Talking Electronics
PO Box 486
Cheltenham 3192
Victoria
Australia
Tel: 0417 329 788
+61 417 329 788
Mobile: 0417 329 788
To place an order, simply send
an email to: talking@tpg.com.au
and mention the things you want to buy.
Include your
address.
You will get a reply with the cost, postage and how
to pay.
- Colin Mitchell
This website is constantly being updated and
new projects are being added all he time. They are included in the
index on the left, in alphabetical order as this is the quickest
way to find things. We only understand two ways to sort things:
numerical and alphabetical.
The site now contains over 90Meg of files and is
available on
CD for $9.95 (posted)
The website also contains a Basic Electronics Course and PIC
Programming course that is constantly being updated. You can
subscribe for $19.95 and this gives you lifetime access and a
FREE CD.
I am quite sure you will not know where to start. . . so many topics are
covered and there's so much to know in electronics. But if you read just 3
pages a day you will eventually get through the 2,500 pages on the site.
One customer asked about "how a circuit works." Each project has a
section "If it doesn't work" and this explains how each stage operates.
That's how you learn electronics. It's also necessary to build
lots of circuits.
Nothing beats experimentation.
As a side note: The web contains everything you could possibly want. It has
eBooks, circuits, data, answers and even the minûtest question can be
answered by
Colin
Mitchell:
talking@tpg.com.au
or via one of the forums found here:
http://www.electro-tech-online.com
The web puts all technical books and even Universities, in the
background. If you don't believe me, look up "Sail University SCAM."
The first thing to do is use the internet. If that doesn't provide an
answer, you will have to spend money. I have been enormously disappointed on
hundreds of occasions and that's why I am passing my experience on to you. The grass is
not "greener on the other side of the fence." By spending money you hardly
ever get value.
Be the first to disprove me.
In the meantime, use the internet first.
The latest pages, projects and ideas:
LED FX
12 different effects in a set of 3 LEDs (click on LED FX in menu) The most comprehensive eBook on the
555:
50 - 555 Circuits 13-2-2010
More projects using PIC micros. See
Elektor.
13-2-2010 Stroop Game -
A very interesting challenge 1/9/09 Power Management CookBookII
from Texas Instruments .pdf 3.7MB Dial Alarm-2
kit dials 2 phone numbers and listens to audio in target zone 1-10-09
Electronic
Goldmine has lots of interesting "junk" items each month.
The elephant pump is based on the rope pump, first
invented 2,000 years ago in China. It can be
built in about four hours from local materials. This
video shows how one is built and installed. You learn
something new every day!
Added new project:
Counter for
Lifts - counts entry and exists 11/8/2009
More added to PIC Programmer (now
has In-Circuit Programming) 5-8-2009
More circuits added to PartB of ebook "200
Transistor Circuits" 21-7-2009
All About Circuits
theory for Beginners Sparks Fun Catalogue - hundreds of
interesting items (5MB .pdf) Whistle Key Finder
added 18/7/2009
A great new site has popped up:
GADGET GANGSTER Put your project on their site and get paid 20%.
You can even modify some of our
designs and submit them for others to enjoy.
We don't mind you coping any of our projects, provided you improve them and
change some of the features.
GADGET GANGSTER
introduces a lot of "devilish enthusiasm" and really puts a lot of
interest into the field of electronics.
If you combine the skills of designing a project (with a microcontroller) and
submit it to their site, you will get your "name in lights" and you can add
one more "ticket to your achievements."
More
Sayings added to Discussion 11
5-5-2009
Lots of
interesting videos on YouTube:
Added more to page 9 of: "Spot the Mistake"
3/5/09
More circuits added to PartB of ebook "200
Transistor Circuits" 27-4-2009
Do you
believe a car can "run on water?" Read-up on all the "truths" and
"scams" about HHO, "Brown's Gas" and all the related topics on running
your car on water. Start with this article:
Scientific proof debunking the "run your car on water" scams
then go to all the other links. It's fascinating reading.
What is Atanua? Atanua is a free
real-time logic simulator for individual use. It is designed to help learn basic Boolean logic and electronics.
See the interactive flash demo! Discussion on the Atanua
forums!
Download:
(Atanua is free for personal, noncommercial use. See
license for details.)
Atanua win32 1.0.081116
Personal Edition
New project:
Stress Meter -
added 11/01/06 A PIC12F629 project Robot Links (see:
Articles by Other Authors) -
0ver 1,000 links Articles by Other Authors An amazing
collection of very interesting articles.
New project:
Power Supply 5v Solar - added 24/12/05
New Surface Mount Board
- added 23/12/05
Basic Electronics Course - P79 P80 (subscription needed) - added
23/12/05
Spot the Mistake
P4 - new
item added 22/12/05 Library of
sub-routines for PIC12F629 microcontroller - added 22/12/05 Resistors
Made Easy - added link-resistor (zero ohms) 22/12/05 Circuit Symbols -
new symbols added 19/12/05 Start Here with
PIC12F629 microcontroller - added 15/12/05 Circuit Symbols -
new symbols added 12/12/05
Spot the Mistake
P4 - new
item added 5/12/05 The Inductor - Table of
Inductance values - added 4/12/05 Bug
Detector - Detects FM Transmitters - added 3/12/05
P67 of BEC course - added Timer delay circuit 2/12/05 Solar Light -
Solar Garden Light article added 2/12/05 Surface Mount - all
about surface mount devices. Added 16/11/05 Infinity Bug
Project added 14/11/05 Transistor Data
Page added 10/11/05
Discussion P11 - additional comment
Spot the Mistake
P4 - new
item added
Discussion P14 - the art of
soldering the new lead-free (Pb-free) way.
Spot the Mistake P1
diagram 9 Cracking a PIC Chip
Diagram 11 on Page 12 of PIC Theory. Resistors have been increased to 120R
2-Input Alarm - uses a PIC chip
P1
Basic Electronics Course - P79 P80 (subscription needed for access)
Newsletter P4
Discussion P12
Discussion P13 - the art of
learning a subject Flasher
Circuits - Start with the simplest circuit: A LED Flasher PCB
Survey - Pad2Pad manufacturers PC boards. Do you make your own PCB's?
Spot the Mistake P4 Chip Data
eBook has been updated from 470KB to 570KB. Download the eBook.
Hundreds of "Test Questions:"
This site provides hundreds of test questions on electronics:
Free Electronics Magazine
A fantastic electronics magazine is available for download and the past
issues are FREE!
A subscription is available for future issues and the website is:
http://www.theiet.org/education/supportteachers/ete/
Here is a list of the past issues and the file size:
Get a free email subscription to Electronics Design News: Click
HERE for the FREE subscription.
You'll get:
* The first take on news & events in the electronics industry.
* All the latest technical articles, design ideas, news & opinions from EDN.
* Resources and exclusive kit review and ratings.
SOLDERING IRON
I get asked a few times about the type of soldering iron to buy.
Are the cheap $8.00 soldering irons ok?
There are two faults with these irons. The tips are too big and they are too
hot.
Here are my comparisons with an $8.00 iron and a $50.00 temperature
controlled soldering iron (soldering station):
The soldering station can be set to exactly 340
°C
for quick soldering. If the temperature is less than this, you will take
longer to solder a joint and surprisingly this will heat up the component
more than the higher temperature.
If you use fine solder and apply the solder at the joint, the flux will
clean the surfaces and create a very quick, clean connection.
Using fine solder improves the connection 200% and using a
temperature-controlled iron is 200% easier than using a big, cumbersome,
cheap $8.00 iron.
I have improved my soldering 400% and yours will improve 400% by simply
using a fine tipped iron at
320°C
to
360°C.
Lead-free solders are extremely hard to use and make a very dull connection.
The connections are very prone to failure and the temperature needed for
this type of solder (soldering) is
40°C
higher than
360°C
and is very near the "destruction-point" for semiconductors.
.
Pad2Pad Printed Circuit Board Poll Results:
We have had lots of replies.
Many hobbyists have paid for a professional PCB and been very satisfied with
the end-result.
But there's one thing you must remember.
If the project is fairly complex, you may need to modify the circuit, add components, change the
layout or alter the tracks. And this means your first effort may need a second
or third board.
If you think you can go from a circuit diagram to a PC board, and everything
will work, you are kidding yourself. Unless you have made lots of projects and
know exactly what you are doing, most circuits will not work the first time.
There are lots of things that will prevent it from working - depending
on the complexity and the frequency of operation.
Things creep in like stray capacitance or positioning of components and you may need a second or even a third prototype, before you are satisfied with
the performance. And will add considerably to the cost of the project.
To reduce the costs, I suggest the use of one of our Matrix Boards,
such as the one shown below:
It has the order No: PK-MB2450 and by simply
placing the components on the top side and connecting the pads
with very fine tinned copper wire, you will produce a very neat layout. Don't
forget to place the IC's in sockets so they are not damaged. You can even
re-use the board and the components, although many of the parts will have very
short leads, so the additional cost of prototyping will be very low.
Once you are satisfied with the operation of the circuit, you can copy the
layout using the CAD program provided by
Pad2Pad
and you will have a much greater chance of the circuit working perfectly the first time.
Even if you are not in the need of a board at the moment, go to the site and
download the program to create some artwork to get an idea of how to use it.
All packages take a while to learn and it's best to get some experience before
you need make a board - so you don't get frustrated when the pressure is on.
Try it as soon as you can, you will be impressed with the features.
PERPETUAL
MOTION
Do I believe in Perpetual Motion? Yes.
Do I believe it is here? No.
There has not been any scientific evidence that any device can rotate
indefinitely without any input-energy or produce any output without any
input-energy.
We have got very close (even to the extent of 99.9%) but that magical figure
of 100% has not been obtained.
That doesn't mean we should not keep trying, but as a practical person I
prefer to explore the potentials of using the vast amount of energy that
already surrounds us.
The sun provides 1kw per square metre on a brightly-lit day, the wind
provides considerable energy in a windy location and the tide, waves and
streams provide enormous potential for harnessing energy.
So, to get down to practicalities, let's consider the energy from the sun in
the form of solar-cell voltage production and heat via solar-heat
collection. (You will need to go to other websites for solar-heat production
as we are very interested in this area but it does not involve electronics.)
Some of the new projects we are working on include charging storage cells
via a solar panel and using an inverter to provide charging when the panel
is not producing a high output. See our solar projects in the index on the
left side of the site and these will include links to other projects.
MORE ON PERPETUAL
MOTION
I received an email from Richard L. "Scott" McKie --
scotsman7@comcast.net inventor of
a "Perpetual Energy Machine" patent number: 5,146,395
When I asked him for a video, photograph and evidence of his actual working
prototype he just sent me a rude email: "go -------
yourself."
If you look at the patent and circuit diagram it is just a mixture of empty
boxes and circuit components that make no sense at all. It is something that
will impress the uninitiated and in his email he was touting for an
investor.
I have received over a dozen letters like this and they are all just as
fraudulent.
Suppose his isn't fraudulent. Suppose he had a box of tricks that produced
5kw. How much do you think it would be worth? Absolutely
nothing. A project like this could be copied and produced within a week. You
have no hold on anyone copying anything. I already produce 1.5kw mains
inverters for $300 and sell them for $1,960. Anyone could produce "Perpetual
Energy Machines" in a garage and no-one could find them. To think you could
stop a person or close them down is just a dream.
All my kits were copied by a "business acquaintance" in Hong Kong and I
could do nothing. The same with the "Perpetual Energy Machine."
After you sell the first device, the mystery is over.
The final email I sent him was: I will buy one for $50,000.
If the idea was genuine, he could supply a prototype or mock-up and claim
$50,000. We will see what reply is received. My emails
have now been rejected. He has got an inefficient mail server:
comcat.net claiming my emails are SPAM.
UPDATE: No actual replies to my emails but just more abuse. It makes
you wonder how an intelligent person can act like this. The "Inventor" wants
to lease the product and wants a backer to manufacture it.
Who would release such a valuable product for 1% of its value on a lease
agreement when you can sell it for 100% of its value!! Secondly,
who would be running around looking for a a "backer" when one demonstration
on a TV program would generate 1,000 immediate investors. It
makes you wonder how an intelligent person could write a spiel for a patent
and not have enough intelligence to run the business-end of the "invention."
Invention-assistance FRAUD
I almost got caught by the Davison Invention assistance company. I have a
number of products that need development and Davison had sent me emails as
to how they had assisted so many inventors with their inventions.
It all sounded "so easy."
I sent them an outline of the idea. It was an electronic module for greeting
cards. When you open the card, it contains a game such as a Reaction
Timer to test your reaction. Two pressure-sensitive buttons and a 7-segment
display tested the players timing. The 7-segment display was made from LEDs
and was low-profile.
The module needed to be made in tens of thousands to keep the price low.
Davison looked at the idea and gave it the "go ahead."
Then they phoned me with the spiel that they needed to do a patent search
for $685.
I said I could do that myself, and anyway these ideas cannot be found in any
greeting cards.
Davison said it was imperative that they do the search before taking on the
idea.
I told them that anyone taking on my invention would need to do their own
"due diligence" and anything I provided would have to be verified by them.
That was not good enough for Davison.
I said I had absolutely no intention of parting with $685 for a search.
Davison then hung up the phone on me.
I then thought I would Google "Davison."
What a surprise!
A whole website has been set up, exposing the fraudulent behavior of this
company. Some inventors have parted with $10,000 and more, developing
prototypes and packaging so Davison can show a photo of all the products
they have "developed." None of these products have actually reached the shop
shelves. They are all prototypes in prototype packaging and some inventors
have been strung along for 2 years!
In this world, there are only two things you can rely on. And they are on
the end of your own two arms.
Getting an invention to market is not easy and is fraught with dangers and
high costs. It certainly does not need a "Davison FRAUD" company to enter the
picture.
Even getting a thing produced overseas is not easy as most manufacturers
have a range of products and they are not really equipped to produce
something new.
If you can find a company that produces something similar to yours, you have
a slim chance that they can help, but most of the components in a product are
made by other, smaller, companies and you will never be able to actually
reach the manufacturer.
Secondly, companies do not have the money to develop any of your ideas and
the cost of development is very high.
This means you will not make a cent out of the first 10,000 items and that's
why you need to look at very large quantities.
I don't want to put you off, but don't think any of the items in a $2.00
store have appeared overnight. Everything is a lot of work and even the
packaging and labeling needs a considerable amount of attention.
If you have any "electronic idea" that you want mass-produced, let me know
as I have now found reliable contacts in China and the modules are getting
organized.
Get-Rich-Quick Schemes
How do you know if a "Get-Rich-Quick Scheme" is a FRAUD?
It's simple. They are ALL FRAUD.
I am constantly being bombarded with emails on: "how to get rich quick."
They are all either fraud or simply a business designed to "rope-in" your
friends and family.
Many of them are a "Pyramid Scheme" in which you get a commission when you
get 5 or 10 friends to join.
I have asked 3 promoters of "million dollar" schemes to fax me a copy of
their Tax Return (the only true indication of their wealth). I have never
received a reply.
Before you join any "scheme," ask to see the Tax Return for the business.
A non-reply will answer all your questions.
The latest is a revised version of the "Nigerian Money Scam." It asks for
assistance in transferring money into your account. If you see an email with
"$1,000,000" on it, delete it immediately. This is the quickest way to get
rid or your junk emails. I get hundreds like this EVERY DAY!
Our
latest email:
Hi,
Just sent in my order for the Pic Lab 1 and the Multi Programmer.
FYI, I attend Burning Man every year and there is a whole range of amazing
projects out there. Go to:
Cubatron if you want an example of one.
Many projects use LED's, EL wire and other electronics to achieve
interesting effects. This past summer I built two four foot long
geckos out of conduit and cyclone fence wire based on a 6"
beaded wire gecko sculpture I have at home, a very cute art
piece.
I used a PIC-driven RGB color wash board to illuminate the eyeballs of the
two geckos, and I strung 400-500 colored LED's on the ribs to form a
beautiful animated skin on the pieces.
It came out pretty well. My ambition and goal is to make similar creatures
that are solar powered and animated by PIC chips and LED's. The Cubatron
illustrates what can be done with network addressable LED's. I'm hoping to
work my way up to doing something like that on my pieces.
Thanks. Looking forward to getting the kit and getting started.
Todd Todd@infoasis.com
An email from a constructor:
Two years ago I purchased a pre-made PIC-lab 1 and multi-chip
programmer. It has been one of the greatest investments I have
made. I have since taught my self how to program PICs and
developed many ideas into working breadboard prototypes. All of
this was possible due to the amazing wealth of information on
the site and CD. Not only have I been so pleased with the
hardware, which is still my only programmer I use but also with
the support I have received since my purchase so long ago.
Thanks for such a great experience Talking Electronics.
Jim
Chicago, il USA
Another
email from a constructor:
Good day Colin:
I have just completed another
kit I purchased from you (my second PIC LICK).
Excellent kit as usual!
I usually use my own solder
when soldering but this time I used the one in the kit.
I found this solder to be
excellent - far superior to the Kester type I am using.
Could you to tell me what brand and where I can purchase it?
For your information I have also built a couple of kits from
Germany (KENO kits).
They are complete junk! If I didn't need them for a
client I would have thrown them
in the garbage. Your kits are by far the best I have ever
built, followed by CANAKIT
and then by Quasar in England.
Best regards,
Rodney Luck
We are the first
kit manufacturer in Australia to provide solder with all kits. It is 0.71mm
diameter with 5 cores of flux. It improves the quality of your soldering by
at least 200% and makes you look like a professional. The secret is its
fineness. You will not believe how it will improve your soldering. Try it. I
did and I have never used thick
solder since.
- Colin
And from another constructor:
Thanks
for publishing your 5x7 LED matrix project. I doubled the size of the
display to 7x10 and designed the board in Proteus 7.1 I made the project and it works
fine.
I changed the programs so the logic is inverted. In my design the port sees
0v when a button is pushed. The photo below shows the final design:
7x10 Matrix from one of our readers
Gustavo - from Columbia
This is exactly what we want you to do.
It's only when you change something and it works, can you say you really
understand what you are doing. This is a perfect example of "going further!"
-Colin
Any subscribers who have/had a subscription to
POPTRONICSInteractive will be entitled to
receive a lifetime entry to
TALKING ELECTRONICSInteractive
(this site) by contacting (Colin Mitchell).
All subscriptions entitle you to a lifetime entry to
the site - not just a "one year" or "one
month" entry!
POPTRONICS
It was sad to see the demise of POPTRONICS. The
magazine had a history of more than 50 years of publishing with
its forerunners going back to the days of electricity and
crystal sets.
It was one of the editions (under a previous name) that presented
the world's first computer in kit-form. Even though it did almost
nothing (compared to today's standards), it started a revolution that is today's "miracle of
electronics."
Don't be fooled. It was not the corporate enterprises that created
the interest in computers. It was the back-yard hobbyist. It was the enthusiasm
of programmers that turned the computer from a number-crunching
scientific monster to a household, user-friendly, product.
And for this you can thank brilliant hobbyists/programmers. They
were all phenomenally clever - even thinking of the @ sign for
an email address is brilliant!
Computers were originally the size of a room and cost $1,000,000.
After spending a year or more on simplifying the design and
reducing the size, IBM came up with a $15,000 desk-top product that
was enormously complex and almost impossible for the average user
to get operational. It flopped totally.
It was the kit (mentioned above) and lots of hobbyists that
changed the whole picture. They produced software and games that
absolutely exploded the capabilities of the computer.
The two things that accelerated this was the concept of exchanging
programs AT NO COST and COMPUTER SWAP-MEETS - these concepts
are completely foreign to "industry."
Exactly the same explosion took place with the internet, to make
it the most valuable technological introduction of the past 20
years.
Again, you can thank the "hobbyist."
It is undeniable that an enormous amount of capability lies in the
hands of "you" and "me," the hobbyist. That's why we are so
important. That's why it is such a pity that we have not banded
together to create an electronics hobbyist's magazine for the
"paper-formatted" market.
Unfortunately this hasn't happened and it was sad to see POPTRONICS
go.
This site
is produced by Colin Mitchell and the approach is completely different to anything you have
seen
before. We answer your emails and help you with anything within
our capability. We are here to help you achieve a goal. This must be of an electronics nature
- as this is our only field of expertise. We have been active in this
field for the past 30 years and are fully conversant with the
basics.
THE AMAZING
WEB I have always said the web
is the most amazing "product, item or thing" to be invented
in the 20th Century, and this has been confirmed by a recent
email.
It said the majority of Americans spend more time on the internet
than watching television!
It went on the say 160,000 new customers are signing up for the
internet each week.
You can multiply this figure many-fold when you include world-wide
subscriptions and as new features are added to search engines, you
will find it much easier to reach the type of sites you are looking
for.
You may not realize it, but the Internet started in 1963 as ARPAnet - an Advanced Research Program of the US Military.
It was designed to get messages through, no matter what
happened or which computers (& areas) were no longer
accessible. Over time their suppliers were added in, then the
Universities & Libraries, and eventually the world.
There were no graphics then - everything was done in
UNIX commands.
By the 80's, users could visit the CERN labs
in Switzerland, Chiba University in Japan, and the archives
of the University of New South Wales in Australia
and download the info ...
all with a 2400-baud dial-up modem!
But things rapidly improved.
In 1994 the "Internet" was replaced with the "World Wide Web."
Suddenly we were thrust into an arena of brilliant graphics,
flashing text & a whole lot of really great designs. In the 12 years since then, everything has evolved. No one
could foresee how HTML would evolve, languages like PHP and
Java would enter, modems would go from 2400 baud to
broadband - or the rise of entities like Yahoo! and Google.
It's SO different we really shouldn't even refer to it as the
Internet any more.
Everything since 1994 has just been incremental - little
steps that constantly upgraded the users experience. Overall
they had a major impact, but not any one step itself.
The next MAJOR change is already underway, though really
just taking it's first steps.
This year, 2006, will see the
first real strides in converting the Web to an audio-video
universe - complete with infomercials.
We've all seen small videos online, and audio is becoming
more prevalent every day. But as of the end of 2005, half
of all American Internet connections are broadband, using
either cable or phone lines for the most part. And numbers are
similar in many parts of the world.
This will enable full-screen recorded video or live streaming video sites to
come.
We are in the process of producing small videos of our kits and products to
show how they operate.
Keep watching for more news about this.
We have added two pages of links we found very interesting and
they can be found here: P1 linksP2 Links
JUNK EMAILS
Just when I thought the internet was going to provide us
with better communications, we find scammers and junk email
clogging up the works.
I thought the time was ripe for a global network of technical information to
be introduced via this amazing medium.
No only would it arrive instantly, but it could be
presented in full color, at almost no cost and consist of text,
photos, animations and audio links.
By combining the output from universities, R&D departments,
technical journals, Patents Office and other technical resources,
we could have the most up-to-date information at our
fingertips each day.
Technology is advancing and changing so rapidly that some
technical electronics journals are now being printed every 2
weeks - as an indication of the need for immediate
information.
Imagine the savings in paper, printing and postage, to have the
"magazine" sent to each subscriber via the internet!
I wonder why it hasn't happened?
Maybe the number of subscribers with internet access (or regular
use of the internet) is smaller than we think?
Maybe I'm thinking too far into the future.
I know it will happen.
It's the future and it's a brilliant
concept.
Can you imagine getting all the latest articles, journals,
projects and releases from around the world, each day?
Each newsletter would consist of thumbnail photo's, a brief
description and a link.
By clicking the link you would be taken to the full article.
Surely this is not too difficult? It's just a matter of
getting all the separate sectors to combine.
I had hoped the technology sector would have done this by now,
rather than junk email operators filling up the internet, sending
me phony emails to say I had won $2,000,000 in a lottery, or $500
cash from a casino!
Not only am I receiving 95% junk but they are all
fraud!
Even low interest loans or $2,000 cash into your
account, are either deceptive or fraud. They all
have to be deleted. But you need to be careful not to mix them up
with an email from a legitimate source.
"Scam Software" or any form of filtering is useless as it cannot differentiate between a
request and a scam . . .unfortunately I have to laboriously go
through every email!
The filtering networks consider the short note I send to subscribers as "SPAM!"
This proves filtering is absurd! What word or combination of words could
I possibly use in a short note to infer you don't want to receive my message?
And the most stupid part is, university teachers apply the filter to my emails
and don't get my messages! What can I say?
How can we reduce junk emails and increase technical thru-put?
The big problem is the technology sector does not provide
enough funding to keep the
internet profitable. It takes fraudsters to keep
it operating!
What a distorted world!
A CAREER
It doesn't matter if you want to sell electronic items, design
them; or build them, you will need to "talk" like you know the
subject. This "talk" is called "jargon." It uses correct
terminology as well as short words such as "micky" for microfarad,
"puff" for picofarad and bezel for the covering over a globe (not
benzel or beeeezel), to name a few. This is the sort of thing we will be teaching
you, as well as the basics of electronics and how to program
microcontrollers.
The site contains two sections - the FREE section and the
subscription section containing the Basic Electronics Course
and PIC Microcontroller Course.
There are
hundreds of pages of theory, notes and projects for the beginner-to-electronics as well as the hobbyist.
You need to go to FREE projects and Subscription Index
to see the content and go through the pages methodically, to
prevent missing anything. The web is the medium of the future.
Printing costs are zero, the pages are endless and color can be
added at no extra expense. But unlike a book, you cannot see how much is
available as it is "hidden" on our server. That's why you have to
go though things slowly.
Once you get the "hang of things," it will prove to be everything you have ever wanted.
To make sure you are kept up to date with the latest additions to
the site, sign up for
FREE projects .
You will not be bombarded with advertisements but the cost of the
site will have to be covered and that's why our back-up features
including the sale of kits, CD's, subscriptions to the PIC
Programming Course and Basic Electronics Course will be
promoted throughout the pages.
Hopefully, other contributors will be adding to the site.
Some schools have informed me they will be presenting their material
on the web and I
will let you know as soon as this is available. It has been 12
months now and nothing has been received!
This site has over 400 pages.
Rather than download the 30Meg of material, our CD is a convenient way to
peruse it.
At the moment we are the only interactive site on the web and the
feedback we are getting is enormous. Readers are saying they are
starting to understand electronics in a way they have never
experienced before. With a little bit of effort, you can learn
too.
THE
SITE:
The layout of this site is exactly like our CD with frames to make
everything easy to navigate. The CD of the site is available to
subscribers and non-subscribers by clicking the "FREE CD"
or "Buy CD"
link on the left. If you are a subscriber to
TALKING ELECTRONICSInteractive (this site), the CD is
FREE. If you are not a
subscriber, the cost is $9.95 posted. (All prices on this website
are
US$)
The emphasis is to TEACH ELECTRONICS and not merely "present an
item." Everything is backed by a kit of components and a
professionally-made PC board with overlay (legend), tinned-lands
and solder mask.
The author of the site is Colin Mitchell. He has produced over 25
books and sold over 750,000 copies, spanning some 20 years.
All his knowledge has now been channeled into this website and you
will find his approach is completely revolutionary. Some say it's
"Mitchellism," some say it is "reverse-learning" and others liken
it to being "thrown in at the deep end."
In essence, the thrust is to get you to start putting projects
together as soon as possible and go to the theory sections as the
need arises.
This has proven to be a much faster way of learning as
enthusiasm is maintained, and the act of handling components
cements your understanding.
That's what this site is all about.
It's designed to make electronics fun.
It offers a wide range of projects , from a simple "Light the LED"
design to a microcontroller project - and lots of ideas between.
The site offers two main courses. BASIC ELECTRONICS and
PIC MICROCONTROLLER PROGRAMMING. In these courses, mathematics
has been kept to a minimum as there are plenty of text books to
weigh you down with formulas.
Our aim is to "shoot you ahead" as fast as possible and show that
once you get an "interest in electronics" - you can be
heading for a career-path.
We have a number of letters and articles on the site, from readers
who have made a career-path along the lines we are promoting. You
will see these as you work your way through the material.
CD PROBLEMS Some readers are having
trouble opening
TALKING ELECTRONICSInteractive CD. Here are some solutions: (these are included with the CD
as a readme.txt)
If the front page of TALKING ELECTRONICS Interactive flashes on
the
screen and disappears, the fault may lie in the settings on your
computer.
We have located a problem with Windows 95 and Windows 98 as
follows:
1. Load INTERNET EXPLORER. Go to TEXT OPTIONS at the top of screen.
2. CLICK TOOLS, then INTERNET OPTIONS
(a dialog box will
open: INTERNET OPTIONS)
3. Click on the top tab: ADVANCED.
4. Scroll down to the heading (HTTP 1.1 settings)
5. Make sure a tick is in the option: use HTTP 1.1 through proxy
connections
6. Click (APPLY) and then (OK).
Close INTERNET EXPLORER
7. Restart "START.HTML" so that it opens in a new INTERNET
EXPLORER.
Here is another solution as found by Derek Vane
derekvane@iprimus.com.au
I found my problem with the opening page on the CD, flashing on
and off.
I was running W98 with internet explorer 5. I fixed the problem as
soon as I
installed Internet Explorer 6.
I hope that this might help others with the same trouble.
From: Zolkafli [zolarius@tm.net.my]
I managed to make the CD work after installing the
programs/browsers/ie6 and ie6setup that came with the CD. I have
also tried with Windows ME with no problem.
Atanua is a free
real-time logic simulator for individual use. It is designed to help learn basic Boolean logic and electronics.
Click
