help for a newb

newb

Dear everyone

I am a newcommer to electronics, as my name states, I am having a hard time finding a way to learn what i want. I am interested in starting a long term hobby and i want to find something that i can use to teach myself how to make any kind of thing, not just the robot on the front of the book or box. I want to be able to know what would be best to use for a situation, what part would fit a job best, I dont want to build a robot with a set of instructions, i want to learn the tools to build any robot. i want to be able to program it to do anything. I hope someone can help me. Thanks.
-Jack

jackphel

I cant help u there, i hope someone can. Good luck

kb2hap

As a beginner to electronics I would suggest alot of reading followed by alot of tinkering.· A good start would be to purchase the " What are Microcontrollers" kit.· This intoduces you to electronics as well as the basic stamp.· If you go to the parallax web site: http://www.parallax.com/html_pages/downloads/index.asp
·you can find loads of info that you can download and read with adobe.
You can do just about anything with these microcontrollers not just robots
but industrial controls, wireless applications, extended sensor monoriting...ect
Obviously It cant teach you everything such as fabrication but you will be able to google robotics·or robots to see other peoples applications what works and what doesnt.·There are alot of questions you can ask youself before begining a robot project, is it like a battlebot or is it like a "self controlling bot (with· movement and vision sensors)" hope it helps alittle good luck welcome to the hobby
~DAN


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DTQ

Ken Gracey

Jack,

I concur with kb2hap but I have a more cost-effective solution. Go to your local RadioShack store and ask for the BASIC Stamp "What's a Microcontroller Kit". This kit is only $79 and will give you an overview of PBASIC programming with lots of nice, easy and introductory projects you follow along in the book.

I'm sure you'd be happy with this approach and if you are not you can return it for a complete refund.

Ken Gracey
Parallax, Inc.

newb

Thanks for the info but, I do know a bit about electronics, I read mobile robotics, it had a lot of good information, but I dont know how to start something on my own, exept what was made in the book, or a kit. Im looking for something that goes into everything in some level of depth. What i really want is to be able to sit and think on my own and be able to decide the best way to go about making something and then be able to do it. I know it must sound like I want this to be something i can learn in a day, which would be great, but I know that realistically thats not going to happen. I just cant find any way to teach myself this. I was really hoping that someone who can do that could show me how they learned this. Thanks for your time
_Jack

BadDog

Newb, I'm a newb too. I am responding because I had the exact same question in mind a few months ago. I bought the "What is a microcontroller kit" and concur that that is the best place to start. It might help to think of it like this: Regardless of what you plan to build there will be inputs (like various sensors) and outputs (like lights, motors, monitors etc...) and controllers (the basic stamp) and coding in the controller. Your project will inevitably involve you getting creative trying to·produce some "result" (having the output effected by the inputs). This is all accomplished through your coding on the controller and selection and implementation of various input and output devices. The "what is a microcontroller kit" teaches you how to "connect" (electronically) inputs and outputs and write the code to create the "result." As you start to see how all that works you will come up with "what if" scenarios that you want to try. You can find all kinds of input and output devices to connect to controllers. Then you can look around the parallax site for other people who may have done similar things, or look in this forum, or post questions (which if you read the existing posts you will see many of the type I am referring). From reading various posts it is obvious that there are a bunch of extremely knowledgeable individuals who are more than happy to help newbies (like you and me) find solutions to our "what if" scenarios, and help us implement them and teach us electronics in the process. I think you will have fun if you get the kit and start tinkering, reading, and posting more to the forum. I hope this helps.

Post Edited (BadDog) : 10/27/2004 4:54:11 PM GMT