I would love to understand those things better, but Electronics are out of my budget right now. So spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars on Electronics is out of the question. On the other hand if you did a tutorial on Cellphone development with an intro to asm for it and putting in a small OS Java based perhaps then I would love you forever.
Also imo the expression build it and they will come, means also building tutorials that lead to further questions. I agree 100% that learning this stuff is essential . I just wish I could afford a circuit board and all the crazy stuff you mentioned so I could try my hand at it
Anyway your rant is a good rant but where do you start if you don't have the cash to tinker *confused
I can get you free parts. All you have to do is ask for samples from all the major players in the electronics business. Like Microchip, Texas Instruments, and National. They want so desperately to send out there parts so that you learn how they work. Mostly because one you learn one type of device you tend to keep using it. They, the "big players" don't know if you are an engineer or a student or a nerd that just wants a free part.
You think I should do a tutorial? Where would I start ?
I was thinking on suck-v2 i would write up in my blog section.
Well I think you should start out small and learn some basics before you get into cell phone design.
You'll need a processor and depending on what you want the phone to do other than make call will depend on the type of processor. I would use a FPGA or a CLPD for things like a display, MP3's and data storage and of course making calls. Otherwise you could get a basic PIC or other microprocessor for just making calls and having buttons.
Cell phone kits are available below but the "free" I mentioned earlier wont work for kits.
hmm... ok. Let's say I have some gerber files in Eagle format... what's the next step in turning those into a useful PCB?
Is it something I could do at home with written instruction (assume I'm of average intelligence, and can read proficiently) or would I have to outsource the labor?
I have an electronics project that has been sitting on my shelf for some time waiting for someone to remind me that it's there... and that it's above my electronics level and ability.
knuffeltjes voor mijn knuffel
[img]http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac320/stuphsack/Sig.jpg[/img]
Flood - I understand your lament - it does seem like deep understanding of technology is being replaced by shallow, 'accept the black box' thinking.
I need to know whats inside the black box. The black box is the area of programming or electronics - that coders or manufacturers don't want you to see.
Is the new gen being washed down with too much 30 minute tv shows? Fed on soundbites? "xxxx for dummies" and Cliff notes? Maybe they are so full on 'wine and games' that they just don't care to do the effort, to lift a brain cell.
I hate it too. Its apathy stinks of death.
They don't know - once you stop moving, you die. Once you stop asking questions, you stop caring for the answers. They did, and they are dead to me. I hate apathy as much as stupid people, fucking careless and useless - to me, and to society.
Before computers, there was electronics - so a geek had nothing to do back then, except get creative with simple switches, caps, resist, wires, tubes, and lightbulbs. We dreamt back then - of machines that had life, and now it 'exist'.
I got into automotive electronics - it was safer than alternating current as long as you stayed away from the coil. I think all the neat electronic gizmos first came out for the automobile - you had to understand how cool intermitten wipers were, or having a security system back in the 1980's. We did the thumping stereos - caps hooked up to amplifiers to keep the power level consistent for deep bass, designed speaker boxes for speaker air flow, tweeters, mids, lows. Then you had to understand coils to kill engine whine. Then there was resistors to fool the vehicle's 'key-code' for autostarts without the keys.
Then home hobbies - when other kids made firecracker timers with ciggerettes, I made mine with 9volt batteries, rocket igniters, and a wide range of switches. While other kids were happy painting their model rockets with fancy paint, I was happy to take a part a disposabile camera and rig it inside a model rocket.
When computers came out, I got one in my hands, first as a school loaner - a C-64, then a 286 my dad brought for work - it was expensive - about $2,000 for a system that had as much power as today's smart phone. There were no games, and the electronics were buggy. Some times parts had to be soldered on or off. Back then you could track the progress of computer development. After the 286, it took about almost two years for the 386, then a year for the 486, a year for the pentium 1, then only 6 months for the pentium 2. Parts got smaller, cheaper, and more reliable.
It was easy to switch from automotive 12 volt systems to PC 12 volt systems.
I got hired at a network solutions company building mil-spec rackmounts - there was no 'college' back then - they hired me based on my past experience working on car's 12 volt systems. There I learned more, I got to take apart defective stuff to see the innards - where before noone could because it was so expensive and had to be sent back to the maker.
I was so proud to make such a powerful, strong, reliable rackmount - just as if I installed a 1kwatt stereo system in a BMW.
I'll admit that floodie has my respect as he knows deeper about the electronics I handle - I don't need to know everything on a mobo to install it properly. I think floodie is lamenting about the lack of respect people have toward all the electronics they take for granted these days.
Soon - everything will be black boxed - in the minds of the newbies - instead of electronics soaked in black epoxy, it will be in plain view, they will see, but not comprehend. A tragedy because they missed out on a part of geek life.
Happy birthday mo'fo'
DNR
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He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in Darkness, and Light dwells with him.
I'd really appreciate a getting-started thread, covering stuff like what hardware you need to buy/get for free to load your code into the processors, processor recommendations, what software you use and so on. You can learn the basic theory in books/school but the practical side feels like a barrier to me and probably to others as well.
owwww so know you can't wait until i finish my final exam :X
i wanna build some stuff (electronic) you may start to pray so i stop my question...
just hold on until i finish my final exams (18 of june)
mean while you can post some tut's about basic, just like DNR did with wardriving...
something to emphasis us...
wrote a tut or link some...
There is an UNEQUAL amount of good and bad in most things, the trick is to work out the ratio and act accordingly. "The Jester"
lilrofl
The Gerbers typically can not be converted back into a schematic. You start out with a schematic and convert it to Gerbers, then send them to a board house to make the PCB's. Usually you'll need a silkscreen (top and bottom), Copper layer (top and bottom), Solder mask(top and bottom) and a drill file. This becomes more complex obviously, if you are making layered boards like the 8 layers on a typical ATX motherboards.
Boards start out around $33 and go up from there. Discounts are available for students or you have time to wait.
DNR
All I can say is, what you wrote is Precisely what I was trying to express.
For me its amazing how many people have no clue. For example; a month ago someone needed a home DVD player repaired. I don't usually do repairs on things that don't turn a profit, but this was a special case. It was simple for me to hack the unit and integrate a surveillance circuit.
To be honest, i hold a fair interest in hardware as well. Although i'm a bit ashamed to admit it, i also fall under DNR's description of one of those people that just didn't take the time. Well, i suppose it's not only that, programming is free - i can learn for free, i can code for free. For hardware, you have to buy most of the parts and tools
One day when i have more cash flow, i'll get myself a starter kit or something ^_^
l0ngbit - I guess you'll have to take apart a DVD player to find it...
Gog - the depth of understanding can come at any time, you study and study, - pretty soon - every device you touch - becomes transparent and you see where the circuits go..
Imagine if you played GTA for 12 hours - and then you went outside - your mind transposes the game over the real world..
I feed my mind with so much detail - that sometimes my vision of the world is overlayed with multitasking diagrams, images, and tips.I touch a doorlock, drive a car, ride a bike, or turn on a PC - and immediately I see its insides, I see what my action puts in motion. You become intimate with the device, you know it so well.
Blow your fuckin mind man! *
*enjoying a nice 87 degree day outside, sipping orange juice on ice, and tokin of course!
DNR
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He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in Darkness, and Light dwells with him.
. I just wish I could afford a circuit board and all the crazy stuff you mentioned so I could try my hand at it 
