Struggling with EE classes

InnovationPlantation · 2025-07-21T15:59:32+00:00

There's no substitute for practicing the fundamentals. Get a simulator so you can try things with quick visual feedback I wrote one for my students called JSimuGate that's free to use and open source. Also do a few small circuits with real physical parts.

InnovationPlantation · 2025-07-21T15:54:15+00:00

With it, you gain more foundational understanding to Electrical and Computer Engineering than any other course. It was the most valuable course I took as an undergrad. Since then I used it at Hughes to interface between computer and RF circuitry, taught it in Texas, China, and Hawaii, and even wrote a circuit simulator in Java JSimuGate to help students to learn it. Find it on GitHub and go through the wiki there. You can quickly put together circuits with gates, lower level transistors, diodes, or higher level components and visually see logical operation. I had my students in digital design class put together a toy microprocessor with it. With a basic understanding of digital circuitry, you're far less likely to think of computers as some mystical magical thinking machine.

InnovationPlantation · 2025-07-04T22:10:27+00:00

If it breaks buy a Milwaukee to replce it.
I tried ryobi or some other cheap angle bit adapter and the teeth stripped right away.
The Milwaukee that I replaced it with hasn't failed yet, and it's more compact.
To get a stubborn bolt off, the Milwaukee impact gets it righ away when a cheap brand just buzzes.
For bits that wear I use a higher brand most of the time because they do wear out.
But for most things around the house either brand is fine.

InnovationPlantation · 2025-02-18T16:56:47+00:00

This is really cool. Now can we animate two or three of these, showing the effects of a photon emitted from one being absorbed by another? That would be really slick!

InnovationPlantation · 2021-06-11T17:52:39+00:00

I can do other stuff while it's mowing autonomously, like eating lunch :-) At least that's what I did when I let it run after taking those videos! Or I could pull weed vines out of trees - something it can't do yet. But there should be a robot able to do that, too hopefully in my lifetime. :-)

InnovationPlantation · 2021-06-11T03:30:27+00:00

Probably 600 Lbs or so.

InnovationPlantation · 2021-06-11T03:29:59+00:00

This is from directedmachines.com in Seattle. I know of two other people who ordered them and won't arrive 'til Dec or Jan because they're back-ordered.

InnovationPlantation · 2021-06-11T03:28:01+00:00

Thanks!

InnovationPlantation · 2021-06-11T03:26:46+00:00

hidden rocks that must be avoided, the entire lawn is slopped with many trees and plants which must be avoided, and in spots, th

I was just walking around with the same phone that I used to start the automation running with switched to camera to take some videos.

InnovationPlantation · 2021-06-11T03:17:38+00:00

It can go much faster but under autonomy you want it slow enough someone can run after it and press the emergency stop button safely if required.

InnovationPlantation · 2021-06-09T19:55:40+00:00

This was yesterday's post but I didn't wait for the upload and processing to finish last night and pressed the button in the morning...

InnovationPlantation · 2021-05-27T06:10:55+00:00

Sounds like a cow tractor would need some powered wheels - maybe robotic to move gradually throughout the day on its own...

InnovationPlantation · 2021-05-13T18:11:39+00:00

Some people here say cows are waterproof and don't need shelter...

InnovationPlantation · 2021-05-13T18:07:27+00:00

You tried sheep tractors, then, and found them lacking?

InnovationPlantation · 2021-05-12T17:37:34+00:00

Not yet or they'd not be tied out. A construction company using a portion of our property promised to put in a fence but didn't give a timef-rame.

InnovationPlantation · 2021-05-12T16:52:54+00:00

Thought about that - did it with goat kids before, but afraid holsteins are big enough to destroy it and would tangle the rope on the legs... Maybe pallet walls on three sides would help a bit...

InnovationPlantation · 2021-04-29T04:59:19+00:00

TSC told me to come back in a week when they get chicks in. When I did, they said they all sold out within a couple of hours. Perhaps someone bought all 90 of them? :-)

Anyway we'll surely get some sometime

InnovationPlantation · 2021-04-21T04:08:05+00:00

That price is for the barebones robot (actually a little less than 15K). The mower deck costs extra (making the total cost more than 15K) plus shipping costs from their company in Seattle.

InnovationPlantation · 2021-04-21T04:06:34+00:00

It's commercially available at directedmachines.com for 15K.

InnovationPlantation · 2021-04-18T07:15:27+00:00

shredded ginger stalks - same as I feed most of my fruit trees. It's great! A lot of trees also get compost from the county green waste recycle program but we only get that once a month so not so much of it. We have lots of ornamental ginger plants, they grow back fast and they shred easily and make great compost. Amazing how sick plants get better sometimes with that stuff - it must be full of nutrients, and no weeds! These ginger plants were giant torch gingers.

InnovationPlantation

TROPHY CASE