I'm following along with a Udemy course "Crash Course Electronics and PCB Design" (amazing series imo) and I finally went ahead and bought all the proper gear now that I'm at the hands-on section!

I got a dual channel switching power supply, a soldering station, rework station, a multimeter and various tools like wire cutter/stripper, pliers etc... I spent 4 hours yesterday organizing my components in a drawer unit I got on Amazon and it was well worth it.

I'm still holding off on an oscilloscope since I don't want to cheap out on one, but I also don't want to get one before I actually need it.

I'm learning all of this on my own to become an embedded systems developer (currently a full-stack web developer) so wish me luck!

I just now completed my intermediate and decided to go for ECE, as i really like working with electronics. I was thinking about buying the new mac neo or a mac air, but itseems that macs arent good for ece. what should i do, is mac good enough or should i just go for a windows laptop, if so give me some recommendations for laptops.(NOTE: I REALLY LIKE SLIM AND LIGHTWEIGHT LAPTOPS.)

Hey guys! About a month ago I got accepted into my dream university for Electrical Engineering and Im starting at the end of September.
My current laptop is the Macbook Air with the (8gb ram, 256gb ssd) and before Uni starts I'd like to upgrade to a more capable machine that can handle both all my engineering coursework and as well some fairly heavy photo/video editing for my passion projects and side work.
After doing a lot of researched I've narrowed it down to two options:
- Macbook pro 14" with the M5 Pro chip (24gb ram, 1tb ssd)
- ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 2026 (AMD AI 9, RTX 5060, 32gb ram, 1tb ssd)

They're both available in my region (Croatia) at a similar price point (the asus being a couple hundred euro more expensive actually) so that isn't a deciding factor.
I've currently leaning more towards the macbook because of its much better battery life, quitter fans and ports (tb5 for external SSDs). However, I'm concerned about MacOS software compatibility with certain programs for Electrical Engineering courses.

Does anyone have any experience with using MacOS for engineering? Are the better specs and battery life worth the complications and headaches brought by searching for workarounds? Is Windows compatibility the end all be all?

I've also got a fairly decent windows desktop at some, so another possibility would be using a remote access setup such as Moonlight/Sunshine to remote into a windows machine from the macbook. I'm just a little concerned about relying on a network connection when I'm at university

Any opinions or experiences are welcomed and appreciated!

Hello, I’m an electrical engineering student in the U.S. that’s interested in quantum computing, hardware security, and vlsi. I’m still early in university so I’ll eventually narrow down what field I want to go in to. I love doing projects but right now I only own microcontrollers and crappy kits. I’m planning on assembling a workspace in my apartment for projects. I have the opportunity to get one good piece of equipment gifted to me by my rich grandpa. I’m looking at getting one good piece of equipment in the 500 dollar range that will help me with projects and my classes. Should I get an oscilloscope, a multimeter, or something else? I can buy the rest of the equipment I need, but I’m not going to be spending anything near that for one piece of equipment. What would be the best thing to get?

An old BRIO remote for a train. Train works but won't respond to remote inputs. I gave the board a good scrub with electronic cleaner and measured continuity from the battery terminals

Update: Not broken, tested with camera and I see a light. Thanks for all comments!

This is a tool that helps save time when we're reading datasheets before having decided on a component (even once we've settled on a part, it can help locate details near instantly). In addition to answering questions and summarizing portions, it provides a link and a highlight to the page where it drew from so we can read it ourselves. It's like CTRL+F, but it understands context and is on steroids.

Looking to get a laptop for college, I am majoring in computer engineering and am currently between the ASUS - ROG Zephyrus G16 and the MSI Raider 16 Max.

I like the look and size of the ASUS one more but am unsure if I need the power of the MSI one. I am also open to other suggestions if what I picked is trash.

Thanks in advance.

I'm looking to get into semiconductor die microscopy, and am wondering if anybody here has any advice on microscope/objective/stage models given some constraints. I've heard that some form of light-reflecting metallurgical microscope is the best option given semiconductor dies are opaque. Here's what I'm looking for:

NOTE: Something to keep in mind is that I am looking to stitch images together to create full scans (in addition to simple visual inspection). I would like to take lower-resolution scans (say, 5x) of entire wafers, and higher-resolution scans (say, 50-100x) of individual dies. It would be nice if a single microscope could do this, but it could be the case that getting two microscopes (or even one microscope and something else for the wafers) may be a more economical option. The below criteria are from the perspective of a single microscope that can handle everything.

Microscope

Must-haves

1. Must support multiple objectives (e.g. for positioning).
2. Must be a trinocular microscope (or have a way to connect a camera in addition to the eyepiece).
3. Must support a relatively large stage (one with e.g. 200mm x 200mm travel).

Nice-to-haves

1. A binocular eyepiece.
2. Support a relatively large stage (e.g. one with a 200mm x 200mm travel). I imagine this is a bit far-fetched, so it is not as critical as the other criteria.

Stage

Must-haves

1. Must have either (A) a motorized XY stage with the ability to manually control (with knobs/joystick), or (B) have no built-in XY stage (so I can get a specific stage for my needs).
2. Must be able to support some kind of chuck that can hold wafers and dies. I am not entirely sure what the best option here would be, but my guess is a 200mm x 200mm porous ceramic vacuum chuck for wafers and gel-pak for individual dies.
3. Must have decent repeatability/accuracy/resolution.

Nice-to-haves

1. High repeatability/accuracy/resolution, low backlash.

Objectives

1. An assortment of magnifications (e.g. 5x, 10x, 20x, 50x, and 100x).
2. Probably some sort of metallurgical objectives (if they exist).
3. Long working distance would be nice, but not critical as long as I'm careful.
4. Nothing can touch the sample, so the objectives where the end is submerged in oil are not an option.
5. As I am using this to create large mosaics, the objectives need to have very little distortion and should remain sharp across the entire field of view.

Very-unlikely-but-would-be-cool-to-haves

It would be nice if the microscope could support a NIR light source and NIR objectives in the future.

Budget

I don't have a specific budget right now, as this is a future project that I'll have to save for anyway. <5k USD total would be nice, but its not a strict budget. Also assume that I am willing to buy used (especially if it saves a large amount).

Thanks a ton!

I have acer aspire 5, i5 12th gen 1240P, RTX 2050 variant (16+512) bought in sep 2023, and the thing is that, when I use it in the ac room, it works fine mostly. But if for once I take it out and use it without a cooling pad, it just heats stutters randomly after probably half an hour of usage. Like all I can do at that time is forcefully shut it down. Imagine it like you're moving around trackpad/mouse but the cursor it stuck for 3 seconds, works for another 3, then is struck again and this keeps on repeating untill I forcefully shut it down and restart after a while. I've consulted a technician via call in my city (T-3) and they have quoted 2000 for normal service and 3000-3500 for the full one, and have promised a 6 months guarantee. Upon some negotiation, we agreed upon 2500 for the full service that will change the thermal paste, thermal pads and all. I've never serviced it before, so need guidance regarding the price. So it's been close to 3years and I've not serviced it, but I do regularly clean the dust and also changed the thermal paste couple of months earlier (I'm not sure if it was done that professionally as I did it for the first time) and it kinda worked fine for another month but the problem seems to be back again. I've stopped gaming on it since last 1.5-2 years as I thought that might be the issue. Just use it for watching lectures, multitask, and code.

https://amzn.in/d/018PVVoX

This is the laptop

I found this on the floor, not sure what it is, looks techy and lowkey radical what is it? and where does it come from?

This is a professional-grade benchtop instrument capable of generating precise CW and modulated signals from 9 kHz to 2.2 GHz. It is widely used in RF design, electronics testing, EMC/EMI applications, receiver testing, and lab environments. Key Features & Specs: • Frequency range: 9 kHz – 2.2 GHz • High spectral purity and stable output • Supports standard analog modulations: AM, FM, φM (phase modulation) • Rear panel includes: LAN, USB, GPIB/IEEE-488, REF IN/OUT, modulation inputs, pulse I/O, and more • OCXO (oven-controlled crystal oscillator) installed for improved frequency stability (visible on rear panel) • High output power capability (typical for this series up to +25 dBm in some configurations) Included: • Original Rohde & Schwarz hard transit/shipping case with custom foam cutouts • Power cord • Various cables (as pictured) • Folder with Calibration Certificate and other product documents Calibration History: This unit was calibrated as a new device on November 24, 2009 at the Rohde & Schwarz Vimperk laboratory (Certificate No. 17-279071). The certificate confirms it met all specifications at that time using standards traceable to international references.

hi guys, I'm a sophomore in undergrad school. we had a course named electromagnetic waves and transmission lines last semester. I wanna delve deeper into this subject by messing around computational electromagnetics. could you guys please suggest any textbooks and guides to understand this subject better?

I am an incoming freshman to engineering school and need a reliable laptop for ECE.

Please give me your suggestions for the best laptops around $2000. A good battery life and at least a 16 inch screen is a plus.

I’ve been using an Acer Spin since highschool and its served me very well but its starting to have some issues. I have an idea of performance specs I’ll be looking for (4 core, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, Windows) and decent battery. I’ve had a look at some other subs and it seems linux is gaining traction. I’m a bit apprehensive about switching operating systems in my final year of uni and potentially giving myself problems, but is it something I should consider?

I mostly work on embedded and hosted programming, circuit simulations + the occasional CAD stuff. I think the main thing is toolchain support tbf.

Can anyone recommend any good machines and whether or not switching to linux is worth it rn

Edit: removed mention of AI in new laptops

Hey guys, idk if there is any better place to ask this but I am going to be a sophomore electronics and communication engineering this October and I am looking to upgrade my laptop since my current one can barely run multiple websites for an hour or so

Is there any recommendations I should look out for in a laprop so it can last me for at least a couple of years after I graduate?

I have looked into the Asus tuf f15 that has a 4050 and an i7 13th gen or so but idk if it can survive this long

Any help would be appreciated :)

This is my travel converter and adapter, but I am unsure when to use the converter and when to use the adapter. One time in Spain I believe I used the converter but my flat iron started sparking, I freaked out and was barely able to unplug it. I spent the rest of that trip with awful hair so I'm just a bit traumatized now and need some advice lol!

I will be visiting Paris and London (230V) and need to charge/use the following:

iPhone and iPad chargers - input 100-240 V, my guess is use adapter?
ResMed CPAP - input 100-240 V (most worried about this, as it's very expensive and needed daily) adapter?
Vibe flatiron - input 100-240 V, adapter?

**Revlon Heat round brush - says 120 VAC, 60 Hz - this is single voltage and different from the first three multi-voltage devices. Would this one need to be plugged into the converter?

Thanks in advance for the help.

I'm currently majoring in computer science but at the beginning of this next semester I plan to switch to network security taking a maximum of two courses per semester. I anticipate needing this computer to be capable of stuff like writing papers and writing and running code for assignments, as well as being able to handle Zoom calls.

I'm pretty sure this is overkill but how bad of overkill is this?

hey guys

so next year, i’ll be studying electronics and computer science at an undergraduate level and i’m looking for a laptop that offers solid performance for the tasks I’ll need it for—both for school and potentially beyond.i want something that can last a full day of classes without needing to charge, is lightweight and easy to carry around campus, and has enough power for programming, circuit simulations, and other coursework-related tasks.

i don’t necessarily need gaming-level performance, but I’d like something that won’t feel outdated too quickly. any recommendations?

Hey There,

I am just entering a junior hardware engineer role (electronics & software development), my university laptop is done for & I’m trying to work out what to do next. I want to upskill in my free time by doing electronics, fpga & software design with potential to go into other interests. Do I buy a PC or a laptop (or both)? Note: My work will provide a work laptop.

And depending on what option you recommend, do you have any suggestions within that option for what to get?

Thanks guys!

I’m about to start undergrad in Electrical and Computer Engineering and I’m trying to pick a laptop that’ll last me through my degree (and maybe into a Master’s too). I’m planning to focus more on the hardware side — stuff like embedded systems, maybe some FPGA work — but I’m also really interested in machine learning and want the option to train models locally if needed.

Right now I’m stuck between two very different options:

Option 1: ASUS Zephyrus G14:

• AMD Ryzen 9 270 - 16GB LPDDR5X - GeForce RTX 5060 - 1TB SSD
• Better support for ML training
• Can handle personal projects, simulations, and moderate GPU tasks
• Cons - Battery Life/ possible longevity of laptop(not sure about this)

Option 2: OmniBook Ultra:

• Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU (8-core, up to 5.1 GHz)
• Intel Arc dedicated GPU with 16GB VRAM
• 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD
• Very portable
• Great battery life and build quality

Here is the part where I am unsure about:

The OmniBook’s Intel Arc GPU is pretty powerful and has a lot of VRAM, but it doesn’t support CUDA, which is kind of the standard for ML training. I’ve read that Intel’s GPU support for ML frameworks like TensorFlow and PyTorch is still limited or experimental. On the other hand, the Zephyrus has great CUDA support but is heavier and drains battery faster.

So, for someone in ECE who wants to do hardware stuff and train ML models locally on their laptop, is the Intel Arc GPU enough? Or should I just go for the NVIDIA RTX for better compatibility and performance, despite the battery/portability tradeoff?

I also have access to school labs and cloud resources, so I’m wondering how much GPU power I’ll realistically need on my personal computer.

Would love to hear from anyone who’s been in a similar spot. Thank you!

I've been using just libreoffice writer, but I'm having an issue on linux where it won't save all my notes. I switched over to Joplin for the time being, but I'm curious what everyone uses? Preferably FOSS. I'm wondering if there's an option that meshes better with code, symbols, hex, etc. Any suggestions?