Guidance for improving practical skills

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on improving practical skills in electronics and engineering through hands-on experience. Participants explore the establishment of an electronics lab and seek guidance on where to begin with practical projects, particularly in relation to their academic studies in computer systems engineering.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • A participant expresses a desire to enhance practical skills by building an electronics lab and seeks suggestions on where to start.
  • Another participant suggests designing and building a basic feedback control system, either with discrete circuits or a USB-enabled interface, and experimenting with different feedback loops.
  • There is a question about whether the discussion pertains to sensor systems used in instrumentation.
  • A participant lists their current and upcoming classes, indicating a focus on instrumentation, measurement, digital electronics, computer architecture, microprocessor systems, electronic circuit design, and signals & systems.
  • Feedback is emphasized as a critical aspect of learning, particularly how changing inputs affect outputs and overall systems.
  • A participant expresses agreement with the suggestion of feedback control systems as a good introduction to electronics in the lab and requests further suggestions from another participant.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the importance of practical experience and feedback systems, but specific starting points and project ideas remain varied and unresolved.

Contextual Notes

Participants have not reached a consensus on the best initial project or approach for building practical skills, and there are varying interpretations of what constitutes a suitable starting point in electronics.

Who May Find This Useful

Students in engineering or related fields looking to enhance their practical skills through hands-on projects, particularly those interested in electronics and control systems.

Basher1
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hello all, i am a second year computer systems engineering student, after my first year i have done well in the theory. but i find i learn so much more when a unit has practical backing. i have decided to build an electronics lab so that i may practice various topics in engineering that i learn at university. i have seen the 'useful EE links,' as well as having loads of books. These are great sources of info. I was wondering however, where is the best place to start when doing things like this. I am still very inexperienced, so I am a bit lost on where to start.

please any suggestions are greatly appreciated
 
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Design and build any basic feedback control system.
You can do it with ether discrete circuits or some type of
USB enabled interface.
Once you have the basics down, experiment with different feedback loops.
 
so would you be referring to sensor systems? those used in instrumentation?
 
Basher1 said:
hello all, i am a second year computer systems engineering student, after my first year i have done well in the theory. but i find i learn so much more when a unit has practical backing. i have decided to build an electronics lab so that i may practice various topics in engineering that i learn at university. i have seen the 'useful EE links,' as well as having loads of books. These are great sources of info. I was wondering however, where is the best place to start when doing things like this. I am still very inexperienced, so I am a bit lost on where to start.

please any suggestions are greatly appreciated

What classes are you taking now, and what classes are up next after that?
 
instrumentation and measurement, digital electronics are the two tech units i have(as well as a math unit and a management unit). next semester is computer architecture, microprocessor systems, electronic circuit design and signals & systems. I have done analog electronics already and software design principles already, the latter deals with being able to write and structure good code for use with any programming language but specifically java.
 
Basher1 said:
so would you be referring to sensor systems? those used in instrumentation?

Yes, any type of input that your circuit/program can respond to.
The important part is learning about feedback and how the changing
inputs effect the output and overall system.
In the digital would it looks like a state table.
 
yeah, I thought that that may give us a good all round introduction to electronics in the lab. thank you for your help.

Also berkeman, i would like to hear any suggestions you may have.

thank you
 

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