You dont need money to start messing around with electronic stuff. I started at a young age eventually getting a degree, only because I had a goal to set. I've seen people with degrees, that only know and remember book smart. So just because they say they have a degree doesn't mean they are experts, including myself. It just means they were able to pass the test.
I started when i was young, about 9 years of age. Putting small 2 cycle gas engines together, and messing with things i shouldn't have. Recently i started a blog to see if there would be any response and also to see what it was like to make one. Before we get there, a quick look back at myself. I made things from scratch because i had to; I didn't have any money to buy parts. I found parts from old radios and things. By the time i reached high school I had an opportunity to take a class in electronics. I tried to convey to the teacher, I wanted to know how to take these parts and build anything i want to. The teacher didn't understand what i was asking, nor did i know how to ask it properly. I built a tube transmitter back then, and several more after that. You know, the pirate kind, so I could play music 10 miles away.What i can tell you is, there are so many catagories to choose from, not one person can do them all. I liked radio transmitters and metal detectors. I made other things but that's what I wanted to figure out how to make. When you start out, Just go to radio shack and pick up a soldering iron for $8.00. Listen I can solder with a gun by controller the trigger movement if i have to,i've done it, and on small pcbs too. Sure does make you gain knowhow of heat control. My preference is the 25 watt soldering iron. You could buy a bigger wattage one and hook it to a light dimmer switch to control the heat, and turn it down to wahtever you want. I never have. Now that you have an iron, you are ready to play. Research and look for a picture on how to solder. The secret is, as soon as you get your soldering iron you need to tin the end. That is to say you need to melt solder on the tip so that it is silver looking, wipe off the excess with a wet paper towel or sponge. Always keep your tip clean. If it starts to build up, fix it again, just before you solder a part. Sometimes you will have to scrape the burnt crud off and shine it up with fine emery cloth or whatever works. Also the tip must be snug tight. At times you will need loosen it, and re-tighten it. Otherwise it will not get a good heat transfer to the tip. Now if you get done soldering, you should remove the tip or at least make sure you loosen it, otherwise when you go to replace the tip, you cant, because the heat damaged the threads, and the tip will not turn and snap off. You need to you rosin core solder only. I prefer the size bigger than the smallest stuff(unless you get good and need to solder an IC chip). My reasoning is the flux inside will help you solder good. When you solder, do not hold the tip directly on a part for any length of time or it could damage the part. Use what is called a heatsink if you can. A heat sink is like an alligator clip you attach to the part to absorb the heat, so the part wont. Best looking solder jobs are when you come in contact with the part first holding the iron at the proper angle then apply just alittle solder to the tip and part at the same time. The iron is removed quickly just after the solder flows. I mean flows. Do not put solder on the tip and try and stick it to the part you are trying to solder. You will be wasting your time, 'cause it is not a good connection, no matter what you say. Do not keep the heat on the part and keep trying to solder. Let the part cool down again before you do it again. If you mess up, you can simply touch it up with a dab of melted solder or you can buy a solder wick from Radio Shack, or de-soldering bulb, (not for me) the wick works for me. All it is,is a braided copper that you take and lay on the solder, heat it up, the solder melts and is soaked up by the wick. What you need now is
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You dont need money to start messing around with electronic stuff. I started at a young age eventually getting a degree, only because I had a goal to set. I've seen people with degrees, that only know and remember book smart. So just because they say they have a degree doesn't mean they are experts, including myself. It just means they were able to pass the test. I started when i was young, about 9 years of age. Putting small 2 cycle gas engines together, and messing with things i shouldn't have. Recently i started a blog to see if there would be any response and also to see what it was like to make one. Before we get there, a quick look back at myself. I made things from scratch because i had to; I didn't have any money to buy parts. I found parts from old radios and things. By the time i reached high school I had an opportunity to take a class in electronics. I tried to convey to the teacher, I wanted to know how to take these parts and build anything i want to. The teacher didn't understand what i was asking, nor did i know how to ask it properly. I built a tube transmitter back then, and several more after that. You know, the pirate kind, so I could play music 10 miles away.What i can tell you is, there are so many catagories to choose from, not one person can do them all. I liked radio transmitters and metal detectors. I made other things but that's what I wanted to figure out how to make. When you start out, Just go to radio shack and pick up a soldering iron for $8.00. Listen I can solder with a gun by controller the trigger movement if i have to,i've done it, and on small pcbs too. Sure does make you gain knowhow of heat control. My preference is the 25 watt soldering iron. You could buy a bigger wattage one and hook it to a light dimmer switch to control the heat, and turn it down to wahtever you want. I never have. Now that you have an iron, you are ready to play. Research and look for a picture on how to solder. The secret is, as soon as you get your soldering iron you need to tin the end. That is to say you need to melt solder on the tip so that it is silver looking, wipe off the excess with a wet paper towel or sponge. Always keep your tip clean. If it starts to build up, fix it again, just before you solder a part. Sometimes you will have to scrape the burnt crud off and shine it up with fine emery cloth or whatever works. Also the tip must be snug tight. At times you will need loosen it, and re-tighten it. Otherwise it will not get a good heat transfer to the tip. Now if you get done soldering, you should remove the tip or at least make sure you loosen it, otherwise when you go to replace the tip, you cant, because the heat damaged the threads, and the tip will not turn and snap off. You need to you rosin core solder only. I prefer the size bigger than the smallest stuff(unless you get good and need to solder an IC chip). My reasoning is the flux inside will help you solder good. When you solder, do not hold the tip directly on a part for any length of time or it could damage the part. Use what is called a heatsink if you can. A heat sink is like an alligator clip you attach to the part to absorb the heat, so the part wont. Best looking solder jobs are when you come in contact with the part first holding the iron at the proper angle then apply just alittle solder to the tip and part at the same time. The iron is removed quickly just after the solder flows. I mean flows. Do not put solder on the tip and try and stick it to the part you are trying to solder. You will be wasting your time, 'cause it is not a good connection, no matter what you say. Do not keep the heat on the part and keep trying to solder. Let the part cool down again before you do it again. If you mess up, you can simply touch it up with a dab of melted solder or you can buy a solder wick from Radio Shack, or de-soldering bulb, (not for me) the wick works for me. All it is ,is a braided copper that you take and lay on the solder, heat it up, the solder melts and is soaked up by the wick. What you need now is