I need to find a soldering project for a twenty something girl. I would like it to do something at least remotely useful/interesting.
Anybody have any suggestions?
Thanks!
Soldering projects for girls
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OK, Michael.. What is special about girls and soldering?
http://www.adafruit.com/category... a brain machine.
Or a pencil that makes music http://www.adafruit.com/products....
Might be others at that site of interest.
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There are few "Flickering Candle" projects with few parts and coin cell IIRC. Pure soldering no PCB and big fun methinks. Mood lights could also be in the focus of interest (esp. retrofitting generic light into RBG).
JohanEkdahl wrote:
OK, Michael.. What is special about girls and soldering?
I suppose I should have mentioned that it was for girls with little interest/knowledge about engineering.
Hoping for something that would actually appeal to a girl that isn't interested in engineering - so most standard soldering kits need not apply :)
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Maybe the right toolkit is a good start? Don't know where to get a pink soldering iron though. :lol:
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nleahcim wrote:
Hoping for something that would actually appeal to a girl that isn't interested in engineering - so most standard soldering kits need not apply :)
If this is to woo a friend? :wink:
Just show her this:
http://hackaday.com/2011/03/16/l...
If that doesn't stimulate some interest in engineering, then nothing will.
nleahcim wrote:
Michael,
I need to find a soldering project for a twenty something girl. I would like it to do something at least remotely useful/interesting.Anybody have any suggestions?
I am confused (nothing unusual). Your title says "girls". Your text refers to a 20 something woman. Very different in my book. But more importantly ... why? Is she seeking this exercise ... in which case she must have something to contribute to the specification. So far the answers have all been somewhat sterotypically sexist IMHO. Yes, she may be attracted to flickering candles, but then again she may prefer a POV for her dirt bike. I suggest that you find out IF she is interested and then in what.
Cheers,
Ross (who concluded a long time ago that you cannot force anyone to be interested in my hobbies; it's a gift :lol: )
valusoft wrote:
So far the answers have all been somewhat sterotypically sexist IMHO.
:( Sexist?
Ross, how can you consider my post to infer a sexist attitude?
I have worked with quite a few female engineers that could put some of the best male engineers to shame. That is why I gave the link to Limor Fried's (ladyada) Wired magazine photo.
My comment
Quote:
If that doesn't stimulate some interest in engineering, then nothing will.
was meant to show that the sexist engineering barriers and stereotypes are finally eroding away. I probably could have chosen the wording a little differently, but it certainly was not in any way intended to be sexist.
My first comment in that post was just to tease Michael.
valusoft wrote:
Ross (who concluded a long time ago that you cannot force anyone to be interested in my hobbies; it's a gift :lol: )
How very true. :)
Last Edited: Mon. Jun 27, 2011 - 02:50 AM
Soldering is the boring part though. I got interested because I wanted to make a guitar effects pedal, and the reason I stayed awake through all the analog stuff at uni was because I was applying it to that in my head. I was miles ahead of most people, simply because I had a light at the end of the tunnel and I wasn't just trying to find my way through in the dark.
valusoft wrote:
nleahcim wrote:Michael,I need to find a soldering project for a twenty something girl. I would like it to do something at least remotely useful/interesting.Anybody have any suggestions?
I am confused (nothing unusual). Your title says "girls". Your text refers to a 20 something woman. Very different in my book. But more importantly ... why? Is she seeking this exercise ... in which case she must have something to contribute to the specification. So far the answers have all been somewhat sterotypically sexist IMHO. Yes, she may be attracted to flickering candles, but then again she may prefer a POV for her dirt bike. I suggest that you find out IF she is interested and then in what.
Cheers,
Ross (who concluded a long time ago that you cannot force anyone to be interested in my hobbies; it's a gift :lol: )
It's debatable when a girl becomes a woman, IMHO. Most of my friends that are my age (mid twenties) refer to girls our age as girls.
The soldering project is for my girlfriend, who told me that she wants to learn how to solder. She has pretty typical girly interests. Very into music and photography. Not so much into electronics :)
I'm hoping to find something she can build and feel like she has accomplished something. I'm thinking a nixie clock could be fun for her - it'd be a useful device (well, somewhat useful) and would be a good conversation piece.
edit: $100 for this seems very reasonable. Assembly looks fairly simple.
KitCarlson wrote:
http://www.adafruit.com/category... a brain machine.
Or a pencil that makes music http://www.adafruit.com/products....Might be others at that site of interest.
Ah good suggestions! The pencil seems fun - too bad the sound from it is somewhat unpleasant. I wonder if a simple synthesizer might be fun?
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Quote:
hmmm then maybe get her to make jewellery using silver or gold soldering. :wink:
She has pretty typical girly interests.
I was going to suggest a Therimin kit when I came across this. This one is not a solder kit, but there are solder kit Therimins available.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Analog-Synth...
Hear it in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4...
This guy must have practiced for days to be able to move the stylus just the right distance to get the notes right.
@Michael
OK, music interests could perhaps be met with this from Sparkfun. Yes, you would need an Arduino, but the "solderable" aspect could be to add a small power amp to the shield's prototype area in support of a non-earphone means of hearing the music. Should be a relatively short time to a result which should reinforce the experience.
And for photography ... perhaps a diy remote shutter release.
My "I suggest that you find out IF she is interested and then in what." supports Cameron's comment about having a light at the end of the tunnel to motivate the activity.
@Larry
Apologies. I guess I was primed by the candles and pink toolkits. I agree that an engineer's gender should have no bearing on their skill levels. I sure have worked with some "pockets in an undershirt" male engineers.
There are a number of kits out there. Pretty much put the part in the hole and solder. You know, wireless microphone kinds of things. One of those kit makers has been around for aeons, Ramsey, I think.
Jim
Hi Ross, Apology accepted, and please accept mine. Sorry, I didn't mean to get so defensive.
larryvc wrote:
Ditto ... including the pm'd anecdotes.
Hi Ross, Apology accepted, and please accept mine. Sorry, I didn't mean to get so defensive.
Cheers,
Ross
I can't help with soldering projects for photography, but I guess some kind of light meter would be in order. Or some other way of interacting with the camera somehow, like building a infrared remote for triggering the shot, but you would need to clone an existing remote bitstream or otherwise get info about it from the internet.
For music, many items comes to mind, as I am somewhat into music myself. Anything with MIDI perhaps, different kind of sensors could trigger some notes or controller change events. Or a synthesizer like already suggested. Even a doorbell that plays a tune? Or some guitar etc tuning device?
Not the season yet, but I once made software for gingerbread house automation system, that you control over IR remote or Bluetooth serial port. It had FETs for blinking a lot of LEDs, and PWM outputs to drive servos for example opening a door or rotating a disco ball. Also a PWM output with FET for driving a speaker, for playing that good old Jingle Bells tune. I learned a lot about Mega128 while having fun.
Quote:
having a light at the end of the tunnel
OT: The weekend before the last I got a t-shirt upon which was imprinted (in Swedish, my translation below)
Quote:
Don't be too optimistic - the light at the end of the tunnel could be a train...".
Attributed to Franz Kafka, but I have not been able to confirm it yet.
As you where..
I have also seen one that said "The light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off"
As you were ... also... :lol:
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People who are clinically dead see a "light at the end of the tunnel" apparently. :?
JohanEkdahl wrote:
Attributed to Franz Kafka, but I have not been able to confirm it yet.
No, Robert Lowell.
Last Edited: Mon. Jun 27, 2011 - 08:25 AM
js wrote:
People who are clinically dead see a "light at the end of the tunnel" apparently. :?
Some beleive that this is the experience of the soul almost awakening in a new life. Transmigration of the soul, not reincarnation.
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hmmm what happens when the person is resuscitated?...nooooo you aint going to get my soul.. :)
That is why they remember the Light. Zohar (some paragraph). :wink:
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Quote:
Some beleive that this is the experience of the soul almost awakening in a new life. Transmigration of the soul, not reincarnation.
I would prefer to think that it is the brain running the, " oh oh.. this is not a good/normal situation algorithm", which is remembered by the host as a lucid dream involving bright light at the end of the tunnel. When the algorithm resolves the situation, life continuous.
l'chaim is not "to life", as Zero Mostel said, it is literally "to lives", this one and many more.
Let's hope we all stay in good health and enjoy this life for now. Good night (or whatever time it is for you) to all.
Back on topic.
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A nice exercise for soldering is actually desoldering. Give the GF a nice board with lots of pretty components & tell her how much all the components were worth. You will be amazed how much she will enjoy it and it wont cost you a cracker.
OTOH if she builds a kit, her not doing it to your high standards will cause all sorts of trouble which might be quite damaging to your relationship.
What skill will she teach you. Watch out it might be knitting booties!
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She's not going to do what I think she's going to do with that hammer is she? :shock: :shock: :shock:
Safety Glasses???
Yes, I know it is primarily an implosion, but as anyone who has ever broken a CRT tube knows non-safety glass shards go everywhere!
JC
Let's see, where is my number for OSHA?...
JC
larryvc wrote:
She's not going to do what I think she's going to do with that hammer is she? :shock: :shock: :shock:
My guess is she is not going to blow it to pieces, she is going to break the very small air hole that allows the tube to fill in in a controlled way, so it does not implode later.
The health and safety at work aspect of that picture is shocking - SHOCKING! Something must be done at once! That man on the right is smoking a cigarette, putting his fellow workers in mortal danger from second-hand smoke! Won't somebody think of the children?
no interest in electronics?...try jewelry soldering!
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=jewelry+soldering&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=7675557629713133495&sa=X&ei=JRkJTsTEK7G10AGfuLiHAQ&ved=0CFwQ8wIwAg# :roll:
Ross, are you out there, see bluegoo's post. :lol:
Yep Larry ... almost awake. No I don't need a necklace ... :lol:
It seems to me everybody wants plumbing. That's the business to be in.
the subject of soldering something other than electronics made me think also of "leaded glass"...you know where they take pieces of colored glass and solder them together as art or whatever using lead.....now that the some of the planet has adopted ROHS does that mean there is no more leaded glass things being made?
anyway maybe "leaded glass" or whatever they use today may be a soldering project she could be interested in..especially if she enjoys art and crafts....
bluegoo wrote:
()there is no more leaded glass things being made?
It seems ROHS applies only to mass production of electronics. If it is an art or hobby and the lead in it is inevitable(for whatever reason) I think you can still freely use it .
LilyPad Arduino Manual wrote:
WashabilityWash at your own risk - we do ;). We recommend washing projects by hand with a mild detergent. Drip dry. Make sure you remove your power supply first!
And do not wring it out!
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I have seen leaded glass jewelry boxes.