography.html
Donnie
Post Edited (lenswerks) : 11/4/2008 1:45:55 AM GMT
Actually I was into computers 1st, then got into electronics as a way to make my computer control stuff.
And I don't mean I just "used" a computer. I wrote assembly programs without an assembler. On paper, and hand calculated all the jumps. This was when I was still in high school on my Timex Sinclair 1000. The TS1000 was so slow...But that only made me want to learn assembly because it was super fast compared to a program written in BASIC.
I/We still owe a great debt to Radio Shack for getting me/us into electronics. That is why it hurts so much to see the LACK of parts (and knowledge)·in the stores now... How many have ever used TRS-80 Model 1, 2, 3, 4, Coco, MC10, xxx-in-1 electronic kits, Forrest M Mimms books, etc.
P.S. Has anyone heard about Circuit City closing 155 stores ? I fear Radio Shack will suffer the same fate... I hope not... But I get that feeling.
Bean.
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"The welfare of the people in particular has always been the alibi of tyrants." ~ Camus
www.iElectronicDesigns.com
Post Edited (Bean (Hitt Consulting)) : 11/4/2008 2:14:28 AM GMT
Many of the things I did early on were peripheral type interfaces. i.e. Using the ATARI 400/800 game ports as Inputs as well as Outputs to drive external circuits (motors, relays, lights, etc.) in Assembly language. -- Come to think of it if you are any part of the Parallax forum, ALL of us are doing that -- LOL!
It's obvious that these early experiences are building blocks that wired our way of thinking at a very young age. Think of what you would have done if you didn't have such a learning tool.
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Beau Schwabe
IC Layout Engineer
Parallax, Inc.
Post Edited (Beau Schwabe (Parallax)) : 11/4/2008 6:02:51 AM GMT