Hello from UK

Hello from Atlantic Canada:-)

I too just joined today and for a similar reason. I am 69 yrs old and retired after getting cancer is 2018. It reoccurred in 2020 and I just recently got over the radiation treatment. So I too wanted to get into some of these micro controllers. Have fun and ask questions 

Stan

Welcome. My smarter half is a Brummie, but she's trapped in Canada now, lol. Nice to have you with us - your age puts you in good company here, jus' sayin.

My advice on what to do with the starter kit (assuming this is your first foray into electronics and/or software) - do each experiment, and then write it up, just like high school. What was the goal, what was the method, what did you learn? The value of those kits is to give you an understanding of the possibilities.

Feel free to post here to ask questions - this is a very supportive community and the only dumb question is the one left unasked.

I have no problems with my age as long as nobody calls me old. lol.

I fly airplanes online, (XPlane11), my aim is to build a home cockpit using buttons and switches etc to control things like altimeter and heading settings.

But I will go through the experiments one by one first as you suggested before doing anything more advanced.

BTW what part of Brum is your wife from? I was born and bred in Ladywood but now live near Wolverhampton.

welcome to the forum @edlee and @iceman.. many newbees on here that want what you want.. to learn..and Bills videos are the best I've see, besides Paul McWhorter..you can start with the basics, as they will always get you through the most complex problems you will face in electronics.. there are numerous videos that can help you with understanding Ohms law and the like..have fun, ask alot of questions, and above all, be safe!

regards,

LouisR

Posted by: @inst-tech

...and above all, be safe!

... suddenly flashed back to voltage testing a 9v battery with my tongue as a kid. A memorable experience, obviously - and not advised. 😉

Posted by: @edlee

BTW what part of Brum is your wife from? I was born and bred in Ladywood but now live near Wolverhampton.

Her Mum was from Walsall, but her Dad was teaching engineering at the Univ. of Birmingham when she arrived, so thereabouts - I'll have to check in with the Mom-in-law for more specifics. 

Edit: This just in: Solihull 😉

Posted by: @binaryrhyme

Posted by: @inst-tech

...and above all, be safe!

... suddenly flashed back to voltage testing a 9v battery with my tongue as a kid. A memorable experience, obviously - and not advised. 😉

Been there done that, not a nice "taste". @binaryrhyme

Thanks @inst-tech. I have seen Paul McWhorter on YouTube but haven't watched any of his videos yet.

@edlee, Indeed, Paul Mcwhorter videos are pretty good, But I just like Bill's style, and the way he explains things..Also, many videos on Youtube to explore specifics on how to design a BJT or MOsFet circuit, if your so inclined.. warning!  the math is a killer for those that may be math impaired..lol

When I went to Electronics school after I got out of the Navy, we had 42 in class to start.. in 6 months we had 23, in 2 years, when I graduated, we had 8..math and physics killed off most of them, although I suspect some just didn't think this was a career path forward for them. At any rate, there's a lot of info out there. It ain't easy sometimes, but it's fun! 

Regards,

LouisR

@inst-tech Math is just a language to express numerical inter-relationships, at least in electronics (assuming you avoid electromagnetic field theory, lol). It's tricky, but I do attempt to re-assure folks it's not that complex - more that we've convinced ourselves it is.

A few years back when I returned to Univ. and was taking Intro to Micro-Economics, I befriended a criminology major who was taking it as an elective. I still remember the look of desperate panic the first time the prof splashed up a slide that was covered in equations. I leaned across the aisle and said "It's not that bad. I'll walk you through it." ... and a beer or two was all it took to get over the hump.

The assumed difficulty is paralyzing. One step at a time. 🙂

@binaryrhyme, Indeed, for those of us that are not math impaired it appears that way to us..But I found that many of the students in the class, that eventually dropped out, either couldn't get it, or were unwilling to!  Between the physic, labs, and math, it tends to cull the unwilling, or those that are not "left brain" enabled...lol

I found this true in both cases as I went to the Navy's electronics school in 1965, and where only 25% would make it through 26 weeks of the course, it was all electron tube theory, with emphasis on troubleshooting and system isolation.  In the case of the Jr. college course I took in 1973, a two year course, the drop out rate was 80%, so that seemed to be a ratio of 1:4 OR 1:5 there about..

The big thing that went back to school for was the solid state stuff that we didn't have back in the mid 60's.. the big thing in the Navy was the troubleshooting technique they used called the black box theory..

Deals with only inputs and outputs, and doesn't care about whats in the black box..(system isolation) this is the method I taught in my career in Instrumentation/Electrical as an instructor. Works pretty well for almost any type of system, electrical or mechanical...

Indeed, one step at a time, and don't skip any...lol

regards,

LouisR

@inst-tech "warning!  the math is a killer for those that may be math impaired..lol"

Well, I'm not scared of numbers even though I'm not very good with them, but always willing to learn. 😎 

@edlee Happy to help. Hmm. where do we host the Mathy chats here? ... maybe under Technology and Other Things?

Where do we start? Ohm's law and Power? Where do you get hung up?

@edlee, @binaryrhyme,  Ya, that my be a good place to start a tutorial on ohms law, KVL, KCL,  & Norton,

But all that theory and math does take a little of the fun out of it.. and you also miss the adventure of watching the "magic smoke" oozing out...lol

regards,

LouisR

I think I remember Ohm's Law.

voltage = current x resistance? or somehing like that.