Any electronics hobbyists in here?

Mike403Mike403
edited December 2022 in General

I'm pursuing a degree in electrical engineering but bought one of these Microcontroller boards to mess around with. This is a kit with components to get started. It's a Raspberry Pi Pico, but it's not a full computer like the original Raspberry Pi. It has a whopping 264k of RAM and 2MB (yes, megabytes) of flash memory and you need a PC to program it. They require such low power that they can be powered by two AA batteries. The boards themselves cost $4 each or $6 for the WiFi version. Some people did some really cool stuff with it such as building a drone (using a 3D printer to make the body).

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TZZ6XH3?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

Comments

  • RadiantHugsRadiantHugs Mod
    edited December 2022

    I got a raspberry Pi and made a streaming audio player. I since traded it away for a different piece of audio gear, but it was a really cool project. Here is a YouTube video showing the idea:

  • PrettyLuvPrettyLuv

    Are you going for your masters or bachelors? What made you pursue it now as opposed to years ago? Are you doing it completely out of pocket or scholarship/grants?

    It’s definitely an interesting field

  • Mike403Mike403

    @PrettyLuv - Bachelors and I'm using the tuition reimbursement program offered by my employer. They pay for tuition and textbooks.

    I started in 2014 and am doing it part time(2 classes at a time). Three of the classes were non-credit middle/high-school level classes(two in math and one in English) since I scored poorly on the placement tests.

  • PrettyLuvPrettyLuv

    Ah ok. That’s a pretty nice setup through your employer. Is it online or are you physically going in for classes? What made you get into it? You just like tinkering or curiosity or you have a project in mind?

  • Mike403Mike403

    @PrettyLuv - In person except in 2020 and early 2021 during the big Covid scare.... and yes I had a fascination with electronics and computer programming since I was later, but been putting off pursuing it because I used to hate math. Now I love it.

  • PrettyLuvPrettyLuv

    Nice @Mike403 I’ve always loved math. I did a minor in it biaccident because I just took so many courses in it thinking I was just satisfying my electives. Once you learn proportions everything is pretty much a breeze. It’s so logical and pretty and fluid and it’s devoid of human tampering. So naked and honest. That is, until you get into character maps & then it gets a little fuzzy.

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