Yes, I used to be a Boy Scout, and I think I earned about six Merit Badges. Did they have an Electricity or Electronics Merit Badge back in 1954? Probably, but I did not earn that one. I did pass swimming, though. So how can we get kids interested in electronics these days when there are no heathkits?
Well, I got some fun ideas. Let's look at the figure. We take an audio signal—such as one from a function generator, or a radio, or a record player, or a CD player. We patch it into the input of the amplifier network. Then we patch the output into an ordinary audio amplifier (Hi-Fi set) and listen to it. Depending on what components we insert into the amplifier stage, what does the output sound like?
If you put in weird capacitors, what does that sound like? If you add a diode or two, what does that sound like? If you make filters—low-pass, bandpass, or notch—does that sound pretty weird?
What if you scrape a grounded file across the terminals? Raspy, eh?? Filters? Oscillators? Refer to my Web site, www.national.com/rap, and search on "RAP's Merit Badge Workbook" for various recommended circuits. Do they sound weird? I hope so!
If you can borrow an oscilloscope, and you look at the waveforms, does the observed waveform make sense in terms of the audio weirdness? I have thought of several ways that I wanted to get kids involved with audio and with electronics as a hobby, and this is the best idea I have come up with so far.
Can they use a "solderless breadboard?" Oh, sure, this is one case where the impedances and frequencies are moderate, so the limitations of the "solderless breadboard" at high frequencies aren't harmful.
Do the Boy Scouts already have an Electronics Merit Badge? I am sure they do. I'll go search it out and try to understand it. But I think my ideas will be fun for the young experimenter. You can't get hurt—or electrocuted. You probably won't become deaf. I think even a Boy Scout who does not know a lot about electronics can learn and have fun with these experiments. And a kid who is not a Boy Scout can have fun, too!
BOB'S MAILBOX Dear Bob: You ask "How many engineers who designed things in 1980 are still ALIVE?" (electronic design, March 15, p. 20). Millions! I am in touch with many of my contemporaries who are alive and kicking vigorously. (Okay, of course you are right. I was just overacting! However, a lot of guys who designed things in 1980 have changed companies, died, retired, etc. My point is that you can't have great confidence in finding such people. /rap) I have on hand an RF signal generator that I designed in 1944. (Yeah, but have you had to replace some of the electrolytics? Maybe so. /rap)
I was still designing in 1980 and for several more years. Later, I tried to keep other engineers from making the all-too-common mistakes with which I was familiar, including failure to read the footnotes of a specification sheet. My last design was a couple of battery-operated emergency lights at home to turn on automatically in case of a power failure. Later I'll tell you about my 10,000-V ac test setup and my recent tests on insulation and the only human volunteer I could get—me.
Matthew W. Slate (via e-mail)
Pease: Yeah, you might not get ME to volunteer. I hope you had a helper nearby to (A) turn off the power switch, (B) give some artificial respiration, and (C) call the emergency rescue team if needed!
Comments invited! rap@galaxy.nsc.com —or: Mail Stop D2597A, National Semiconductor P.O. Box 58090, Santa Clara, CA 95052-8090
RAP has a workable idea, but it could be expressed more generally as creating within youth the desire to learn for oneself. "What if I touch this wire to that connector pin?" or "How long is a piece of string?" The art of asking questions of youth is disappearing in parents -- too much 'telling' and not enough 'asking' (with an air of mystery, of course). Try it sometime! --wb
Anonymous -April 18, 2006
Bob -- Yeah, there are some of us old-timers still around. I remember the 709 and 741 ... so I can picture you setting up experiments using amplifiers (though I couldn't find your "MB" article at your Web site). But how many youngsters are growing up familiar with electricity and electronics? If you exclude computers and games, not many in junior high school are gaining facility and interest in electrical stuff. This results in too few American students going into engineering. So, I think Ralph's comments point to a neat way for us "older engineers" to contribute to the next generation. The kits and instructions in the emeritbadge program would be great for use with kids from 5th throuth 9th grade, to develop an interest and confidence in electronics, and hopefully the curiosity to continue learning more. School teachers, parents of home-schooled youth, clubs, and (yes) Girl and Boy Scout units, can reduce technophobia and set our children on a path that familiarizes them with basic physics, experimental techniques, and a willingness to try something new.
I was in Boy Scouts back in the '50's and remember winding a coil of wire around iron nails to make a motor that would spin -- NEAT! How about getting local engineers to get a few of the kits that Ralph describes and helping a teacher develop an in-school or after-school program for kids to learn about electricity? There are similar programs for Ham radio (I'm KM6LH ...) and of course a Radio Merit Badge booklet that can teach the basics.
Paul Wesling -December 13, 2004
I can answer many of the authors questions. The Electricity Merit Badge is one of the original merit badges from 1911. Over 600,000 scouts earned the Electricity Merit Badge between 1911 and 2001. The Electronics Merit Badge first appeared in 1963. Over 130,000 scouts earned the Electronics Merit Badge between 1963 and 2001.
IEEE is playing a major role globally to get kids interested in electricty, electronics and computers. To most peoples suprise, I have recently found that Heathkit still exists and many of these people are adult Boy Scouts. The IEEE has a new pre-college technology education program titled emeritbadges.org. The mission of the IEEE emeritbadges.org Project is to provide a global non-discriminatory pre-college technology education program for boys and girls. Information about the program and instructional material for the Electricity and the Electronics Merit Badges can be found at the site.
One of our projects is to organize the IEEE Electronics Merit Badge Booth at the 2005 National Scout Jamboree in Caroline County, VA from 25 July 2005 to 3 August 2005. We still need over 200 part-time volunteers to help with this event. The Jamboree will be attend by over 35,000 scouts, 5,000 leaders and over 15,000 daily visitors. The scouts working on the Electronics Merit Badge at the Jamboree will be able to build an electronic kit. You can view the kit schematic at www.emeritbadges.org. We are revising this schematic to include a microproccessor. We will be spending over $15,000 to develop 1,000 of these kits. If any of your readers would be interested in donating components and batteries, the help would be appreciated.
We have wide support for the project and have received the following grants; IEEE Regional Activities Board $25,000, IEEE Foundation $25,000, IEEE Richmond Section $1,595 and the Dominion Foundation $7,500.
We are also working with the Girl Scouts to develop a program for Girls. Currently we have two women, one who is a current local Girl Scout Council President and past President of SWE (Society of Women Engineers) and another that is a past President of a local Girl Scout Council. We are also working on a 30-minute high energy presentation of careers in technical fields that will be introduced at the Jamboree.
FYI, the IEEE has been sponsoring either the Electricity or Electronics Merit Badge Booths at the National Scout Jamboree, which are held every four years, since 1981. In 2004 the IEEE conducted peer-reviews of the new Electricity and Electronics Merit Badge pamphlets.
If you are interested in learning more about the IEEE emeritbadges.org Project, please let me know.
Thanks, Ralph W. Russell, II Project Manager IEEE "emeritbadges.org" Project emeritbadges@ieee.org http://www.emeritbadges.org 804-283-0198
Ralph W. Russell, II -December 13, 2004
Hello...Do you remember the inductive AM radio? My grandpa gave me one, probably in about 1965, that looked like a little rocket. It had one wire with an alligator clip to fasten to the metal frame on any lamp and a small adjustable antenna sticking out of the nose cone, as I recall. I don't remember how it was tuned. I sure wish I had one to hand down to my boy......Dave
Dave Hoelcher -December 12, 2004
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