What does the future hold for electronics hobbyists?

[MikeMl]

... I think that with the decline of electronics magazines, that void has been amply filled and some more, by the internet. ...

But when a circuit was published in a magazine, it was vetted by an editor, or reviewed by real engineers. Now any newbie that knows almost nothing about electronics can create a web page and put total crap on the web...

 

[Gasboss775]

But when a circuit was published in a magazine, it was vetted by an editor, or reviewed by real engineers. Now any newbie that knows almost nothing about electronics but can create a web page can (and does) put total crap on the web...

Can't really argue with that as I've seen loads of circuits online that either wouldn't work, or worse could pose a fire hazard!

I'd imagine it could be a bit of a nightmare for newbies, but then I think about some of the crazy things that I wired up as a teenager many years before widespread use of the internet. As an example I built a strobe light that was powered directly from the mains and featured a handmade trigger coil and a capacitive dropper for the oscillator circuitry, through incredible good fortune it worked and worked well but could easily have ended in a puff of noxious smoke!

I learned a lot from my mistakes in the younger years, when buying lots is components when I needed them was more often than not, not an option. I had to rely on what I could salvage from junk and try to figure out what I could do with it.

Yeah the internet is both a blessing and a curse on many levels, but hopefully it can draw enough attention to electronics as a hobby or even a potential career, without causing too many disasters.

 

[Gasboss775]

(Never Liked TTL's)

Neither did I. My principle objection to it was the need for a closely regulated 5 volt supply, also there were some very useful functions available in 4000B, for example the 4017, for which there was no single chip equivalent, you needed to hook up a decimal counter to a 4 to 10 line decoder, to achieve the same function with the 7400 series as the 4017 was able to do alone. There were some exotic timers, as I recall, I think they were in the extended series (45XX numbered) There was another (again I forget the number) that was more or less a five digit counter in one IC, just needed to add a 7 segment decoder ( the output was multiplexed bcd ) and some discrete transistors and of course the 7 segment displays.

Yes their are Many items from China and I have bought a few.
By my Love is CREATING, not just Buying!

these modules can be useful when you need a quick solution for something, but there's no real challenge in going down that road.

 

[granddad]

Loved TTL , first processor I worked on ( for pay ) had hundreds of them on several big boards, based around 74S181 alu , so I was able to get hold of them relatively easily until some bright spark suggested a rework centre . I found soldering SOIC , SSOP 100 pin TQFP not a problem , and my eyes have been bad for 60 years , you just need right tools ( lens, rosin pen, solder mop, .5mm iron and practice.

 

[jbeng]

It won't be too long before a PCB can be printed on a 3D printer.

PCB's can already be produced via 3D printing.

https://3dprint.com/43415/voltera-v-one-printer/

 

[be80be]

What would a Ham do today they helped invent cell phones now there texting around the world So much has changed I read last night that the move to use modules to save time. I was thinking tomorrow no one will know how anything works just hook up a module and go. It's all about fast food everything has to be out the window in less then a minute don't even have time to cook it. Some one will still need to make the modules so there still room for us to play with are iron and solder and dream of new things to come out are doors. Or windows LOL

 

[eTech]

PCB's can already be produced via 3D printing.

https://3dprint.com/43415/voltera-v-one-printer/

There ya go

 

[Pommie]

PCB's can already be produced via 3D printing.

https://3dprint.com/43415/voltera-v-one-printer/

This is simply a kickstarter to enable the company to try and make a PCB printer.

Mike.

 

[chemelec]

I just got sent a Texas Instruments Update for a New 3 Amp Surface Mount Regulator that operates at 2.4Mhz.
This TPS82085 has an 8 Pin Pad.
SIZE is just 2.8 x 3 mm
I JUST CAN'T Imagine the SMALL Size of Traces to connect to this TINY part.