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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 t

by 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.
- mhb 4y ago
  This is for learning electronics. It's very satisfying to see the actual waveform of, for example, an R and a C and to be able to see the effect of changing their values. Or to figure out what you've connected wrong when what you see is not what you expect.
- II2II 4y ago
  From my limited experience, oscilloscopes are useful while learning since you can see what is happening in the circuit. For example, you can build an oscillator or filter circuit then have a visual of the results. In terms of needing one: no, if you can borrow one or have access to someone else's lab. Oscilloscopes have relatively low benefit given the cost. They will either be too low frequency to be of value for many modern applications, or too finicky to learn how to use properly for higher frequency applications (not to mention expensive for higher frequency applications).
  - nhecker 4y ago
    In my (also limited) experience I was able to get by with just a high-impedance piezo earpiece I could listen to in order to debug audio-frequency circuits. Ears are surprisingly sensitive detectors and can provide quite a bit of data into your brain. Some higher-frequency circuits you can still debug, but not well or at least not as thoroughly. It's not a perfect solution, but dirt cheap, and consumes a tiny amount of space. It's instant feedback and after a while you can start recognizing (guessing at?) different waveforms and types of signal quirks. I've found that a surprisingly useful part of my kit over the years. Just stay away from high voltage!
    - buescher 4y ago
      The poor-man's scope, yes. I still have an AM-radio-sized battery-operated amplifier from Radio Shack in my toolbox, but it's been a long time since I used it. An AM radio works too, and works above audio frequencies, wirelessly! The loopstick will pick up harmonics off everything in the circuit so you can hear a lot of what's going on. Helps to know what might be going on though. I had a boss that had retired the following interview question (maybe it was a PhD qual question, I forget): He'd give the candidate a portable TV and an AM radio and have them measure the horizontal scan frequency of the TV. It was probably a chestnut in some circles.
madengr 4y ago
nhecker 4y ago
Ah, this is such a good textbook! I still have my hardcover 2nd ed. left over from my college days and reference it when I'm trying to figure something out for my hobbies. Thanks for the link to the 3rd ed., I didn't know that existed!

by exDM69 4y ago

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.

mhb 4y ago
This is for learning electronics. It's very satisfying to see the actual waveform of, for example, an R and a C and to be able to see the effect of changing their values. Or to figure out what you've connected wrong when what you see is not what you expect.
II2II 4y ago
From my limited experience, oscilloscopes are useful while learning since you can see what is happening in the circuit. For example, you can build an oscillator or filter circuit then have a visual of the results. In terms of needing one: no, if you can borrow one or have access to someone else's lab. Oscilloscopes have relatively low benefit given the cost. They will either be too low frequency to be of value for many modern applications, or too finicky to learn how to use properly for higher frequency applications (not to mention expensive for higher frequency applications).
- nhecker 4y ago
  In my (also limited) experience I was able to get by with just a high-impedance piezo earpiece I could listen to in order to debug audio-frequency circuits. Ears are surprisingly sensitive detectors and can provide quite a bit of data into your brain. Some higher-frequency circuits you can still debug, but not well or at least not as thoroughly. It's not a perfect solution, but dirt cheap, and consumes a tiny amount of space. It's instant feedback and after a while you can start recognizing (guessing at?) different waveforms and types of signal quirks. I've found that a surprisingly useful part of my kit over the years. Just stay away from high voltage!
  - buescher 4y ago
    The poor-man's scope, yes. I still have an AM-radio-sized battery-operated amplifier from Radio Shack in my toolbox, but it's been a long time since I used it. An AM radio works too, and works above audio frequencies, wirelessly! The loopstick will pick up harmonics off everything in the circuit so you can hear a lot of what's going on. Helps to know what might be going on though. I had a boss that had retired the following interview question (maybe it was a PhD qual question, I forget): He'd give the candidate a portable TV and an AM radio and have them measure the horizontal scan frequency of the TV. It was probably a chestnut in some circles.

madengr 4y ago

nhecker 4y ago

Ah, this is such a good textbook! I still have my hardcover 2nd ed. left over from my college days and reference it when I'm trying to figure something out for my hobbies. Thanks for the link to the 3rd ed., I didn't know that existed!