How many of you guys on this forum have a career that lets you work with Electronics?

[atferrari]

I'm very worried, it's gone from the UK now, and jobs are still dropping - and the quality of students who post here from certain countries have me VERY worried about the quality of foreign engineers.

Maybe, the good ones do not post here...

 

[Vizier87]

I think most of ETO members are hobbyists anyway... by-the-book engineers are a small part of it, perhaps?

 

[tvtech]

Hi are you from South Africa? I guess tv repair is a lot of demand in your country, can you tell me when you mean electronic parts what exactly do you mean? And please explain what is the most type of television sets you service?

Yes I am from SA. I have worked for large TV repair companies here long ago but have been doing TV repair contract work for the last 10 years. Contract work pay is better (for me) as you get paid for performance. The more experience you have the more you fix and hence the more you earn.

The whole TV repair game has changed radically here over the last say 7 years. Almost everything you repair now has it's origins in China.

Even well established old companies like Telefunken here eventually ended up having Chinese chassis. Sad to see the inventors of the PAL system fall to the Chinese onslaught.

It's flat out mass production with little regard for anything quality or longevity related. Becoming a throw away society.

But, with all that, my job becomes easier in the TV game to repair sets quickly.

Chinese chassis mostly all work the same way and are hence pretty predictable and easy to repair.....

If you can get the spares.

That's another post and story altogether.

Till next time Folks

 

[canadaelk]

I had to go back to EasternTigers original Q: How long have you been in this industry?
The path went off course, understandably.
For me, 60 years, and for the most part I enjoyed, no, loved it and made good money too.
I started early, at about 6. My father was a civil servant. He gave me a screwdriver (the one with the handle) because he did not know what it was.
1/3rd of my working life I spent in consumer product repairs. Went of into design, sales, manufacturing and self-employment (mostly all of it in commercial audio). All entertwined as the need of the moment required.
Thats my story and I am sticking by it!
To other posters I 'd like to say: be flexible, stay ahead of your competition, be agressive and ethical in what you do. Do not complain (whine), no regrets, move on.
You will do fine!
Cheers, Elk

 

[tvtech]

I had to go back to EasternTigers original Q: How long have you been in this industry?
The path went off course, understandably.
For me, 60 years, and for the most part I enjoyed, no, loved it and made good money too.
Cheers, Elk

You know what canadaelk.....I really wish I could of been there and experienced all the stuff and changes.

Those were giddy days. So much happening. Boundaries being challenged. People pushing the envelope for the good of technology.

I was one of the first to buy a Sinclair Spectrum 16K in this country in the early Eighties.
I am still a kid in this industry @ the age of 47.

I wish I could have been born earlier and experienced the vacuum tube to transistor days.
I was 6 years old when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon.

And I listened to that famous speech on my dad's National tube radio. Heady days.

 

[esbo]

Hi I have a degree in electronics (a crap one, third class) I only took it cos of job prospects, I would rathre have done pure science, I was good at maths physics and chemistry, all grade b's from a crap school.
I did a little bit of electronics in my first job, I build a multiplexor and wired up a computer on a card but after that it was all computer software.
after about 10 years I struggled to get work even in computing all the jobs seemed to dry up, I did not have .com skill as such but anyway I got a bit ill so I won't go back to work (I don't think).
I think it is a bad job for many career wise, one the design is done you are out of a job, same goes for computing, you just end up getting stressed unless you are cut out for that world of ********.

It's a very bad career IMO. Low pay and stress.

 

[canadaelk]

You know what tvtech I often whish I where there in the 1920-40s this was the true discovery, time of glory. But if I had been there than I would be dead now. Choices.
I remember the Sinclair. I still have an AppleII+ service manual. Any takers for the cost of the freight?
I am saddened by the negativity of some of the entries here. If I would have been a stone-mason (is that a duplicate in term?), I would have been the best mason around wheere I live and my skills would be in demand for my chosen craft.
If you do not like your job - get out!
Elk

 

[esbo]

Well they way i see it is that most of electronics has been done.
You have your basic components and your computer in the middle doing what it does, so it's software, and what else do you have? Transformers and motors, basically coils of wire - lol.
Sorry if tjhat sound negative but I remember when I was at ni doing tranformer design or whatever and big horrible flux equation and I thought "who cares?" it's just bunches of wire wrapped around iron.

Bit OK there maybe some new stuff, flat monitors but is that electronics or physics?
Basically it's all mass production an automation.

Giz a job

 

[canadaelk]

esbo:
You may have education.
I have imagination!
Elk

 

[esbo]

esbo:
You may have education.
I have imagination!
Elk

Well I would say I had more imagination than education, I tended to figure things out for myself as I had difficulty following teachers.
You stone Mason is a bad comparion I think, circuits and software can be copied at no cost, you cannot copy a stonemason work without physically being their, ie your employer cannot make money without you, however with circuit design and software he can.
Stone eventually wears out, software never does.

You hear about employer not being able to find engineers, but how come then that I never see the jobs advertised.

 

[bryan1]

I'm a Fitter/ Heavy Machinist/Welder by trade and I started learning electronics while working on mine sites instead of drinking my wages in the wet mess. Without knowing the first thing on vehicle wiring I scored a land cruiser ute where the wiring was shot. My mate would give me pointers and said if I show you you'll never learn. It did take 3 months to get the ute fully rewired and when my mate came around to have a look he was amazed at the work I had done. Just by reading books, datasheets and application notes has helped me learn the pic micro and the ability to design and make my own circuit boards etc.

These days a fair few EE's end up spending years to get their degrees only to find they need to learn to speak very clearly

'Would you like Fries with that order'.

Cheers Bryan

 

[EasternTIGERS]

I'm a Fitter/ Heavy Machinist/Welder by trade and I started learning electronics while working on mine sites instead of drinking my wages in the wet mess. Without knowing the first thing on vehicle wiring I scored a land cruiser ute where the wiring was shot. My mate would give me pointers and said if I show you you'll never learn. It did take 3 months to get the ute fully rewired and when my mate came around to have a look he was amazed at the work I had done. Just by reading books, datasheets and application notes has helped me learn the pic micro and the ability to design and make my own circuit boards etc.

These days a fair few EE's end up spending years to get their degrees only to find they need to learn to speak very clearly

'Would you like Fries with that order'.

Cheers Bryan

I loved reading this message and all your messages, such an interesting bunch of guys you all are, thanks everyone. Really Interesting

 

[EasternTIGERS]

I had to go back to EasternTigers original Q: How long have you been in this industry?
The path went off course, understandably.
For me, 60 years, and for the most part I enjoyed, no, loved it and made good money too.
I started early, at about 6. My father was a civil servant. He gave me a screwdriver (the one with the handle) because he did not know what it was.
1/3rd of my working life I spent in consumer product repairs. Went of into design, sales, manufacturing and self-employment (mostly all of it in commercial audio). All entertwined as the need of the moment required.
Thats my story and I am sticking by it!
To other posters I 'd like to say: be flexible, stay ahead of your competition, be agressive and ethical in what you do. Do not complain (whine), no regrets, move on.
You will do fine!
Cheers, Elk

Thanks, I wish I had friends like you in real life Id be hanging around you fellas all day for knowledge you would get annoyed lol

 

[EasternTIGERS]

Yes I am from SA. I have worked for large TV repair companies here long ago but have been doing TV repair contract work for the last 10 years. Contract work pay is better (for me) as you get paid for performance. The more experience you have the more you fix and hence the more you earn.

The whole TV repair game has changed radically here over the last say 7 years. Almost everything you repair now has it's origins in China.

Even well established old companies like Telefunken here eventually ended up having Chinese chassis. Sad to see the inventors of the PAL system fall to the Chinese onslaught.

It's flat out mass production with little regard for anything quality or longevity related. Becoming a throw away society.

But, with all that, my job becomes easier in the TV game to repair sets quickly.

Chinese chassis mostly all work the same way and are hence pretty predictable and easy to repair.....

If you can get the spares.

That's another post and story altogether.

Till next time Folks

Hi Thanks for your kind reply TVTech, I guess the most common sets are the flat lcd types, are you self taught or do a degree to get this job contract?

May I ask what is the most common faults that you repair that occurs most frequent?

Im sure the climate where you are is much
nicer than where im at

 

[EasternTIGERS]

I am 35 if thats what you are looking for.

I am more of a industrial and commercial technician than an engineer. I got my associates degree in industrial maintenance technologies about 15 years ago and completed 3.5 years of EE five years ago but never finished due to two bad semesters of health issues and no insurance to cover it so I lost my financing. I dont mind that I never finished now being that looking back the education I was paying for was a dismal representation of what it was supposed to stand for. As having worked around the applied engineering and service fields for some time I found the EE course to be nothing more than lots of fluff with little practical or useful real life aplication material.

Most of my electronics and electrical knowledge and knowledge of other things came from personal study related to hands on applications at one job or another during my working life.
Half the engineers of every field I have ever had the privilege of working with or working around I highly respect and admire for what they do and stand for.
The other half unfortunately represent a larger part of those who I was supposed to have received my EE education from.

I like inventing and creating things and often use my knowledge of electrical, electronics, mechanical and technical fabrication and engineering to build most almost anything I can imagine. Plus I am rather good at holding my own in a intellectual argument or debate on most practical subjects.
I also work on the family farm and drive semi truck at times. I also have owned and operated my own business four four years now which I enjoy immensely despite the more difficult times of the last year or so. I would probably keep working for myself but I was given a recent job offer that pays far too well for me to turn down so for a while I will be back in the regular work force again.

Jack of all trades, Id love to work on a farm, you have a lot of land in your neck of the woods. Just curious what do the farm produce? when I went to India with a friend I helped on a farm Beef and Milk production mmmm

 

[hdc090360]

I got interested in electronics as a hobby when I was 12 in 1972. Started a degree in electronic engineering. I dropped out and got a job fixing amusement machines (Pinballs/ video games /Jukeboxes etc) and eventually moved onto the repair bench. From there I moved to Hartley computers as final test technician. Hartley made a non pc compatible computer which most of the accountants in Australia used at the time. Ran my own company for 9 years which started out doing component repair to computer related things and ended up doing field service to computers. I move to a job as service manager but eventually moved on to another company where I am now a Senior server and storage specialist where I don't touch a soldering iron and my main tool is a laptop. I got interested in electronics as a hobby again and am now back where I started in 1972. Although I hope I know a little bit more than then ;-)

Duncan

 

[Vizier87]

These days a fair few EE's end up spending years to get their degrees only to find they need to learn to speak very clearly

'Would you like Fries with that order'.

Cheers Bryan

Very true up here in M'sia.. all they tell us is that technical skills ain't important, it's just the attitude.. what a load of BS. I spent my time with practicalities and always met with amazement for what would have been considered mediocre here in this forum. Like having a PIC main board and all that.

 

[alhoop]

.....................
I wish I could have been born earlier and experienced the vacuum tube to transistor days.


............

I was born earlier and did experience the vacuum tube to transistor days -When I went through Naval Electronics school in 1955, the transistor was not mentioned at all - too soon after Roswell I guess. Three years in Naval Aviation, first transistor was in an airborne intercom, three years at Cape Canaveral, first transistor was in a TV camera - then 32 years with DOD. So I was in the field for 37 years, been retired since 1993.
Al

 

[insomnia]

is the city and guilds course electronics any good im in part 1 i have learn more from this forum i think than i have in the course just wondering has any one done it

 

[EasternTIGERS]

is the city and guilds course electronics any good im in part 1 i have learn more from this forum i think than i have in the course just wondering has any one done it

Courses like C&G are a waste of time, all reading and the people who set up the curriculum dont know about Electronic s, your better off looking at MIT on youtube or NPTEL from India, they have heaps of free material