I was talking to the owner of a DIY forum in China, he sighed that the average age of his registered members is going up every year. What would it be in the next 10 years? Would DIYers become a rare specis in this world?
Age is a privacy matter that I trust no one would like to give them to everyone else. What about we have a poll on the age range of members in diyaudio? Let say, in the following groups:
A. Below and including 30
B. 31-40
C. 41-50
D. 51-60
E. 61-70
F. 71-80
G. 81 onwards
I am in E
Age is a privacy matter that I trust no one would like to give them to everyone else. What about we have a poll on the age range of members in diyaudio? Let say, in the following groups:
A. Below and including 30
B. 31-40
C. 41-50
D. 51-60
E. 61-70
F. 71-80
G. 81 onwards
I am in E
It doesn't matter how long someone is in electronics there is always something new to learn. That's what keeps it interesting.
I added a poll as that seems to be the most sensible way of doing this. I tried to make it private, but it says it is public. Not sure what's up with that...edit: poll is now private
(of course if people want to say which age group they are in, or their actual age) then they may do so in the thread.
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I got started in Jr. High installing Happy's and us doublers in Atari8 bit floppy drives. Got into diy audio around 28-29 for 8 years or so. Got into cars after that, eventually getting into GM fuel injection hacking and back around to audio about 2-3 years ago.
My audio tastes have definitely changed. Used to be into set, horns, and anti-solid state the first half of my diy career. Now I spend a lot of time with tube push pull and use ss a lot to support those projects. Have yet to do a full solid state project or design but it's probably just a matter of time now, isn't it? I'm 45 in a few weeks. Pretty sure this is a lifetime hobby but there will probably be more stretches where I'm not diying and might not even have a system set up. I think breaks are a good thing. The scene changed a lot during my time away. That helped me come back with a fresh perspective and open mind. I'm glad I'm not so limited in my tastes now.
People seem to lament over diy dying but I just don't see it. Look at how big the maker movement is. That just didn't exist in 2000, at least not at the magnitude it does now. Arduino is in elementary schools. A whole new generation is falling in love with diy as I type this. They think this stuff is just as cool as we do.
We need to be more patient with newbs. Nuture their interest. That's the biggest challenge I see on sites like this. I wish I had a better way to connect with local people without driving hours.
My audio tastes have definitely changed. Used to be into set, horns, and anti-solid state the first half of my diy career. Now I spend a lot of time with tube push pull and use ss a lot to support those projects. Have yet to do a full solid state project or design but it's probably just a matter of time now, isn't it?
I'm 45 in a few weeks. Pretty sure this is a lifetime hobby but there will probably be more stretches where I'm not diying and might not even have a system set up. I think breaks are a good thing. The scene changed a lot during my time away. That helped me come back with a fresh perspective and open mind. I'm glad I'm not so limited in my tastes now.People seem to lament over diy dying but I just don't see it. Look at how big the maker movement is. That just didn't exist in 2000, at least not at the magnitude it does now. Arduino is in elementary schools. A whole new generation is falling in love with diy as I type this. They think this stuff is just as cool as we do.
We need to be more patient with newbs. Nuture their interest. That's the biggest challenge I see on sites like this. I wish I had a better way to connect with local people without driving hours.
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I do not know if this similar poll-thread thread on another forum is visible to strangers.
Hoffman Amplifiers Forum, poll about your age
It may be a member-only section but I doubt Doug minds posting the result:
1 to 20 - 4 (0.7%)
20 to 29 - 37 (6.1%)
30 to 39 - 103 (16.9%)
40 to 49 - 138 (22.6%)
50 to 59 - 224 (36.7%)
60 to 69 - 96 (15.7%)
70 to 79 - 7 (1.1%)
80 to 99 - 0 (0%)
Hoffman Amplifiers Forum, poll about your age
It may be a member-only section but I doubt Doug minds posting the result:
1 to 20 - 4 (0.7%)
20 to 29 - 37 (6.1%)
30 to 39 - 103 (16.9%)
40 to 49 - 138 (22.6%)
50 to 59 - 224 (36.7%)
60 to 69 - 96 (15.7%)
70 to 79 - 7 (1.1%)
80 to 99 - 0 (0%)
You're also getting forgetful
I am 60.
I also remember the days of waiting for the postie to come from Maplin with my components in the early 1980's.
Getting excited as I opened my parcel.
Then the feeling of let down as I read the list of things that were out of stock !
Maplin have really gone downhill on components. I tried to order some capacitors online. The listings include neither lead pitch or voltage so the listing is useless. They are expensive too.
Still Maplin are useful for the quick odd missing component and are about a mile from me.
I used to live in Erdington, Birmingham, a five minute walk from Maplin. When they didn't have items in stock they would deliver free of charge. I used to get stuff when they were mail order only and it was a pain filling in the order form. Their first catalogue was the one with a picture of concorde I believe.
I'm turning 51 in a few weeks, and IIRC I joined the electronics club in high school in grade 8, so about 38 years or so. I was a bit of a screw up at first, more than some, less than others. I remember rigging up a chain that went guitar -> boombox -> tube console to overdrive the tubes and get a real crunch sound, that sticks in my mind.
I am 60. Among the majority. I grew up when everything was point to point, through hole. Kind of SMD started, when I was a student, and worked in thick film IC laboratory of Institute of Semiconductor Devices. Special equipment was needed to make such things.
Now, the majority is surface mounted, and hard to DIY.
Now, the majority is surface mounted, and hard to DIY.
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Hi, I guess I'm one of those folks mentioned in the earlier posts about getting on in years. I have been involved in electronics diy since I was 13 and still going strong at 71. Passive, vacuum tube, solid state, SMT, PCB, all fine with me. I do use a magnifier on some though. DIY in wood, plastic, metal and what ever else strikes my fancy as well. I see no reason to stop. I also do commercial electronic design and support. I figure you are as old as you believe you are and that age in itself is no limitation to what you can do.
I think its important as you get older to keep physically and mentally active.
I walk every day and do some mental work be it electronics or an online course. As they say "use it or lose it".
I turned 29 yesterday. I started building computers when I was 8, did my first solder job when I was 13-14 years old installing a mod chip in my Playstation 2 (around 20 wires soldered to the legs of various SMD chips.)
Turned my focus over to motorcycles and cars when I turned 16 and did't get back to electronics before 2015 when I got sick of over priced hifi gear and built the Honey Badger.
Turned my focus over to motorcycles and cars when I turned 16 and did't get back to electronics before 2015 when I got sick of over priced hifi gear and built the Honey Badger.
wow a ps2 mod at 13-14. thats ballsy even if its the fat model. Though not as difficult as a mod job on the ps2 lite which after getting the chip I whimpered like a little girl after seeing how small the pins were on the main IC.
I gave up and bought a 1st gen xbox. best modded console ever. Never seen GTA SA displayed on any other device including the PC quite like it was done on the XBOX.
I gave up and bought a 1st gen xbox. best modded console ever. Never seen GTA SA displayed on any other device including the PC quite like it was done on the XBOX.
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