N8VEM project with my son?

[Doc Shipley]

On 7/28/10 7:58 AM, The Pitlog wrote:
> Hi,
>
> My question for you folks is: At what level, and in what order should
> I try to teach some theory to my son? Should I do some background
> before we start soldering sockets and ICs to boards and wiring things
> up, or just jump right in to building?
>
> I've been thinking jump in and fill in the theory as I can as we go
> along. In the end we should have something that looks like an Altair
> with more modern HW: solid state drives, and maybe IDE, but still has
> a front panel and which runs traditional CP/M 2.2. I have lots of old
> software to run there, languages, editors, games, etc.
>
> Have any of you tried something like this with your children?
> Experiences and wisdom gratefully accepted!


   I've done other craftish things with my son, who is now almost 30, and
I'm going to answer this from a somewhat different point of view.

   He's probably doing this because you want him to and because he'd like
to do something with his dad.  If he's excited about it at all, it's
probably because you are.

   What I would do - what I did with Josh - is do the N8VEM kit, and use
the assembly time to explain what's interesting about it to *you*, and
why it's interesting to you.  You'll be able to tell as you go what's
catching him and what's not.

  If he's into it, go on with the theory and software end.  If not, but 
he seems to enjoy the hardware side, there are some very cool Arduino 
projects out there, for example that display CPU load and/or temp on 
analog dial gauges.  Cut him loose on the web and let *him* pick the 
next project.

   Worst case, if none of it really catches his interest, you and he 
have some quality time, he gets to learn a little about how his Pop 
ticks, and he's left with a cool souvenir of the whole adventure.


	Doc