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How do you learn electronics when you don’t have access to a lab? I live in HK, where real estate is at a premium. I’m a family of 4 people, living in a 700 sq

by k_sze 4y ago

How do you learn electronics when you don’t have access to a lab? I live in HK, where real estate is at a premium. I’m a family of 4 people, living in a 700 sq-ft home with no garage. (And I’m reckoned to be on the fortunate side of things.) There is no way I can set up a home lab here. I know there are circuit simulators, but simulators are not the real thing. I think that simulators (the free ones that I know of anyway) typically don’t simulate random defects and physical variances that you would have to debug and deal with on the real thing. There are also tangential, and nonetheless practical things that you cannot learn from a simulator: e.g. how to arrange your lab so you can work efficiently and with as few accidents as possible; how to make a good solder.

hemreldop 4y ago
EEBio 4y ago
I would look for some local hackerspaces. They usually come with a space for electronics, and at least where I live (tho space is not so premium here), you get a key to access the space whenever, if you are a member. Alternatively, you might have some luck contacting a local university, they might be open to let you use their lab (again, probably for a fee).
clktmr 4y ago
You can start with a breadboard, oscilloscope and a set of standard parts (LEDs, resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes). Combine this with a microcontroller you can flash via USB dongle or an RaspberryPi. Should all fit on a desk. The lab is really only necessary for soldering and creating custom PCBs.
- dom96 4y ago
  You don't even need a lab for this. You can solder fine on a computer desk and create custom PCBs using software, then send it off to a company to etch it for you.
  - clktmr 4y ago
    True if you only do DIP, wouldn't recommend it for SMD. Eventually you will need to debug your PCB and solder some fixes, which will be frustrating for SMD parts without the proper equipment.
    - q3k 4y ago
      All you need for simple SMD soldering is a TS100 soldering iron, good solder and good flux. And that's what I would recommend to any beginner, even if they wanted to solder together THT kits. The only extra tool needed is if you need to replace a chip (or solder some QFNs / BGAs), but the cheapest available hot air station will do just fine.
  - sigmaprimus 4y ago
    When I was younger the kitchen table and a piece of cardboard was my soldering station for years. In fact truth be told many times I just bring my equipment out and use it there even now that I have my own place. My workspace is generally crowded where as my table is kept clean. Very similar to the fact that most people don't have a dedicate place to do a puzzle, a card table or kitchen table will suffice.
- Stevvo 4y ago
  Oscilloscope is probably overkill for starting out, better a good multimeter for much cheaper. Be careful with the microcontrollers; it's easy to fry them when you make mistakes!
rjsw 4y ago
I did a fair bit with a solderless breadboard when I was a teenager, components just push into the connectors on the board. Obviously this won't let you use surface mount components but you can get started. If I was that age now then an FPGA dev board would be good too. Another comment suggested working at a hackerspace, you might need your own "toys" to take there.
leohonexus 4y ago
I guess start with breadboards? You can get them cheap at SSP WECL - my friend also living in HK made a DIY exhaust duct taped to his window in his room, to generate negative pressure for carrying away the fumes. As for equipment you can get started with a multimeter.
- JKCalhoun 4y ago
  Agree, 100%. Of all my hobbies, electronics is probably the one that takes the least space. When I was a kid, I had all kinds of fun with those "100 in 1 Electronics" kits that RadioShack sold (smaller than an autoharp). Did not even have a multimeter then, ha ha. The modern equivalent is indeed a breadboard. You can get component kits that cover the spectrum for resistors and capacitors (the size of a recipe box). I find a handful of transistors, some op-amps, some IC's can be a lot of fun - but it depends on what you are interested in. If you just want to learn general electronics (as opposed to say, digital, or audio, etc.) do a Google search for "100 Transistor Circuits", "200 Transistor Circuits", "100 IC Circuits", etc. So much free stuff out there. And this amazing site: https://worldradiohistory.com/Popular-Electronics-Guide.htm https://worldradiohistory.com/Popular-Electronics-Guide.htm
  - harry8 4y ago
    >I had all kinds of fun with those "100 in 1 Electronics" kits that RadioShack sold Still available new on ebay fwiw, "Maxitronix." Pdfs of the instructions are around on the web too.
II2II 4y ago
Learning electronics does not have to take up much space. You can learn a fair amount with a home lab that fits into a desk drawer and you only need about a square meter of desk space while working. Lots of people like setting up sprawling labs, but there are a few things to keep in mind: Parts drawers are an incredibly inefficient way to store components. I picked up a few kits of basic components (resistors, capacitors, LEDs) that come in small compartmentalized containers, then stuck those containers and a few loose parts (breadboards, perfboards, small spools of wire) into a cookie tin. You only need a small collection of hand tools like wire cutters, wire strippers, a soldering iron, and a multimeter. I even have a small digital oscilloscope/signal generator that hooks up to a computer and is about the size of a multimeter. Modern microcontroller development boards are a huge space saver. They are compact, easy to repurpose for each project, and remove the need for other equipment in most cases (e.g. they provide rudimentary ADCs/DACs and can power for low power projects). While there will be limits, the biggest hurdle will be self-restraint.
exDM69 4y ago
A hobbyist grade electronics lab doesn't need a lot of space and it's not super expensive either. You can get a lot of projects done with tools and components that fit in a shoe box. Learning electronics is easier than ever before. You can buy smartphone-sized oscilloscopes for less than $200 or even use your smartphone or computer as an oscilloscope/signal generator if you work with audio frequencies. Or plug in a microcontroller board for a few bucks. You can find textbooks (e.g. [0]) freely online which would've cost you a fortune back in the day (and still do if you want it on paper). And finally... We still can buy through hole electronics components you can plug into a breadboard. They are obsolete for almost all industrial uses but still widely available. The supply is dwindling but most common components can still be bought. I am a bit afraid of what will happen when we can no longer buy components in a large form factor that you can solder by hand or stick in a breadboard. [0] https://archive.org/details/art-of-electronics-3e https://archive.org/details/art-of-electronics-3e
- sho_hn 4y ago
  I was thinking about this the other day - what’s the situation like now with the active manufacturing of 7400/4000 series parts in (literally) handy DIP packages and the like?
  - sigmaprimus 4y ago
    Personally I prefer surface mount over dip on anything other than when I'm using a solderless breadboard as drilling holes(without messing up traces) is a PITA. But the DIPs are readily available on the *Zon and for fast delivery too! Of course SMT also requires somewhat of a lab I suppose as a hot air tool is the way to go.
- sigmaprimus 4y ago
  Just curious, I see many people comment on buying or having a oscilloscope for beginning electronics. My question is how many people actually use these devices for anything other than trivial purposes these days? I feel that mine just collects dust and takes up space and does not compare to my multimeter which is probably my most used tool, but maybe I'm missing something.
HPsquared 4y ago
Take things apart that you're interested in and look at the components, look up the datasheets. Only need very basic tools for that (screwdriver etc). Also, simply browsing through parts catalogues and looking at datasheets can be a great learning experience.
poulpy123 4y ago
You don't need a lab: electronics components, breadboards, some arduinos, a multimeter and some small tools are enough to start and learn, but it's true that with 4 people in a 65 sq meter, even that may be too much... maybe you can find a fablab in you city ?
q3k 4y ago
Back when I last visited HK (years ago), Dim Sum Labs would have been a great place to learn electronics. But as others said, many of us have learned electronics at home in even smaller apartments. You really don't need much to get started.
porknubbins 4y ago
An electronics labs needs very little space but I will say one huge thing that helps is a dedicated desk surface to allow you to "save your state". In my last apartment I found moving around tons of tiny components and half finished projects gets very frustrating and makes the hurdle to doing the hobby too high.
zild3d 4y ago
Learned electronics in university, but definitely was able to work on projects in a small apartment later on. Had a small box of electronics stuff that can get put away. Arduino or various other microcontrollers, multimeter, breadboard, and a bunch of small parts (resistors, capacitors, ICs, LEDs, sensors, wires, etc). Having "lab" gear like an oscilloscope, signal generator is definitely nice but not needed to get started
pjc50 4y ago
While a lot of us learned from breadboards, you could go straight into surface mount these days, which takes up a lot less space. Can keep an entire catalogue of parts in the size of a large book.
keithnz 4y ago
soldering iron, solder, and solder sucker don't take much space. But start with bread boards, and wire strippers/cutter and a multi meter, then add in a scope. You can do most everything in the same space a keyboard / mouse take up on a desk. Get creative with finding plastic containers to store parts, and then just put them all in a small suit case. If you get the electronics bug, you'll naturally work out how to grow your area. I mostly just stick with a small kit of stuff for random things using dev boards mostly. Once you get confident, you can get boards made for cheap, then solder it together yourself, but you can get a lot of it done for you, which you will want with surface mount components.
contingencies 4y ago
Just across the water in Zhuhai here. Used to have some friends doing electronics in HK Island apartments. If you are ruthless about space you can fit a lot in to no space at all. Vertical helps. For an example just look at any phone repair stall. Buy them a beer and chat to them about it. The basics are an oscilloscope, multimeter and soldering iron; a good bench PSU helps. Avoid the yesteryear learning method of storing and manually mounting components, instead order circuit boards with SMT components: far more relevant today and far more efficient in space, time and money terms.
watwut 4y ago
You need like one table somewhere you are able to protect from kids and one shelf in some cabinet. Or put the stuff under the bed. It does not take much space. The simplest is to buy cheap soldiering machine and some cheap soldier-it-yourself kits. Or simply, arduino kit. You will learn basics from that abd be able to move from there. > how to arrange your lab so you can work efficiently and with as few accidents as possible; how to make a good solder. There are many videos in youtube, it is genuinely easy. You don't need efficient place as a beginner, but if kids are small, you need to be able to defend table with hot iron so that they dont burn themselves accidentally.

by k_sze 4y ago

hemreldop 4y ago

EEBio 4y ago

I would look for some local hackerspaces. They usually come with a space for electronics, and at least where I live (tho space is not so premium here), you get a key to access the space whenever, if you are a member. Alternatively, you might have some luck contacting a local university, they might be open to let you use their lab (again, probably for a fee).

clktmr 4y ago

You can start with a breadboard, oscilloscope and a set of standard parts (LEDs, resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes). Combine this with a microcontroller you can flash via USB dongle or an RaspberryPi. Should all fit on a desk. The lab is really only necessary for soldering and creating custom PCBs.

dom96 4y ago
You don't even need a lab for this. You can solder fine on a computer desk and create custom PCBs using software, then send it off to a company to etch it for you.
- clktmr 4y ago
  True if you only do DIP, wouldn't recommend it for SMD. Eventually you will need to debug your PCB and solder some fixes, which will be frustrating for SMD parts without the proper equipment.
  - q3k 4y ago
    All you need for simple SMD soldering is a TS100 soldering iron, good solder and good flux. And that's what I would recommend to any beginner, even if they wanted to solder together THT kits. The only extra tool needed is if you need to replace a chip (or solder some QFNs / BGAs), but the cheapest available hot air station will do just fine.
- sigmaprimus 4y ago
  When I was younger the kitchen table and a piece of cardboard was my soldering station for years. In fact truth be told many times I just bring my equipment out and use it there even now that I have my own place. My workspace is generally crowded where as my table is kept clean. Very similar to the fact that most people don't have a dedicate place to do a puzzle, a card table or kitchen table will suffice.
Stevvo 4y ago
Oscilloscope is probably overkill for starting out, better a good multimeter for much cheaper. Be careful with the microcontrollers; it's easy to fry them when you make mistakes!

rjsw 4y ago

I did a fair bit with a solderless breadboard when I was a teenager, components just push into the connectors on the board. Obviously this won't let you use surface mount components but you can get started. If I was that age now then an FPGA dev board would be good too. Another comment suggested working at a hackerspace, you might need your own "toys" to take there.

leohonexus 4y ago

I guess start with breadboards? You can get them cheap at SSP WECL - my friend also living in HK made a DIY exhaust duct taped to his window in his room, to generate negative pressure for carrying away the fumes. As for equipment you can get started with a multimeter.

JKCalhoun 4y ago
Agree, 100%. Of all my hobbies, electronics is probably the one that takes the least space. When I was a kid, I had all kinds of fun with those "100 in 1 Electronics" kits that RadioShack sold (smaller than an autoharp). Did not even have a multimeter then, ha ha. The modern equivalent is indeed a breadboard. You can get component kits that cover the spectrum for resistors and capacitors (the size of a recipe box). I find a handful of transistors, some op-amps, some IC's can be a lot of fun - but it depends on what you are interested in. If you just want to learn general electronics (as opposed to say, digital, or audio, etc.) do a Google search for "100 Transistor Circuits", "200 Transistor Circuits", "100 IC Circuits", etc. So much free stuff out there. And this amazing site: https://worldradiohistory.com/Popular-Electronics-Guide.htm https://worldradiohistory.com/Popular-Electronics-Guide.htm
- harry8 4y ago
  >I had all kinds of fun with those "100 in 1 Electronics" kits that RadioShack sold Still available new on ebay fwiw, "Maxitronix." Pdfs of the instructions are around on the web too.

II2II 4y ago

Learning electronics does not have to take up much space. You can learn a fair amount with a home lab that fits into a desk drawer and you only need about a square meter of desk space while working. Lots of people like setting up sprawling labs, but there are a few things to keep in mind: Parts drawers are an incredibly inefficient way to store components. I picked up a few kits of basic components (resistors, capacitors, LEDs) that come in small compartmentalized containers, then stuck those containers and a few loose parts (breadboards, perfboards, small spools of wire) into a cookie tin. You only need a small collection of hand tools like wire cutters, wire strippers, a soldering iron, and a multimeter. I even have a small digital oscilloscope/signal generator that hooks up to a computer and is about the size of a multimeter. Modern microcontroller development boards are a huge space saver. They are compact, easy to repurpose for each project, and remove the need for other equipment in most cases (e.g. they provide rudimentary ADCs/DACs and can power for low power projects). While there will be limits, the biggest hurdle will be self-restraint.

exDM69 4y ago

A hobbyist grade electronics lab doesn't need a lot of space and it's not super expensive either. You can get a lot of projects done with tools and components that fit in a shoe box. Learning electronics is easier than ever before. You can buy smartphone-sized oscilloscopes for less than $200 or even use your smartphone or computer as an oscilloscope/signal generator if you work with audio frequencies. Or plug in a microcontroller board for a few bucks. You can find textbooks (e.g. [0]) freely online which would've cost you a fortune back in the day (and still do if you want it on paper). And finally... We still can buy through hole electronics components you can plug into a breadboard. They are obsolete for almost all industrial uses but still widely available. The supply is dwindling but most common components can still be bought. I am a bit afraid of what will happen when we can no longer buy components in a large form factor that you can solder by hand or stick in a breadboard. [0] https://archive.org/details/art-of-electronics-3e https://archive.org/details/art-of-electronics-3e

sho_hn 4y ago
I was thinking about this the other day - what’s the situation like now with the active manufacturing of 7400/4000 series parts in (literally) handy DIP packages and the like?
- sigmaprimus 4y ago
  Personally I prefer surface mount over dip on anything other than when I'm using a solderless breadboard as drilling holes(without messing up traces) is a PITA. But the DIPs are readily available on the *Zon and for fast delivery too! Of course SMT also requires somewhat of a lab I suppose as a hot air tool is the way to go.
sigmaprimus 4y ago
Just curious, I see many people comment on buying or having a oscilloscope for beginning electronics. My question is how many people actually use these devices for anything other than trivial purposes these days? I feel that mine just collects dust and takes up space and does not compare to my multimeter which is probably my most used tool, but maybe I'm missing something.

HPsquared 4y ago

Take things apart that you're interested in and look at the components, look up the datasheets. Only need very basic tools for that (screwdriver etc). Also, simply browsing through parts catalogues and looking at datasheets can be a great learning experience.

poulpy123 4y ago

You don't need a lab: electronics components, breadboards, some arduinos, a multimeter and some small tools are enough to start and learn, but it's true that with 4 people in a 65 sq meter, even that may be too much... maybe you can find a fablab in you city ?

q3k 4y ago

Back when I last visited HK (years ago), Dim Sum Labs would have been a great place to learn electronics. But as others said, many of us have learned electronics at home in even smaller apartments. You really don't need much to get started.

porknubbins 4y ago

An electronics labs needs very little space but I will say one huge thing that helps is a dedicated desk surface to allow you to "save your state". In my last apartment I found moving around tons of tiny components and half finished projects gets very frustrating and makes the hurdle to doing the hobby too high.

zild3d 4y ago

Learned electronics in university, but definitely was able to work on projects in a small apartment later on. Had a small box of electronics stuff that can get put away. Arduino or various other microcontrollers, multimeter, breadboard, and a bunch of small parts (resistors, capacitors, ICs, LEDs, sensors, wires, etc). Having "lab" gear like an oscilloscope, signal generator is definitely nice but not needed to get started

pjc50 4y ago

While a lot of us learned from breadboards, you could go straight into surface mount these days, which takes up a lot less space. Can keep an entire catalogue of parts in the size of a large book.

keithnz 4y ago

soldering iron, solder, and solder sucker don't take much space. But start with bread boards, and wire strippers/cutter and a multi meter, then add in a scope. You can do most everything in the same space a keyboard / mouse take up on a desk. Get creative with finding plastic containers to store parts, and then just put them all in a small suit case. If you get the electronics bug, you'll naturally work out how to grow your area. I mostly just stick with a small kit of stuff for random things using dev boards mostly. Once you get confident, you can get boards made for cheap, then solder it together yourself, but you can get a lot of it done for you, which you will want with surface mount components.

contingencies 4y ago

Just across the water in Zhuhai here. Used to have some friends doing electronics in HK Island apartments. If you are ruthless about space you can fit a lot in to no space at all. Vertical helps. For an example just look at any phone repair stall. Buy them a beer and chat to them about it. The basics are an oscilloscope, multimeter and soldering iron; a good bench PSU helps. Avoid the yesteryear learning method of storing and manually mounting components, instead order circuit boards with SMT components: far more relevant today and far more efficient in space, time and money terms.

watwut 4y ago

You need like one table somewhere you are able to protect from kids and one shelf in some cabinet. Or put the stuff under the bed. It does not take much space. The simplest is to buy cheap soldiering machine and some cheap soldier-it-yourself kits. Or simply, arduino kit. You will learn basics from that abd be able to move from there. > how to arrange your lab so you can work efficiently and with as few accidents as possible; how to make a good solder. There are many videos in youtube, it is genuinely easy. You don't need efficient place as a beginner, but if kids are small, you need to be able to defend table with hot iron so that they dont burn themselves accidentally.