A Solution In Search Of A Problem...

[TankaaKumawani]

...I'm wondering how common this situation is among new electronics hobbyists.

This comes up because I was discussing project ideas with various people and thinking about them myself.  Most of the ideas I have, such as a 2-4W/ch subminiature tube or solid state desk amp, solar charger or assorted kits, feel a bit pointless or overly complicated.  I have all of this education and test equipment...and it all just gathers dust.

How do you feel about these problems?  What should I (or others) try to do in this scenario?

[sacherjj]

You are almost always going to be building something at first that is easy to buy and might not be as good as something you can buy.  Building it can feel pointless.  However, the knowledge gained by starting from a blank sheet and building something is not pointless.

An example of this is a flashing LED on a micro.  For all intents and purposes, it is pointless.  What does it accomplish?  It makes you learn the microcontroller toolchain, and uploading it to the micro, and running it.  For an Arduino, this is a no brainer.  For an equivalent AVR on a circuit you built, it is less so.  The result is pointless, but the path to get there is not.  Once you have done it once, then building another flashing LED with that style processor IS pointless.  But it might not be for a second type that is different.

If you try to jump into a problem that is so complex as to be not pointless, and you never success due to difficulty, I would argue that is the ultimate pointless.