It’s something I wanted to for some time but put off due to work. At the age of 60 I am cutting work hours to two days a week and have enrolled in a foundation electronics course at open Uni. I want to learn how things Audio work and why. I am in the process of procuring the essentials to start such as meters, oscilloscope, signal generator etc.. The ultimate aim is to be able to fault find and repair rather than develop which is outside of my scope. Something I can perhaps do in to my (even) older age and can take with me when ultimately moving abroad again. It will be s steep learning curve, especially at my age but as it goes hand in hand with my hobby, something I will enjoy. I am at a basic level of understanding rather than total novice but am under no illusions on how much knowledge I need to acquire and am looking forward to the challenge. I will need to complete other courses but stop short of doing a complete EE degree. I also have my partners back up. She can’t wait for my moaning about my job to stop . I have been following YouTubers such as MenditMark and Novalux, to name but two for a long time. Wish me luck.
If I suddenly go quiet here I will likely have electrocuted myself.
Electronics really isn’t my thing so I can’t help on that one.
I changed career in my 40s which included a course in Higher Education in my new field. I subsequently went on to teach on the same course and ultimately lead on it.
The key to success was the reading list. There will be core texts that you have to consult plus a wider reading list providing background information and context.
My own experience, backed by the exams and coursework I later marked or second marked, was the strong correlation between performance and depth of reading.
Menditmark is brilliant. I watch it, but haven’t got a clue. I suspect you also watch mymatevince who didn’t used to know much about electronics, but over the last couple of years he seems to have just picked up a lot of knowledge just by trial and error and good diagnostics skills. He fixes all sort of stuff
It sounds like you will have a very contented and rewarding retirement.
The other thing you will need is a Dim Bulb Tester - very easy to make
Go for it, at the very least you will find it interesting!
When I retired back in February 2020, I had it in mind to do the “Electrician” courses, purely for my interest and to relieve boredom. Unfortunately, three weeks later Covid hit the UK big time which put the mockers on that idea!
Well, I thought Hifi forums were full of disagreements and petty arguments. I have now started the long road of becoming a competent (hopefully) audio repairer and have of course consulted and joined some specialist forums to help wirh, amongst other things, equipment acquisition matters.
Let me tell you, we are certainly not the only ones getting bogged down in nerdy arguments nor are we the only ones occasionally showing off! One look at a thread about how many meters or scopes you own and you will feel immediately at home there
Nearly forgot; If anyone here in the UK has an old non functioning amplifier which has sat in a cupboard for years and which has no sentimental or rarity value (!) I may be interested in repairing this for you. I can’t guarantee it will work but I need a few donor items for obvious reasons. I’d happily pay the postage and would obviously not charge anything other than you covering any return postage for a working item. I can of course find faulty equipment on the bay but find that folks sometimes dream about how much they can charge for kaput stuff and that a lot of it seems to come feom either shops or repairers which have already fiddled with stuff. Perhaps Rich can put anyone having something suitable (no unobtainium parts or digital (yet) in contact. Thanks.
. I have been following YouTubers such as MenditMark and Novalux, to name but two for a long time. Wish me luck.
