Hello and welcome!
My name is Stamatis and I am the newest member of the JustAddCoffee team,I also am an engineering student from Greece and an a huge electronics enthusiast. From here on I will be your wizard guide/Jedi mentor (much like Gandalf and Yoda but with a goatee and a lot less green) to electronics. Through this series of articles I will be presenting to you the basics of electronics DIY building including: motion/light activated circuits,build your own robot(world domination instructions and giant monsters not included),microphone,electric guitar effects,scripts/sketches/code and debugging,sensor input,tool usage and basic circuit schematics reading/drawing skills and a bit of theory too.
-What is electronics,exactly and why should I care?
Do you like:
- TV
- Robots and electronic toys
- PC’s and game consoles
- Cellphones,Smartphones and GPS
- Dubstep and electronic music in general (Google ATARI Punk Console)
- Lasers
- Youtube,Google,Facebook,Instagram and generally The Internet (don’t lie)
- Cars,airplanes,boats,hi-tec bicycles
- Ice cream,chocolate and French frie production so you can enjoy them anytime (again,don’t lie)
If you do,then chances are you are using electronics a lot ,in fact hundreds of basic electronics components work together right now composing a nanometer sized orchestra to enable you to read this very article and help you accomplish hundreds of everyday tasks that would be impossible without their assistance.
-Oh no, not another electronics geek,just what we needed,get your math,physics and object oriented programming and take it somewhere else buddy!!
Wait,you think electronics is all science and no fun right? Wrong(annoying buzzer-like voice)
You wanna know all the math and physics you’ll need through this course? Get ready here it comes:
V=I*R
V=Voltage
I=Current (not C because of monsieur Coulomb a french scientist from wich a static electricity charge unit was named)
R=Resistance
(Source:Google)
Yup that’s all ,pretty much this formula is all you need. Courtesy of Herr Georg Simon Ohm (a pretty cool dude overall).
( Source:Wikipedia)
-Hah!! What about the programming?
Simple stuff as well, the platforms I will be using have very simple structure and require minimum programming experience,however if you are a total beginner I will be uploading the code from square one for every project with comments right beside to each line explaining what it does, so you can review the material at your own pace.
-tl;dr I’m a visual learner.
Like video? No prob, we got you covered, every article will be accompanied by a video featuring yours truly displaying techniques,shortcuts,making mistakes and explaining them all for your visual and educational enjoyment.
-I have questions
Ask away! Either a comment below the video, the blog comments section,my facebook,my twitter will be answered as soon as possible
-I wants moar!!!!
Need some books? Perhaps some extra articles/videos/schematics? Want to compare prices?No worries we’ve got tons of material to recommend for all you electronics geeks in the making out there!
-Oh yeah,also I’m broke…
Lucky for you (and us) electronics is one of the cheapest hobbys around, most parts are dirt cheap,reusable,easy to find,vary very little from seller to seller and require minimum space. In fact a desk is all you need. Budgets for every project will be announced beforehand (including cheaper and more expensive alternatives and where to find them ).
-What will you be covering?
Mainly open source harware and software topics. For starters I will be presenting Arduino platform projects,then Raspberry Pi applications/hacks/projects,BeagleBone black projects/hacks/setup,robotics using all of the above including basic software engineering(making the controller do want you want it to do) and who knows what more!!
-Any software needed?
Nope, although I will be recommending some types of software (don’t worry it’s all free) no software is required. (Except the Arduino IDE and Raspbian Wheezy packs which are obligatory in order for the Arduino and Rasprberry Pi platforms to function)
-Why should I listen to you?
Well, even before university as a student I was really interested in electronics and what I lacked in knowledge back then I made up in persistence.I have destroyed over 100 small electrical devices in my youth and probably made all the possible mistakes a beginner could do.I just want you to get a headstart in electronics through the experience I gained, which means all the fun minus the hard work and frustration (and getting scholded by your Dad for destroying the toaster/radio/TV remote)
-I have an idea/suggestion!
I am open to ideas/suggestions so feel free to contact me through any medium!
That’s all for now folks,remember any questions and/or suggestions can be posted below.
Stam out.
*Extra Bit: Too excited? Can’t wait? Want something to read?
Try reading: Getting started with Arduino by Massimo Banzi (Co-creator of the arduino)
Try watching:The MAKE presents video series on Youtube (featurin Colin Cunningham) to get acquainted with some basic electronics parts and their historical backround.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mHLvtGjum4&list=PL5A1CBB3B80AF24B9)
** Next up: Basic tools, time to invade a beautiful and mysterious realm…your Dad’s tool cabinet (or your local harware store)
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