It sounds to me like you're a long way off from needing a bunch of equipment, the place to start is hitting the books, then the first tool you're going to want to get is a multimeter. The Art of Electronics is a popular book, there is also a EE program on Khan Academy
Don't be surprised if you find a need for 3 DMMs simultaneously. It comes up all the time. I have all kinds of multimeters from the cheapest Aneng AN8008 up to a Fluke 189. The one I reach for is the AN8008 - it's just darn handy. I also reach for my ZT-X as the large and bright display are easier for my old eyes to see
Digilent has an EE program called Real Analog - like the Khan Academy EE track, it is well worth the time to go through the program. There is a textbook, homework and quizzes. It is based primarily on the AD2.
In order to make real progress your bench layout is very important IMO
Since you have absolutely nothing, you might consider the Analog Discovery 2 Pro Bundle
If you have nothing, maybe check out any local maker spaces.
The Art of Electronics is a popular book, there is also a EE program on Khan Academy
It sounds like you are going to be spending more time on code than parts and that's fine. Download the free Waveforms software and look at the list of software defined tools in the AD2.
As far as a workbench itself goes, once you actually get to that stage, figure out how many mains outlets you need, then double it, then add 4.
Hi. I'm a software developer/product designer. I want to start learning electronic engineering, but I'm almost completely illiterate in this industry and I don't even know where to start. I need some help.
It turns out to me that this is actually an incredibly deep and old industry, and I just feel lost in the sheer amount of manufacturers and models which I didn't know even existed until a few hours ago. My biggest problem here is that I don't even know anything and anyone in this industry, that I can't figure out who-makes-what, which is big trouble if I'm going to purchase a bunch of equipment which I will probably use for years.
I'm also not sure what are the must-have equipment for the projects I'm considering, and the specs I should be looking at in order to get the appropriate tool for my goal.
I know I will be getting more meaningful advice if you know what I'm trying to achieve with the tools I will be buying, so let me share some of the things I want to do:
My goal at this moment is being able to do circuit design and microprocessor programming to make computer/gaming peripherals I've been designing as my side project lately. I think it would be nice to implement wireless connectivity to these projects, such as Bluetooth as well as making these devices battery powered.
I'm also interested in lithium batteries and battery control circuits, and I'm quite sure that at some point I will be poking at raw battery pouches and control circuits.
Most likely I won't be handling high-voltage or high-current electricity, and would probably stay within the range of electricity used for consumer electronics and microcontrollers. I would be very happy if I could get some help figuring out the manufacturers and models I should look for or avoid, and the metrics and specs I should be looking at in order to find the right devices.
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First off I'm of the opinion that a handheld meters should be properly safe on High voltage or power systems. It is just too easy to pick one up to look at a power problem. So if you buy a hand held meter be sure it is CAT rated and that that rating if proven to be accurate. Given that I'd suggest a decent hand held meter from a reputable manufacture as your first instrument purchase. The manufacture names that immediately comes to mind are Fluke, HP(Keysight), BK & EXtech, but there are certainly more manufactures to choose from. There is a list on the forum someplace that highlights meters that seemingly have issues meeting their safety expectations, so consider that a list of meters to avoid. Personally I've used Fluke hand held DVM's at work and HP bench meters.QuoteIf it helps, I can fairly confidently solder and de-solder through-hole components, but surface mount components freak me out and I don't know how drag-soldering even works. So you can see here the skill level you are dealing with
There are all sorts of skills that develop over time in this field (probably true of almost any field). Some guys can do really fantastic chassis work, with minimal tools but don't expect your first complete build to be a work of art. Even though we might cal this electrical engineering there are a lot of mechanical skills that one needs to refine to be successful on the bench. Considering your interests you are likely to be building things where the electronics are a small part of the guts of the device. This can have a very significant impact on your tool requirements.
It sounds to me like you're a long way off from needing a bunch of equipment, the place to start is hitting the books, then the first tool you're going to want to get is a multimeter. The Art of Electronics is a popular book, there is also a EE program on Khan Academy
I am currently in the market for a new desk/workbench. I can tell you what is wrong with my current desk. Well it's glass and I put a giant chip into the very middle of it which is the main reason why I started looking for a new desk/workbench. Anyway, the point is, apart from the chip, the biggest problem that I've been running into with it is that it's too small. It's roughly 700mm deep. Very hard to do anything on it. Get a 900mm deep desk, much more space for work. Apparently, 900mm is pretty much ad deep as they get unless you go full on custom.
As far as a workbench itself goes, once you actually get to that stage, figure out how many mains outlets you need, then double it, then add 4. Do that and you'll only be 3 or 4 sockets short of your peak requirement.
Reading books never did much for me and lectures were only slightly better. I learn best by doing experiments. Once I know how something is going to work, the paperwork end of the learning makes a lot more sense.
I'm not of the opinion that you can learn a lot about electronics without an adequate lab for experiments. A whole shelf full of tools would be nice but expensive. That's why I recommended the AD2 above.
You can quote Vout=Vin*(1-e-t/RC) until the cows come home but until you see it in practice it is only an equation. Yes, you can even plot it on paper but it still isn't the same as modeling it on a breadboard.
Why not build one. With a basic electric saw, drill/driver, hand tools and screws/nails(based on preference), you can build something custom to your needs for not a huge amount of money that will be stronger/better built. I have less than $175 USD including the hardware for adjustable shelves and my bench is 8 feet long, depth is 33 inches and I have 3 full length adjustable shelves 12 inches deep. If you make your shelves fixed, you save money on the shelf hardware. I thought about it quite a bit what I wanted and got it almost perfect the first time. I ended making 1 minor change and in the near future, when I change locations of my office, I plan to redo the power points to make things neater. I do keep making changes to equipment layout to improve function but the bench stays the same.