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2024-04-06 12:16 pm
Hi to all my new Friends,
My name is Jan and i am from Poland. For those who are not so familiar with Europe, it is next to the Ukraine. I wanted to join the Forum a few years ago, but the manual activation has discouraged me at that time. Now, having a little bit more time and ideas for projects to complete, i decided to try again. I can not imagine a better place for idea exchange.
I am a technical university degree in physics and mathematics interested in making life easier with electronics. It is the power of converting the imagination into real life solutions, which makes us the true magicians in the world.
I have started my electronics interest hearing that an old AM radio can be converted into a transmitter, so i have found in my school library a book about DIY radios build with electron tubes. It was a 1956's book read about ~2006, and i was probably the last guy that have read it. Certainly, other books followed.
Later on, i have learned something about semiconductors and encountered the 8051 microcontroller development kit*, which we have programmed on my university in assembler. Then someone said that there is something called Arduino, so i decided to learn more about it. I found it cool, but there were no many useful resources available at that time. Anyway, i put an Uno in my collection for later.
Finding the DroneBoot Workshop was a big surprise to me and becomes a totally game changer. Within two weeks i have learned all about my sensors and how to use it with Arduino in an interesting way. Since there, i completed some projects, got more modules and more microcontrollers, because these are the spells of a modern magician.
* I really miss this kind of kit for the Arduino MEGA. Imagine that you can plug your devboard into an expansion board (something bigger and better scalable as a shield) already equipped with the most usefull modules, like a display, keypad, RTC, microSD, nRF24, LoRa, LED's, buttons, potentiometers, PS/2 socket (which is totally cool makes it possible to use PS/2 keyboard as input), IR receiver, relays, buzzer, ... and almost not need to care about the connections, having a powerful multipurpose reprogrammable device. Would it not be absolutely wonderful? Please let me know if you know a project like this!
2024-04-06 1:06 pm
@j526 Welcome to the forum Jan. I would be remiss and my SIL would kill me if I did not mention that it's 'Ukraine', not 'the Ukraine', just like it's Poland and not the Poland.
I can remember as a teen making illegal AM transmitters out of 2N107 transistors and packaging in old style ink pens. I think we sold them for $5 and the transistors were ahem 'found' so a lot of profit.
As far as your last para, there are companies that make boards where you can plug in those kinds of devices. Try Cytron, and then use Amazon search to find a relevant board and look at what Amazon says are similar products. I have a few somewhere.
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.
Topic starter
2024-04-06 1:26 pm
I would be remiss and my SIL would kill me if I did not mention that it's 'Ukraine', not 'the Ukraine', just like it's Poland and not the Poland.
Oh, i am sorry for that. My English is still shitty, i know. Anyway, i try my best.
2024-04-06 2:05 pm
@j526 I made that mistake once, my SIL quickly corrected me.
As far as those boards you are looking for, have a look at Cytron.io, Adafruit and Sparkfun as well. Note that Cytron uses Grove connectors and the others do not so you may need duplicates in different connectors, or some sort of converter.
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.
2024-04-11 3:13 pm
Hello, and welcome to the forum. What an interesting introduction and bio! For what it's worth, I Googled "8051 Microcontroller Development Kit" and see that it appears to still be available (here in the US, at least), at Mouser Electronics, C8051F580DK, for a whopping $137 (USD). These are the same kind of devices and development kits I started in with, mid-70's.
Have fun!