My automatic response was that learning the fundamentals is, well, fundamental. If you’re going to design or build electronics, you have to have a handle on the fundamentals. We decided that sooner or later, she would come around and delve into the basic physics and discrete components the way we did when we discovered electronics. However, I began to have second thoughts soon after the meeting. Is it really necessary to deal with capacitors, resistors, and discrete components to understand and — more importantly — leverage modern electronics? Is it a waste of time for someone planning to create a business based on new devices to play with and learn to use ‘outdated’ components? Is it better to move directly to, say, microcontrollers and programmable field gate arrays (FPGAs)?
As an educator, I can say that knowledge of the fundamentals is important, but you have to be selective in the fundamentals you decide to focus on. I remember in college as an engineering major that knowledge of Quantum Mechanics was deemed critical to understanding how semiconductors work. So, I suffered through the course. To this day, I can’t say that I’ve applied any of what I might have learned to semiconductor design. On the other hand, if I had chosen to work for Intel or some other chip manufacturer, perhaps Quantum Mechanics would have served me well.
You no doubt have your own reasons for reading the articles in Nuts & Volts. You may be new to electronics, and every bit of information is new and exciting. Perhaps you’re retired and like the familiarity of the ‘old fashioned’ circuitry. Maybe you’re studying engineering and you’re using the articles on microcontrollers as supplemental material in your studies. Perhaps you simply like the satisfaction of building circuits with your hands. Many of your fellow readers are specialists in other fields and have an idea of automating some aspect of their work and look to this magazine to provide a soft introduction to the world of applied electronics.
After you read through this issue, I’d like you to email me with your thoughts on the overall focus of the magazine. Does it define — in your view — the world of the electronics enthusiast? As the field of electronics evolves, do you want us to cover the bleeding edge, or are you more comfortable working a little behind the curve, where components are cheaper and better documented? Again, I’d like to hear from you. I’ll post the results of this informal survey in an upcoming editorial. NV
