Just another rant...
...I've always had a fascination with electronics - indeed, I've got the lights in my house controlled via a pics controller on my PC, and will have the heating etc... done this weekend.

....but I've never really understood what it is I am doing, so I thought I'd get a night class booked.

Just went to the governments list of night schools/classes, and I can learn Falconry, Soft Furnishings and Good Citizenship etc...

...but elecronics? Plumbing? Woodwork?

Not a sign of any of them.

/bah
(dchurch bah, Thu 26 Mar 2009, 13:57, 8 replies, latest was 16 years ago)

I've contemplated this too
I don't know the first thing about repairing cars and thought about finding an evening course in this.

Can't find one. But I could learn to be a hairdresser. Not enough of those in the world.
( gareth_alien will be human again at, Thu 26 Mar 2009, 14:18, Reply)

This is because...
... all the plumbers and electricians earn far more doing the job than teaching it. Hour-for-hour, the same probably doesn't apply to hairdressers - and it certainly won't apply to falconers.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Thu 26 Mar 2009, 14:24, Reply)

As usual Enzyme makes a good point
I'd looked for woodworking and welding courses. Not at the same time, even I know that you can't weld wood.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Thu 26 Mar 2009, 14:32, Reply)

Mr. V...
Er... www.nordiskskogforskning.org/newsandviews/NW4_2005.pdf
( Cawl, Thu 26 Mar 2009, 14:35, Reply)

Books are the way forward
I've got a shelf full of electronics related ones, I'll have a look at some titles when I get home tonight and recommend you some.

You sound like you have some clue what you're doing so I won't recommend anything too basic!

Oh, and I have my heating wired up, but not the lights yet...

There's a really good DIY home automation site but I can't for the life of me remember the address.
(username1, Thu 26 Mar 2009, 14:41, Reply)

I fucking knew someone would say you can
I almost put a disclaimer to it saying that you can't do it using the same technique as with metal.

Kaol, you bastard!
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Thu 26 Mar 2009, 15:07, Reply)

@username1
That would be excellent.

I've been scouring ebay for teaching kits - like I say, I've always had an interest and do have some (very old) books already.

...but the stuff I've been doing so far is very basic, I'm just using a USB relay and setting it to turn the lights on and off from the terminal.

I'm just making a Windows prog (the only touch screen I have only works in bloody windows!!) to send an IP message to the Linux boxes with the relays on, so that the misses can control the lights in any of the rooms by touching the room on the screen and from the menus in the MythTV frontends.




The interface needs some work, but I'm just trying to get it all functional at the moment.

...this weekend I'm going for the heating and if my servos turn up in time I'm going for the curtains too!
(dchurch bah, Thu 26 Mar 2009, 15:32, Reply)

username has a good point about books
I know a woman who gutted and refurbished 3 houses, including plumbing, electrical, building additions, ect. She did it all with knowledge gained from reading books. And they all passed code inspection with flying colors.

Mind, I've often thought she was really superwoman in disguise.
( flirting with badgers What? It sounded good at the time., Thu 26 Mar 2009, 16:00, Reply)