Hundreds of guides, books are available on the Internet and real world. Most commonly they misguide either providing too much information or too less information. Here is a Guide For Getting Started With DIY Electronics With Low Budget. We are talking about the components needed for Electronics DIY works. With Made in China technologies, DIY works can be done at less cost. High quality components, tools are needed after understanding whether things are liked by an enthusiast. Not all China companies are bad, some are factually rightly priced.
Wrongs Done in Getting Started With DIY Electronics With Low Budget
Starting is not with electronics but electricals. Starting with electricals in early age (around 7 years or lesser) is best. Otherwise it is not possible to properly work. Since childhood we are watching hundreds of competitions around many skills. Winners can not do much more than that 1-2 good works. They do lack the common sense & creativity. You have to do & teach yourself. Frankly, in any good country on this earth, up to 12th Grade education gives enough theory to learn furthermore. Basically understanding joining the wires with fingers, chewing them, getting hurt by copper wires while chewing is needed. I suggest to use plain wooden board, iron nail and hammer, AA batteries, bulb, holder, DC motor to start working at early age. There are kits available for the juniors. More tools, more modern & sophisticated system will be used to start, worser will be the basic. I expect that, who is reading is like me – at five years of age used one DC Motor to spin other DC Motor to generate electricity. Then learned BASIC on BBC Microcomputer. Thereafter C, C++, Python, Ruby etc languages at own effort. Huge reading of all the theories – from networking to cloud computing. Simultaneously traditional art.
The Next Phase of Learning
Electronics, Electricals, Computer science has difference. Blinking a bulb can be done in 3 ways –
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- Controlling with only Electrical components
- Controlling with only Electronic components
- Controlling with only Electronic components plus code
There are huge difference between 3 ways. “Controlling with only Electrical components” is easy and that is why usage in heavy duty decoration with lights, it is suitable. Second way, “Controlling with only Electronic components” is near pure electronics and very difficult. “Controlling with only Electronic components plus code” is made for making it practical. But, that “Controlling with only Electronic components plus code” system must be built from joining the basic own self.
Electronics and Electricals has the philosophy of Free Software development. Arduino is not exactly electronics. It has lot of problems in learning by an advanced user. We write guides on Arduino as many uses Arduino. But basically Arduino makes dependent on costly stuffs made by them or the others. You can buy Arduino board as number of guides is huge, but you’ll need to shift later. I suggest to use it as first step for the enthusiasts for the age group 25 to 40 years, who passed the first phase of learning.
You can use development boards or just the Basic Components. Understanding and doing works with the transistors is more important than starting with Arduino. Arduino is not for how to program to get the performance out of micro controllers. mbed is to good to start.
Basic Components Needed Getting Started With DIY Electronics With Low Budget
Childhood wooden board will not work at 30 years of age. I kept the list as small as possible :
- Breadboard
- Breadboard Power Supply
- Multimeter
- Basic Electronic Components Kit
- Servo Motor
- Plain 3V DC Motor
- Plain Torchlight Bulb
- Bulb Holder for the above
- Soldering Iron
- Practical idea what not to buy
Actually I like a dedicated wooden table with drawers, racks and good artificial light. Getting started with DIY Electronics really does not cost a bomb. There is StackExchange like sites for asking questions on electronics.