Cool way to make tutorials - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2014, 02:11:05 pm
content: Quote from: carcanhol on October 30, 2014, 01:23:50 pmI give up; what is the cool way to make tutorials? No, I'm not going to spend 10 minutes of my (remaining) life watching a video,unless you let me know how I might benefit.

author: carcanhol
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2014, 04:28:02 pm
content: Use of Augmented reality and head mounted camera so your hands are free to do the job.We can put a youtube video on scene or info about circuitry in 3d like resistor values.We can use PDF datasheets on scene too.One cool feature is we can use AR to show pinouts of a PCB that have a marker on its silkscren just by pointing it to the camera.For me its a cool way to introduce beginners to electronics.And i think its possible to connect AR to a Arduino or similar so we get values on screen.Dont mind the video content, its a test.Thanks for watching

author: mark03
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2014, 04:38:48 pm
content: As problem, as tggzzz pointed out, is that these are *video* tutorials. Who has the time for that??There was an interesting story on the radio this week about the Millennial generation and telephones. An increasing number have voicemail greetings which say "please don't leave a message" because voicemail is too slow. They want people to text them instead. My question as a Gen-Xer is, if voicemail is too slow, how is it that Youtube is so popular and expository writing is a dying art?

author: carcanhol
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2014, 04:44:03 pm
content: Quote from: mark03 on October 30, 2014, 04:38:48 pmI guess some people like to see in video rather in text.Anyway i posted this video to get your feedback to see if it is worth it or not, i have some more projects to make like this.

author: atferrari
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2014, 05:18:07 pm
content: After 3 seconds of an horrible music I confirmed my preference of reading proper text than watching videos.

author: carcanhol
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2014, 05:23:21 pm
content: Quote from: atferrari on October 30, 2014, 05:18:07 pmChanged music to classic, thanks for the hint.

author: atferrari
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2014, 06:03:48 pm
content: After1m 13sall what I got was:Several seconds watching an unusual visual effect that did not help me in gaining any understanding other than a PSU was going to be started "without" a PC.Two wires of a certain color, in the process of being stripped (and joined).Nowadays everything is a "tutorial" in Internet. Like the one showing an idiot flitting around a 650nm laser diode at maximum power with no goggles and no warnings. No, please.I give up.

author: Richard Crowley
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2014, 06:21:35 pm
content: A head-mounted "shaky-cam" may be popular for "reality" shows (which, of course are anything but).But an instructional video with shaky images and the camera-head looking around for no apparent reason is rather distracting.Buy a tripod and use it. Take the cue from Dave's videos.Wouldn't hurt to plan what you are going to do before hitting the start button.And edit out the irrelevant parts. I'd rather see half a dozen jump-cuts than waste my time watching irrelevant video.Alas, most of the "tutorials" on YouTube are horribly amateurish in both content and production value.I'd rather read a proper written tutorial with still photo illustrations than one of these shaky-cam amateur videos any day.I swear when I have a few hours of spare time one day, I'm going to put together an epic video compilation made up of just clips of people unscrewing screws.And I can make the sequel video of people screwing them back in again.WHAT A MONUMENTAL WASTE OF EVERYONE'S TIME AND YOUTUBE'S DISK SPACE!!!!

author: carcanhol
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2014, 06:54:44 pm
content: Quote from: Richard Crowley on October 30, 2014, 06:21:35 pmYou understand this is just a concept right?Thanks for crushing a beginner expectations, i dont have 500$ hd cameras and no background in electronics, no rigol osc or tektronix power supplies.If this is too "Amateur" to show here, thats ok, i understand, yes its a bit shaky and badly planned but again i was just asking for feedback on the concept(maybe i forgot to say that earlier).

author: Richard Crowley
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2014, 07:25:09 pm
content: Your concept of the motion tracking titles are very cool. Good job.Nobody suggested using any different camera than what you have already.Nobody suggested requiring a background in electronics.Nobody suggested needing high-end test equipment.You don't even need a proper tripod. You just need something (even a scrap piece of wood and a couple of cheap clamps) to fasten the camera to.I was not particularly addressing YOU with my Youtube rant.I am simply saying that with just a bit more planning and a few minutes of editing, the bar can be raised significantly.YOU can lead the way and be an example of how to do it right. You already have everything it takes.

author: carcanhol
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2014, 07:31:46 pm
content: Quote from: Richard Crowley on October 30, 2014, 07:25:09 pmSorry if i was raging towards you, i guess i will stick to the PCB/IC pinout using AR.

author: PA0PBZ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2014, 07:41:35 pm
content: Quote from: carcanhol on October 30, 2014, 07:31:46 pmHow do you do that? I can see you holding a paper with a pattern making the title appear, but what is behind that, how does it work?

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 30, 2014, 07:43:10 pm
content: It's a sci-fi "tribute" the "hologram" it's just a peice of paper, the words will be video edited in

author: carcanhol
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2014, 07:46:30 pm
content: Quote from: Simon on October 30, 2014, 07:43:10 pmNo, its realtime, the bad quality comes from the recording itself.

author: carcanhol
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2014, 07:51:41 pm
content: Quote from: PA0PBZ on October 30, 2014, 07:41:35 pmWell, i used only free software:Openspace 3D for AR, sketchup make for making the 3d models, and open broadcaster for D3D recording.I guess you could make a digital potenciometer just by rotating the marker.For output openspace 3d has domotic functions like x10 Unit and usb UIRT, for input it has serial, leapmotion vuzix, oculus.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 30, 2014, 07:54:21 pm
content: Quote from: carcanhol on October 30, 2014, 07:51:41 pmthere is nothing worse than a video lacking in content and overall quality of production that is stuffed with effects. Most people seek useful information and will thank you for clear and pleasant presentation a lot more than fancy effects

author: carcanhol
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2014, 08:01:39 pm
content: Quote from: Simon on October 30, 2014, 07:54:21 pmI agree, i just used 2 3d titles. Would it be nicer if i make tuts like the ones Afrotechmods does?

author: SirNick
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2014, 08:18:18 pm
content: Not to pile on, and with understanding that you're showing a concept, but I agree with some of the comments here:4 minutes to show how to turn on an ATX PSU is way, way too long. A single picture can convey that info. Where video helps is to convey info abouthow something is done-- like, if you wanted to teach someone how to use those fancy wire strippers, or anything else where adequate information can only be conveyed with motion, perspective, or so many individual images that it becomes more convenient to just shoot a video clip instead.The effects in this case add nothing of value. Sorry, I know you're proud of it, and it's a neat trick, but that's the truth.Also, I see a lot of missed opportunity for valuable information. For example, what's the ATX connector pinout? What do all the signals do? This gets into "teach a man to fish" territory, where you could simply say "twist green and black together and it'll turn on", or you could explain the concept of pull-ups, latching switches, and that sort of thing. You may not have the relevant knowledge yourself (that's OK, everyone starts as a beginner), but then you can use the tutorial as an excuse to learn. This is a big thing for me, because a lot of "tutorials" never explainwhy, justhow. Therefore, the content is only useful to me if my use-case is exactly identical to the presenter's, which is often not the case.To be fair, many viewers don't have the patience for the details, but those folks will never be good at electronics. Blindly sticking wires together because some bloke on YouTube told you to, is a good way to blow up perfectly good components. Not having the patience to understand why (or why not!) you should do this thing doesn't bode well with one's ability to make good use of that info.Same to be said for the resistor. Why 12v? Why 1k? Do you know how many people I've talked to at Maker groups still think the forward voltage is how many volts the LED can work up to without having to use a resistor? Beyond that, the resistor is "just there to cut the voltage down".I had one poor soul get mad at me because I kindly insisted they are current-controlled devices and the fwd voltage is the diode drop across the LED, below which current flow is greatly restricted, and after which it's essentially a short circuit, and the resistor keeps the current limited to something less than melt-down.Which leads me to the next issue I see... Regarding the little lesson on short-circuit protection -- please be more careful, and encourage your viewers to do the same. Big PSUs are capable of carrying so much current on the 12v line that you may not engage OCP before something gets dangerously hot, blows up, or causes some other kind of damage. Lower-power but cheap PSUs may lack sufficient protection from preventing catastrophic damage either. Don't treat this casually -- it's a safety feature, not a convenience.If I may pick one last nit -- while I dig Tchaikovsky, I would rather have less text and more vocal commentary. I often "watch" videos while playing along or doing something else -- including, but not limited to, looking at what the presenter is talking about. Reading subtitles is distracting when you're learning by visual aid. In this case, it's slow-moving enough that you can get away with it, but if you're taking advantage of the medium, you can pack a lot of info in a short time by making use of two senses instead of just one.So, in a nutshell, don't be discouraged that your video did not get enthusiastic reactions, just reconsider your priorities.

author: carcanhol
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2014, 08:27:17 pm
content: Quote from: SirNick on October 30, 2014, 08:18:18 pmThanks, i will follow your advices.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 30, 2014, 08:46:20 pm
content: Quote from: carcanhol on October 30, 2014, 06:54:44 pmNo need for any of that.Just very simple stuff can produce great results if you know how to use it.QuoteTo be honest the concept isn't that great.The problem here is that few people want to watch a 4 minute technical video without any commentary. There is just background music and the occasional text overlay.In that case you might as well do it as a text post with some picture, it's more concise.Ultimately people want to be engaged when watching a video, and a video without commentary makes that very very hard.I can't say I've ever seen a successful channel doing it that way, but I'm not saying it's not possible.And the text commentary is not embedded in the video, it's done as youtube annotation, that's a big mistake. Many people have annotations switched off, and in this case they have just lost all of your content. All they are left with is some music and shaky video. If you are going to chose to have no voice annotation, then you need to edit in the text overlay and make them big, readable, and well placed. Youtube annotation should just be for small fixes after you've uploaded a video.I'm with the others. Use a tripod, chose your shots, keep the shorts short, and then edit together.One of my 20-30min videos for example will typically contain 50+ individual clips all shot in sequence. So there is little dead time when I'm not talking.You can argue I'm talking waffle, but at least I'm talking and trying to keep people engaged for every one of those minutes.You've taken the big step to producing a video, and I think just a few small things can make a huge difference. Keep at it, you are already doing more than 99% of people!

author: carcanhol
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2014, 09:05:41 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on October 30, 2014, 08:46:20 pmWow, i didnt realise that of the anotations, i though that everyone would see them, i will use your advices for sure.Thanks Dave.

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2014, 09:39:43 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on October 30, 2014, 08:46:20 pmWell I have to disagree with one item. If you do a tutorial about electronics you should have a clue about electronics.Excuse me for quoting wikipedia:QuoteThis implies there is some knowledge to transfer. If you want to teach someone how to do something you better have mastered the subject. Youtube is full of rubbish where people try to educate viewers but have no clue about what they are talking about. It is a bit of a zeitgeist thing that people think they can teach everything.Which leads me to the subject. Converting PC power supplies to all sorts of things they are not intended for is rather old. And it is a stupid thing to do, because these PSUs are barely good enough for powering a PC and not good enough for anything else.

author: carcanhol
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2014, 09:56:08 pm
content: Quote from: Bored@Work on October 30, 2014, 09:39:43 pmI dont know alot but i have built some stuff, a joule thief, a drawdio, a voltage regulator circuit for a laser engraver, and im making a small cnc plotter using only old printers, floppy drive controllers, and a computer, no arduinos or any other programable chips(check the video on my channel).I dont know alot, but i have some clue about how to wire things up.As for the PSU i got your point, but i have one connected to a electric screwdriver, a drill, a car radio with speakers, 5 fans for the fume extractor, and a couple of LEDs for lightning and it never stopped working, have it like that for 3 years now.But again, the point of the video is not about its content, its about the concept or it would be more funny if it had a black screen?Sorry if i couldnt transmit the idea, i'm not english language native.

author: SirNick
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2014, 10:34:53 pm
content: Quote from: Bored@Work on October 30, 2014, 09:39:43 pmI get hung up on this very thing quite a bit, and I think it's unfortunate. I feel like I really want to know something inside and out before I profess to be knowledgeable enough to teach someone else, but in all honesty, I bet that prevents a lot of good information from getting distributed. Quite often by the time I get comfortable with a subject, I lack the interest to prepare that knowledge for others, or I assume "everyone knows that already" and abandon the idea. Truth is, anything you know is something someone else doesn't.For example, I'm not at an expert engineer. Probably not an expert at anything. But, I do know a lot of stuff -- and I know this because I have given a lot of people lightbulb moments. Usually when prompted by someone for something they think I might know. So, given that, how often would I have the exact answer someone might be looking for, and never even know it?It's a tough balance -- when can you say you know enough to be qualified to speak on something? None of us here know everything there is to know, so out of humility, shouldn't all of us keep our mouths shut? No way. We would all be worse off that way. Then we're going to be wrong sometimes, and so be it. Let someone who knows more come along and point out our blunders. Preferably, let it be in public. That way we all learn something.Just my 2c.

author: G0HZU
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2014, 10:37:17 pm
content: QuoteYup, there 's no shortage of people pretending to be something they are not. There is a saying that "a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous" and youtube is full of people who read up on something online and then try and do a tutorial and pretend to be an expert.It's fine if they declare first that they are not an expert but some of them think that they qualify for posing as an expert if they apply the content of a decent pdf article they recently read.None of this is aimed at the OP video in this thread though. My only comment on the OP video is that I only lasted a few seconds on it because of the annoying music and the wavery video effects. Needs a bit more work in terms of presentation IMO

author: G0HZU
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2014, 11:02:07 pm
content: QuoteI agree but the problem here is that sometimes the tutor doesn't want to be told they are making errors. Maybe they don't want their ego dented in public. I've found out many times that it isn't always wise to point out errors. Especially in a scenario where there has been lots of praise or if the tutor has built up a lot of followers. Sometimes it isn't worth the hassle to be the bad guy and argue a point...

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 31, 2014, 12:18:12 am
content: Fundamental technique foranypresentation usinganytools or media:tell them what you are going to tell themtell themtell them what you have told themWith a youtube video, the first can and should be as text underneath the video.Another key skill: the "elevator pitch". In that you have 30s in an elevator with a big-wig that could make your project and career take off - if only they knew what your project was. You have to say (or write) whatever is importantto them, i.e. not to you. Put that pitch as text underneath the video, as well as the first 30s of the video.All that requires that you treat the viewer's time as being more important than your own time - because itismore improtant to them!

author: magetoo
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 31, 2014, 01:05:46 am
content: Neat tech.Could you do something like, say, overlay a simulation of a circuit over a breadboarded version? Do you have to turn everything into 3D models before it can be shown?

author: Richard Crowley
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 31, 2014, 01:36:31 am
content: Quote from: wilfred on October 31, 2014, 01:26:56 am1) On YouTube, the "tutors" seem to be in it for their "15 seconds of fame", and the content be damned.Many of them wouldn't recognize the correct information if it bit them on the bum.2) Even in what would seem to be legitimate educational settings, actual technical accuracy is not necessarily a high priority.See, for example, Simon's discussion about the trade-school training materials he was dealing with (several months ago).

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 31, 2014, 04:00:37 am
content: As others said, do not use shaky camera for tutorials.

author: victor
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 31, 2014, 04:41:59 am
content: My general advice is to get straight to the point and soon as possible and keep the video short, no intros, usually viewers have a very short attention span. Leave the long videos to dave, he's against the general rule. Unless you have a engaged audience and in depth content that keeps viewers entertained for long time, stick with 2 minutes video. People search for it, find it, watch it, get the job done, and some may leave a thanks or a thumbs up. That's how it works.