We get lots of emails from readers on different subjects.
Our policy is to answer them immediately, even though the answer may be in a very brief form. The main thing is to let you know we are here and if the answer is not sufficient, you can ask further questions.
Don’t think the brief reply is intended to put you off. This is our standard way to get through our enormous load.
Some of the emails ask for basic electronics information while others ask: ”How to start Programming.”
All the information you need for programming microcontrollers is on our website, but it is difficult to see it all at once because it is “hidden” in folders and files.
This is one of the problems of digital storage. It does not let you see the overall contents “at a glance.”
A book is different. You can skim through it very quickly and see how everything is laid out.
Our site is enormous and it would take many hours to download and view all the pages. One of the solutions is to get a copy of our CD. This will enable you to load the pages very quickly and get an idea of what we have presented. You can then settle down and read the articles at your leisure.
The only other way is to get a subscription and go to the MAIN index. This index is in the subscription-section and contains all the topics and articles on the site. From there you can pick out the ones you want to read.
Before taking out a subscription, you can get an idea of what we have by going to the index on the left.
The two main areas of the subscription-section are the courses.
We have provided a lot of projects in the FREE section and when you get stuck with any of the technical terms, you can go to one of the courses.
We have tried to provide as much as possible in the FREE section and the courses are there to help with any problems that may arise. The basic electronics section is all you need to get started in electronics and the microcontroller section is for those who want to start programming.
The microcontrollers we have used are the PIC (Peripheral Interface Chip) family from Microchip. We have produced a number of projects using these chips and once you get an understanding of how they work, you will want to design your own projects.
To do this you will need to know more about the Instruction-Set and this is in our Microcontroller Course.
Sample pages for this course are in the index on the left and you will see we have approached things in an entirely different way to anything you have seen before.Most text-books are a re-hash of things that have gone before.
And that’s the problem. They are not written by a someone who has actually built or tested the item under discussion.
Look in any text book or project book and see if a photo exists for the item being talked about. In most cases it has never been produced!
Our concept is different. We do not present anything until we have actually made and tested it.
That’s why our approach is entirely revolutionary. We have learnt from years of experience. Don’t talk about anything until you have actually put it together. There is an underlying reason for this.
Things are not produced as you would think. In many cases they are made “in-reverse.” The same with the operation of a circuit or the assembly of a project.
Once you get past the basics of electronics and are confident about getting a simple project to work, you will want to advance to the next stage,
Thus involves the magic of microcontrollers. When you realise the power of these devices, you will nave go back to individual chips. There are obviously variation to this but many projects using a number of simple gates are ideal for conversion.
The flexibility you gain with a microcontroller (and the kudos) will elevate you - not to mention the ability of code-protect the program and offer a design that is totally up-to-date and compact.
This is where the skill of programming come in.
It’s the next step in the world of electronics.
We will only be teaching the basics but the firm grounding you will get will enable you to start designing projects that will amaze you.
Every programming course we have seen to date gets too complex, too quickly. They expect you to be a brilliant programmer before you start - or after a few chapters.
We take you slowly through a number of projects that contain lots of experiments. These experiments show you how to create a program and after 50 or more experiments, you will have an understanding of how they go together and how the microcontroller interprets each of the instructions.
This is one of the most important things. All our programs use the set of instructions that the microcontroller understands. After all, this is the main purpose of using a simple microcontroller.
It is simply the best. Readers have already comments on the knowledge they have gained from the course. Some have produced their first project and sent us photos. This is the sort of feedback we want - so we know we are going in the right direction.
On this site we have supplied everything you need to get into an electronics career …
… A BASIC ELECTRONICS COURSE …
… SIMPLE ELECTRONIC PROJECTS …
… MICROCONTROLLER PROJECTS … and lots of informative discussions.
All you have to do is read our articles and put a few of the projects together.
Electronics is a “100% success” technology. A project will not work if is 99% complete.
That’s why the practical approach is so important.
If you think you can “learn electronics” by reading a book, you are fooling yourself.
Making a project is equal to reading 100 pages. And nothing takes the place of putting something together.
That’s why we ask you to construct a project and when a problem arises, you can go to the theory for the answer.
It’s called “reverse learning” and is the fastest way to learn.
Lots of readers are already doing this and we are constantly adding to the site. New projects are being added all the time and they play a big part in the broad picture.
Each project consists of a number of “building blocks” and by understanding them, you build up a knowledge of electronics - to a point where you are able to develop and design your own projects.
We get requests for assistance every day and fortunately we can point readers in the right direction. Our Basic Electronics Course covers the basics of electronics and things are laid out and easy to understand way.
Everything you learn in electronics will repay you 10-fold. No matter how little or how much you know about electronics, there is a position waiting for you.
Obviously, the more you know, the higher you will rise up the ladder of success.
Everyone has to start somewhere and an enthusiastic approach will get you accepted faster than almost anything else.
We have already described the advantage of taking projects with you to an interview and nothing will be more eye-opening than our designs.
They are professionally presented with fully-detailed overlays and by simply explaining how they work in your own words you will impress anyone interviewing you.
I heard yesterday from a recruiting firm, that about 2,000 applicants are applying for each vacancy. This is absolutely unbelievable! This is the competition you are competing against.
Now you know why you need an “edge” over everyone else.
My suggestions have been a sure-winner in the past, so do your homework and generate an understanding of electronics that will make you wanted in the work-force.
There is plenty of material in our FREE Projects Section to get you started.
I don’t mind how many projects you build or how you gain your understanding of electronics.
All I say is this: the fastest, simplest and cheapest way is to build our kits and read our articles.
We have 20 year’s experience in presenting electronics theory and tens of thousands of readers. Many have emailed me to say their start in electronics was due to TALKING ELECTRONICS. Hopefully you will be able to say that too.
Start with the line-up of projects we have presented in the FREE Projects Section and you will see how everything comes together.
