I am interested in your story

[addertooth]

@homebrewed I couldn't find the right tubes for a cyclotron, so I made a linear accelerator like the new one (at the time) in California.

Yes, the very high frequency, very high voltage tubes are always the hardest part. Were you going to use a Van de Graff with a sprayed charged belt as your voltage source? This was the approach I was using on a D-Style accelerator. I ended up using a Magnetron tube which still had some life in it. My parents ended up figuring it out, and hid my tube and 14k.v. transformer for the Spray charge. When I moved out at 18, they gave them back to me, and said I could go play with that stuff at my apartment. By that time, I had fostered a serious interest in girls and had "better things" to do. I remember when I was young, having trouble relating to other kids, they thought Lincoln Logs and Erector sets were "serious engineering".

The Science Fair judges never believed I built the projects which I constructed, and quietly removed me from consideration for any prizes or awards. Only the University of Oklahoma judges took the time to interview me, and realized I was actually designing and building my projects. They offered me my first serious job when I was 17. I worked one summer building their scientific instrumentation electronics for one of their physics labs. The job was mostly calibrating sensors, fixing things like Flux-Gate magnetometers, and building ultra low-noise instrumentation amps. I paid for my car in one Summer with the money earned.

I worked as a Machinist for a few years, as the money they were paying machinists for oil-field production equipment was insane... until the bottom dropped out of that market.

I worked for another couple physics labs for a total of about 18 years, but as the years passed, the gulf between the pay for "pure research" jobs, and private sector jobs grew. I ended up going to the private sector for several years. Prior to going private sector, I had joined the National Guard as a 44e (Machinist), and over the years ended up gaining three additional MOS (21b Combat Engineer/demolition, 31u Communications, and 92y Supply).

I deployed to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom One and Two, 2003-2005. When I came back, I went to work as a Test Engineer on a Base. I have remained in that field.

Sorry if some of my statements seem vague, it is by intent.

 

[Ischgl99]

My dad always fixed everything at home, and I was by his side every minute learning as much as I could. I built a minibike, repaired the cars, anything that needed to be fixed by time I was 14. I think I disassembled every toy I had to see how it worked, much to the frustration of my mom, I think they all worked after I reassembled them too lol. My dad was the manager of the automation group for his company and when I was 15 he needed a prototype control panel built for a factory they were building, that became my summer project and first entry into industrial controls. After college I started working for a machinery manufacturer as a field engineer and learned electrical and controls by troubleshooting systems on the projects I was on, in addition to the mechanical and process duties. The EE at the company refused to let me get involved in controls work, and even blocked my view so I could not see what he was doing, so I called my dad to get the Allen Bradley programming manuals our company distributor refused to send me and learned on my own. The company EE was notorious for putting bugs into the software so he could get trips around the world, and when I was on a project shortly after he quit and the program would not work, my boss authorized me to buy the AB programming software and get it done. I have always had a knack for troubleshooting and quickly became the go to guy when something wouldn’t work. The replacement EE was lazy and when he found out I could program, he send unfinished programs on my jobs so I got even better at it.
After that, I moved on to a bearing company running the industrial services department overseeing a crew of field service engineers and a product line of maintenance equipment and vibration analysis equipment, and then as a reliability manager for a company operating water and wastewater plants across the country. I basically had free rein at the plant I was based out of to make any improvement I could find and had the best boss ever there. Too bad I took a “promotion” at the corporate level and got into a job I hated that was more pencil whipping than actually accomplishing anything. Now I am retired from the engineering field and raising my kids while my wife travels for her job. To keep from getting bored, I started a photography business and spend more time in my shop using the equipment I have accumulated over the years.

 

[brino]

Great thread everyone!

It's like finally getting to know you guys on a new level, like we are talking over a beer on the patio.

In reading it I see some common themes (.....and they are all also Mars Rovers ;^))

1) Curiosity
a drive to know something
a need to understand at a deeper level
and a true joy at the knowing

2) Opportunity
all kids learn by "play"; it's their job!
but here I see an atmosphere in early life where tools, and challenges were made accessible

3) Spirit
different than curiosity, this is the attitude mentioned above that "I can fix that!"
it often shows as "I can make that better!"

Okay, maybe four themes because perseverance needs to be in there too (....and is also a Mars Rover!)
I am sure we have all failed in some early attempts as we're learning something new.
But we don't let that stop us!

I have found this thread very inspiring!

Thanks for sharing your histories.
When I get some time (this is my last day of work for the year! , well except for monitoring some tests I have running in a thermal chamber.....) I will be back to share some of my history too.

Brian
(aka -brino)

 

[wachuko]

This has been such a great read... and takes me back so many years... I can't tell you the amount of Heathkits I built while growing up... I even bought a Hero Jr. robot kit!! I remember spending 24 hours building that..non-stop.... I just had to finish it. It was just like this one...

I wished I had kept it guarded and safe from my 7 siblings. But like everything I made, it got destroyed by them playing with it...

And don't get me started on those Skilcraft Chemistry Sets... had a couple of those as well...

Working in my father's hardware store I learned a lot about repairs - plumbing, construction, electrical...also learned how to fix the trucks and loader (gas and diesel engine work, changing drive shafts, etc.) this helped me pay for college room and board as I worked as handy man for people that could not even change a switch plate... I was very poor then... but it was fun times... whatever was left from rent and food, went to these Heathkits... and later for computer parts...

But there is a huge difference from being able to change parts and troubleshooting... I can follow instructions and replace or build anything from a set of instructions... but it is the creative part that escapes me... I am humbled by reading the stories of some of the folks here... rocket scientists, designers, machinist that can invent something from nothing... that is something I continue to strive to achieve... and the reason I keep buying kits... I want to keep my mind busy and work on further developing skills.

 

[Eddyde]

It all started with the electrical experimenter kit I received for Christmas when I was about 6. I figured I could make the bell ring really loud if I simply plugged it into the wall outlet. A brilliant flash, and then darkness as I instantly learned about resistance and how fuses work and what a third degree burn is as well... after that, My older brother (who was designing and building tube amplifiers at 16) taught me a lot, ohms law, capacitance, how tubes, transistors and other components worked, etc, he also showed me how to solder. When I was 12, another Christmas gift, a Readers Digest book on how to fix everything in the home, taught me the fundamentals of AC wiring. I built a bunch of Heathkits through high school and took some electronics courses in college. I have also learned a lot from reading posts here on HM. However, most of what I really learned, was from trouble shooting and fixing circuits that weren't working. I will continue to study as there is still so much more to know....

 

[ttabbal]

Reading some of these, I am a bit bummed I missed the golden age of Heathkit. I would have LOVED those.

I was just always curious and into learning how things worked. My parents used to buy thrift store stuff that didn't work for me to take apart, I fixed most of them. Probably half were blown fuses and loose connections. I spent a lot of time in the library reading whatever looked interesting, learned a ton. Got into Ham Radio, built some stuff out of the handbook, and tried to understand how the other circuits worked. Then discovered Tesla Coils. HV was a whole new thing. Nothing quite like being thrown across the room from a Tesla primary to learn respect for the stuff. I don't recommend it. Coils can be fun to build though, just keep more distance than you think you need to.

I didn't have much access to tools, so mechanical stuff was not much of an option. I did get to take a few shop classes, that was great fun, but I couldn't afford those kinds of tools at the time. I got into computers and programming and went that way for work. I always liked tinkering and building things, so I kept at it with small programs, electronics projects, auto mechanics, 3D printing, rocketry, R/C, etc..

As for AC stuff, I know enough to safely work on it. I only do residential stuff, but can handle most of it. Subpanels, breaker and wire sizing, connections etc.. Mostly just reading and examining existing work. Some of the inspected recent work I've seen has some very sketchy stuff going on. I know a couple of electricians that will look over my stuff for trade, so I generally take advantage of that and make sure. I've had to learn a little 3 phase, but mostly just enough to run the motors on my machines.

I still love building things, which is how I ended up here. I decided I wanted to make metal things, and needed tools. So I got a lathe, then a mill, read a ton, and learned how to do some of it. Lately I've started with cast kits. Really interesting to learn how to hold them securely, and get the part out of the casting. One of my kids has a lot of interest in similar areas, so I'm working with him and teaching him basics. That has taught me a ton.

I think we get a lot of "maker" types around here. We like to build and fix things. And we get a few career machinists that, thankfully, are willing to help us bumbling newbies learn and show us better and safer ways to do things.

 

[Janderso]

Very enjoyable reading!
One common theme, these guys are curious and have a desire to continue to learn.
I love it.
Learning about a subject you are interested in sure is easier than one you don't care about

 

[Bi11Hudson]

Start early like about age 5. Most great musicians start early also. That, plus about 20,000 hours will get you there
I didn't learn Ohm's law until much later, in my late teens, but was playing with electronics well before that. My math skills are terrible, by the way, but I didn't let that stop me

A bit of personal history comes into the story, my mother was blinded as a child. About age 3 (I don't remember exactly, only of doing it) an uncle had given me a "goo giive", a screw driver. When my father had returned from work, he questioned "how is the baby". My mother, as a blink, commented that I had been mighty quiet the last hour or so. (guaranteed trouble) On searching, I was discovered behind a sofa with a partially dismantled receptical and cover plate on the floor. I can only speculate in retrospect that I had the receptical out of the wall but hadn't started on the wires yet. If I had gotten into the wires, I am sure it would be more memorable.

Because both parents were disabled, I spent my teen years working rather than going to school. I am a grammar school dropout. . . On enlisting(age 17), I attended electrical school, EMA, electrician mate class A. Since I had worked with all sorts of circuit theory over the years, I had a fairly high standing despite my lack of education. In my interest of pursuing adventure rather than "spit and polish", I chose an old (1940s) ship going on a polar mission. As an older ship, there were mostly archaic electrical fittings. Much to learn in that two years.

On the interruption of my second enlistment, I went to work in Birmingham. In the steel industry, what else. Birmingham was a "steel" town at the time. One works in steel or one becomes a bum. No big deal, just the way it was. My first entry into steel was at an archaic foundry. The foundry buildings had date codes on footings of 1896 and the like. It had been updated some, but most of the original equipment was still in use. This was before OSHA, so had a number of questionable electrical installations. I recall, specifically, changing 2300 volt fuses, pole mounted jacks, in the rain. Dripping wet working on high voltage. . . And being up a pole above a 2300 volt substation working conduit when I "cut out" rotating around the pole. I managed to have my safety belt loose but ready to reconnect as I fell backward, but it was a near miss. The entire crew walked off the job and went home. Yet got a full day's pay. A near miss like that was something that wasn't questioned by even the chief electrician. Over the years, I advanced through an archaic instrument shop into industrial electronics. Essentially following the advancement of industrial electrical systems.

On a "whim', I went to Guam as an electrician for the government. Working "civil service" had so much paper shuffling that it only lasted a year or so. I applied for, and was accepted by a local computer distributor. Not so much for my knowledge of electronics as my experience with "precion electrics" at the foundry. When their overhead demanded a "degreed engineer" as a field man, I went to a college in the Phillipines and was granted a BSEE through testing. So I am now an EE, on paper. . .

I have found that someone knowledgeable of electricity can find work anywhere they travel. The systems may not be like US standards, but at the bottom line, touch the wrong thing and get zapped. Working with model trains since childhood, making the transition from toys to real models around age 10, making my trains "run better" has always been the driving force behind most any decision I had to make about electricity. That it usually paid well was secondary to that driving force. I was fortunate to have made a career doing something that I enjoyed playing with. Even my relationships with other people were secondary, including several marriages. Women don't like playing "second fiddle" to a wire. . . Ces't la vie, "stuff" happens.

.

 

[Janderso]

I learned physics in grade school and built a working atom smasher for grade 7 science fair.

I didn't know we were in the presence of genius.
Amazing project for such a youngster!!
I'm picturing Abom79 with a sledge hammer =atom smasher.
That's the way my brain works.

 

[rabler]

So, Ray prompted me to respond to this thread ...

I remember I found this electronics kit at one of my father's partners houses when I was about 5, it was this thing with magnetic blocks that were different components, with a sheet metal ground plane. (Whole side story there, near Mazomanie, Wi, he had a Quaker background, pathologist, him and his wife raised horses and goats). Followed up with 100-1 electronics kits, components with little springs you could wire. When I was 11 we bought this Imsai computer, 8080 processor, S-100 bus. I remember soldering all 2100 bus pins, and checking them with a magnifying glass. Then programming it with binary paddle switches (machine language), later paper tape ...

Electrical Engineering BEE and MEE and worked as a Research Engineer at Georgia Tech while puttering along on a doctorate. Played a little bit with e-mag as a specialization but decided to go digital. Lots of parallel computer work, VLSI design, etc, funded under the Star Wars program (Strategic Defense Initiative). Later Internet technology. Lots of early work on IP videoconferencing across the state. Went on to teach after getting my doctorate, mostly in signal processing, embedded systems, and networking, but especially in design based project classes. Lots of fun mentoring students setting up wifi localization in a football stadium, software radio, etc.

Much of my core electronics and the math background behind it has long since faded as the digital realm, and student projects along with the other program admin work I did needed little core skill One of the things I enjoy about retirement is getting back to actually doing some things myself!

I do think the electronics, electrical, and the various aspects of it are VERY diverse, and it is impossible for one person to be an expert across all of those possibilities. Of course, an academic background from a research university may have some bias on that mindset.