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Hello from Denver Colorado

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MrRemedy
(@mrremedy)
Developer, Engineer
Joined: 3 years ago
Posts: 24
Topic starter  

Hi Bill,

I'm glad you put this forum site up.  Perhaps I can meet some interesting people that share the same interest I have.

I'm a longtime systems/applications developer that started out in the electrical engineering field and end up in the computer programming world.  The past 40 years of my career have been involved in such system design and architecture.  However, I have dabbled in the electronics analog and digital side on and off over the years just to keep things interesting.  I have followed many of the Videos by Dronebot Workshop. (even done quite a few of them) and found them very relaxing and satisfying.  LOL I've geeked out my family so much that the won't talk to me anymore other than the usual family chatter.  😀 

I really enjoying working with folks who just want to experiment and learn the various technologies.  Recently I've re-built my own lab here at home and have been playing with SMD soldering techniques on various projects.  I've been doing what I can to support the STEM concept with my nephews, and grand kids.  At least they were interested in doing a lot of THT kits that we found on Amazon.  

A couple of other projects I've built involved building a 555 timer and Op Amp from discreet components just so I can poke around them in practical applications.  

Also, Ben Eater has quite a few great videos on computer designs that I have been following along with Dronebot Workshop.  

I like your approach to demonstrating and experimenting with infinitesimal number of topics.  I can't even remember when I started with Arduino or when I first came across it.

I'm based here in Denver Colorado, where the weather is always changing....

Anyhoo enough rambling.

Any topic electronics and hardware design is of interest to me.  I just too passionate to stay with one thing.

David of Denver

-d


   
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Will
 Will
(@will)
Member
Joined: 3 years ago
Posts: 2504
 

@mrremedy

Welcome to the forum David.

You'll find a lot of dual background folks here who'll be happy to supply you with all the discussion, help and ideas you can handle 🙂

Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're talking about.


   
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ron bentley
(@ronbentley1)
Member
Joined: 2 years ago
Posts: 385
 

@mrremedy

Welcome David of Denver,

Such eclectic interests! You will undoubtedly find the forum of great interest and a source of help.

Looking forward to reading about your projects here on the forum.

Regards 

Ron B

Ron Bentley
Creativity is an input to innovation and change is the output from innovation. Braden Kelley
A computer is a machine for constructing mappings from input to output. Michael Kirby
Through great input you get great output. RZA
Gauss is great but Euler rocks!!


   
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MrRemedy
(@mrremedy)
Developer, Engineer
Joined: 3 years ago
Posts: 24
Topic starter  

Thanks for the warm welcome.

I am currently experimenting with Arduino on:
1.  Audio Level Meter - Trigger an event on exceeding a certain decibel level.
2.  Programmable Macro Key Pad to automate redundant tasks.
3.  Playing around with the SPI interface and protocols to communicate with an old 6502 microprocessor set up..
4.  Liquid Level Low Alarm.
5.  Shift Registers
6.  Addressable RGB LED Strips

I've just recently moved over to Visual Code as My Arduino IDE (Not using Platform IO).

Playing with other different sensors, (Accelerometers,  Voltage / Current detectors.)

So, yes, I'm exploring quite a bit

-d


   
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MrRemedy
(@mrremedy)
Developer, Engineer
Joined: 3 years ago
Posts: 24
Topic starter  

@will Thanks for the warm welcome!!

-d


   
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ron bentley
(@ronbentley1)
Member
Joined: 2 years ago
Posts: 385
 

@mrremedy 

Busy, busy, busy!!

Dont forget to eat and drink! 🤣

Ron B

Ron Bentley
Creativity is an input to innovation and change is the output from innovation. Braden Kelley
A computer is a machine for constructing mappings from input to output. Michael Kirby
Through great input you get great output. RZA
Gauss is great but Euler rocks!!


   
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Ron
 Ron
(@zander)
Father of a miniature Wookie
Joined: 3 years ago
Posts: 6665
 

@mrremedy Welcome aboard.

I am a full time RVer so  Liquid Level Low Alarm's are of great interest to me. My add-on package is not working for the black tank.

I am hooking up some addressable RGB's today for our Christmas lighting.

First computer 1959. Retired from my own computer company 2004.
Hardware - Expert in 1401, and 360, fairly knowledge in PC plus numerous MPU's and MCU's
Major Languages - Machine language, 360 Macro Assembler, Intel Assembler, PL/I and PL1, Pascal, Basic, C plus numerous job control and scripting languages.
Sure you can learn to be a programmer, it will take the same amount of time for me to learn to be a Doctor.


   
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MrRemedy
(@mrremedy)
Developer, Engineer
Joined: 3 years ago
Posts: 24
Topic starter  

@ronbentley1 Yes, I have a smart watch that basically shocks me to remind me.   LOL

-d


   
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robotBuilder
(@robotbuilder)
Member
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 2037
 

@mrremedy

Also, Ben Eater has quite a few great videos on computer designs that I have been following along with Dronebot Workshop.

Belated welcome to the Dronebot forums. The Ben Eater stuff was something I was doing many decades ago! My first CPU was built out of relays. Although it was a wonderful ride I wouldn't want to go back there again. I suspect a lot of high level professional programmers don't really know how the magic is done at the hardware level.


   
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Ron
 Ron
(@zander)
Father of a miniature Wookie
Joined: 3 years ago
Posts: 6665
 

@robotbuilder Careful, I started out at IBM hardware school that included the ROS (Read Only Storage) programming, machine language and assembler. Later I learned fortran, PL1, Pascal, C, smattering of Cobol, RPG, and many more that I don't remember. The hardware in those days was discrete transistor so the similarity between a relay version of an AND and a transistor version was virtually identical. Today most of that background is not much help. The average program today is 90% library code. The IBM tab family of machines was programmed by plugboard and was all relay. There are still a few of us old folks around.

First computer 1959. Retired from my own computer company 2004.
Hardware - Expert in 1401, and 360, fairly knowledge in PC plus numerous MPU's and MCU's
Major Languages - Machine language, 360 Macro Assembler, Intel Assembler, PL/I and PL1, Pascal, Basic, C plus numerous job control and scripting languages.
Sure you can learn to be a programmer, it will take the same amount of time for me to learn to be a Doctor.


   
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robotBuilder
(@robotbuilder)
Member
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 2037
 

@zander 

 

Today most of that background is not much help. The average program today is 90% library code.

I did make the point about using the Arduino C++ IDE is not really programming at the lowest level even with something as simple as the i/o to the pins but I deleted it to shorten the previous post 🙂

Yes today programming is very high level.  Maybe one day we will simply type (or speak) a human language description of what we want and then a computer program will translate it into the code required to produce the desired behaviour.


   
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MrRemedy
(@mrremedy)
Developer, Engineer
Joined: 3 years ago
Posts: 24
Topic starter  

@robotbuilder Like totally agree.  I've always believed paying attention to the basics gives a better understanding of the higher levels of things.  In my work, application designer just don't cut anymore.  If they come across a glitch, they find the error in their log then throw it over the fence to the network/database/server OS guys.  Then it's take 4 times as long to troubleshoot and fix problems.  There's an issue right now where I'm seeing bizarre networking communication issues with two systems, the application and networking guys have been pulled in but they're scratch there heads and want to escalate it higher.
The hardware aspect has been a tremendous feather in my hat for troubleshooting various network devices.  Just know you can't drive a 100 amp POE device with a 2 amp POE switch is never considered in troubleshooting circles.  🙂

This post was modified 1 year ago by MrRemedy

-d


   
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MrRemedy
(@mrremedy)
Developer, Engineer
Joined: 3 years ago
Posts: 24
Topic starter  

@robotbuilder Perhaps

-d


   
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MrRemedy
(@mrremedy)
Developer, Engineer
Joined: 3 years ago
Posts: 24
Topic starter  

@zander How about us "Punch Card Guys"?

-d


   
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MrRemedy
(@mrremedy)
Developer, Engineer
Joined: 3 years ago
Posts: 24
Topic starter  

@robotbuilder I'll bet that relay computer was a bit noisy.  (Clickity Clack!!).

I restored a couple of old pin ball machines that relied heavily on relay systems.  The shooting galleries were my gig.  I took a few built in the 50s and interfaced digital numeric score boards to them.  A lot of debouncing circuits, but it worked.   Got an A in the course.  LOL

-d


   
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