
How we learned about electronics pre-Arduino days - avinassh
http://arduino-pi.blogspot.com/2015/04/how-we-learned-about-electronics-pre.html
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fit2rule
I keep expecting a revival of the Denshi block system to occur:

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denshi_block](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denshi_block)

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gakken_EX-
System](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gakken_EX-System)

It seems like an idea ripe for revolution, at least in the Arduino/maker
space. I know there are similar systems - but I think very little competes
with Denshi block in terms of form factor and its appropriate use by little
fingers.

Come on, hackers! Make a 21st Century Denshi block system! :)

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shortoncash
The pre-Arduino days were just expensive. I was using HC11 development boards
quite a bit, and when I did something wrong, it would burn a hole in my
pocket.

Also, good books or people who knew what they were doing were hard to come by.
This went for software development too. A book would cost me $30-$50, a
development board would cost $80, there were no reviews to know whether what I
was buying was even worthwhile.

Kids these days have it really, really good. I'm jealous of them.

~~~
joezydeco
The development boards were crazy expensive, too.

I was an early developer on the TI OMAP1, we had a number of EVK boards that
TI lent us to to get the BSP up and running. I recall they were charging
$7,000 each for these things and you could only get them if you had a serious
inside channel with a TI FAE and promised big orders later.

I thought Pandaboard was a great leap forward (especially for TI). We've taken
2 or 3 more since then.

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shasheene
In Australia, a popular introductory kit was "Fun Way Into Electronics"
([http://goughlui.com/2014/11/09/tech-flashback-dick-smiths-
fu...](http://goughlui.com/2014/11/09/tech-flashback-dick-smiths-fun-way-into-
electronics-vol-1/)) by the Radio Shack-like electronics retailer Dick Smith.

Unfortunately I personally went through highschool from mid-2000s, apparently
a bit too late for a strong electronics curriculum (beyond learning basic
soldering and building a small project in the electronics part of the 'tech'
subject, with woodwork and metalwork being the other units)

~~~
cam_l
cool, I never saw the fun way books. but I remember buying the kits with
pocket money I saved up. I still have one I built in a box somewhere..

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fnordfnordfnord
A lot of trial and error, mostly error, and Forrest M. Mims III books.

~~~
HeyLaughingBoy
Oh god yes. I owe my career as an EE (and now embedded SW) to Forrest.

------
avinassh
Here are some more vintage kits:
[http://searle.hostei.com/grant/ElectronicKits/index.html](http://searle.hostei.com/grant/ElectronicKits/index.html)

source:
[http://np.reddit.com/r/arduino/comments/3325f8/how_we_learne...](http://np.reddit.com/r/arduino/comments/3325f8/how_we_learned_about_electronics_prearduino_days/)

------
walshemj
Mine was the lady bird book on how to make a radio

[http://www.amazon.co.uk/Making-Transistor-Radio-ladybird-
mak...](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Making-Transistor-Radio-ladybird-
make/dp/0721403247)

Though my dad did take over a bit - we actually used a gas powered soldering
iron he had from the 40's - you heated it up over a gas burner

~~~
rjsw
That was my introduction to electronics too, I don't remember it needing any
soldering though.

After this, my grandfather taught me how to make PCBs and more complicated
radios.

~~~
walshemj
I think the book used a bread board - eventually we moved the radio to some
stripboard which is where the 40's soldering iron came in

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ourmandave
I could only afford the 20-in-1 kit with my b'day money (after begging for the
75-in-1).

I also had a grandfather that would give me various things like a transformer
and a complete photoelectric sensor with the wall control box.

I also disassembled most my toys to see how they worked (could never get them
back together again).

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jlarocco
Heh, I had one of those, along with the 200-in-1 version. I got them as
Christmas presents as a kid. I think mine were from Radio Shack. Hard to
believe it was 20 years ago.

Surprisingly, it appears there's a company still selling them:

[http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-Electronic-Playground-
Learning-...](http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-Electronic-Playground-Learning-
Center/dp/B0035XSZDI)

[http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-200-in-One-Elecronic-Project-
La...](http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-200-in-One-Elecronic-Project-
Lab/dp/B0002AHR04)

~~~
avinassh
70's COSMAC 1802 is still available for sale at $19 - [http://www.sunrise-
ev.com//membershipcard.htm](http://www.sunrise-ev.com//membershipcard.htm)

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tzs
Radio Shack P-Box kits were interesting:
[http://my.core.com/~sparktron/pbox.html](http://my.core.com/~sparktron/pbox.html)

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protomyth
Radio Shack and Heath kits were a pretty good way to start.

~~~
hcrisp
I remember making LED circuits and small wheeled robots from kits. Was it
Heath or something like a Graymark catalog? I can't recall the name.

~~~
protomyth
I bought a nine pin port (Atari joystick), cables, and two photocells from
radio shack and soldered them together then mounted it in plywood. It worked
just like paddle controllers for input (more light higher number). I doubt I
could do that with modern USB.

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webnrrd2k
Anyone remember TAB Books? I know they are still around, but that was pretty
much it when I was a kid.

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bcl
Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar articles in Byte, and later his magazine.

