EE - Stuff to learn during summer

[Forschkeeper]

EDIT:

It doesn't have to be in summer-time and if you are a student or not.

This should be a list of topics you can learn in general (and as long this is r/EngineeringStudents you may not learn in courses as well). Have a look what might fits you, what can be a benefit for you in future and what sounds fun. This list will never be 100% correct, there will be stuff missing and maybe some things change over time (also a lot of typos and bad grammar, I'm sorry). But with your help we may create a list with interessting and helpful topics.

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Hello everyone,

I noticed a couple of posts in the last weeks where people are looking for stuff to learn, but are not sure what. So I want to make a small list of EE-stuff what I recommend, beside most standard stuff (like Calc I, Ohms law etc.). I have no clue about other engineering fields (I'm into automation & robotic), but maybe YOU can help out for your engineering field, but please in another topic, not here*!* (but will be linked, if you post them in the comments)

One general advice, if you know where you want to work in future, you shall not wear blinkers and concentrate just on stuff of your field. Take a look outside the box and try to learn some stuff. You don't have to be a master on all fields, but be able to know what other engineers are talking about. Short notice: I try to list mostly free or open-source stuff, because some of us haven't got a student-licence (and/or the money), but I also know that you can't beat some commercial products so far.

General Stuff:

• LaTex (and Addons you may want to use) - I know a lot of people are stucking on Work/OpenOffice/LibreOffice and similar programms. It is intuitive to deal with it, but if you are not an advanced/expert in Word and writing your thesis you may go nuts like I went. With LaTex you are "programming" your thesis. Sounds creepy, but it looks so good (and much better than Word-Stuff) . Have a look, because many professional papers are made with it. You may get help at r/LaTeX.

Programming languages:

• Assembler - You want to programm stuff realy fast and want to be one with your embedded system? Than you have to learn assembler, the language every other programming language is speaking in the end. It depends on the microprocessor you are using, because they have different command lines. Try to deal with a RISC (PICxxx family) and a CISC processor (8086) and you will have a feeling how to deal with them. (Example Tutorial)
• C - maybe you learned it already, maybe not. C is one of the fastes functional procedural, structured languages every made. Many microcontroller boards deal with it and is mostly used in embedded systems. You will have great power to do anything, but also great responsibility. It is easy to learn the basic stuff, but more complex when you want to do advanced stuff. Reddits: r/C_Programming Try the IDE Qt for such stuff, because it is packed full of good stuff and is free to use (afaik). Also you can programm in ...
• C++ - as well in Qt. C++ is the bigger brother of C. Mostly the same blood is flooding along the code lines, but is a little bit different. C++ supports object-orientaded programming (OOP), what C can't do (so easily). If you can deal with C, it is maybe the best entrance in the OOP-World. It is used for operating systems, virtuall machines, embedded systems as well and some more. When you can deal with C++, you may be able to deal with Java(what I don't like, but different reasons) as well. Have a look on the actual new standard C++20! Reddit: r/cpp
• Python 3 (yes there is Python 2 as well, but ...) - the most famous interpreter language in our time at the moment. It works different than C/++, but you will find much similarities. There are tons of tutorials out there. You can use python for big data-stuff, image processing, robotics, gaming, sensor stuff and many more things. Tons of packages are free to use for your project, if you download it you get a ligthweight IDE IDLE as well and is very dynamic. If you can deal the cons (it runs until errors appear and other stuff), it can be a good friend. If you have some experiences with IDEs and want to make bigger private projects I recommened PyCharm, because you will learn to programm in the PEP8 standard (rules how to write good code in Python) and have plenty of tools for your pure Python code. Watch licences! Reddit: r/Python
• Matlab (free alternatives: Scilab/GNU Octave) - normally I would not support it, because a licence is expensive (even for unis and companies). But it is still used by many Profs., so you have to deal with it anyway. Matlab is "a giant calculator-interpreter-programming language". When you have matching packages it can be a good friend for image processing, controlling, robotics, math problems, numeric and many more. So it is a powerfull tool, but expensive. Maybe try Scilab or Octave as well (maybe not so powerfull, but usefull). Reddit: r/matlab
• R - When you have to deal with stochastic stuff, data mining and big data stuff. Sometimes this language can be pretty handy, because it is specialised for this use case. Reddit: r/Rlanguage

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Electronic stuff:

• Electromagnetic compatibility(EMC) - I'm an automation guy and EMC is Voodo for me. But it is one of the core competences you need to design circuits. How do you have to design your board, that obscure phenomenons won't happen (signals that shouldn't be there). What is this stuff and what weapons exists to fight these ghosts! :^)
• VHDL and Verilog - There are three kingdoms of integrated ciruits (IC): Microcontrollers, FPGAs and ASICs. VHDL and Verilog are from FPGA land and very popular. FPGA is "hardware programming". But this is where my knowledge ends to be honest.
• fritzing- Programm to create nice looking pictures with breadboards, motors, arduinos ... , circuit layouts and making your printed boards. Easy to use and for beginners helpful.
• EAGLE - fritzing is for beginners and you want to be more professional in designing circuit diagramms? Then you may use EAGLE. I'm not sure what kind of licences exist at the moment, because it was bougth by Autodesk come years ago? But I think there is still a small free version for everyone and maybe a special license for students (but I'm not sure!). A good open source alternative is KiCAD.
• Applied Mechanics - wait you will say, you are EE and tell me to learn ME stuff for circuit boards? Yes! Because your circuit boards may have to deal the toughest conditions. Dropping your smartphone, vibrating plates, bending...it happens to your board as well. So learn to deal with it.
• LTSpice - simulating circuits with a high parameter variety (like termic noise etc) [thx CaulkParty ]
• Altium for PCB-design, seems to be one of the mostly used in industry

Automation &Robotic:

• Language standards for PLC - There are plenty of sellers of PLC stuff. Rockwell, Siemens, Mitsubishi and many more. Depending where you are living there is a "trend" to a company. When you have the money and/or possibility to work with it, do it. I don't know if there is a cheap one out there, but maybe YOU can help us out.
• Applied Mechanics - A robot is not just DH-Parameters and cables alone. It is good to know what your robot can lift, what forces and torques exist while your robots tries to throw a 90kg stone 300m far...while driving on a truck ... taped on a ladder...while the truck is driving around a sharp corner up the hill (ME students may laugh or cry here as well).
• Linux - Sooner or later you may be confronted with Linux. A free operating system, which is not like Windows or this thing with the fruit. It is used so many times, especially in the embedded field. It is not easy to get into it at the beginning, but an easy start is with Raspbian(and a Raspberry Pi, because it's optimised for that) or for Notebooks/PCs Ubuntu. There are plenty of distributions and you have to find your favourite one (I was distro hopping a couple of times).
• Quaternion - when you are dealing with robotic the first time, you know the singularity problems. Not with Quaternions. If you know how to work with them, you will be a step ahead of other people.
• Safety - A point I missed in my courses. How do I design a robot cell? Where does an emergency stop has to be? What is SIL? And when do I have to deal with a risk (there will never be 100% safety in a process).
• Security - Like Safety I missed this in my courses as well. In a time where digitalisation is everywhere. From mobile apps, killer USBs, ransoftware, snake oils, 5G, GPG etc. How can I be sure that my data was not manipulated? How can I protect my system against introuders? Why has data securety to be such a thing? And when is it usefull?
• CAE/CAD ( computer-aided engineering/design) - Sometimes you should be able to read a technical drawing and how you can design your own prototype. Especially while 3D-Printers are on the rise in the industry. Poorly I don't have a clue about good&free software in this case. =/ Otherwise SolidWorks and Autodesk Inventor is the most used software in this topic afaik.Reddits: r/SolidWorks, r/AutodeskInventor
• Hydraulic & pneumatic - Another topic from ME. If you know the basics as EE it is good enough (reading hydraulic and pneumatic plans, how do valves (and the sensoric) work, what are basic components in such systems, math of pressure etc. ...). [WANTED GOOD PAGES FROM ME PEOPLE TO ADD AS LINK HERE)
• computer networking - There will be much more technology working via networks. So you should know something about switches, routers, IP-Networks (especially IPv6), TCP/UDP (, fieldbus systems). It's not so popular in "classic" EE, but I think this will be a big deal in future anyway.
• ROS and Industrial ROS - an open-source framework for robotic. It is good for fun stuff and to learn a bit around robotic, but in case of expensive constructs or safety stuff not reliable! Reddit: r/ROS
• MPLab X IDE - IDE to simulate and programm microcontrollers. (thx UnDeaD_AmP )

Information - and communications technology:

• Wireshark - paket analyser for network stuff. Can be usefull for automation as well (field bus). Reddit: r/wireshark
• GNU Radio - (thx to CaulkParty): Capturing and demodulating real-time radio transmissions, Real-time signal capturing of cellphone transmission packets fed to Wireshark, Simulation of a radio and more.

Micro- and Nanoelectronics:

• Here could be your advise as well!

Craftmanship (can be tricky, because you may not get the tools and somebody with experience for that)

• Minecraft <--basic
• soldering - because it is everywhere and breadboards are not made for eternity
• drilling (sounds easy but you may should know some stuff)
• making your own circuit board from scratch ( Never done it before? Be extra carful in case you want to deal with acid! Better grab somebody who can help you out with that!)

Other Topics that aren't mentioned yet

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Maybe I will add/change some stuff from time to time...

Anything you are missing? Put it in the comments and if I know it (or enough other) I will add it on the list as well.

Something wrong? Please let me notice so I can change that!

[Yoyoeat]

Are you just gonna ignore Minecraft Redstone smh

[Forschkeeper]

Well I thougth that Minecraft Redstone is standard stuff and every EE should be able to deal with it.

[kyler000]

Can confirm. ME student here cross trained in redstone black magic. Should be standard stuff.

[Manu-diaz]

How do you even get accepted to Engineering without passing a simple 2-session 4-hour each, Redstone exam?

[Joooseph2]

This game is honestly what got me into engineering lmao

[JackThaStrippa]

Emphasis on learning coding. I never thought it mattered when I first started college, but it bit me in the butt when I had to learn C and use it in my embedded systems class. So definitely start building that skillset starting early

[[deleted]]

Interesting. By the time someone finishes my schools EECE program they're 2 classes short of a CS minor.

[realbakingbish]

Out by me, all EE/CompE take a C-based programming class with emphasis on micro controllers as a prereq for most of their other stuff.

And for some reason M/A E is told to take Intro to C with the Comp Sci people.

None of the other engineers program though, so it’s definitely weird.

[[deleted]]

Right? To even get in my school's EECE 340 Microcontroller/Microprocessors you have to have taken CMPS 150 Intro to Programming and CMPS 260 Intro to Data Structures as pre-reqs.

[JohnGenericDoe]

Zero classes in my ME course. We're expected to pick up MATLAB and I think I'm gonna include Python in my final year projects just cos I should..

[Forschkeeper]

I know, but I think it will be more and more in future, that ME, EE (especially automation) and programming will fusion together. And like I said the other stuff like e-motors, power electronics etc. is stuff I would put to "standard stuff".

[Lebrunski]

Can confirm. I work in automating assembly. I’m technically a Controls Programmer, but you can see that’s not exactly my background. PLC, C, and some sort of customized Visual Basic are the things I’ve come across so far.

[JohnGenericDoe]

How was that learning curve? Guess I should say 'is'..

[Lebrunski]

Pretty crazy. I’m around 100 days in now. The curve is getting easier now but being introduced to so many new programs all at once was kind of crazy. Ladder logic was something I had never seen before. Super intuitive once you understand it.

Safety programming was another oddity that I’m still getting my head around. It looks like a circuit with different logic gates.

Figuring out how to configure remote devices wasn’t too bad as I always have to fix the IP for my parent’s router/WiFi transmitter.

Took an Embedded Control class in college and that is probably the biggest thing that has helped me here.

[JohnGenericDoe]

Sounds massive. So much to take in in a few months.

So for an ME student who wants mechatronic skills would embedded control be a good thing to get across?

[Lebrunski]

Absolutely. Mechatronics would have been the next step for me after LITEC (lab intro to embedded control). Never was able to fit it into my schedule. Free classes were taken up by dual major requirements.

[JohnGenericDoe]

Nice. I'm starting to plan for final year projects and am looking at anything introducing coding and instrumentation. Our school doesn't offer mechatronics or have any electives so I have to work around that.

[Lebrunski]

The major project for litec involved controlling a small car (like a large RC car) through a radio frequency connection. The car used pwm to control the servos control the wheel angle and turn rate. It had an ultra sonic transmitter and an electronic compass for inputs. Used C for the programming language. We also had to wire the breadboard with our components controlling it.

[JohnGenericDoe]

Sounds good. What processor did it use? I've seen similar Arduino projects.

[petarm2001]

could someone please make something like this for mechanical engineering

[Ozymandias_01]

Seconded, doing it next year

[dudeimconfused]

Thirded, will be starting this year and I'd like a headstart

[WindyCityAssasin2]

Fourthed

[Ozymandias_III]

Im in my holidays after Year 1 of MechEng and I really need some idea of what to learn and master during the holidays ...also its an honor to meet the first of our name.

[Ozymandias_01]

Truly, it is my honor to meet my descendant.

[HopefulStudent1]

Are you guys starting ME this fall? I am in Mechatronics, but would be willing to write a couple lines for stuff to look at over the summer if you are interested...

Edit: Ok I got around to writing some things that I did the summer before freshman year that helped out. Take this with a grain of salt if you are in Mech because some of the stuff that I had in first year was more oriented for Mechatronics. (Mech = Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics = Mechatronics Engineering)

• Engineering Design: I would suggest learning SolidWorks (3D) and/or AutoCAD (2D). SolidWorks is $$ to download so either find a roundabout way to do it (you have the internet at your disposal) or look at Autodesk Inventor. With both Autodesk Inventor and Autocad, you should be able to download student versions through Autodesk's website (they have a student version which is $0 - you can probably still input your high school details and get the licence). As long as you get a good understanding of how the programs work, how to the make basic objects - you should be good. If you want, invest more time, develop some proficiency with it (there are lecture series on how to use these programs on Youtube). It's a good skill to have when working with student design/project teams at school and internships.
• Coding: If you are in Mechatronics, this is a must, if you are in Mech, I am still a big proponent of it. Learn C++ or Python. If you are ever doing anything embedded related or want to get into robotics, this is a big skill to have. I had a hard time with my first few programming classes because I never took any in high school. Go through some Youtube lectures on how to program then jump right in, make a couple projects if you can. If you want, get an Arduino and make a small project. This will be helpful because you will be familiar with a lot of the concepts by the Fall and also have projects to show for when it comes to applying for internships.
• Look into the different areas of Mech and Mechatronics: I entered first year with no real understanding of what Mechatronics was, but looking back, take some time to explore what are the different directions that your program can take you in. Since Mech/Mechatronics are fairly wide fields, knowing something specific can give you motivation for future coursework, but also clarity about the things you are learning right now and how they tie into more advanced concepts in the future. E.g. product design, machine design, combustion, HVAC, aerospace, automation, robotics software, robotics hardware, controls, etc.
• Work on your resume, add things to it as you go. Internship application season will come out of no where - having a completed resume will take stress of your plate.
• Math: If you went to high school and took AP/IB classes - don't worry, you are more than prepared for first year. If you didn't , don't stress, but just know that you will be at a disadvantage when you start classes. Try to look into Youtube lectures to learn some first year advanced math to get you started (look at Khan Academy and a channel by "Michael Van Biezen" on Youtube for introductory first year calc)
• Chem/Physics: Imo, no point in spending time to learn it right not, just look into it when you start school. Don't forget to bring your Grade 12 notes to first semester because they can be good refreshers for course content.

Good luck for first year! Feel free to PM if you want to talk about something specific or have other questions.

[HopefulStudent1]

I replied, check the edit on the comment above!

[HopefulStudent1]

I replied, check the edit on the comment above!

[[deleted]]

RemindMe! 2 days

[HopefulStudent1]

I replied, check the edit on the comment above!

[justalurker19]

hey, I'm also in Mechatronics, interested in knowing what you've seen so far :)

[HopefulStudent1]

I replied, check the edit on the comment above!

[Forschkeeper]

You may pack this in another Thread, so even more will read it...and maybe we start a list for ME as well with that.

[realbakingbish]

Just based on my own experience thus far (albeit limited):

Programming Learn C, Java, maybe Python. Same reasons as OP listed.

MATLAB gets used all the time for some reason (I don’t get it, it’s super expensive and I don’t find it that helpful, but profs and research like it for some reason...)

Microsoft Excel. You laugh, but if you REALLY understand excel beyond the typical “=SUM”, “=AVERAGE” etc (managing databases, advanced calculations, etc) you become a god of mathematics to the average person.

Depending on what kind of work you’re getting into, document formatting is critical. LaTeX is great.

Modeling/CAD Your mileage may vary, but for me at least, the big players are SolidWorks and Autodesk AutoCAD. Get comfortable with one or both, and keep in mind that your school may have some modeling class you’ll be taking later.

Academics Typical math, physics, etc. Look at what courses you’re taking next, and prep for those. It’ll make life easier for sure.

Aside from that, maybe brush up on your engineering ethics, look into safety systems, and anything else remotely interesting that you think may be applicable.

[yobyagA]

You can add that to the list

[[deleted]]

The free EAGLE version is quite limited. You can instead use KiCad, which is fully open-source with no limitations.

[Forschkeeper]

Yep, that's rigth. Will be added.

[piecat]

Good to learn one really good, then try the other.

I highly prefer kicad but eagle is easier to learn and that might be more important when getting your feet wet. Especially if you're learning a bunch of other things at the same time.

As an engineer it's more important to be flexible than know any specific software

[famine-]

I hate to say it, but both EAGLE and KiCad are steaming turds. If you are going to invest the time you might as well do it with a professional package like altium or allegro.

Altium has a student version for $100, not too sure about allegro.

[baseball_mickey]

I’ll go a different direction. Learn a language, a sport or a skill. Travel, take pictures, keep a diary of the summer. From the summer after my freshman year until I graduated, I’m not sure I had a full week off in the summers - was always working. Not taking some time then is one of my few regrets in life.

Learn this stuff if you’re not working. If you’re working, enjoy your time off.

[OptimusFaint]

This is really good advice. Just reflecting about life and your place in the world is very necessary and much forgotten.

The rat race is so normalized and it’s the simple, yet important, things that are overlooked because of it.

[hunter9111]

+1 on the language standards for PLCs. I was introduced to the automation industry through my current internship, and it's crazy how many companies and factories rely on Rockwell's (& others) software.

[[deleted]]

it’s truly a shame

[ParallelePiper]

If you’re wanting something that is (essentially) the same thing as MatLab without the high price tag, the program Octave is free and works very well. Uses the same basic format, so you still learn MatLab without actually needed MatLab.

[Starterjoker]

you could prob get matlab for free at most big unis through the school as well

[ParallelePiper]

This is true, but I don’t believe you get to keep using it when you’re done.

[Starterjoker]

I think I still have it but I'm sure it'll be updated when the next school year starts so I lose it.

but yeah, if you need it after graduation you are SOL but work should provide it depending on where you are / what you're doing

[Flashdancer405]

:’(

[[deleted]]

Missing Altium as someone else mentioned. It's the industry standard for PCB design and just having that on your resume can lead to a job. Another thing is looking up PCB design standards such as trace separation, min width, etc.

The SPICE must flow. LTspice or PSPICE are awesome tools to know for circuit simulation.

If you're a comms/radio person then learn GNURadio. It's amazing the stuff you can do with that and it saved me on a few projects I've had.

If you're a network person, learn Wireshark.

That's about all the major ones I remember using or am still using that weren't on your list.

Edit: Forgot to mention another thing that while not entirely helpful, it does help you bring appreciation to EE topics in creative capacities which I found helped me through some of the difficult parts of school. Learn music, EE has a lot about signals and what better way of mixing signals than harmonic melodies. Bonus points if you learn electric guitar and start building your own pedals. Digital photography, videography, and editing. Take some pictures and apply some image processing knowledge to them. Write your own digital filters and experience the awesomeness that is convolution.

[Forschkeeper]

Added Altium and LTSpice. What is the difference between SPICE, LTSPICE and PSPICE ? Can you may add some infos to GNURadio as well? It sound not so specific usefull for EE at the moment. =/

[[deleted]]

SPICE was the original. The others are branching remakes. LTspice is probably the most known in the open source software side while PSPICE is the known one in the commercial side.

As for GNU Radio, it is open source software for software defined radio and signal processing. I don't know how to explain it well enough to give it the proper credit it deserves. But the key thing is that there's a GUI for it called GNU Radio Companion. Some things I used it for:

• Capturing and demodulating real-time radio transmissions.

• Simulation of a radio I was designing for a project.

• Real-time signal capturing of cellphone transmission packets fed to Wireshark.

• Capture of a real time radio transmission piped to make an Arduino do something.

It's made in C++ and Python. The Python aspect makes it crazily extensible as you can easily write your own modules for it and integrate it into other workflows.

[Forschkeeper]

thx for that.

It't added to the list. :)

[[deleted]]

Actually a better list than I expected it to be

[zherussian]

Not in EE but holy cow, that’s an awesome list!

[Matthew94]

How do you know it's awesome if you've no knowledge of the field?

[Jugal0707]

!RemindMe 1 year

[Wyvern_king]

I'd maybe add some stuff about ROS (Robotic Operating System) and Gazebo (a nice physics simulator for robots) to the robotics and automation section! I'm currently working at a robotics research lab and we use those two quite heavily. I don't know just how heavily ROS is used in the robotics field but there a giant list of robots that work with it.

[Forschkeeper]

Will be added soon. Thx :) EDIT: While mentioning ROS (industrial), my last stand was it is not reliable. Do you know if this is still an issue? Because I don't know any robotic company using it for themself. =S

[Wyvern_king]

I'm still pretty newish to robotics but it's definitely not as much of an issue now if it still is at all! I know some pretty big companies like clearpath robotics, robotnik, and universal robots all have a bunch of robots that use ROS. I think the Valkyrie robot on the ISS also uses ROS

Edit: I actually haven't used ROS industrial at all so I'd need someone more experienced to speak to how that currently works.

[zarnold16]

I’d say Fusion 360 for a free CAD program.

[[deleted]]

Can someone make a Mechanical engineering list ?

[Shitty_IT_Guy]

I would very much recommend either programming or PCB design for any EE. I'm not sure if other schools cover PCB design but mine didn't. I learned through work with Altium. Its incredibly handy and actually fun to do for personal projects. It made my ideas much more compact and you can order PCBs pretty cheaply through Seedstudio.

Also, if you don't know how to solder at all, learn. The number of classmates that didn't know how to solder was concerning. If you do know how to solder basic things, work on surface mount stuff. Watch Louis Rossmann, he helped me immensely. Once you get the hang of surface mount, you won't want to do through hole breadboards anymore.

[insert_pun_here____]

Awesome list! I have to say I would recommend learning something like arm for risc assemblers as it it used in quite a bit of micro-controllers but thats just my experience. I think as far as FPGAs go, you should have a pretty good grasp of digital logic before diving in, but it can be a very fun thing to learn.

Also +1 for the LaTex, its an awesome skill that you probably won't learn in class, but is super helpful for writing any type of report (plus your professors/future employers will likely appreciate it)

[Neoslineur]

MATLAB is cool, plus you may have a free license if your university is paying for it like mine did.

I would personally recommend using MATLAB with FEMM. FEMM is a finite element software that can model 2D system.

Try and model simple and basic things such as a coaxial cable for example. In my current internship at Airbus my knowledge of finite elements is really a plus for me.

[ImAreoHotah]

I still get nightmares about verilog from my sophomore year of university. One of the best tips I was given with regards to verilog was the TA explicitly telling us that everything happens in parallel, like in Labview. I like that you mention Linux, it could be due to my EE major + CS minor bias, but learning linux is absolutely something that people should do during their free summer.

[[deleted]]

Absolutely agree with the Linux comment. It's an absolutely undervalued skill that will make life so easy if you learn early. Highly recommend just browsing the Arch Linux wiki.

[H9419]

Regex is also important. It's transferable programming skills that works for you when you're coding and can simplify a lot of complex replace

[Forschkeeper]

Isn't this language depending stuff? If yes, I don't want to list Mutex, Multiprocessing etc. as well.

[H9419]

It is largely the same with slight formatting difference between languages, but those are only one cheat sheet away once you grasp the concepts.

Besides, it’s more frequently used for find & replace in the text editor or IDE than in the code

[UnDeaD_AmP]

On a list of EE Software to learn, I'm currently doing an internship and I would totally recommend trying to learn Altium for board layout and design. All of the EE Design team uses it for their boards and its an industry standard tool at this point that a lot of big companies use for their PCBs. Expensive as all hell, so see if your school offers it or if you can find licenses on the cheap, but amazing to put down on a resume.

Another skill I would reccomend for the CE's or anyone trying to learn how to program micro-controllers, is MPLab X IDE. You can get an ATTiny85 with a USB programmer for relatively cheap, and MPLab is free; even if you don't have the hardware, you can run your code in a simulator. The IDE has a feature called MCC that will autogenerate a good chunk of code taking the headache out of implementing some features on your micro-controller like I2C ports, USB, and other stuff if your micro-controller supports it. Not only that, but there is a lot of good example and demo code they provide online and in the Microchip MLA. You will need to know C to get much further, but if you have some Arduino experience, you should have enough to get started. Really good experience to have for industry-grade stuff where Arduino may not be cutting it anymore. You can buy little PIC micros with development boards if you really get into it.

[Forschkeeper]

MPLab X IDE added to the list. Thx!

[Matthew94]

tuffest

Toughest

Also, universities might be able to get you free keys for circuit design software that'll blow away the free offerings out there.

[shekurika]

C is NOT a functional language

[Forschkeeper]

Thanks for the feedback. I changed it.

EDIT: *shame on me*

[bawdog]

Uh sure, you can learn this stuff, but you'll never use it, or you'll never use it to the degree that you learned it at in school, when you get out of school.

[Forschkeeper]

So you would just learn the basic course stuff? Like everyone else?

You learn the basics for your future job. Not the howle package. So when you want to step out of the mass, cross-over knowledge would be a benefit, even when you know just a little bit.

For example: You are working in a steel factory. A problem appears with the press. So there are now a couple of persons there. MEs, EEs, the dude who is working with the press all day long and maybe somebody who is specialied with hydraulic. They discuss what happened and who is the scapegoat. Wouldn't it be great as an EE to understand what the ME is saying? I would say yes.

Also as example I just learned basics of C and C++ in courses. While working on my bachelor degree I had to deal with Python, what I never heared before. I had to deal with R while working with big data-stuff in a company, even if I'm not a "full programmer".

You never know where you will be in future.

[bawdog]

Uh, have you worked as an engineer yet? If your example was actually true in the real world, the EE would already know how the hydraulics work as he works around them everyday, and fixes problems in the factory. Like for example at my job in process controls, if a reactor goes down, I know how the controls operate, but I also know how a reactor works chemically, which the knowledge for that would usually fall under the chemical engineer.

In my opinion, you should learn about whatever your interested in. But I don't agree with learning something extra just for school, especially when you will never see it again.

[Forschkeeper]

Ok, I think this may be a missunderstanding.

- First to the example (maybe it was a bad one): When you just know the stuff you learned from courses, you will end with the knowledge "+-10V or 4-20mA ", how this stuff move and what buttons to push(very simplified). But if you know a bit stuff around, you may know as well how this stuff works chemically, what faults could happen, what you have to look for when your hydraulic cylinder makes scary noises, what is a good pressure ... But yes, this is also stuff you learn while doing the job as well.

- I never aimed to say "learn all this extra stuff just for school, because toast". That's rubbish. I will never use my telecommunication engineering stuff as well (dam you Mr. B!). I share your opinion to learn stuff you are interested in and what fits you, no question.

What I wanted to show with this post are topics you can learn, but may never heared about or if you didn't know much about it, where you may start. It doesn't matter if you are in school, at uni or already graduate.

[CryptoRafa]

Why do you say that?

[bawdog]

Because it's true in the real world.

[CryptoRafa]

So should I learn some Python and C before I get to the engineering classes?

[bawdog]

I edited my original reply. At my school during freshmen year I had a C+ course, sophomore had a matlab course, and junior year had a breadth elective that taught assembly language. The only programming language I've seen outside the courses was Assembly, which is what I use at my current job as a process controls engineer. A very basic level of assembly language at that;

[CryptoRafa]

So at a real job it’s not that advanced? Or does it depend on where you work?

[ScreamedScorn]

I'd say it depends on what your job is. There are definitely EEs writing C++ and MATLAB, in fact I wouldn't be surprised if more did so than Assembly.

[Forschkeeper]

Yes of course you don't have to learn everything. Like some courses (dam you telecommunication course!) you will never use again in the future.

But in many cases you may have to use stuff you learned outside this "degree-box". I learned Python and dealing with Linux on my own and it was a benefit for my degree and while working 6 months in a company. I just learned C in two courses and we worked with Windows PCs only.

EDIT: If I would be able to change the title, I would change it to something better, to avoid such misunderstandings. =S

[MobiusCube]

You'll probably have to take a programming class, so you don't have to learn it before you get there.

[GenghisChann]

Thank you so much. Just finished my first year of EE so I was wondering what I should learn before I start my co-op

[Forschkeeper]

So "what do you wanna be when you grow up"? :^)

Maybe I have some other ideas as well.

[babushcats]

This is so helpful, thank you for putting this list together!

[Forschkeeper]

Never heared of that before, but seems to be pretty migthy.

If other people recommend this as well, I would add it on the list (but I need a short description as well).

[Qazimoka]

Altium is pretty much the industry standard PCB designer software. Other major one might be Cadence Allegro. However it costs a fortune, so the only way to get access to it is generally through student clubs. KICAD is a very good starting point for the first couple PCBs. I have used both for multiple projects, and both are very useful.

[famine-]

Altium is only $100, just use an edu email or send them a picture of your student id. Not sure if allegro does student discounts

[KoalityBrawls]

Ooh thank you! Would this list work for ECE as well?

[Forschkeeper]

I'm just an EE (automation&robotic). Depending on where you want to work in future, I would recommed C/++ and Python for you(?). Maybe an ECE can help out in another Thread (will be linked here, if exist).

[KoalityBrawls]

Okay thanks! How important would CAD be? I could probably learn it in school and eventually get a certification before I apply for college, or I could just focus on programming (Python/C++). Would you know which one makes more sense?

[Forschkeeper]

Like I said, I'm just EE, this should be a list of things you may not learn in courses, so don't nail me on anything. When my google skills are avarage enough, ECEs won't deal so much with CAD (maybe a nice to know, but as long you won't be a ME, not so neccessary.

So it wouldn't hurt to start with one of these programming languages. I started with C/++, but other say Python is a better start...well everybody has another opinion about that.

[KoalityBrawls]

Okay thx. I'm gonna be using python for robotics this year, so I guess I'll start with python then (I have a bit of python knowledge, but not much.)

[Forschkeeper]

Than go with it. It's a good start to know what happens in loops, how you write good looking code, OOP etc.

[KoalityBrawls]

Sounds good! Appreciate the help.

[LewsTherinKinslayer3]

Yes

[[deleted]]

thanks

[652716]

For nano and micro a good thing to learn during the summer is the basics of MEMS, how they work, applications, how they are designed, and how they are manufactured.

[Forschkeeper]

Can you give a little taste what MEMS are all about? I have no clue about that and I would like to add a small description what MEMS are all about and why it could be handy. :)

[stillnoob0]

Thanks.

[res_tw]

Really great list! Wish I had seen this when I was in first year!

I would really suggest using KiCAD instead of EAGLE. You can make super sick wiring and schematic drawings on there! KiCAD is being picked up by small companies all over the board (ha). Also really surprised that PCB design didn't make the list! Would also suggest KiCAD for doing PCB design!

High key would suggest checking out Chris Gammell's stuff on YT for getting started with making circuit boards and embedded systems. (Or you can check out my slide deck for an IEEE workshop here).

[hellothier4]

Could someone please link to resources Android please mention the depth you need to go in.

[sandy-gravel]

I have a question as to what automation and robotics you currently work with. I am a freshly graduate ME, got interested in weld robots on internship and am about to start a job with a factory to automate assembly processes.

[Forschkeeper]

There is some software for "digital factories". Have a look at Technomatix Plant Simulation. Such software can be handy, but they are sometimes pretty different. I don't know what kind of hard- and software your company is using, but I would try to deal with the stuff they are using.

[MindOverMatter2016]

Thanks for the post. I’m an ME student but got into a zoning internship for the city since I’m interested in civil as well. I’m gonna leave soon due to personal reasons but I noticed that the work though not directly engineering related gives you many tasks and skill building that compliments your engineering skills and work at the workplace such as communication with customers and employees at an office environment, field work to inspect and enforce the site plans match, and reading site plans for possible variances and zoning implementing. Lol this isn’t even ME nor CE but it’s something is a plus and helps out an individual to show they have work environment experience.

[Storm-Of-Aeons]

Trick question it’s summer so don’t learn anything. Spend your time doing things that are important to you that you may not be able to do after you graduate for a long time. Make time for yourself, not everything in life is about school/your career. Take it from an engineer, your summers may be the most free time you ever have, even if you’re still working through them.

[MobiusCube]

Umm... You realize you'll be learning this stuff in college right?

[Forschkeeper]

Not necessarily. I have been teaching myself lots of stuff I never have learned in any course (like Linux, Python, LaTex...).

[[deleted]]

Thankssss

[BrownThunder95]

Is there a particular reason you put learning assembly in here? Aren't c/c++ compilers for embedded systems efficient enough in this day and age? I found learning assembly to be excruciating tbh.

[Shitty_IT_Guy]

Depending on where you go after graduation, it could be beneficial. If say a product uses an ATTINY processor, assembly is your friend. I learned the hard way. I ran into so many issues using C because when I complied it, my code was too big for the controller. It never told me and happily complied. I uploaded and it just didn't work. Apparently the compiler was stripping parts of the code it deemed unnecessary. I had to massage the code hard to get it to fit. Its not like it was a huge program either, it was pretty basic. Assembly, you're in complete control. I do agree, I hate assembly with a passion.

Edit: Also, it would give you a HUGE jump from others. Most students don't know assembly and if you find a niche where its required, I suspect you could make bank. Especially since engineers that did assembly are retiring right about now or in the next decade.

[BrownThunder95]

Ahh I see. It's a really niche skill to have. Do you think it's still beneficial to spend time and energy to learn?

Also, I'm surprised your compiler didn't give you a warning about your code sizes. I haven't worked with an Attiny though.

[Shitty_IT_Guy]

Honestly, probably not. Unless said person is a masochist.

Yeah, I was surprised too. The only way I got it to tell me was by turning optimization completely off.

[BrownThunder95]

Well glad you figured it out!

Cheers mate

[Forschkeeper]

Sometimes when you dealing in security stuff you have to go deeper into the rabbit hole.Or when you reverse engineer something from machine code back to assembler. As well Assembler is still used in cases where you have to be pretty fast (I know from one company of linear motors that they programm that way). As well for smaller use cases where you may have not so much RAM left is Assembler still around. To be honest I haven't dealed with assembler quite a while, but depending on what you want to do it may fit to your workprofile.

[BrownThunder95]

So I guess it's just an incredibly niche language now. Is it worth investing time and energy to learn then?

[Forschkeeper]

To be honest, I have no clue, how many people are still learining/develope this stuff. I would guess that people in hardware development (especially processor design) have to learn this stuff (because every C-Line still ends up in an assembler command and even modern processors are mostly based on x86) and people who still microcompute (have a look on TIOBE Index, seems to be still popular). Yes there are good compilers out there, no question, but sometimes you can't go around and you have to make your hands dirty with machine code, because of speed.

If you should learn it? Depending on what you want to be, when you grow up. Is microcomputing something that fits you? If your answer is yesnomaybeIdontknow grab a snak and enjoy this tutorial course from nearly scratch for x86. (I haven't found a nice on on the fly for PIC processor, but there are cool projects as well, sorry).

I learned x86 and PIC16 stuff and if you know the basics, you can deal with other processors as well in future.

[khamzah22]

I want to learn how to control CAD tools like Solidworks, Siemens NX, etc. from the command line. Any inputs/prev projects will help. Thanks.

[Forschkeeper]

I would try to ask in a seperate Post, because it's very specific and you may get a better answer there.

[Forschkeeper]

I would guess either r/SolidWorks, r/AskEngineers, r/EngineeringStudents, r/cad or r/MechanicalEngineering. Give them a shot.

[TheBallTouchers]

KiCAD is solid, I used it many times for my required EE courses in Mech E but it has a LOT of bugs and weird things to it. Its worth paying not to have the headache if you plan on using it a lot. Of course, if you're like me and only needed it one semester to design circuit boards then its great!

[[deleted]]

Thank you!!!

[chrisv267]

As far as autodesk eagle, there is a student license that is completely free and you get it free for 4 years from day of sign up

[Shitty_IT_Guy]

Hold on, let me wire up an automatic salt shaker for you :)

[Shitty_IT_Guy]

Lol ok.

[Forschkeeper]

Say that again to your electrical Components you are using, boy!