This blog is my personal log of learning electronics. It helps me gather my thoughts, save useful resources for future reference, and maybe help someone else. I'll favor more frequent, shorter posts over longer pieces. I hope you enjoy following me along this journey!

Getting Started

I've been interested in electronics for a while but didn't know how to start. I had heard about Arduino but never tried it. I thought there was a high barrier to entry and a lot to learn just to get started.

Then I attended the Hackers on Planet Earth (HOPE) Conference, where I was a presenter on another topic (Outline VPN and SDK). HOPE has many electronics enthusiasts and fun workshops to learn different things and get started.

So, I began my journey with Arduino For Total Newbies, followed by Build Your Own Satellite Ground Station, totaling five and a half hours of training.

The Two Hurdles

I believe there are two hurdles to getting started with electronics:

• Having the parts and tools to play with

• Some basic knowledge to know what to do

You can watch content online or attend a workshop, but it's no fun if you can't play with it. I highly recommend buying a kit. Parts are a lot cheaper than I thought. There are kits for $11, for example. A kit with Arduino can be in the $20 range. Arduino is open hardware, so you can use clones easily. They are often cheaper and may have more functionality.

Getting Your Hands Dirty

Once you have parts and a breadboard, you can start prototyping and exploring. I recommend buying a multimeter too. By measuring things, you can better understand what is going on and learn faster. Soon enough, you will want a soldering kit to start building more permanent projects and to fix things.

Now that I know the basics, I can fix things, modify things, and even break them apart for parts!

Arduino for Total Newbies

This was a great workshop run by Mitch Altman. He covered some basics of electronics (most of which I already knew), taught us how to solder, and then we assembled an Arduino clone (U-Do-It-Duino) using a kit he provided. We finished with the software setup and some breadboarding and programming to get a blinking light working. Oh, and he also explained how TV-B-Gone (one of his inventions) works, so we could build our own!

This comprehensive, end-to-end introduction left me in a position where I can now move forward, tinker, and learn on my own. It reminded me of when I was learning to surf. Initially, I needed classes where instructors would put me on waves and guide me. I couldn't practice on my own and develop my skills without help, which limited how much I could progress and have fun. Once I finally learned how to catch waves, I could go out and practice on my own whenever I wanted. Now, I can get my bearings and catch my own waves in electronics!

If you are curious, check out the Arduino for Total Newbies slides.

Not only did I leave the workshop with new knowledge, but I also got a kit with a bunch of stuff, so I could keep playing at home:

Below is my first soldered component ever!!

Below is my fully assembled Arduino clone. I assembled it and it works!!!!