Printed Circuits

One Hundred Forty Eighth Post: Printed Circuits

Myself, I have studied a little bit of mechanics in school including physics, statics, and dynamics, but I never studied electronics in school. Most programs in mechanics have a couple of courses in intro to electronics, but I never took them. But when you start to tinker with things that are mechanical, you start to realize how electronics and mechanics complement each other. This is especially true today with computers. You have a mechanical problem or measurement, you must use the computer to analyze it. A mechanical part is controlled by an electronic switch. And there is robotics a mixture of mechanical machines with electronic controls.

But the thing about electronics is that it is fun to learn even though the field is so vast. Today everyone uses a computer, but most are probably negligent to the building blocks on how their computer actually runs. But a lot of science suppliers and Radio Shack have simple electronic labs that teach children to adults about circuits. So the resources are available. Make magazine also features projects that include a lot of electronics. The projects range from complex to simple.

I found a cool ad in Make. It was PCB Express that make custom printed circuit boards from the user’s design. Sounds interesting. I am not that advanced in circuits yet, but I bet it would be perfect for the Senior undergraduate or Grad student working on a design project.

I have been mentioning Make a lot since I received it yesterday which is because it is the only thing that I have been reading. It is impossible to do all the projects because the main projects are involved, but the magazine has something to everyone. I think schools should buy them to complement their science books. This is the application of science and ingenuity which is exactly what interests young students. They want to see how what they are learning applies to the real world and here it is presented in one plain issue of Make.