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AC is correct. Make: Electronics is a great resource, and will definitely aid the submitter in understanding what all those little magic widgets in the robot kits do.

Also, if you need to learn how to solder, check out EEVBlog's three soldering tutorial videos on Youtube.
http://www.eevblog.com/2011/06/19/eevblog-180-soldering-tutorial-part-1-tools/

the individual professors are the most important part of a quality institution

I wonder if this guy teaches there. He is local, and he would have made me study EE instead of chemistry.

http://www.eevblog.com/2012/10/15/eevblog-370-kindle-paperwhite-teardown-review/

They're pretty fucking good at hardware

Check out David Jones' EEVblog, particularly episode 168. http://www.eevblog.com/

"Protelâ(TM)s headquarters resided in Sydney, NSW, Australia until 1990 when Nick Martin decided to move the company to Silicon Valley, which was proving to be a hot spot for technology companies. In 2001, he changed the companyâ(TM)s name to Altium and moved operations back to Sydney. Then in 2011, Altium announced they will be moving their headquarters to Shanghai, China in the second half of 2011; again, to be in a hot spot for technology companies."

Anyone who watches the EEV Blog knows this (the host was laid off from his job at Altium last year), not-entirely-by-coincidence.

A little unrelated, on a recent trip we ended up in a Kia rental car, which did not drive any worse than the owned German made. Some noticeable difference was the much better gas mileage and the billboard next to the freeway touting 10 year warranty.

Korean made cars are a LOT better than they were 20-odd years ago. They too used to be junk crap that broke down more often than Fords (if you could get them started). They were, however, cheap. All it takes is to have an industry ridiculed so much it's the butt of jokes, and Korea decided they needed to build better cars because of it.

It happens surprisingly often - Japan (pre-war) used to be the butt of jokes on stuff. Post-war, they rebuilt and decided to get involved in industry and became the world leader in electronics and optics. Taiwan used to be the same as well - "Made in Taiwan" was common for toys and stuff in the 80s. These days they're a powerhouse of semiconductors and high tech.

China's definitely got the capability, if they got rid of their desire to just copy and imitate. Fake iPods, fake iPhones, etc. all take a lot of work to produce (they're usually original designs in similar packaging, and often their own software, so there are some very smart people there). That's all it'll take - avoid imitation. They have the skills and talent already.

http://www.eevblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=1958.0 or not.

(lego Antikythera)

I have investigated this, and it is almost certainly NOT the metal tabs at fault. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lypYZxIDBDs From: http://www.eevblog.com/2010/12/23/eevblog-135-kindle-case-mythbusting/ Investigations continue... Dave.

Many amateurs or hobbyists have faced this dilemma in their own personal (and professional) work spaces for centuries nows. Two groups I know a little about are wood workers and machinists, who have written dozens of books and articles about this subject, in both the general and specific case.

0. Safety equipment: dust masks, goggles, safety glasses (with side protection), gloves (nitrile, latax, neoprene), hearing protection (ear muffs, ear plugs), and as needed!
1. Tools
2. Storage / management of those tools
3. Hard copy (dead-tree) documentation, it is being rapidly moved online thanks to cheap and compact computers and laptops, but much older reference material is still in old-school paper form (which can be handy) (example references to collect: ARRL Handbook, Art of Electronics, Machinery's Handbook, Woodworking Basics, Understanding Wood, Wiring Simplified)
4. Commonly used materials (lumber, hoses, holes clamps, fabric, sheet metal, dowels, nuts & bolts, wood and metal screws, etc.)
5. Parts (in anti-static containers for any static sensitive parts like CMOS ICs)
6. Labelling tools
7. Log / Lab notebooks . These should be paper-based, though can be complimented with online documents, a honest to goodness hard copy lab book is essential.
8. Chemicals
9. Large, easy to read clock
10. Test equipment: rulers, tape measures, calipers, digital multi-meter
11. Plenty of AC mains circuits and outlets. Preferably with a separate circuit for lighting versus wall outlets. - Avoid extended use of extension cables, and excessive use of power bars.

And time.

$2000 is a LOT to spend on a scope if you have to ask such a question. Depends on the specs you need, but I'd get a cheaper one and spend the rest of your money on some other gear. The Rigol DS1052E at $400 is by far the best bang-per-buck. I have a review of it, a teardown, and info on how to hack it to a 100MHz version here: http://www.eevblog.com/2010/03/31/eevblog-70-turn-your-rigol-ds1052e-oscilloscope-into-a-100mhz-ds1102e/ http://www.eevblog.com/2010/04/18/eevblog-77-rigol-ds1052e-ds1102e-oscilloscope-hack-update/ http://www.eevblog.com/2009/10/12/eevblog-37-rigol-ds1052e-oscilloscope-teardown/ http://www.eevblog.com/2009/07/19/eevblog-19-rigol-caught-with-their-pants-down/ http://www.eevblog.com/2009/04/05/eevblog-1-rigol-ds1052e-oscilloscope-reviwed/ I also compare PC based and bench oscilloscopes here: http://www.eevblog.com/2009/06/17/eevblog-13-part-1-of-2-digital-storage-oscilloscope-tutorial/ and http://www.eevblog.com/2009/06/17/eevblog-13-part-2-of-2-pc-based-digital-storage-oscilloscope-comparison/ There is no need to get a PC based oscilloscope unless you have a specific need for one. Regards Dave EEVblog

$2000 is a LOT to spend on a scope if you have to ask such a question. Depends on the specs you need, but I'd get a cheaper one and spend the rest of your money on some other gear. The Rigol DS1052E at $400 is by far the best bang-per-buck. I have a review of it, a teardown, and info on how to hack it to a 100MHz version here: http://www.eevblog.com/2010/03/31/eevblog-70-turn-your-rigol-ds1052e-oscilloscope-into-a-100mhz-ds1102e/ http://www.eevblog.com/2010/04/18/eevblog-77-rigol-ds1052e-ds1102e-oscilloscope-hack-update/ http://www.eevblog.com/2009/10/12/eevblog-37-rigol-ds1052e-oscilloscope-teardown/ http://www.eevblog.com/2009/07/19/eevblog-19-rigol-caught-with-their-pants-down/ http://www.eevblog.com/2009/04/05/eevblog-1-rigol-ds1052e-oscilloscope-reviwed/ I also compare PC based and bench oscilloscopes here: http://www.eevblog.com/2009/06/17/eevblog-13-part-1-of-2-digital-storage-oscilloscope-tutorial/ and http://www.eevblog.com/2009/06/17/eevblog-13-part-2-of-2-pc-based-digital-storage-oscilloscope-comparison/ There is no need to get a PC based oscilloscope unless you have a specific need for one. Regards Dave EEVblog

$2000 is a LOT to spend on a scope if you have to ask such a question. Depends on the specs you need, but I'd get a cheaper one and spend the rest of your money on some other gear. The Rigol DS1052E at $400 is by far the best bang-per-buck. I have a review of it, a teardown, and info on how to hack it to a 100MHz version here: http://www.eevblog.com/2010/03/31/eevblog-70-turn-your-rigol-ds1052e-oscilloscope-into-a-100mhz-ds1102e/ http://www.eevblog.com/2010/04/18/eevblog-77-rigol-ds1052e-ds1102e-oscilloscope-hack-update/ http://www.eevblog.com/2009/10/12/eevblog-37-rigol-ds1052e-oscilloscope-teardown/ http://www.eevblog.com/2009/07/19/eevblog-19-rigol-caught-with-their-pants-down/ http://www.eevblog.com/2009/04/05/eevblog-1-rigol-ds1052e-oscilloscope-reviwed/ I also compare PC based and bench oscilloscopes here: http://www.eevblog.com/2009/06/17/eevblog-13-part-1-of-2-digital-storage-oscilloscope-tutorial/ and http://www.eevblog.com/2009/06/17/eevblog-13-part-2-of-2-pc-based-digital-storage-oscilloscope-comparison/ There is no need to get a PC based oscilloscope unless you have a specific need for one. Regards Dave EEVblog

$2000 is a LOT to spend on a scope if you have to ask such a question. Depends on the specs you need, but I'd get a cheaper one and spend the rest of your money on some other gear. The Rigol DS1052E at $400 is by far the best bang-per-buck. I have a review of it, a teardown, and info on how to hack it to a 100MHz version here: http://www.eevblog.com/2010/03/31/eevblog-70-turn-your-rigol-ds1052e-oscilloscope-into-a-100mhz-ds1102e/ http://www.eevblog.com/2010/04/18/eevblog-77-rigol-ds1052e-ds1102e-oscilloscope-hack-update/ http://www.eevblog.com/2009/10/12/eevblog-37-rigol-ds1052e-oscilloscope-teardown/ http://www.eevblog.com/2009/07/19/eevblog-19-rigol-caught-with-their-pants-down/ http://www.eevblog.com/2009/04/05/eevblog-1-rigol-ds1052e-oscilloscope-reviwed/ I also compare PC based and bench oscilloscopes here: http://www.eevblog.com/2009/06/17/eevblog-13-part-1-of-2-digital-storage-oscilloscope-tutorial/ and http://www.eevblog.com/2009/06/17/eevblog-13-part-2-of-2-pc-based-digital-storage-oscilloscope-comparison/ There is no need to get a PC based oscilloscope unless you have a specific need for one. Regards Dave EEVblog

$2000 is a LOT to spend on a scope if you have to ask such a question. Depends on the specs you need, but I'd get a cheaper one and spend the rest of your money on some other gear. The Rigol DS1052E at $400 is by far the best bang-per-buck. I have a review of it, a teardown, and info on how to hack it to a 100MHz version here: http://www.eevblog.com/2010/03/31/eevblog-70-turn-your-rigol-ds1052e-oscilloscope-into-a-100mhz-ds1102e/ http://www.eevblog.com/2010/04/18/eevblog-77-rigol-ds1052e-ds1102e-oscilloscope-hack-update/ http://www.eevblog.com/2009/10/12/eevblog-37-rigol-ds1052e-oscilloscope-teardown/ http://www.eevblog.com/2009/07/19/eevblog-19-rigol-caught-with-their-pants-down/ http://www.eevblog.com/2009/04/05/eevblog-1-rigol-ds1052e-oscilloscope-reviwed/ I also compare PC based and bench oscilloscopes here: http://www.eevblog.com/2009/06/17/eevblog-13-part-1-of-2-digital-storage-oscilloscope-tutorial/ and http://www.eevblog.com/2009/06/17/eevblog-13-part-2-of-2-pc-based-digital-storage-oscilloscope-comparison/ There is no need to get a PC based oscilloscope unless you have a specific need for one. Regards Dave EEVblog

$2000 is a LOT to spend on a scope if you have to ask such a question. Depends on the specs you need, but I'd get a cheaper one and spend the rest of your money on some other gear. The Rigol DS1052E at $400 is by far the best bang-per-buck. I have a review of it, a teardown, and info on how to hack it to a 100MHz version here: http://www.eevblog.com/2010/03/31/eevblog-70-turn-your-rigol-ds1052e-oscilloscope-into-a-100mhz-ds1102e/ http://www.eevblog.com/2010/04/18/eevblog-77-rigol-ds1052e-ds1102e-oscilloscope-hack-update/ http://www.eevblog.com/2009/10/12/eevblog-37-rigol-ds1052e-oscilloscope-teardown/ http://www.eevblog.com/2009/07/19/eevblog-19-rigol-caught-with-their-pants-down/ http://www.eevblog.com/2009/04/05/eevblog-1-rigol-ds1052e-oscilloscope-reviwed/ I also compare PC based and bench oscilloscopes here: http://www.eevblog.com/2009/06/17/eevblog-13-part-1-of-2-digital-storage-oscilloscope-tutorial/ and http://www.eevblog.com/2009/06/17/eevblog-13-part-2-of-2-pc-based-digital-storage-oscilloscope-comparison/ There is no need to get a PC based oscilloscope unless you have a specific need for one. Regards Dave EEVblog

$2000 is a LOT to spend on a scope if you have to ask such a question. Depends on the specs you need, but I'd get a cheaper one and spend the rest of your money on some other gear. The Rigol DS1052E at $400 is by far the best bang-per-buck. I have a review of it, a teardown, and info on how to hack it to a 100MHz version here: http://www.eevblog.com/2010/03/31/eevblog-70-turn-your-rigol-ds1052e-oscilloscope-into-a-100mhz-ds1102e/ http://www.eevblog.com/2010/04/18/eevblog-77-rigol-ds1052e-ds1102e-oscilloscope-hack-update/ http://www.eevblog.com/2009/10/12/eevblog-37-rigol-ds1052e-oscilloscope-teardown/ http://www.eevblog.com/2009/07/19/eevblog-19-rigol-caught-with-their-pants-down/ http://www.eevblog.com/2009/04/05/eevblog-1-rigol-ds1052e-oscilloscope-reviwed/ I also compare PC based and bench oscilloscopes here: http://www.eevblog.com/2009/06/17/eevblog-13-part-1-of-2-digital-storage-oscilloscope-tutorial/ and http://www.eevblog.com/2009/06/17/eevblog-13-part-2-of-2-pc-based-digital-storage-oscilloscope-comparison/ There is no need to get a PC based oscilloscope unless you have a specific need for one. Regards Dave EEVblog

I agree with Andrew. I like having a stand alone instrument that data can be sent to the PC. It really depends on what you're going to be doing as to what you should buy... For $2k you can get a great deal on a used one (like from ebay) but you'll need to do some research first.

Dave does some good reviews here:
http://www.eevblog.com/episodes/

And you can software-hack it into a 100MHz DS1102E, the hardware is the same.

Or you can get a $370 Rigol DS1052E, and software-hack it to enable 100MHz mode. Not quite as good as a Tek, but significantly cheaper and well worth the money, especially if you're on a smaller budget. I recently got one (it's about time I bought a scope) and I've been quite happy with it for my purposes.

Info on the hack here.