I have a confession to make...

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epicelite
 
Posts: 186
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2008 8:13 pm

I have a confession to make...

Post by epicelite »

Ok where do I start.

I go around telling people I know a lot about computers, and yes I know more then the average person, but when it comes down to it I know BANNED.
Yea I can build a computer from the individual parts with no help, but it is just "tab A into slot B".

I go around saying I know how to build something from random parts and, yeah I can solder, a kit, with instructions.
More then most people but still not worth a damn.

One time my mom actually got me a book about useing a arduino, I made up some excuse about how they cost a lot and returned the book to get a video game.
I have yet to even play the game for more then 5 minutes...

Like I will be sitting there one day and decided to try and figure out how to program pong on my computer. I go look it up and then in about 2 minutes I get bored and go back to looking at the same websites hopeing there will be something new.

I don't even know why I am telling you because I don't know what could help me here.

My whole day revolves around surfing the same 5-10 websites, hopeing to see something new and interesting.
Checking my e-mail ever 15-30 minutes begging for something to respond to.

It is like I want to learn, but can't be bothered to put in the effort required. I can make this post and complain about it, but when I try to actually do anything it is too much work.

I have nothing but free time all day but can't be bothered to do anything, maybe I will see something that will motivate me and make me feel all "YEA I AM GONNA GO DO SOMETHING YEAAAA!" but I never do. The few times I have tried anything it ended up a failure from all the corners I cut or lack of funds.

What can I do I am not motivated enough to give anything a real go even when I think I am.

So what the hell?

The_Don125
 
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Re: I have a confession to make...

Post by The_Don125 »

I go around telling people I know a lot about computers, and yes I know more then the average person, but when it comes down to it I know BANNED.
Yea I can build a computer from the individual parts with no help, but it is just "tab A into slot B".
See, a lot of people either don't realize that, or are too scared to do that themselves. Building a computer is a lot easier than one might think, but at the same time, there are some things you do have to know when building. For example, you can't put an AMD processor into an Intel motherboard; not everybody knows that.
I go around saying I know how to build something from random parts and, yeah I can solder, a kit, with instructions.
More then most people but still not worth a damn.
I'm a sophomore electrical engineering major at the University of Illinois, and quite frankly, only about half of my classmates seem to have soldering experience. I run electronics workshops here, and believe me, even among electrical engineering students, there are a ton of people that you are one step ahead of here.
One time my mom actually got me a book about using a arduino, I made up some excuse about how they cost a lot and returned the book to get a video game.
I have yet to even play the game for more then 5 minutes...

Like I will be sitting there one day and decided to try and figure out how to program pong on my computer.
Ah videogames. If I were you, I'd get an Arduino. If you think about it, they are only $30 for the base Arduino, and then only a few dollars more for supporting circuits like LEDs and resistors. It might not let you recreate Pong, but its a start; Linus Torvalds didn't make Linux his first software project I'm sure, you have to start small and work your way up to the big stuff (and for the record, pong is a far more complex game than you might think. I just got done programming it into an FPGA for a class, quite a pain).
It is like I want to learn, but can't be bothered to put in the effort required. I can make this post and complain about it, but when I try to actually do anything it is too much work.
Like I said above, start small and work your way up. You'll be far more motivated to do a project if you break it into a bunch of little steps and finish those little steps then if you try to do it all in one pass. Sometimes a bunch of little "aha" moments is a lot better than one big "AHA!" at the end.
I have nothing but free time all day but can't be bothered to do anything, maybe I will see something that will motivate me and make me feel all "YEA I AM GONNA GO DO SOMETHING YEAAAA!" but I never do. The few times I have tried anything it ended up a failure from all the corners I cut or lack of funds.
Ah, funding issues, the ever-present killer of projects. I'm going to sound like a broken record, but start small, then build up. That way if you don't have funds to complete your Super-Awesome-Robot 3000 all at once, you can build an arm while you are saving up for a leg, then the leg while saving for the head, etc, etc.

interlol
 
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Re: I have a confession to make...

Post by interlol »

One time my mom actually got me a book about useing a arduino, I made up some excuse about how they cost a lot and returned the book to get a video game.
It's such a bad behavior that I would give you a good spank if I were your mom :D
I don't even know why I am telling you because I don't know what could help me here.
The internet is a friendly place to ask for advice, use it as much as you want, our computers won't wear out with your questions!

Well, as for your question, I know blogs sometimes have a bad reputation, but have you tried something like this? (like a blog I mean) Telling the whole world what you do could help you, you would have feedback with comments, and something to show, something you would be proud of.

I bought a stupid domain name, some web hosting (very cheap), and set up a web site, it helps me a bit because I have some responsibility, I have to "clean" what I show, I have to organize my stuff.

I agree with The_Don125, get an Arduino, start small and work your way up, and be proud of what you do, show it to us, we demand updates on your progress!
you can't put an AMD processor into an Intel motherboard
Well, it just shows that electronics can't solve simple problems that even a good old hammer would do in a second!

Edit: for the blog, you could get a free BANNED blog and a Flickr account where you can tell us what you do (with pretty pictures)...

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Franklin97355
 
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Re: I have a confession to make...

Post by Franklin97355 »

OK, I have some simple advice but it will take some effort on your part. What you seem to need is dicipline. You need to set aside an hour every day ( or three times a week, some schedule) and dedicate that time to designing and building circuits. Start small and simple and learn how and why it works then add a new part until you have something useful. If you can't come up with anything you have to set there and DO NOTHING for the whole hour. From your other posts it seems you start on a project that is over your head and get frustrated when it won't work for you. I started out with a battery, led, resistors and a 555 timer chip and made a led blinker. Start simple and keep a set time to work and you can learn. As you learn it will become easier and less boring. Who knows you could invent the next "big thing".

epicelite
 
Posts: 186
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2008 8:13 pm

Re: I have a confession to make...

Post by epicelite »

franklin97355 wrote:OK, I have some simple advice but it will take some effort on your part. What you seem to need is dicipline. You need to set aside an hour every day ( or three times a week, some schedule) and dedicate that time to designing and building circuits. Start small and simple and learn how and why it works then add a new part until you have something useful. If you can't come up with anything you have to set there and DO NOTHING for the whole hour. From your other posts it seems you start on a project that is over your head and get frustrated when it won't work for you. I started out with a battery, led, resistors and a 555 timer chip and made a led blinker. Start simple and keep a set time to work and you can learn. As you learn it will become easier and less boring. Who knows you could invent the next "big thing".
That sounds good but I don't have a 555 timer. :cry:

That eagle cad thing is so confusing! How is someone supposed to learn how to use it?

jdl2001
 
Posts: 86
Joined: Sun Mar 08, 2009 12:53 pm

Re: I have a confession to make...

Post by jdl2001 »

Epicelite:Oh, Ladyada, I don't know what to do, I don't know what to do...
[All of a sudden, Ladyada rises from her chair and gives epicelite a savage shake]
Ladyada: YOU CAN ACT LIKE A MAN!
[gives a quick slap to epicelite]
Ladyada: What's the matter with you? Is this what you've become, an Internet finocchio who cries like a BANNED? "Oh, what do I do? What do I do?" What is that nonsense? Ridiculous!


Couldn't resist...if you PM your address, I'll send you a 555 chip (I think it was 25 cents)

epicelite
 
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Re: I have a confession to make...

Post by epicelite »

At radio shack they are $5 :evil:

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Franklin97355
 
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Re: I have a confession to make...

Post by Franklin97355 »

That sounds good but I don't have a 555 timer.
That eagle cad thing is so confusing! How is someone supposed to learn how to use it?
Who said you needed one? Get off your ass, go get some work mowing lawn, cleaning up leaves, hauling trash out of garages, helping out after school save up the money if you need parts or offer to take old radios and televisions to scavenge parts. As for the eagle thing you probably shouldn't be bothering with that since you couldn't afford to get the boards made or buy the parts anyway. Follow the three S's (Start Simple Stupid)

epicelite
 
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Re: I have a confession to make...

Post by epicelite »

Where am I supposed to get some reusable perf board?

The_Don125
 
Posts: 373
Joined: Tue Mar 06, 2007 11:51 pm

Re: I have a confession to make...

Post by The_Don125 »

I don't think perf boards are reusable.

Well, I guess they can be, but you'd need an awful lot of solder wick, patience, and maybe a solder sucker.

A solderless breadboard is probably what you'll want.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index ... Id=2734154
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/produc ... cts_id=112
Your local radio shack probably has something like that in stock. Its more expensive than your regular perfboard, but designing a circuit on one of those breadboard is so much nicer than if you have to solder it in, and of course they are re-usable. Should last you for quite a while.

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macegr
 
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Re: I have a confession to make...

Post by macegr »

Go to Radio Shack, or online, and find a Forrest Mims III book. Maybe you get the big one, or maybe you get a mini-notebook in a subject that interests you. Anyway, skim through it and make a list of all the parts you'll need. Then buy them, and build every circuit in the book.

It's not going to make you an expert in anything, but it will get you used to building and testing circuits. Skills that are essential to avoiding disappointment and a retreat to the TV when things don't work. You'll learn how circuits are put together, part sourcing, soldering, reading schematics. It'll give you seeds of new ideas for projects you can design yourself.

A lot of people here are very multi-talented. "Oh I designed the RF circuit and laid it out in Eagle, shipped the Gerbers off to BatchPCB, in the meantime jumped on the lathe and milling machine and made a custom enclosure, then wrote my own USB host interface firmware and got that talking to the webcam. And baked a souffle..." (fictional). But that experience takes a lot of time. I've been hacking around with electronics for 20 years, have an EE college degree too, and still know I'm just scratching the surface.

The suggestion to show your work is very good. Try building a few small projects, take pictures or video and put them on Flickr or Youtube. I guarantee that for every 100 projects you build, only one or two will really impress anyone. But your feeling of accomplishment is the same for every project you finally turn on and it works.

epicelite
 
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Re: I have a confession to make...

Post by epicelite »

Ok how do I make a LED blink. :3

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Franklin97355
 
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Re: I have a confession to make...

Post by Franklin97355 »

but when it comes down to it I know BANNED.
I go look it up and then in about 2 minutes I get bored
but can't be bothered to put in the effort required
That sounds good but I don't have a 555 timer.
That eagle cad thing is so confusing! How is someone supposed to learn how to use it?
Where am I supposed to get some reusable perf board?
Ok how do I make a LED blink. :3
If you don't want to take the time, effort or advice please quit posting it is becomming annoying.

epicelite
 
Posts: 186
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2008 8:13 pm

Re: I have a confession to make...

Post by epicelite »

Well tell me how to do 1 and I can try to make 2 blink!

JEEZ! :evil:

Also I might of just gotted a job but it is not a guarantee, close to it tho.

adafruit
 
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Re: I have a confession to make...

Post by adafruit »

franklin has a good point. there are literally hundreds of tutorials all over the web for microcontroller and electronics. your mother tried to help you by buying you an arduino/book, but you decided that you'd rather play video games.
it sounds like to me that perhaps you dont really want to learn electronics after all?
nothing wrong with that, you should just find something that you really do want to learn, cause then you'll be happy to put in the time and effort.

however, remember gratuitous posting and attitudes are not welcome here so consider this your first warning.

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