PART 1: http://youtu.be/kXWRLNq8OCU
PART 2: http://youtu.be/oyryds71p44
PART 3: http://youtu.be/52tafTy2q_Q
PART 4: http://youtu.be/o0bkyAntDHo
PART 5: http://youtu.be/WzCVyOnota8
www.talkingelectronics.com
Part 4 of an interview with Colin Mitchell, the pioneering founder of Talking Electronics magazine.
In this part he talks about the internet, learning electronics, and forums.

Do you think that there's any chance that anyone would an online Electronics magazine would be successful? Do you see any any like as a PDF or something like that? Can you see sort of that magazine style taken off again? or has the individual Google and the individual content web pages sort of over I've got uh I've got about 100 100 me on my site? Yep as uh HTML pages also as PDF and you can buy the CD for it. A few people do buy it. Most people just download what it is so that people have realized everything on the internet's free now. Yeah, every book you want is all free from ebooks or or from from any of these uh share share places.

y you can get every single book that you want Electronics book as well and when you do get them and you download them, they might be 50 meg or something like that. you and if they're $40 or $50 and you download you realize that it wasn't worth $50 you know you're lucky you got it for nothing and it really doesn't really tell you that much. You really do need about 20 or 30 books because some have got a little bit in it. Some have got a few other things.

some are far too technical so that people are buying less and less books, they're just downloading them for free and just realizing that's the way to get your information there cuz everything is free. Well I found that some books I just I just wouldn't get it. The information just wasn't presented in the way that my mind worked. Yet another one.

Exactly the same information but presented in a slightly different way. It just CLI That's why you need 20 books because you'll find that one of the books out of the 20 will present it correctly. but a lot of the books don't. They copy the same concept.

too much mathematics, get into it. Too complicated for you and the question you asked isn't there. So you go on a forum and ask a person why is it and they tell you, oh, is that the reason why? Because he's it tells you in words and that's the very thing that I do in my sight. I put a lot more words into things I Cut out the mathematics because I found that as soon as you introduce mathematics, half your read is just turn off gone.

Yep, cuz I' I've worked that out because even on a page of page one, page two, page three, the first one might get ,400 hits the next page. only 700 hits for the month and it goes down and down and down. So even when I've just put simple circuit diagrams on it, they only get to the first page. so it does Peter out as it goes down.

So don't make it complicated for people because it'll be. It'll be 15,000 on the first page and only 300 for the second page because because you've you've lost them y exactly. So people really don't want anything technical. they want to understand things in a very simple stage.

If they want something complicated or technical, they can get a book or go to university or go to a technical school. But the internet is really for people that are really at the very simple basic level and they can get the books the PDFs and they can get them off the internet if they want to learn something Technical and sit down and go through the technicalities of things so that's not My job is is to is to go into the high technical side of things because I want to get the masses of people I want to start people off I I'm just in the area which no one's covered before. from absolutely nothing to making a kit. that's all I want them to do and then they turn around I like it or I don't like it.
They want to go on exactly cuz I've proven that with the bugs. you know they can make the bugs and nearly 100% was successful. Yeah, so that's what I want to do. Fantastic people interested in the in the subject and now You' started the transistor course.

Haven't Well, you've done. That's only recent right? That's right. A huge page on on every way that a transistor could be connected in all sorts of different circuits. and how many all up are there? How many different ways? oh count I think there 50 I think But but you, youve did a two part What? No, like a 100, right? It was 100 transistor circuits.

Oh no, that's that. that's actual circuit. But I did I've done another page on just the transistor, an amplifier and just doing as as a common emitter, a base or common collector amplifier, or putting two together. and once you get feedback, it becomes an oscillator.

Or if you get uh, positive feedback or negative feedback, it changes from an amplifier to an oscillator so that you can get all these different effects just out of one or two stages. And that was that was what I concentrated on. But I have done the other one on on on 100 or 200 circuits. Yes, that's very popular as well.

Yeah, I link to that. Yeah, people just love that sort of beginner. and once you put that math in there, it just all. that's right.

Yes, But because there's so much on the internet that's absolutely free, that's right, that all they got to do is Google particular word. They get it for free. Why pay for it exactly? You can't compete with free, so you've got to make your money in other avenues. So that's why all of my content is free.

Every everything all my content I've ever produced over the last 20 25 years is Free I freely giv it away and you know there's been some brilliant people with with enormous amount of information and they've given it free on the on the web as well. So you can find professional people, give professional advice. Uh, it's only the solic that turn around. Say that you know, send us $14 and we'll tell you the answer for something terribly simple that you you can click on Google find the answer on the next page anyway.

But we're not that stupid. But with electronics, there are an enormous number of people that are highly, uh, competent in a certain field and they will provide the answer either on the forums or on their websites so that everything now is freely dispersed in and everything is I find that it's it's similar to the book thing we spoke about. You might have to get a few replies from people. it's the same information, but they all presented in different ways to you.
So one one person will write it in a certain way and it just clicks in your head. Oh, that's the answer I wanted. That's right. Yet somebody else kind of gave you the same information.

What the forums do you see, one person will answer it I Still don't understand it and another person. oh, is that what it is? So that's why you get six people answering you and you get the answer. and it's all no cost, instantaneous, and it's right on the ball. They're answering that particular pertinent question and and that's the way to go.

Um.

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By YTB

17 thoughts on “Eevblog #280-4 – talking electronics – the internet and learning – part 4 of 5”
  1. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars ุธุงูุฑ ุงุจุฑุงู‡ูŠู… says:

    Mr colin
    You are the best
    Thank you
    Zafer

  2. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Mess Command says:

    Awesome!!!!

  3. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars adesantoasman says:

    starting from nothing and to start building kits, TRUE! i started from the simple FM bug, the Wasp Project. Brilliant, super done. Thank you

  4. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars typedeaf says:

    Ha I thought I was alone in this dilemma. I have about 5 real books for learning electronics, and many websites and video blogs. Between the lot of them, I STILL have problems understanding some concepts.

  5. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Maria Engstrรถm says:

    It's a bit ironic that while they are talking about their love for electronics, a piece of electronic (smoke alarm) is beeping for for attention as it's being starved of energy. ๐Ÿ˜€

  6. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars CampKohler says:

    I could listen to him for hours. And just did!

  7. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars KyleCarrington says:

    Great stuff! I love Colin's site and it truly was the "spur" that kicked off my first bench. Recently I decided, darn it, I have to support this guy, so I bought a transistor test kit, great little circuit! Kudo's to both of you, as the premier "exciters" in online electronics learning.

  8. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars onjoFilms says:

    lol, sorry ๐Ÿ˜‰

  9. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars cheese says:

    I didn't notice it until I read your comment. damnit. I can't un-hear it!

  10. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars onjoFilms says:

    Interesting guy, nice interview. As a critique (I know maybe you haven't done a lot of interviews) but the "yep, exactly, yep, " coming out of the left speaker was very distracting. I wanted to focus on what he was saying. Giving him more time to breath would have been a tad better. But nice guy to interview and keep up the good work. Don't take this the wrong way.

  11. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars msieradzki says:

    Different thing altogether but similar concept: on channel9.msdn.com Microsoft asked some people to introduce more complicated concepts to "simple programmers" in form of video lectures. They have one about F#, one about Haskell and I think there were more but I can't remember.

  12. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Menimitz says:

    I would be willing to pay for a quality guide to transistors that does a general overview like discussed here followed by an in depth review if desired. That would be worth a lot to me, especially in print.

  13. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars sal4 says:

    Thank you very much for the upload. Not only this is great entertainment, but also so many insights in different topics. It really made my day!

  14. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars FrancekPirosrancek says:

    this series is brilliant. I love it!

  15. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars superdau says:

    That's exactly how I see it. At uni every topic had THE ONE reference book (mind you, I started computer science at a time the internet was grey pages with blue links). After a few books (around a hefty 100โ‚ฌ a piece) I came to the conclusion that's just stupid.
    I now teach programming, physics (basic level) and electronics (self-taught) at uni. Whenever I get a question about a "good" book, I say there's not one. Just compare different sources on the web and find one fitting your learning style.

  16. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars xX8Nadine8Xx says:

    ^^

  17. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars xX8Nadine8Xx says:

    hmm, everything is free is not really truth. It could be, but who is to pay the book writers?

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