Are most people here Electrical/Electronics engineers?

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Will
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Re: Are most people here Electrical/Electronics engineers?

Post by Will »

Everyone is correct - this is a great board ! I was interested to see frequent use of the word 'professional' without anyone claiming to be one and several saying they were not one ? - I don't mean to start a war but I would like to know just what everyone thinks constitutes a 'professional' I think I am one -Then again a question of - according to whose rules ?) but neither in electronics nor in computers Will
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chessman
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Re: Are most people here Electrical/Electronics engineers?

Post by chessman »

Hell my definition of "professional" is:<p>Specializing in one area, getting paid to work in that area.
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Re: Are most people here Electrical/Electronics engineers?

Post by gadgeteer »

I'm supPOSED to be an electronic engineer. Worked for the same company ~8 years, they were bought out. I was canned. Hired back, whole department canned, everybody canned, building sold. We were steamed that the new company pretended "this was just market driven, we DID not PLAN this from the BEGINNING. Yeah right.<p>So if anybody knows of a JOB...<p>My dad was a mechanical engineer, at a prominent American airline company (we won't say which one). Sister and brother both went medical (registered nurses)---but I like the fact that if MY patient dies, I can just put a new TRANSISTOR in it... And there's SO much less blood. Which of course belongs to me; never seem to be able to build something without bleeding a litte. Might be the "Klutz-Factor". Worst incident involved an Exacto (some people should never be allowed to use certain tools), and a crystal clock; I wanted a different frequency. Blade ended up in my hand---perfed a VEIN. I was a little disconcerted over the speed and volume of bleeding. Asked the receptionist where the company nurse was---well, it seems my colleague had been teasing her with a tube of Halloween "Vampire Blood"---so she just nodded at my shop-towel-wrapped-hand, smiled knowingly and said: "Right. Go away."<p>"No, really! Where's the nurse?"
"Right. Get lost, take a hike."<p>--------------------------------
SAAAYYYYY---has everyone heard about the person who had a sex-change, and became a NUN? They gave "her" a talk-show! WHAT?!?! You've never heard of TRANS-SISTER-RADIO???<p>(Hyuh hyuh hyuh...)<p>[ March 10, 2003: Message edited by: gadgeteer ]</p>
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Bob Scott
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Re: Are most people here Electrical/Electronics engineers?

Post by Bob Scott »

Hi Guys,<p>My background has been in electronics for the last 33 years, even though I do not have a technical diploma. I started out as a technician for an electronics retail store back Winnipeg in 1970. I worked my way up through industrial electronic maintenance (early Sony reel-to-reel VTRs) which got me an offer from the local CTV network station, repairing and maintaining broadcast video electronics.<p>Then in 1984 I couldn't stand the intense cold anymore, so I moved my family to Vancouver where I worked for CKVU TV. Their employees went on strike while I was taking a training course at Ampex in Redwood City, CA. When I got back I applied to the local cable company community channel and got a job there for more money. 8 years later I got downsized and at my age, became unemployable because I'm "overqualified". Apparently anybody over 40 is overqualified. During this lull I took the opportunity to get a Business Administration diploma.<p>Now I work as a contractor in Silicon Valley working for a corporation that makes wafer inspection machines. I do analog engineering and I reverse engineer older electronics that they've lost all documentation for. I also do private contracting for other companies. Last year I designed a 99.9% efficient DC-AC inverter, got it patented and sold the design to a Canadian company. I wanted to talk about it in this message base but I can't. Everything I do lately is proprietary or covered by a non-diclosure agreement.<p>That's why I haven't been posting much in here lately.<p>Bob ;)
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frhrwa
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Re: Are most people here Electrical/Electronics engineers?

Post by frhrwa »

you know, its a sad state of affairs with so many people out of work and the future not looking so promising.. if your a white male over 40, well, better learn how to pound nails.. too bad electronics has had its ups and downs and been basically given to the foreigners.. when you call tech support nowadays, you get India, and someone that doesn't speak very good English.. THATS where all of our jobs have gone! The US is to busy giving those people the free education, low interest loans, and all the jobs.. while the rest of us pay the tab.. sorry for the down side, but it really pisses me off when I get one on the phone.. :mad:
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Re: Are most people here Electrical/Electronics engineers?

Post by rshayes »

I suppose I qualify as an Electrical Engineer. I have a BS that says Engineering on it, I have a state license as an Electrical Engineer, over 30 years experience as an Electrical Engineer, and I am also unemployed. How overqualified can you get?<p>I have also seen articles in the business magazines that have carefully explained, often to Congress, that there are not enough qualified people to do the design and development work in this country and that it is essential that we import over 100,000 technical people each year to make up the shortage. Due to the present economic conditions, it has become apparent that this is a blatant lie. The new version is that we do not have any "creative" people in this country, and that we must import people from other countries to make up the shortage. I suppose that "creative" and "cheap" mean the same thing in Washington, DC.
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Re: Are most people here Electrical/Electronics engineers?

Post by analogee »

I'm an EE - I design analog circuits for CMOS integrated circuits. This mainly means spending a lot of time in front of a simulator nowadays. But I still like to get in the lab (unlike most in this particular specialty), and enjoy reading about projects in Nuts and Volts. Got started reading it because of the ads for old test equipment.<p>Someone mentioned that there are no other magazines devoted to electronics in the USA. This is not quite true; there are "professional" magazines such as EDN and Electronic Design which are sent to engineers for free if you fill out a card giving your business name and address and your title, etc. But these magazines seem to have little of use to me any more, and VERY little about projects you can build. However, both EDN and Electronic Design have short articles sent in by readers called "Design Ideas" or similar that are sometimes interesting to read. And a lot of people enjoy Bob Pease's column in Electronic Design. He's an old analog designer that designed some classic chips for National Semiconductor, like the LM317.<p>Regards,
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Ron H
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Re: Are most people here Electrical/Electronics engineers?

Post by Ron H »

Hey, Todd, you're a kindred spirit. I also design analog circuits for CMOS ICs (DRAMs - yes, DRAMs have some analog stuff in them). I agree with your assessment of the "professional" magazines. I guess there's some good info there for a lot of engineers, but I immediately turn to Design Ideas and Pease Porridge. I will then peruse the rest of the magazine, but I generally find the ads more interesting than the articles.<p>If anyone is interested, EDN magazine's web site is at http://www.e-insite.net/ednmag/ . You can go to the archives to find Design Ideas in individual issues, or you can click on Tools and Services/Design Ideas for archived Design Ideas dated 6/7/2001 and earlier.
Electronic Design Magazine's site is at http://www.elecdesign.com/ . Navigating their site is pretty self-explanatory.<p>Ron
analogee
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Re: Are most people here Electrical/Electronics engineers?

Post by analogee »

Ron,<p>A RAM designer in Boise. Hmmm, I wonder who you could work for?<p>Have you seen the British "Electronics World" magazine (used to be Wireless World)? It is pretty good for giving useful and detailed design information at the circuit board level. Unfortunately it is kind of spendy to get it in the US.<p>Todd
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bridgen
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Re: Are most people here Electrical/Electronics engineers?

Post by bridgen »

Will asks what people consider to be a professional. <p>It should mean, and certainly used to mean, someone who has a greater depth of knowledge and expertise in a particular field or specialism than does the average person and who earns their income or part of it by applying this expertise for gain. <p>Unfortunately though, the word is so often misused and inapproprately applied nowadays and has come to mean, in practice, anyone who is paid to peform (however competently or otherwise) any specialised task.
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Re: Are most people here Electrical/Electronics engineers?

Post by bwts »

Well Im a rank amatuer (is that how u spell it) but love tinkering with electronics. My main motivation for doing electronics is to control my kenetic sculptures (so Im just as interested in mechanics) but I also love audio electronics. These interests have led me to give up my job and do a degree in Mechatronic engineering (yes thats mechanical and electronic engineering all in one) exaclty what I was after (lucky me) + am now in my 1st year of university at the age of 34 :) <p>B)
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Will
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Re: Are most people here Electrical/Electronics engineers?

Post by Will »

I thought I posted this yesterday - but it didn't seem to take - Again ! - I notice the several references to 'professional' in this section , with a few posters saying they were not one and no one caliming to be one - So, for amusement purposes only, here in the US - exactly what is a 'professional. I think I may have been one but not in electronics, not in computers and not here in the USA
Will
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Joseph
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Re: Are most people here Electrical/Electronics engineers?

Post by Joseph »

My niece's friend has an EE degree, unlike me. He is young which may be one reason why he is employed and working on such projects as switching subwoofer amps. It also helps that his IQ is around 140. <p>Bob, so that explains your scarcity on the board. I don't think my inverter design would be more than 97% efficient. Congratulations on your sucess.
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Re: Are most people here Electrical/Electronics engineers?

Post by Bernius1 »

Professional: smart enough to teach it, but smart enough to get paid instead ?
Hey! If those inverters are that efficient, AND can handle CURRENT, they should be used in a 120V (170V p-p ?) solar panel ass'y. Then we all get the write-off, and enviro-benefits!! Note to Dean H.; Here on L.I.,N.Y., a $500,000.00 house is a high ranch in a 'decent' suburb. They pay about $7,000.00 taxes annually ! Indentured servitude is recurring, eh?
Can't we end all posts with a comical quip?
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Re: Are most people here Electrical/Electronics engineers?

Post by gadgeteer »

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by no_vice:
Professional: smart enough to teach it, but smart enough to get paid instead ?
Hey! If those inverters are that efficient, AND can handle CURRENT, they should be used in a 120V (170V p-p ?) solar panel ass'y. Then we all get the write-off, and enviro-benefits!! Note to Dean H.; Here on L.I.,N.Y., a $500,000.00 house is a high ranch in a 'decent' suburb. They pay about $7,000.00 taxes annually ! Indentured servitude is recurring, eh?
<hr></blockquote>
Who was it that said, "The greatest right of a free people is the right to OWN LAND"? We don't own anymore---we RENT. Miss a couple payments, they WILL take it away from you. But SEVEN GRAND in taxes! You woulda thunk that Hillary woulda FIXED that!!! (DRIPPING with sarcasm...)<p>Obviouly a 99.9% efficient inverter, uses active FETs rather than diodes...<p>Anyone know how to run a solar system without STORAGE BATTERIES???
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