Questions tagged [education]

The education tag is deprecated and should not be used for new questions. Please consider using other tags to indicate your area of interest.

82 questions
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Good tools for drawing schematics

I was going to add a bit of information to my post on a previous day using schematics and some instructions. What programs are being employed for this purpose? I mostly want to see what others are using and that I can easily use to give descriptive…
Kortuk
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30 answers

Electronics Blogs and Podcasts

There are some great blogs out there for programmers (Joel on Software, Paul Graham's Essays, etc.). I would love to know about any similar quality content for electronics. Do you have any great blogs or podcasts you love? (submit one answer for…
Shawn J. Goff
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Do working electrical engineers in circuit design ever use textbook formulas for rise time, peak time, settling time, etc

This is a very general question. In undergrad electrical engineering, students are usually taught about step response to LC (second order) circuits. This is usually when many parameters are introduced, some of which are rise time peak time…
Fraïssé
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17
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4 answers

Why are 555 timers so prevalent?

I've noticed is that 555 ICs seem to be extremely common. Why is the 555 so prevalent, or ubiquitous; what about it so useful?
voices
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10
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6 answers

Classic essays on electrical and general engineering

I tutor English language and literature. I sometimes find that tutees are really keen on engineering, tech and so on, and find analysing the more traditional texts intimidating (I mean Shakespeare and so on). I know there are classic essays on…
David
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6 answers

Shifting into an EE Career - with or without Master's first?

I've been working in software for way too long, dislike it for a number of reasons, and would like to shift completely into electronics engineering work. I'd prefer analog, microwave, optoelectronics or maybe some specialty yet to be invented, but…
DarenW
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RLC filter as amplifier?

is it possible that a RLC filter works as an amplifier? If it works at resonant frequency, then the output will be greater than the input. Thank for your time.
Gennaro Arguzzi
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7
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6 answers

Sources for cheap/free electronics for students?

I've just recently discovered an incredible interest in building my own circuits and my own logic. I'm in a computer architecture class and we're learning how to make ALUs based on a set of instructions. Last year, we would create logic circuits on…
n0pe
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6
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1 answer

CMOS transistors for educational purposes

I am currently teaching my daughters Digital Electronics, ages 9 and 12. In doing so, I wanted to introduce them to CMOS logic, since I feel that a hands-on approach is always better than just doing theory. I purchased a few NMOS and PMOS…
5
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2 answers

Wien's oscillator - amplitude stabilization with Zener diodes (loop's gain)

How come the loop's gain \$\beta A\$ of a Wien's oscillator with Zener diodes is equal to the loop's gain of a Wien's oscillator without Zener diodes? My professor uses the following expression to determine the frequency of oscillator at…
Gennaro Arguzzi
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4
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3 answers

What are some simple and informative beginners projects?

I'm currently in an "Information Technology" program, and this program includes some electronics courses. So, I know a little bit about voltage sources, current sources, resistors, capacitors, inductors, operational amplifiers, basic first-order…
equine
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4
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2 answers

TRIAC phase angle control 120 VAC line ripple

I'm working on a phase angle controlled TRIAC dimming circuit (schematic attached below), and I'm seeing a lot of ripple/noise on the 120 VAC input as I near 50% power. I'm wondering what I can do in my circuit to possibly clean the line to reduce…
4
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1 answer

General Electronics vs. Embedded programming oriented program

I've got a choice between two types of Electronic Engineering degrees, as the title says. One goes the general route, basics of electricity, analog electronic, digital electronic, measuring stuff, some microprocessor basics, digital signals,…
robotron
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Is the Nyquist plot useful in actual electrical engineering?

I am currently doing a course on linear control theory, and we are covering Nyquist Plot to study phase and gain margin. I find myself unable to appreciate this concept. One, the proof of the Nyquist criterion is very non-intuitive to me, something…
4
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6 answers

Ziplock Bags: OK for electronics project storage?

Are plastic "ZipLock" bags OK for short-term storage of projects? Context: beginner's Arduino class, carrying Arduino, breadboard, and wiring.
Mark Harrison
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