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January 4, 2011.
I really love electronics. Over the past few months I have learned quite a few things about electronics from my Dad.
This is my "Electronics 101" with my Dad.
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One of the fun things about hobbies is that you can teach others how to enjoy them too! My nephew, Ethan, (my oldest sister's second child) is also interested in electronics so I have been working on helping him get started.
Unfortunately, he lives in Virginia and I live in Illinois. So, I have had to use the phone to give him "lessons". It is interesting to try to explain things using just words.
I made my own "nano bug" from a toothbrush.
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The first project we did together was helping Ethan get a proper bread board and a few other electronic components, like jumper wires, LEDs, resistors, capacitors, and switches. I order the parts I need from Mouser and Parallax so Ethan has been getting set up with parts from their as well. He got a really nice breadboard from his parents for Christmas.
I helped him to be able to get a LED to switch on and off. It was pretty excited the first time I was able to do that. Others in the family don't get that excited about it, because they can't appreciate the thought and work that goes into just that one little project, but my Dad thought it was pretty neat! I hope Ethan enjoyed his first successful project.
I got a robotic car platform as a Christmas gift this year. I am learning how to do things with it and hope I can share that project with Ethan someday. Who knows, maybe Ethan and I will go into business someday, like Hewlett and Packard (HP) did. They started in a garage, after all.
I'm really excited about my new robotic car platform!
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February 16, 2010
Probably my favorite hobby is my radio-controlled (RC) helicopter. They keep breaking all the time, though! But they are sure fun while they last!
Here is my helicopter that I got for Christmas from my brother Timothy. December, 2009. Photo by Matthew P. Aardsma.
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Another hobby that I enjoy is rockets. They keep crashing and no astronauts have survived, as my Dad puts it!
Here are my rockets that I built. Photo by Caleb A. Aardsma, February, 17, 2010.
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I also like computer programming and electrical stuff, like putting in new electrical wiring for the remodelling we did on our house
during the Christmas holiday. It wasn't really a holiday, but I learned quite a few neat things about electricity!
Here is the bread board that I work on. February 17, 2010. Photo by Caleb A. Aardsma.
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