What is it?

I learned, and can do my own, how to manufacture electronic equipment and also how to repair electronic equipments. Manufacturing I mean, from the product concept phase till final physical product. I used to do all the activities alone till getting the final product. The good thing is that the output of whatever I did came as what was expected. This is what I refer my "self education".

How did I learn it?

I had a great love towards electric/electronic equipments. I used to collect all kinds of electrical items (even broken) during my childhood. Even we friends used to play some thing related to electrical area. We make radios, audio players, gramophone audio discs using mud; banana tree's internal part as the tube light; threads prepared from banana tree as the electrical cable; and with fused electrical bulbs & the collected broken electrical items. This was till my 6th standard education.

From my 7th standard, I started doing my great work; directly dealing with the (230V AC) home electric power without knowing anything (even not knowing what is phase and neutral and their implications). I insert/connect whatever electrical item I get-whether it is broken or not, that does not matter for me. By doing that I blown-up our home electric fuse many times. I did all these works secret, because I am afraid of my parents' punishment.

I used to open our home electrical appliances when no one is present in my home. When they come back, the item would be there in the place as it was. I am expert in closing the items (after my own research) and in replacing as it was. I had to plan for such an opportunity that everyone is out of my home except me. I play with electric power line without any fear. The first electric shock (230V AC) I got when I was studying 7th standard. There was no foot wear in my leg and the shock was very strong. I feel down 7 to 8 feet away when I had the electric shock. Nowadays, I am very much careful to touch the electric wire and sometimes afraid to do so.

In my school science subject, I studied ohm's law, hydrolysis etc. I was eager to do/test what is said in my text book. I tried to find out myself what does 1V of voltage, 1A of current means. Obviously it was not possible for a school boy to get the answer. There was no one to answer all my questions. But I did some experiments by passing 230V AC in to water, wood, salt etc. not knowing the concepts.

When I crossed my 8th standard, my fear about my parents got reduced. Also my parents only just warn me whenever I do this kind of work. They got some confident on me, I guess. In fact my parents knew about whatever I had been doing from my childhood that I assumed they did not know. I was the in charge for all electrical maintenance work in our home. From that day till recent, I had been doing all our home's electrical maintenance. I was expert to make fused bulb to glow; to make work broken plugs, broken holders, broken tops; to make use the useless electrical cables.

Because of all these things I got confident in myself. During my H.Sc I used to open all our home appliances (not secretly, in other's presence) and did my analysis & testing. That knowledge helped me to go for other's (public) electronic equipment repair. That was the first time I started working on someone else's electronic equipment. The good thing is, all my works went right. After that I was recognized as a electric/electronic equipment service person. I did not collect any money for my work. I collect only the charge of the component I replaced.

Vivekananda read a big book within a night. The librarian wondered how could Vivekananda read a big book within that short period. Vivekananda's answer was that the basic concept was same for all and so he could read the book within a night. Same way, all the electrical equipment's basic concept is same. I learned that basic concept, that was my plus point.

After my schooling, I happened to visit Kovilpatti town, Tamil Nadu, India. I bought the magazine "Electronics For You (EFY)" first time from Kovilpatti in 1992 for Rs 12. I got very much interest after reading that magazine. After that I started dealing with electronic items like: transistor, diode, resistor, capacitor, integrated circuits (IC) etc. Apart from EFY, I read "Elektor Electronics", "Television For You" magazines and so many books on electronic circuits & equipments.

The knowledge from the electronics subjects of my formal education, all those experience, and the eager to learn, made me to start doing repair and manufacture electrical/electronic equipments. Here I did every thing based on scientific methods, not like the one I did when I was in 7th standard.

I have many stuffs and incidents to write. But this much is sufficient for now, I feel.

More on it

The various steps/process I use in manufacturing an electronic equipment are:

Design: I put the product concept in the form of block diagram. I analyze the block diagram for technical correctness and technical feasibility. And modify the concept and/or block diagram based on the analysis, if required.

Circuit Design: Based on the block diagram, I design the circuit using transistor, IC, diode, capacitor, resistor etc. I analysis the circuit for technical correctness. I estimate the money required to buy the circuit components (which are not available with me). If the estimate goes beyond the money I have (or the money I can find), I modify the circuit components with equivalent items (if I have the equivalent items). And redo the estimate with the new circuit components. If the estimate still goes beyond the money I have, I drop the project there and try to do that in a later point in time (i.e., whenever I get money). If the estimate is less than the money I have (or the money I can generate), go for the next phase.

Testing: Once the circuit components are ready, do a physical testing of the circuit using bread board and the testing equipment/board (which I made). Some of the circuits can not be tested by my testing equipments. For them there is no (this) testing.
Prepare Circuit Board: Based on the circuit diagram, design the circuit board layout. Draw the mirror image of the layout. Draw the same design on the plane copper board using paint. Do all processing (using ferric chloride, nitric acid etc). Clear the board after the process. Remove the paint. Test the circuit board using continuity testing process. Apply varnish on the board and drill wherever required.

Assemble: Solder all the circuit components and make all external components. Do all the external mechanical fitting work. The product is ready. The product would work as expect, no doubt about it and require no testing.

I manufactured products for many of my friends' project work, toys that some one asked for, products based on my idea for my own use, audio system, power supplies etc. I serviced TVs, VCPs, music systems, power supplies, most of the home appliances etc. I do not want to explain my trouble shooting process for the electronic equipment servicing.

The Present

Everything is fine, but I have not been doing this work for quite sometime. When and how can I use my "self education" knowledge for something good.

Do you have anything to say on this, do mail me at tar_amir@yahoo.com