Recommendation for electronics forums?

[David Nebenzahl]

I'm looking for an online electronics forum (web-based) where I can post
some questions.

Don't get me wrong: I love, and usually prefer, Usenet. But I'm trying
to educate myself here, am working on a project, and a web forum that
allows one to post pictures would be better for my purposes. At least
I'd like to try it. (The subject of my current research is the ins and
outs of op amps.)

Ideally, I'd like a forum where rank amateurs like me can post questions
that may be answered by "respected regulars" with lotsa knowledge on the
subject.

Now, if the answer turns out to be "What, are you nuts? There ain't no
such thing!", then I guess I can live with that ...


--
The phrase "jump the shark" itself jumped the shark about a decade ago.

- Usenet

 

[Dave M]

David Nebenzahl wrote:

I'm looking for an online electronics forum (web-based) where I can
post some questions.

Don't get me wrong: I love, and usually prefer, Usenet. But I'm trying
to educate myself here, am working on a project, and a web forum that
allows one to post pictures would be better for my purposes. At least
I'd like to try it. (The subject of my current research is the ins and
outs of op amps.)

Ideally, I'd like a forum where rank amateurs like me can post
questions that may be answered by "respected regulars" with lotsa
knowledge on the subject.

Now, if the answer turns out to be "What, are you nuts? There ain't no
such thing!", then I guess I can live with that ...

Give this one a try... Everything there from dummies to experts.
http://www.electro-tech-online.com/
--
David
dgminala at mediacombb dot net

 

[Smitty Two]

In article <4d854cd2$0$2434$822641b3@news.adtechcomputers.com>,
David Nebenzahl <nobody@but.us.chickens> wrote:

The subject of my current research is the ins and
outs of op amps.

A little pun, there?

 

[Rich Webb]

On Sat, 19 Mar 2011 17:39:54 -0800, David Nebenzahl
<nobody@but.us.chickens> wrote:

I'm looking for an online electronics forum (web-based) where I can post
some questions.

Don't get me wrong: I love, and usually prefer, Usenet. But I'm trying
to educate myself here, am working on a project, and a web forum that
allows one to post pictures would be better for my purposes. At least
I'd like to try it. (The subject of my current research is the ins and
outs of op amps.)

Ideally, I'd like a forum where rank amateurs like me can post questions
that may be answered by "respected regulars" with lotsa knowledge on the
subject.

Now, if the answer turns out to be "What, are you nuts? There ain't no
such thing!", then I guess I can live with that ...

One would be the combined forum for Nuts & Volts magazine and Servo
magazine at http://forums.servomagazine.com. Then there are the forums
run by Circuit Cellar at http://bbs.circuitcellar.com. Also Elektor over
at http://www.elektor.com/

--
Rich Webb Norfolk, VA

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Smitty Two wrote:

In article <4d854cd2$0$2434$822641b3@news.adtechcomputers.com>,
David Nebenzahl <nobody@but.us.chickens> wrote:

The subject of my current research is the ins and
outs of op amps.

A little pun, there?

A bit bipolar, if you ask me...


--
You can't fix stupid. You can't even put a Band-Aid™ on it, because it's
Teflon coated.

 

[Phil Allison]

"Geoffrey S. Mendelson"

Get a ham license. Then you can find people who actively design and build
things, like to talk about them and would gladly help you.

** That is in the same class as needing a pint of milk and so buying a cow.




..... Phil

 

[Geoffrey S. Mendelson]

David Nebenzahl wrote:

I'm looking for an online electronics forum (web-based) where I can post
some questions.

Get a ham license. Then you can find people who actively design and build
things, like to talk about them and would gladly help you.

Not quite a web forum, but more personal.

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson N3OWJ/4X1GM
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to misquote it.

 

[David Nebenzahl]

On 3/19/2011 9:28 PM Phil Allison spake thus:

"Geoffrey S. Mendelson"

Get a ham license. Then you can find people who actively design and build
things, like to talk about them and would gladly help you.

** That is in the same class as needing a pint of milk and so buying a cow.

I agree, not a very good piece of advice.


--
The phrase "jump the shark" itself jumped the shark about a decade ago.

- Usenet

 

[D Yuniskis]

Hi David,

On 3/19/2011 6:39 PM, David Nebenzahl wrote:

I'm looking for an online electronics forum (web-based) where I can post
some questions.

Don't get me wrong: I love, and usually prefer, Usenet. But I'm trying
to educate myself here, am working on a project, and a web forum that
allows one to post pictures would be better for my purposes. At least
I'd like to try it. (The subject of my current research is the ins and
outs of op amps.)

Ideally, I'd like a forum where rank amateurs like me can post questions
that may be answered by "respected regulars" with lotsa knowledge on the
subject.

I think you have to refine your overall goals/interests.
There are many places you can find out "how to use an op amp"
(or, "how an op amp works", etc.).

But, what you *want* to use that op amp for is probably where
you will get far more pertinent information/advice if you can
refine your needs better.

E.g., using an op amp to design a battery charger is different
than using an op amp to buffer the pickup from an electric
guitar or to implement a feedback loop in a robotic servo
controller.

A place that will give you "textbook" advice on how an op amp
works (or can be applied) will leave you wondering, "OK, now how
do I use that to ____________?" OTOH, a more targeted "forum"
can tell you, "Why bother with an op amp? You can use a pair of
transistors configured like ___________ to give you the results
you need... with the following advantages: " Or, "If you use
an op amp in that sort of application, you will need to add an
external output stage to give you increased ___________. You
can do that by _____________."

Now, if the answer turns out to be "What, are you nuts? There ain't no
such thing!", then I guess I can live with that ...

 

[Geoffrey S. Mendelson]

David Nebenzahl wrote:

I agree, not a very good piece of advice.

It's the difference between learning to ride a bicycle by going to a riding
club versus sitting on stools and moving your feet.

(first told to me in the 1960's to describe programing classes that had
no access to a computer).

Sorry, but IMHO the level of expertise and education you will get on a web
forum is pretty low.

Why not get your education from people who actually use the things and follow
an almost 100 year tradition of educating newcomers? In my experience the
engineers who did it "for a job" were boring and uninventive, the passionate
ones were hams.

The amount of effort is nothing like it used to be, you can earn a ham
license in a weekend. You just need to answer 75% of 50 multiple choice
questions corrent about basic electronics, radio theory and law. No
morse code. No circuit drawings, etc.


Geoff.


--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson N3OWJ/4X1GM
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to misquote it.

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

"Geoffrey S. Mendelson" wrote:

David Nebenzahl wrote:
I'm looking for an online electronics forum (web-based) where I can post
some questions.

Get a ham license. Then you can find people who actively design and build
things, like to talk about them and would gladly help you.

You've got to be kidding. I know a lot of hams who don't even own a
soldering iron. They ship their radios off for factory service, unlike
40 years ago.

--
You can't fix stupid. You can't even put a Band-Aid™ on it, because it's
Teflon coated.

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

David Nebenzahl wrote:

I'm looking for an online electronics forum (web-based) where I can post
some questions.

Don't get me wrong: I love, and usually prefer, Usenet. But I'm trying
to educate myself here, am working on a project, and a web forum that
allows one to post pictures would be better for my purposes. At least
I'd like to try it. (The subject of my current research is the ins and
outs of op amps.)

Ideally, I'd like a forum where rank amateurs like me can post questions
that may be answered by "respected regulars" with lotsa knowledge on the
subject.

Now, if the answer turns out to be "What, are you nuts? There ain't no
such thing!", then I guess I can live with that ...

news:sci.electronics.basics or news:sci.electronics.design are both
good. You get more hand holding in the .basic group, but you see the
same people from the .design group. They have more patience on the
..basic group which is intended to teach electronics, while the .design
group is to trade ideas between professional designers.


--
You can't fix stupid. You can't even put a Band-Aid™ on it, because it's
Teflon coated.

 

[Phil Allison]

"Geoffrey S. Mendelson"

Get a ham license. Then you can find people who actively design and build
things, like to talk about them and would gladly help you.

** Only the " silent majority " ever did that ..........

And none of them or the current few would have a clue about the use of
op-amps in relation to audio.

Wot a fuckwit idea.

Musta come from a radio ham.



..... Phil

 

[Phil Allison]

"Geoffrey S. Mendelson"

Why not get your education from people who actually use the things

** Errr - since when do current radio hams use op-amps for anything ??

Most have no soldering irons or design knowledge at all.

and follow
an almost 100 year tradition of educating newcomers?

** New comers to ham radio generally get an " education " all right.

The amount of effort is nothing like it used to be, you can earn a ham
license in a weekend.

** Hmmm - that bodes well for giving new comers advice an all matters
electronic.....

You just need to answer 75% of 50 multiple choice
questions corrent about basic electronics, radio theory and law. No
morse code. No circuit drawings, etc.

** Same goes for the jokers you will find on the ham radio bands.

Like this guy:

Geoffrey S. Mendelson N3OWJ/4X1GM

BTW

The amateur bands have been damn near silent here in Australia for decades.

The hobby is all but dead.

CB radio, the internet and GSM phones have destroyed it.



..... Phil

 

[William Sommerwerck]

I'm looking for an online electronics forum (web-based)
where I can post some questions.

Get a ham license. Then you can find people who actively
design and build things, like to talk about them and would
gladly help you.

Amateur radio has largely become a plug 'n play hobby. Hams still build
antennas, and sometimes high-power finals, but other than small projects and
accessories, they mostly buy things. Don't expect to walk into a shack and
find a home-brew receiver these days.

One of the purposes in licensing amateur radio operators was to build a base
of people with both theoretical and practical knowledge of electronics. It's
not clear that it still does this.

 

[William Sommerwerck]

Ideally, I'd like a forum where rank amateurs like me can post
questions that may be answered by "respected regulars" with
lotsa knowledge on the subject.

I think you have to refine your overall goals/interests. There are
many places you can find out "how to use an op amp"
(or, "how an op amp works", etc.).

But, what you *want* to use that op amp for is probably where
you will get far more pertinent information/advice if you can
refine your needs better.

E.g., using an op amp to design a battery charger is different
than using an op amp to buffer the pickup from an electric
guitar or to implement a feedback loop in a robotic servo
controller.

A place that will give you "textbook" advice on how an op
amp works (or can be applied) will leave you wondering,
"OK, now how do I use that to ______?"

Not so! If you understand The Basic Rule in op-amp circuit design, you'll
see that there is no difference among these applications. Nor will you be
wondering how to do something.

National Semiconductor had an on-line seminar "explaining" op-amp circuit
design -- hostessed by a woman, of course -- and nowhere in it is The Basic
Rule even hinted at.

And Bob Pease had the nerve to tell me that my editing didn't improve the
quality of his (or others') writing!

 

[Geoffrey S. Mendelson]

Michael A. Terrell wrote:

You've got to be kidding. I know a lot of hams who don't even own a
soldering iron. They ship their radios off for factory service, unlike
40 years ago.

Totally irrelevant. I know a lot of people who can barely figure out
how to put gasoline in their cars, but that does not mean there are is no one
who knows how they work, and repair and "upgrade" their cars.

It's like this group. You ask a question and you get answers. Most of them
are not worth the paper they were never printed upon.

You go to a web forum, you get the same results. You ask a bunch of hams and
you get an answer. Not from all of them, but from one or two who know
what they are talking about.

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson N3OWJ/4X1GM
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to misquote it.

 

[Geoffrey S. Mendelson]

William Sommerwerck wrote:

Amateur radio has largely become a plug 'n play hobby. Hams still build
antennas, and sometimes high-power finals, but other than small projects and
accessories, they mostly buy things. Don't expect to walk into a shack and
find a home-brew receiver these days.

That's true. But you will find home brew (or at least kit) QRP rigs,
audio and microphone amps, and similar items.

Except in the UK, where one of the requirments for getting their "foundation"
license is to have built something.

One of the purposes in licensing amateur radio operators was to build a base
of people with both theoretical and practical knowledge of electronics. It's
not clear that it still does this.

It still does. Like everyone who uses a computer, most people could never
program their way out of a paper bag, there is a large population of hams
who can't design or build anything. But there is still a small percentage,
say 10% that do. In the US, that's about 60,000 or so. Enough that David
should not have trouble finding one.

The main objective of ham radio was to have a pool of radio operators
ready in case of an emergency. In 1920 that meant being able to send and
receive Morse code. In 2011, that means knowing how to set up and operate an
FM two way radio, and how to take and pass messages correctly with little
or no instuctions and not panicing.

Geoff.


--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson N3OWJ/4X1GM
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to misquote it.

 

[D Yuniskis]

On 3/20/2011 5:39 AM, William Sommerwerck wrote:

Ideally, I'd like a forum where rank amateurs like me can post
questions that may be answered by "respected regulars" with
lotsa knowledge on the subject.

I think you have to refine your overall goals/interests. There are
many places you can find out "how to use an op amp"
(or, "how an op amp works", etc.).

But, what you *want* to use that op amp for is probably where
you will get far more pertinent information/advice if you can
refine your needs better.

E.g., using an op amp to design a battery charger is different
than using an op amp to buffer the pickup from an electric
guitar or to implement a feedback loop in a robotic servo
controller.

A place that will give you "textbook" advice on how an op
amp works (or can be applied) will leave you wondering,
"OK, now how do I use that to ______?"

Not so! If you understand The Basic Rule in op-amp circuit design, you'll
see that there is no difference among these applications. Nor will you be
wondering how to do something.

No, you only "get" to that point with experience. There
are different design issues involved in each of the above
applications. If you understand how an op amp works
"in theory", you can look at an EXISTING circuit and suss
out the functionality that the op amp is providing. But,
that doesn't mean that you would be able to come up with
the particular circuit topology that is avoiding some
particular *real* (vs theoretical) limitation of that
*particular* op amp and/or leveraging some particular
characteristic thereof.

If it could all be boiled down to a simple rule, then
EVERYONE would be able to design perfect circuits "first
time, every time" -- with/without SPICE.

I want to design a 2KW, 2KV SMPS and use an op amp to
compute the error term. Should be no different than
designing a pickup for an electric guitar, right?
Should I expect to have either/both of those designs
on my desk, this afternoon, *completed*??
error

 

[D Yuniskis]

On 3/20/2011 5:31 AM, William Sommerwerck wrote:

I'm looking for an online electronics forum (web-based)
where I can post some questions.

Get a ham license. Then you can find people who actively
design and build things, like to talk about them and would
gladly help you.

Amateur radio has largely become a plug 'n play hobby. Hams still build
antennas, and sometimes high-power finals, but other than small projects and
accessories, they mostly buy things. Don't expect to walk into a shack and
find a home-brew receiver these days.

I think that is a matter of simple economics. You can buy
finished, tested, "legit" product for less than you can
purchase the components needed to build same. And, often,
getting those components is tedious -- unless you have a
business account to which you can add the order (or, buy
THAT SORT OF COMPONENTS in big enough quantities that a
sales rep will sample you a few pieces). Most electronic
suppliers don't want to deal with small orders. And, the
places that *will* have hefty markups (or don't carry the
more exotic components).

One of the purposes in licensing amateur radio operators was to build a base
of people with both theoretical and practical knowledge of electronics. It's
not clear that it still does this.

I think dropping the code requirement was a clear acknowledgement
of this. Now they're just trying to hold onto their frequency
allocations. :-/

And, in practical terms, there are fewer and fewer things that
even a motivated ham can design or repair in a modern household
(contrast this with how "capable" he/she would be in a 1960's
household)