The Electronic Engineers garage.

[MacLaddy]

I have been asking many questions trying to really get a feel for what someone in the field of Electrical Engineering really does, but now I realize I have been asking the wrong question.

What I really want to know is: What kind of cool stuff can an Electrical Engineer build in his garage for a hobby, or for fun?

What kind of projects do the members of this forum have going on? I would love to hear some of the hobby's.

 

[MacLaddy]

I guess that's actually "The Electrical Engineers Garage." Pardon my mistake.

 

[Bob S]

I recently built several BLDC (brushless dc) electric motors using neodymium magnets for rotor, a Hall Effect sensor, and an H-bridge for commutating stator coil current.

I recently restored a 100-year-old repulsion-start 1/6 HP electric motor, with a radial commutator (for repulsion start only- brushes retract).

Bob S

 

[bassplayer142]

Search microcontroller projects and you will find a lot of stuff!

 

[MacLaddy]

I recently built several BLDC (brushless dc) electric motors using neodymium magnets for rotor, a Hall Effect sensor, and an H-bridge for commutating stator coil current.

I recently restored a 100-year-old repulsion-start 1/6 HP electric motor, with a radial commutator (for repulsion start only- brushes retract).

Bob S

Wow, that sounds very interesting... I, um, don't understand any of it; but it sounds really cool.

Search microcontroller projects and you will find a lot of stuff!

That's it? I always took electrical engineers to be more of the tinkering type. Tim Taylor meets Nikola Tesla type thing.

Or is it that nobody wants to discuss their super-secret-mega-invention that is going to land them in riches and fame?

 

[rolerbe]

With my son, I recently designed and built an audio 'fuzz box', with remote foot switch. Fun project and got to teach some electronics along the way.

Some other projects: A CO2 ejection system for model rockets, remote control guidance system for model rocket recovery, etc.

Slow as hobbies. Work life interferes. :-)

 

[berkeman]

Power supplies, laser light show deflector, biofeedback EEG machine, other fun stuff.

 

[pseudophonist]

Its probably beyond the budget, but i got to play with a superconducting magnet system for my honours thesis which was pretty awesome.

A friend of mine just modded a remote control car to include a foam dart launcher with automated face recognition and target tracking.

 

[famousken]

Recently I have been tinkering with solid state tesla coils. I've made a 0-200VDC smps for it, oscillator with tl494, a "burst mode" circuit for it, and a large 8000uf 200vdc capacitor bank for operating in burst mode.