Memorizing Dave’s EEVblog Anatomy Videos: Is This the Way to Learn Electronics? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: osmax_br
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2025, 11:41:25 am
content: Hello EEVblog, and welcome to the 3rd episode of me asking professionals dumb questionsI am a hobbyist who spent their entire hobby time on ESP32 FreeRTOS stuff . I am currently reading *FreeRTOS for ESP32-Arduino: Practical Multitasking Fundamentals * by Warren Gay. However, I realized that using this approach made me weak in hardware and electronics in general, so I started playing with op-amps, 555 timers, 4017 counters, shift registers, etc., by watching tutorials on YouTube and especially Fundamentals Friday by Dave. I love them.Now, I come from a medical background. I am currently a med student, and in our med studies, we emphasize the memorization part. For example, if Dave Jones explained anatomy on the EEVblog channel, I would've opened a textbook like *Gray’s Anatomy*, brought a pen and a notebook, and started taking notes. After Dave finished the lecture, I would go and memorize everything he said, then do some MCQs. This is the way that we study in the medical field in the early years before clinical years. You can’t go into surgery without watching EEVblog anatomy videos and memorizing them all, or you would mess up. Our professors tell us that you have to memorize these things and have a textbook next to you—if you don’t do so, you wouldn’t be able to practice medicine correctly. (Of course, the way of teaching medicine is different from place to place, and this thread is not about the correct way to study medicine.)Now my question is: Is that the correct way to learn electronics as a hobbyist who is taking their hobby seriously? Should I watch Dave’s video on op-amps while taking notes and opening *AoE*, then do a quick memorization (not a fully detailed memorizing, just quick notes) , then make the circuits (or make the circuits first—it doesn’t matter; my question is about the memorizing part)?And if the notebook method is wrong/stupid, how do you deal with forgetting things? For example, just watching Dave’s anatomy videos is useless without memorizing them since you will forget them a day later. Does the same logic apply to hobby electronics? Also, this is a project example of mine using the ESP32 and some basic FreeRTOS. It is a time organization device which I use to calculate my total studied time. It took me a year to do it, considering my tight schedule. If someone can point out wrong techniques or things I did wrong there, I would be glad:https://github.com/Osmax-Br/time_keeper_esp32Thank you in advance.

author: NE666
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2025, 11:59:46 am
content: Quote from: osmax_br on February 19, 2025, 11:41:25 amTo read is to learn, to do is to understand (and retain).As with your anatomy studies, reading and memorising the content of your topographical anatomy textbook is necessary but isn't considered sufficient alone - your course will include dissection classes too (at least, it would in the UK). And reading those books and passing those MCQ tests won't make you a doctor, no more than it will help you orientate yourself the first time you try to interpret MRI or CT images.Short answer: both, and practice (i.e. practical application) makes perfect. With memory, it's always use it or lose it (and I'm sorry to break it to you, but that will get worse with age). I don't see any issues with what you're doing as a learning route for a hobby.

author: osmax_br
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2025, 12:44:22 pm
content: Quote from: NE666 on February 19, 2025, 11:59:46 amThanks for the replyYes it is very unfortunate that we humans lose the ability to remember things as we get older+ We do have dissection classes but there is a rule , if you don't memorize your textbook correctly you wont be entering the dissection classes (you could always see dissection vids, of course) , the idea is that the professor won't expalin the basics and he expects you to already know the theoretical knowledge, and then he builds on top of it (eg. You should know all aritries in the neck before entering neck dissection lecture)So I was applying the same logic to electronics , I guess it somewhat applies

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2025, 01:29:18 pm
content: Quote from: osmax_br on February 19, 2025, 11:41:25 amTranslate that question into your own domain. Is dissection plus memorising the cards below the way to become a doctor?Answer: no, although it can be a small valuable part of learning. yes, I do have a complete set of 250 cards. Really shows the value of stereoscopic over flattie photos

author: BILLPOD
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2025, 01:47:58 pm
content: Good Morning Osmax_br, Both Medicine and Electronics areverydeep subjects, and I don't believe there is anyone who can remember each and every bit of information available for either subject, let alone both of them. The human mind only has so muchRAM, (Random Access Memory), so if someone wants to be the very best in a subject, a choice will have to be made. Also, how we make living is something we have to devote a good portion of our RAM to.We each have our preferred methods of learning, either by reading, taking notes at lectures, or watching videos; and of course by hands on experience.A college professor once told me that the day after we graduate, we forget 90% of what we were taught, but will retain the ability to find the answer to questions and problems.Good luck with your choices.

author: NE666
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2025, 02:08:50 pm
content: Quote from: BILLPOD on February 19, 2025, 01:47:58 pmExactly, a large part of life concerns finding good compromises. Both subjects are far too expansive for complete mastery in their entirety, let alone both together.The OP should therefore consider limiting the focus of their out-of-hours electronics studies to what is immediately relevant to just the topics which interest them most (which appears to be digital/mcu/programming), and become comfortable with actively dropping packets where it comes to those which they can do without e.g. RF design, AC etc.

author: osmax_br
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2025, 03:09:17 pm
content: Quote from: BILLPOD on February 19, 2025, 01:47:58 pmI totally agree , you are 100% right !We actually had this conversation in this threadhttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/pursuing-electronics-as-a-med-student-seeking-guidance-and-advice/Where I was asking whether I could be professional in both electronics & medicine, after tens of replies and discussions , I realized that it is impossible for someone to be "professional" at both hard fields, however someone pointed out an idea , you don't need to be a professional to make electronics , surely you won't be making professional grade projects or F-35 avionics any time soon , but maybe I could do some basic electronics or maybe intermediate level electronicsSo I decided to take a path where just learn the basic electronics and then dive more into one subject that I liked , I definitely cant dive into all of them

author: osmax_br
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2025, 03:19:07 pm
content: Quote from: tggzzz on February 19, 2025, 01:29:18 pmWell , TrueDissection+flash cards wouldn't make you a doctor (but if you add a textbook to these flash cards you will be very good at anatomy) , you are still not a doctor , but you are now very good at one subject that doctors memorize (considering the fact that you SPENT 1000s of hours revising your cards and text books , yes you will be great at anatomy , but not a doctor)It is very interesting that you -as an engineer - brought anatomy flash cards , did you plan on taking anatomy as a hobby?You remineded me of My oldest anatomy book , it is the 1958 "Trans vision of anatomical chromographs" by parke Dave , I was afraid of its size before I started med , however when I saw our actual textbook (1000s of pages) that old book seemed like a kids toy

author: osmax_br
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2025, 03:29:12 pm
content: Quote from: NE666 on February 19, 2025, 02:08:50 pmExactly!I do try to stay away from anything that contains (audio,RF,AC,HV circuits etc..)For the time being , I am focusing on the introduction of AoE which explains the basics , then I would learn about noise filtering techniques and so on....I only have an analog scope , but since my main work is around digital stuff I couldn't use the scope, but it could be used for playing with basic electronics and op-amps which I enjoy

author: BeBuLamar
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2025, 04:06:19 pm
content: Of course you will have to memorize something to learn anything. However, in electronics it's much more important that you understand what being said than to remember. The difficulty in learning electronics is in the understanding not so much on remembering.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2025, 05:00:42 pm
content: Quote from: osmax_br on February 19, 2025, 03:19:07 pmNo, but stereoscopic photographs are.I use to take them on 35mm slide film; not sure how it is done with digital cameras.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2025, 05:02:21 pm
content: Quote from: BeBuLamar on February 19, 2025, 04:06:19 pmThe fundamentals and hence understanding them will last a lifetime.Memorising small details has a half-life of a few years.

author: SteveThackery
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2025, 05:20:16 pm
content: In my opinion, learning by memorising is - generally speaking - not very appropriate for electronics. I say "in general" because everybody is different, of course.I split the learning process into three strands: skills, knowledge and understanding. Skills include everything from making a soldered joint to designing a multi-layer PCB, and you will learn these pretty well when you need them - by practice, mostly. It's not very successful trying to acquire those skills in the abstract - you will need a project so you can practice them. So there's no harm in leaving those until you need them.Of knowledge and understanding, both are important, but I thinkunderstandingis probably more valuable. Why? Because a lot of knowledge is written down, is online, and can be found using Google, whereas Google can't directly give you understanding.Of course, Google can steer you to online articles and videos specifically made to help learners understand the principles and concepts of electronics. That is what I recommend you pursue for now.So, my advice is not to rote learn electronics, but rather to seek understanding.

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 20, 2025, 12:10:22 pm
content: Quote from: osmax_br on February 19, 2025, 11:41:25 amMy first observation is that you are using the wrong book. AOE is like the IBM Fortan manual, it is only useful if you already know the answer. LEARNING AOE (a different text by same author) is a good learning manual. Then there is the MIT Open Courseware, Real Analog youtube channel and others.As for your anatomy example, as you know a cadaver has very little relationship to a living body. Many tissues and organs change. Good for geography, but not much else.So I would not try to generalize my approach to learning from that. Besides, as you know, the methods of teaching undergraduate medicine have changed drastically, at least in the US. Lectures and memorization may be cost efficient, but they are not efficient ways to help others learn.And I know many people who are fully qualified in at least two fields. It was a physician who designed one of Ulysse Nardin's most complicated watches. Such people are of course different form us mere mortals. I know another cardiologist who is also a fully qualified archeologist.You are likely already well versed in math and statistics. Plus you can visualize and conceptualize. Capitalize on those attributes. You just need to find the correct resources. I think Dave's, Allen's and the REal Analog You tube Channels are excellent resources.I am using Laoe, and college texts by Boylestad and also Malvino. Chose these because I could find their Instructors Guides also. Then, like in med school DO THE LABS and the exercises.But knowing what I know about human beings, yes, a determined person can become proficient in both medicine and EE (given enough mortal time of course. Once got a 65 year old student pissed off when I explained why it takes 15 years to become ausefulwatchmaker).Go for it. I'm pulling for ya (Red/Green)

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2025, 05:41:07 pm
content: Sorry to have missed this thread until now. I love basic science. I also loved human anatomy. Maybe I was just lucky to have good professors. The only "rote" memorization in anatomy for me was the names -- particularly since the chair of the department required us to learn the official, anglicized latin names, e.g., triquetral instead of triangular bone. She wanted us to use her book on the subject, rather than the much shorter book from Harvard. She was a grand old lady, tough, but had a sense of humor. The rest of anatomy for me was no different than taking a machine apart to figure out how it worked. I loved that part. We had small study sections of about 8 students each. Dr. Charles led ours. He would present clinical situations that illustrated exactly what we should have learned from that week's dissection.AoE and Dave's videos make sense. Try to learn from that perspective. Rote memory will eventually fail you.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2025, 07:18:47 pm
content: Remember the punchline in Richard Feynman's anecdote about the "map of a cat".https://unreasonable.org/Feynman_and_the_map_of_the_cat

author: osmax_br
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2025, 09:33:10 pm
content: Quote from: watchmaker on February 20, 2025, 12:10:22 pmThanks for your reply , I really appreciate itI will put LAOE into consideration , didn't know it existedAlso I didn't know about real analog channel , I will check it out , ThanksHowever I somewhat disagree with the cadaver example , if we are talking about a real cadaver 90% of it is similar to the real living human body , fortunately you cant study real anatomy on living people, but yeah sometimes there would be some damages in the cadaver so you wont always get the right information , if you are talking about silicone cadaver (which exists) you are totally rightAgain , Thank you for your kind advice

author: osmax_br
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2025, 09:55:14 pm
content: Quote from: jpanhalt on February 20, 2025, 05:41:07 pmA good professor is essential to love a certain subject , I was very unlucky to have a horrible professor who knew nothing about anatomy and always started off topic political argument , if you disagree with him you wont pass the examI had to attend anatomy classes in another university, the professor there was one of the best surgeons in the country and he was someone who really liked anatomy , even though he is 60 years old , he took Adobe illustrator courses just to ba able to explain anatomy better to his students , and surely, my highest marks are in anatomy thanks to this professorSaving anatomical structures in Latin is a nightmare, personally I find it very hard , since I memorize every single anatomical structure in my own native language and the in English , some anatomical terminologies in English are hard for native speakers , if you are a non-native speaker you need twice the time to memorize the English term , and you could multiply the number of hours required to relearn them in Latin by ten , so I would have to memorize each single anatomical structure (hundreds of them) in 3 languages which is extremely hardSince we depend on gray's anatomy, netter etc which uses English terminologies, I don't bother with Latin , it is so much time consuming+ 3d anatomy apps are useless , if you love anatomy and you want to learn something serious, don't waste your money on these things , they are full of errors , I suggest getting netter's anatomy atlas (a used copy) if you want to have fun with anatomy , it has small explanation in the back with is enough for someone not involved in the medical field, and the drawings are good and accurateGray's anatomy is a great book , but it is like AOE , very hard if you are not a specialistThanks for sharing your experience

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2025, 10:46:27 pm
content: You used Netter? So did I in 1965, as did my brother before me who inherited them from our dad who was a general practitioner and did a lot of general surgery (circa 1940's & 1950's). It's amazing that such a book is still used. Anatomy doesn't change, but it appears the quality of medical illustrators hasn't improved either.As for silicone models and similar stuff. Mayo Medical School started in the early 1970's. It's first dean, MM was a DEd (actually EdD). His theory was that medicine was simply learning a vocabulary. I don't know a single faculty who agreed, but our lesson plans had to include a list of words and definitions. Anatomy was taught by such models. Early on, the school was accredited as a University of Minnesota campus. A few years later, it applied for independent accreditation and failed. Mayo was not used to failing. Things changed after that, but still prepared dissections were heavily used, but not not exclusively. I am still uncomfortable with that. There is no substitute for the real thing.

author: osmax_br
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 21, 2025, 04:38:13 am
content: Quote from: jpanhalt on February 20, 2025, 10:46:27 pmWell , you cant use just netter , netter is an illustration book without any explanation, I use gray's anatomy for students (translated version) + netter's human atlasAs for the medical illustration, I didn't open the 1965 version of netter to compare it , but frank netter died in 1990s , he didn't retire so it is safe to assume that he updated the illustration till the late 1980s , also the book is under constant modifications, although not much has been added between versions 6 , 7 and 8 , there are some additional paintings by C.MachadoI use version 6 which came in 2014 , quarter of illustration are done by C,Machado and some of netter's illustration are modified slightlyHowever in my opinion netter is still superior in medical illustrations , grays's anatomy is just simplified drawings , there is also snell's atlas , which people say that it has excellent illustrations , but I haven't taken a look at itI don't think that anatomy illustration can be outdated , especially if they are drown not so long ago (less than a hundred years) , we usually call anatomy as a "dead science" (translated idiom) which means that every thing in anatomy had been discovered Long ago , there is nothing else to discover (I'm not talking about histology or the relations between anatomical structures , just anatomy it self)

author: osmax_br
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 21, 2025, 03:19:17 pm
content: To whomever suggested watching kiss analog , Thank you !his op-amp videos are great !It is sad that he has only 30k subsAlso last week , someone suggested watching W2aewThere is drone bot workshop who has also great vids

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 21, 2025, 04:22:31 pm
content: Well, uhh, I'd start here by mentioning my particular 'hobby', in the midst of more expert jobs I've done:I like LEDs and also entertain myself by buying various cheap electronic toys, which can be quite advanced!My favorite 'mods' often involve attaching connectors, or screw terminals, for doing experiments. For example, a small speaker placed into an LED slot can give insights on what kind of proportional drive is used.I've read your comments with interest due to my current personal tasks, in attempt to get my medical records, and Doctors in order.It's an ABSOLUTE OUTRAGE, the level of reckless incompetence, in the U.S.Maybe you could delve into THAT consequencial mess ?Thanks.

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 21, 2025, 05:20:07 pm
content: (just a by the way:)This is a very wide type topic.Anatomy of the ELBOW came to mind, as that anatomy is interesting, having a special arrangement of crossed bones. Even 'made up' a tai-chi style exercise movement, to clear out arm tensions.Hilarious smartphone defects limiting my current abilities, as the North-east areas of touch screen are broke (cracked glass). That's partially why I quit, for a while.When I try to type, a 'p' it turns on the stupid Google Mike....putting text garbage on the screen, from the TV babbling in the distance.Entering an 'L' can get, instead, a 'return' or carriage return, that must then be reversed.(So forgive, if I forget the, uh, TOPIC, lol.)I have a ton of medical issue questions:Like, Why do some insurance companies tolerate screwed up financial records ?Answer (maybe!):Profits are so extreme, they maybe dont have to care about 'accuracy', in individual cases, such as late monthly payments.Customer service, turns out to be just another (incompetent) marketing arm,...supposedly to sell yet more options.

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 21, 2025, 05:36:52 pm
content: So, back to hobby stuff:One favorite toy is a small bird that will flap and sing, when you have any movement in the field of a Cds light sensor.I've placed a connector in a couple places. Now, I can get the speaker output to start up yet another toy, as a motion detecting thing, that then plays a sweet, Carlos Santana lick.(The second toy is a sound wand toy).

author: osmax_br
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 21, 2025, 05:51:10 pm
content: Quote from: RJSV on February 21, 2025, 05:20:07 pmWell , unfortunately I hear a lot form my American friends that American health care system and health insurance are not so goodHowever , I think that you are using the mobile version of EEVblog forums , there is a design error where the mobile version doesn't view the commenters countryI live thousands of miles away from the US, I have near zero information about the health care system or how insurance companies work thereIn my case , health care is free of charge , however if you want better medical service it is advices to go to private hospitals , but most of the times university hospitals (free of charge) do a great job

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 21, 2025, 06:20:36 pm
content: I'm not surprised at your reaction.That's desparation, this going outside my own country, seeking answers. Feels like no recourse or 'central' counsel. The formalized official' helpers see their own role as administrating 'fines and sanctions', rather than actually making a system work, for the patient.By the way; do students there meet for group study and support ? I ask that because, in the old days, doctors would discuss social and medical system issues (often with cigarette in hand)."Hey DOC! Lemme ask you something."

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 21, 2025, 07:32:22 pm
content: I could make a medically useful suggestion, for doing tests and diagnosis:SCENT TRACKING. I've seen firstl-hand how dogs can sniff out disease markers, such as for skin cancers.pSo, it might be useful to have a general means for 'sniff-checks', on everything from athlete's foot to cancer.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 21, 2025, 07:54:51 pm
content: Quote from: RJSV on February 21, 2025, 07:32:22 pmYou need to drop your oscilloscope, get a stethoscope and develop those tests.Of course, you will need to get FDA approval according to Google AI. Begin first by defining a standard dog, how it will be trained, get a medical license for it, define continuing medical education, and define CPT codes and get them approved for starters.Yes, there are ongoing experiments for some conditions, like seizures, but it's a long road. Dogs are sentient; test tubes and mass spectrometers are not. Since the FDA regulates devices and drugs, but not sentient practitioners directly, you might need an act of Congress.EDIT: Medicinal leeches and maggots are FDA approved for therapy, but they are not particularly sentient. Maggots were FDA approved in 2004 (Google AI), but they had been used for decades, perhaps centuries before that approval.

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 21, 2025, 08:42:49 pm
content: Thanks for response.I'm thinking in terms of electronic and mechanical, such as using Mass Spectrometer and vacume apparatus.A patient would be 'scanned' using a wand....? We don't have 'Mechanism Equity and Inclusion', not yet, as far as I know, lol....so no 'machine rights' to consider.)

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 21, 2025, 09:09:30 pm
content: Once we identify what a dog senses, then it can become reality. Early research on pheromones used insects to identify them so they could be identified chemically.Don't get me wrong, I love and respect dogs. They can do stuff humans can't do. But getting through current regulations would be a challenge. If Google AI is correct, it took until 2004 to approve maggots, which had been used for years before because they can do something very difficult for humans to do.

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 21, 2025, 09:48:36 pm
content: Quote from: osmax_br on February 20, 2025, 09:33:10 pmI actually think we are on the same page. When I was doing site visits for the Association of American Medical Colleges (US Accreditor) I had lunch with the Anatomy Chair at Washington Univ. He discussed how anatomy was not a particularly useful tool for teaching undergraduate med students about human bodies. This is in 1992.He thought it served the purpose of teaching geography (skeleton, organs, muscle, nerves etc) but that things like the pleural sack change dramatically after death and that this is the reason surgeons train on live bodies.I had no idea we are now using silicone replicas, but it makes sense from his perspective. BUT, I was just a smart ass Ph.D. and not a MD, so.....Back to the point at hand, many books are also available as PFDs from Internet Archive and other sources. But I am old school and prefer a floor littered with open references. However, I did just download an edition of the ARRL Handbook and it is loaded with excellent explanations.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 21, 2025, 10:19:59 pm
content: Quote from: watchmaker on February 21, 2025, 09:48:36 pmDid your discuss Mildred Trotter at that time? I doubt it and am sure he was wrong, and Dr. Trotter was right. Unfortunately with leadership like that WUMS has fallen from a top 5 to a low top quarter.

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 21, 2025, 10:39:19 pm
content: Waay off topic. But I was working on a project to identify promising practices in UME. My research was going to demonstrate that the requirements for basic science support and research were overrated.There is no difference in outcome for students who graduated from East Carolina or New Mexico as compared to JHU or Texas. The outcomes are driven by the residency program. (License actions, insurance settlements, patient morbidity/mortality, etc).What DID stand out was the emphasis on LISTENING and looking at efficacy vs patient finances at places like New Mexico which was a great model for rural health.As an aside, just before I was told to stop my research, I published an article in Academic Medicine which used AAMC data to reveal that in 1992 US Medical Schools were reaching down to 3rd and 4th time APPLIERS to fill seats.Like I said, I was a smart ass Ph.D. among academic MDs. Then my VP died of a drop dead heart attack.Was threatening too many fiefdoms. Plus, I was trying to get off 8 years of 50mg Prednisone to treat not getting out of bed arthritis. Was one of those idiopathic things that resolved after I turned to watchmaking. I now tell young people dealing with serious medical challenges that things can change for the better, do not give up.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 21, 2025, 11:14:54 pm
content: Those sort of statistics comparing standard of care are BS. I'd be happy to discuss their flaws in another thread , if you wish to start it. Why do people come from all over the world to Lahey, Cleveland, Mayo, Hopkins, Wills, even Mass General instead of PoDunk Hospital?Sure, the quality of the residency program is probably most important. But the best students get into the best programs and the poorer students get matched in the scramble and go to third rate programs. That has nothing to do with knowing anatomy, which this thread is about.Do you think a second-year student starting clinical rotations and doing physical exams (PERLA and so forth) should know where the thyroid gland is? Did you measure the effect of such ignorance on the quality of care? Another measure JCAHO used to use was whether a person in the ER had their temperature taken within 30 minutes of arrival. Is that still used? Are you familiar with what that metric shows?

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 21, 2025, 11:33:56 pm
content: I think that 'Medical' sub-topics are ok here, even when lacking any electronics oriented (directly).Interesting, that, a hint of 'medical' topic & the responders mainly want that sub-topic, (even though OP wanted 'hobby' info.I'm waiting for the naysayers...essentially they will state that conventional systems, are NEVER corrupt, or have 'disagreements'.Nope, no need to look.What readers, here, have heard or read, about COVID MASKS not actually working, at least not as commonly described. Anybody raise issues, then,...with local physician ?Anybody raise THAT science mis-statement ?(here, when COVID is mentioned).??

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 21, 2025, 11:59:51 pm
content: Quote from: jpanhalt on February 21, 2025, 11:14:54 pmInteresting. Is this why I got 97 responses to a 50 page open ended survey out of 126 schools? And is it why at least 15 Deans told me they structured their Dept Chair retreats around the survey?And my VP who was championing my work was a retired Dean of Arizona.Spoken like an MD trying to justify 36 hour rotations simply because "it was good enough for me".We should probably move on.

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 22, 2025, 02:00:00 am
content: Actually, I (for one) don't want to move on, quite yet, murphy.OP has touched upon issues of creativity and learning. Those intangible factors are critical, for learning and essential in any environment utilizing new ideas and concepts.Sorry, if some differences exist, but having BOTH factors does really help, as a good degree of questioning 'everything' in the classroom is a known ideal way.

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 22, 2025, 01:02:53 pm
content: This topic opened up 30 year old wounds for me and I do not want to relive the politics and stress. It was a fiveyearproject that involved the Carnegie Foundation, PEW and had an advisory committee of 16 Dept Chairs and Deans. It wasso damned political my VP forbade me from being in the men's room with other VPs.The roots of where we are can be traced directly to a 1965 Congressional authorization to double the size of the matriculating class of medical students by 1971. This was done by funding and expanding research facilities at academic medical centers(which meant tenure commitments).For the interested, I would suggest "American Medical Schools and the Practice of Medicine: A History". Unfortunately, it was published in 1987, before the widespread adoption of managed care (which helps explain why many Med School prospects went to MBA programs and why surveys revealed physicians were discouraging their children from pursuing medicine).As true in any complex system, the issues are nuanced and are not addressable by opinion; only data can help explain what is going on.That was our goal.As Isay when approaching any attempt at organizational change : "Things are the way they are because SOMEONE wants things the way they are".I do apologize for the harshness of my previous response. I actually could not sleep last night with my brain dredging up all the promise, politics and lost opportunity.I should not have touched the scab.

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 22, 2025, 04:00:56 pm
content: Watchmaker, OK, I can appreciate, but only to the degree that I can follow your text - explanation of where things sit ().That's at less than 50 % clarity, with included typos and completely missing words.I can always (try?) extend due respect, so no worries there. Many of us have had tragic circumstances that color perception.I mean, heck: I've suffered my own grief right now, (recently) as an unexpected mortal illness strikes near (to friends and family).Better, couldn't you simply IGNORE the thread, then ? I barely understood your issues (and exactly what it is, we are supposed to ignore).

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 22, 2025, 04:34:25 pm
content: OK. I fixed the previous post. Nothing was tragic, just very high stakes and I lost. So it goes. I knew that when I took the job after publishing a study that blocked Bennet and Wills from ending Special Education in the 1980s. I looked for high risk/high reward projects.Some Deans called me 6 months after I left to tell me they were influenced by the AAMC study's survey. Who knows what would have happened if my VP had not died so suddenly; all his papers were confiscated w/in 24 hours, and I was told to sit until we could arrange a buyout. There was no point in staying where I wasn't wanted,l I had "disappeared" from the research community for 3 years and we had a kid who was starting kindergarten, so watchmaking it became.The truly remarkable thing is that while it took another 18 months, I got off 8 years of high dosage Prednisone. (My wife is a saint, "roid rage" is real). Every time I got down to 5mg my arthritis would explode.I do not regret any of it. It all went into who I am today.As for my writing, my dyslexia is getting worse with age. It now takes me forever to translate different views of drawings or even objects whereas there was a time when I could visualize almost anything.Again, so it goes.

author: osmax_br
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 22, 2025, 04:52:45 pm
content: Quote from: watchmaker on February 22, 2025, 04:34:25 pmSorry to hear that , I didn't quite understand the project of yours since it contained political/educational system stuff in the US which I have 0 informations about , but I see that you were taking your work seriously, unfortunately it didn't pay backMaybe it is a good thing ? , since you switched from the stress inducing environment to the peaceful world of watchesAnyways , the past has passed , no one can change what happened back then , don't get depressed, you've done every thing you could do , god wont forget the effort you've doneI think you've done the right choice in choosing watch making as a job , I have many family members that specialized in working with swiss watches back in the 70s and 80s

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 22, 2025, 05:59:50 pm
content: Ahh, high stakes I can understand, thanks.That can be devastating, depending on how much a person identified with work.Getting a setback there could certainly trigger more worries about future, and career.Sooo, is it anatomy as a subject, or rather the institutional interactions, that trigger?There's likely a ton of politics involved, in numerous medical issues...(See history on early HIV AIDS for a mountain of arguments.)Medical blog stuff, along with some science, should be suitable here, and I did get pretty good response, from EEVBLOG members.We see medical oriented folks going for Business Administration degrees.I see increased cross-topic skills required, in a 'melding' or increased cross-subject involvement. Of course I'd maybe like to see more Doctors inventing, having electronics engineering degree as well.'Cause that's where the Frontier is...'

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 22, 2025, 09:19:43 pm
content: The trigger was US medical education writ large.But seriously, I was a big boy and I knew the game I was playing. So no sympathy needed, but thanks.As it is, I became a competent watchmaker who has some recognition. I got invited to Neuchatel for a year of study even.Osmax_Br, my wife and I spent a couple days in Locarno. What an eyeopener. Snow on the peaks and palm trees in the town. Glad I got to see it.Oh, Osmax_BR: I still use my Analog Discovery to follow along with the Real Analog course. BTW, the course text is available online here:https://digilent.com/reference/learn/courses/real-analog/start

author: osmax_br
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 22, 2025, 09:52:36 pm
content: Quote from: watchmaker on February 22, 2025, 09:19:43 pmI actually remembered taking a lesson in geography about Switzerland, and I remember that one page said that in Switzerland there are places were you get to see snow and palm trees , this is more than 10 years ago , I don't know how I remembered that !I hope you had a nice time in SwitzerlandSpeaking about snow , last time it snowed here was 6 years ago , at the time I'm writing this comment , it is snowing (which is a bad thing for someone who gets sick when temp falls below 0 C)Thank you for recommending this course , I've been searching for something like this for a whileDo you have analog discovery as your only oscilloscope, or do you have another bench scope in addition to the analog discovery

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 22, 2025, 10:32:43 pm
content: Quote from: osmax_br on February 22, 2025, 09:52:36 pmI am a watchmaker. Of course I have toys.I have the Siglent 820 (hacked to 824) and a Siglent signal generator, a 30V10A PSU and several DMMs. The Analog Discovery is GREAT for learning, but it is limited to 10 volts. As you gain knowledge, you will then more some more instruments. However, the AD will help you learn how to use an oscilloscope, spectrum analyzer, what FFT is all about, impedance and it's measurement and all sorts of stuff that generalizes to "real world" circuits.Personally, I can't think of a more cost effective suite for Arduino or Rasberry Pi. Just get a second monitor.

author: osmax_br
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 22, 2025, 11:11:29 pm
content: Quote from: watchmaker on February 22, 2025, 10:32:43 pmNice collection, it seems you are a siglent fanDo you mean the siglent shs800 , the handheld version ?I think that I passed the level of using Arduinos or RPIs , I started this hobby 7 years ago I think , I've been doing embedded stuff for the past couple years , as the main question topic says ,focusing on the embedded and programming part made me weak in hardware stuff , so I wanted to reinforce it , you could see my GitHub page , link included in the original question above , I'd be happy to hear your thoughts about it (it is mostly a digital timing system with a complete -self coded- framework)I currently have an analog oscilloscope os9020g 20 mhz + 1mhz built-in function gen , I am planning to get next year something like hantek dso2000 (or maybe wait a bit more -a year- and get rigol hdo802 for 277$ delivered) , I think it would be a HUGE upgrade for my current setupI am also getting a cheapo logic analyzer for my i2c stuffI heard that the power supply on analog discovery is very basic (+- 5v ? ) , I currently own a cheap buck buck converter psu (with screen controls , cc , CV etc...) however when measuring the ripple with my scope it seems to have 400mv p-p which is a lot , but for op-amps , esp32 , ICs it is not a Huge deal , it works fine for noww2eaw videos about oscilloscopes are priceless , they helped me use my analog scope to its maximum potential (although since I do mostly digital work , it still lacks behind , but a scope is better than no scope , no one adviced me to get these cheap fnrisi scopes)

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 23, 2025, 04:23:33 pm
content: (Please forgive, if I appear to annoy, with pesky questions; turning things over, in the mind, (while brushing teeth, etc.)I'm observing a sort of shift, between firmware and other considerations of original post. However, no mention of writing that 'code', or of software / firmware details.Are you doing the sampling thing, that beginners do, where the 'CODE', of interest is actually a substantial chunk, of previously written routines.My reaction, when my own job has been to 'decode' somebody else's binary output.Ugg, is to reflect the absolute insanity, unless the engineer doing that is very good. Plus, in my case, there was lots of product knowledge and several other engineers knew what the (previous) was up to,...at least from a Product Specification. (Previous guy had died.)Reverse engineering binary can be frustrating.

author: osmax_br
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 23, 2025, 05:17:45 pm
content: Quote from: RJSV on February 23, 2025, 04:23:33 pmWell , maybe I shouldnt say the word "framework " since it is has a vast meaning , sometimes when translating from other languages your mind uses wrong wordsWhat I meant is that the ui experience is self coded , didn't use libraries or snippets etc... , you could see the readme file for more understandingI dont classify my work as "professional" or "expert" , but for a hobbiest like me it took a lot of time , effort and learning, since unfortunately most hobbiests use simple arduinos and just use code snippets online or maybe follow a yt tutorial , but the majority doesn't come up with original ideas or bother with writing actual interconnected code themselvesAs for binary communication, I used the IR library, but I am planning to write my own since it is conflicting with my free rtos routines and priorities , other than that I am just using normal i2c commsIn the next week I am planning to rewrite some parts of the code , since some of them are 2 years old -just when I started playing with free rtos-I think I should post a video about the project onlineOr post it in the projects sectionThanks for your comment, I appreciate it

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 23, 2025, 10:36:01 pm
content: By the term, 'binary' has meaning as the output file, in exact executable form, though any loader from storage will usually do relocatable blocks, so to conform to the particular hardware.I'm talking about at the most lowest level.Like:Load value... Which might appear as ;LDI. #14, REG5Which for that you need the exact instruction set and compiler.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------You are way ahead of myself in terms of systems and tools.But chasing somebody else:s stuff, without help as to mapping and input output mapping is hugely iffy...unless it's purely for learning.I don't know how many times we had to ask:"Why the hell did she write it THAT WAY...standard library has version ready to go!"Or: "I re-used BIT 07 for some extra flags, so you can save into the ASCII text bytes, (,and pull that high bit out, before using the ASCII text.".Well, great, Margret, I think I understand that 'hacky' short-cut.

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 23, 2025, 10:50:41 pm
content: Ok; my bad, I think you are writing actual code, line by line.Is it microcode, into a compiler ?For a lot of that, you'd need a general map of whatever system your scheduling timer code runs on.So, you've been through that, ok, I probably should read that 'README' description you mentioned. Thanks, Rick-Jack

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 24, 2025, 01:24:29 pm
content: Quote from: osmax_br on February 22, 2025, 11:11:29 pmYes, W2eaw (Allen) is priceless. He is on this forum. Very generous.I also started with analog scopes, but quickly realized here that they were dinosaurs. Cute for art.My approach to buying is comparing the ante (cost of maybe a Hantek scope) to what I can get for $100 more.My scope is the SDS824XHD (which is the SDS880xHD hacked to the higher bandwidth 824), and the Siglent SDG1032 hacked to the 60MHz SDG 1062. My reason for them is they are popular on tihs forum with a lot of support. Also, I bought them from Saelig with the EEVblog discount and I believe I paid around $350 shipped for the scope. Also, I had a dumb question I did not want to post on the forum and I chatted with Siglent support who picked up in less than a minute and had me sorted very quickly. I have not seen that kind of support in decades.For DMMs I use Fluke 45 , a Phillips 2525; and the Instek GDM 8245 is underrated in my book. They all measure microamps, include "Data Hold" and all agree without any adjusting on my part. And I so not have to worry about them drifting over time; I presume they drifted however much they were going to drift.I have others I bought simply because it is a sickness and I love bottom feeding ($100 for Agilent U1252, Simpson uA meters for $25, etc). I did this throughout my watchmaking career, and it served me quite when I liquidated my "collectables".My PSUs (a TTI programmable and an Instek 4 channel linear) were both bottom feeding buys. I have a 150 pound Lambda that I got for $50 decades ago but it is such a boat anchor I apparently can't give it away. Sits by itself in the corner next to the oil tank.I do have Fnrisi USB powered supply (why I am not sure) that is competent. I also have a Fnrisi DCM 100 DMM that I bought for $35 shipped which has many features but it is in my house tools tool bag. I compared it to my bench stuff and it ain't too bad. But does not belong on my bench.If you are to get an instrument to measure L,C,R,diodes,reactance and such, nothing beats the Shannon Tweezers for price and precision. And support.Not to beat a dead horse, but I think AD will help you learn the skills needed for the kinds of projects you want to create. I think an external PSU like you buck converter works well, and the AD can handle measurements up to 25Vdc.Your goals are more ambitious than mine. I am doing this primarily to maintain cognitive abilities and to be able to troubleshoot stuff.Also, as a watchmaker, I still work down to 500 microns and in general I have a measurement compulsion.I am finding though that coding is also important. I was studying temperature measurement and realized Matlab could easily create a scale in degrees (C or F) from the output voltages if enough samples were used. Then comes the electronics of sending those data to a display.I learned CP/M, Fortan, Cobal, PAL, SPSS and all sorts of now defunct languages and I have a love/hate relationship with computers. So I have eschewed Arduino and any real coding probably at my loss.Maybe after I award myself a B.S. in EE 8 years from now.