You have not built any hardware yet, but may have used an Arduino or similar. You need guidance on things like basic components, electronics fundamentals and how to get started moving towards custom HW.
Suggestions for Absolute Beginners
In the past, we have seen many people come through who are absolute beginners. Normally we recommend that they go and learn a bit more about electronics using outside courses, especially those involving Arduinos. Some we like:
- Programming Electronics Academy – learn very basic electronics via project-based instruction using Arduino
- Boldport – Learn how to solder and program simple kits
Who are you?
The picture we normally see of absolute beginners in hardware are…software engineers! This isn’t always the case, of course. We also see people looking to solve a problem in their lives with electronics and other technical people who have always wanted to build something tangible.
Our normal measure of whether someone should start in on Contextual Electronics is whether they have:
- Used an Arduino to light up an external LED (not the one connected to pin 13 on the Uno, but a discrete LED)
- Understand what a voltage divider is and how it works
If those two conditions are met, we normally encourage people to proceed.
Get Started With Contextual Electronics
The membership levels of CE are aspirational. With the advent of the Skills Level of CE, there is now a low-cost, low-risk way to try out Contextual Electronics. If you’re ready to start in earnest, the Apprentice Level allows you to target having completed some simple and achievable tasks by the end of 6 months.
For the absolute beginners, we recommend they start with one of those two levels. They can easily upgrade to . the Journeyman Level or the Master Level in short time afterwards. These will cover the same content as the Apprentice Level, but will include more in-depth content and more ambitious build goals. Regardless of level, members can purchase weekly tutoring separate from course access.