mine a bought broke and i thought it would be cool to build 1, by the way I know very little about electronics but i am a fast learner and would love to learn!

 

Save your money
Get an education
Embark on career
If you have time left over, design useless toys.

 

.... and some of us would love to teach you about it, but are too involved with the useful applications of electronics, versus the nuisance, immature projects that so many newbies are lured to. I would suggest that you spend more time HERE, and HERE!

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Don't make me reach through this monitor to slap you a good one!

 

I would suggest that we need to lure as many "newbies" into the electronics world as possible. If so called nuisance projects achieves that, then so be it. I would say that the "nuisance" projects represent an excellent way to introduce fun into the learning process and that once the person matures more, they will likely turn their minds to more serious and useful projects.

Please don't discourage anyone from learning ever.

 

Typically they don't use any electronics.
They just use the piezoelectric striker, they're used in most "pushbutton" cigarette lighters.

And yes your "project" is lame.

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I thought what I'd do was I'd pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes.

 

I disagree. Too often a person's initial motives becomes the foundation for an otherwise incorrect agenda. While I don't discourage learning, there is a huge difference in what to learn first. When you learn a second language, the teacher doesn't begin the lessons with having you learn all of the slang and vernacular words, right? The same thing applies here. Teaching a newbie to build a fun hobby circuit, like blinking LEDs, or a simple lie detector circuit does more to initially keep them on the proper path. It's like applying nuclear R&D for peaceful uses rather then for weaponry. If the person is destined to remain interested in electronics, they won't mind focusing on practical circuits/projects instead of the mischievious ones. If not they will give up since their motives were otherwise. That's the beauty of KungFu. A student reaches a point where either they are dedicated enough to continue and advance to much more difficult methods, making them naturally destined, or they up and quit.... so the art has rooted out the unwanted.

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Don't make me reach through this monitor to slap you a good one!

 

then what would be a simple project to start out with

 

I just mentioned two of them and the simple lie detector circuit is already under discussion in one of the threads on this board --- look for thread title "simple lie detector".

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Don't make me reach through this monitor to slap you a good one!

 

I have to disagree with you HiTech...

I come from a computer background and I cannot begin to tell you how many useless 'applications' i wrote as a child. I found those applications to be interesting, they motivated me, and I learned a lot in the process.

Showing your friends some blinking LEDs really cant compare to showing them a poorly designed gag-gift that electrocutes your best friend

Dixie, build whatever the heck you want as long as its safe Don't let others kill your motivation, you could be doing much more useless things with your time

B

 

I enjoy a good, civilized debate now and then so let me continue by stating:

Writing "useless applications" is far different and less invasive than shocking someome as a practical joke. It's not practical if the victim should happen to be wearing a pacemaker or has other sinus rhythm problems or is triggered into a seizure. Chances are low that this would occur, but why take the chance? IMHO such mischievous circuits on one hand can be educational research. However puttting them into devious use is something else; just as nuclear technology used for peaceful purposes vs. mass destruction.

My high school electronics teacher used a charged 150v electrolytic capacitor to shock a student on the back of the neck, as a joke. The student fell to the floor, hitting his head, thereby sending him into some sort of epileptic fit. The student was rushed to the hospital and eventually recovered. The teacher was fired and now teaches at a small, private electronics institute getting paid much less and without the benefits the large school district provided. I remember him shocking students from time to time and after several years of it, his luck finally ran out!

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Don't make me reach through this monitor to slap you a good one!

 

I agree with your most recent post where you basically say dont build stuff that isnt safe... I certainly can't argue with that

My issue was with your initial post where you seem to imply that unless an application is useful/mature, then its not worth the time.

On a somewhat side note: As Oznog stated, I believe any toy 'shocker' is based on vibration as opposed to actual shock.

 

If the electronics are broken then fix them, dont try and make a new one. they are simple devices either with a crystal or a coil of wire around a rod, so it shouldnt be too hard to fix.

Also if you had done a quick search of the forums you would find this Shocking pen!