Make: Electronics Book intro

Allright, welcome!

My name is Patrice Berube, im 33 and i always had an interest in electronics.

I took some class in college, playing with breadboards, but that was a long time ago.

Looking at some gadget and electronic websites from time to time, such as Maker SHED, Instructables etc... I always see those cool projects, see the arduino stuff and i would love to be playing with electronics.
I also have a good friend who owns an interesting shop selling antiques, custom furniture and clothing, old gadgets etc... with a potential for me to be selling some of my creations if i were to become good at it.

So last month i thought i'd give it a shot again, i was under the impression that it would be easy since i took some college course back in the days but it turned out i had to go back to zero.
So i went to Indigo book store and bought:
Electronics For Dummies, 2nd Edition
 by  Cathleen Shamieh & Gordon McComb

Nothing wrong with this book, it is well written but after reading the entire thing, i had no idea where to go from there. I had no experience using the tools and components that were described in the book and was feeling discouraged.

Since at the end of the book they listed a few experiments, i google to find some electronics component stores in Toronto, found a good one (there are not that many), wrote a list of all the parts i needed and went on shopping.

At the shop, the owner recommended me a book Make: Electronics Book.

I bought it, along with a pile of tools and components, and went back home.
Started to read the book and realize how amazing it was, and how PRECISELY it was what i was trying to find. A book filled with experiments that goes through the most basic ones to understand single components, to make so great electronic devices.


With all the tools and components that i had bought to do the "for dummies" experiments, i could get started with the Make book experiment. (After beginning the Make book, i decided to shelve the "for dummies" experiments since they don't seem that useful)

So i did the first 5 or 6 very simple experiments from the Make book last weekend, and now I'm waiting anxiously for tomorrow (Saturday) so i can go back to the electronics store with a new shopping list in order to buy all i need to complete all of the experiments in the Make electronics book.

Since i already did them, and they are very simple, i wont be documenting the first 5-6 experiments of the book but i intend to document all of them from now on.


If you go to the Maker SHED website, you can buy component packs 1 & 2 to have all of the tools you need to complete all of the experiments.
I do not want to go down that path and the reason is that if i want to make my own projects in the future, i need to figure out ways to get what i need by myself.




My goal
- get this done within 2 months. (the owner of the previous blog got this done in about 8 months i think, so 2 months might be a tall order)
- be comfortable with electronics by the end of it.


Anyhow, tomorrow is shopping for new parts.


Much love everyone!