Micro controllers
One of the main reasons that I got into Amateur Radio way back when, was that I liked the idea of building things. In the late ’70’s, that meant electronics. I still remember seeing an issue of Popular Science or Mechanics, I don’t remember which one, that had plans to build a phone answering machine. That was back before our consumer electronics crazed society where you can go to the local Walmart and pick one up for $20.00 bucks or less.
I was 12 or 13 and didn’t have the skills or money to build it, but it fascinated me. A couple of years later, I found Amateur Radio and that ended up leading me to computers and the rest is history. So fast forward to today. We have had a couple of decades of the US making money on money (the financial industry) and we have sold off (out) the manufacturing and engineering base of the country. To be honest with you, I have been looking at this and have become pretty pessimistic about our future.
Then I start researching on the Internet (something we haven’t completely sold out) and I come a-crossed Arduino. This is what I remember the US being when I was a kid. People building and experimenting with stuff in their garages and basements.
There are all kinds of things we can do with these things. Not to mention their applications in Amateur Radio. So I bought a board on ebay, and I plan to start playing with it. It combines my interest in programming and electronics. I have a couple of ideas for things I want to try and make, so let’s see what happens!
This is the kind of stuff that will turn the fortunes of the country around. If we want jobs, we need to nurture out entrepreneurial spirit in this country again, and not export the manufacturing of them off shore.