Electronics

[stormdog]

As I just said in a message to Posi:

For most of my life, doing work on electronics felt so intimidating. And now, talking to you, reading the Michael Geier book, and understanding theory of operation makes me feel like I can do it. I don't know if it's because I'm finally on anti-anxiety meds or what, but it feels really good to look at something like that wonderful old multimeter [a B&K Vomatic on Craigslist] and think 'I bet I could figure out what's wrong with that.'

Here's the Vomatic I was referring to. Look at that amazing rotating cylinder with the various scales printed on it! To me, stuff like this is beautiful and intricately clever in a way that digital is not.

Comments

[acelightning]

Electricity and electronics have always been a big part of my life, even back when it was "common knowledge" that the female brain wasn't capable of understanding anything so technical - my dad didn't believe that, and when he saw that I was interested in it, and wasn't going to stop being interested simply because it wasn't "ladylike", he taught me how to do things safely and well. So I was never intimidated by electronics... or very much else that had to do with machinery.

But strictly mechanical devices have a simplicity and directness about them that I find soothing. My husband and I and our then 8-year-old son visited the Smithsonian in the mid-80s, at which time the Centennial Exposition was on display. The various exhibits were all powered by leather belts from pulleys that were turned by a huge central drive wheel - electrically powered for the exhibit, but originally steam-driven. When the menfolk kept going back to the art museums, I'd go watch those machines in operation. They were so straightforward and obvious! (Or else I'd go to the Air & Space Museum, which I loved for different reasons.)

I had to giggle at the VO-Matic, which looks as if it says "Vomatic" (we're all 12 years old at heart). My dad had a similar-looking "lunchbox" multi-meter, although his was from Radio Shack :-D