If you are looking to enter into the wide world of electronics, you are going to want to learn about the basic tools and principals about electronics. To start, I highly recommend Dave Jones’ “EEV Blog” on YouTube, and his 3 part introductory series to the electronics world. He covers tools, through-hole soldering, and surface mount soldering. Check it out below.

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5Sb21qbpEQ 
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYz5nIHH0iY
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9FC9fAlfQE

The one thing I disagree with Dave on however, is that you need to purchase high-quality expensive tools upfront to make good solder joints– its simply not true. When you get to the point where you thoroughly enjoy electronics work, only then should you consider taking the next step of in skill by buying professional tools to hone your craft. 

Below I have hand picked my recommendations for the best set of entry-level tools and projects that wont break the bank. With these tools you will be able to do any of the DIY kits listed below, or follow a guide and create your own specialty circuits from scratch!

The Tools:

Firstly you will need soldering tools for the electronics work, then further down the road a multi-meter for taking measurements will be useful. The tools you should get are down below if you want to get into electronics, quick and dirty. I’ve listed Dave’s recommendations from the video below as well if you are seriously interested in pursuing small electronics.  

This solder does have a lead content included and as such you should be aware of the health effects of lead. 

The Projects:

Finally, the best part about learning a new skill, is using it for something useful! Many people choose to start with kits and fun projects– theses are perfect to wet your apatite. These kits are entry-level and designed to test your ability to solder and troubleshoot circuits. You will learn a knowledge of components, their function, and how to use your tools to create projects. Once you have fundamental knowledge in the area, you can choose any direction in your electrical work.

I recommend purchasing an arduino along with a kit of pre-built components kit to learn about specific devices such as stepper motors, near field communications devices, LED/LCD displays, and much more. Using an arduino will also teach you programming at an entry level, and will make your devices come alive with a computer.

You could also stick to component-level circuits, and replicate diagrams for timers, flashers, buzzers and more. You will use these circuits together to create more advanced creations!

In the end, its pretty hard to go wrong when learning a new skill. Even if you fail at first, any exposure to electronics is helping you on your way. Don’t forget that there are plenty of free online resources to help you learn and understand electrical circuits. Search around the internet for open source projects or circuit diagrams that interest you and run with them! There is no better way to learn than by doing. You’ll be on your way to building electronics in no time.  

In the modern world, we are creatures of data. We collect, consume, and produce data every day using computers. The process behind storage of information depends on the type of storage built into your device. In this article you will find an overview of each main type of storage used for data management today, and a little bit about how they work. 

It is important to note that data redundancy is just as important as the type of storage you choose. Read about best practices for backups to ensure you will never lose important data.

Hard Disk Drives:

Hard Disk Drives are the older of the two technologies, dating back to 1956. These types of drives contain a glass or aluminum disk that is coated with a magnetic alloy that spins at high speeds (7200rpm). This platter is where all of the information is stored, as either positive or negative polarity. A part called the ‘head’ both reads and writes information to the platter as it rotates. All these moving parts make HDD’s fail in many ways, mostly related to age or physical abuse.  When HDD’s do fail however, if the platter is in-tact, only the broken component needs to be replaced to recover the data.

Data read/write speeds on HDD’s are slower because the device must wait for the platter and head to be in the correct position. Sometimes HDD’s (especially older ones) can be noisy when the internal components actuate. The upside is that these devices are much cheaper per GB than SSD’s.

Solid-State Drives:

Solid-state drives are relatively new into the storage scene. These types of drives use ‘flash’ memory to store your information in ‘blocks’ of electrical circuitry. Flash memory is non-volatile, meaning it can be removed from power and will retain the information stored inside of it. The device is completely electrical, so data reads/writes happen instantaneously and silently. Also, because there are no moving parts to disrupt, SSD’s are less prone to failure if they are dropped, submerged, or in otherwise harsh conditions. When SSD’s do fail, they usually show indications of failure before the drive stops working. Data is usually irrecoverable if the drive is severely damaged. 

Magnetic Tapes:

Reminiscent of cassettes and VHS tapes, magnetic tapes offer cost effective offline backups for enterprise environments. With advancements in information density, tape storage has increased to upwards of 12 thousand gigabytes (12 TB) per cartridge. Although tape storage is slower, once you have created the media, it consumes no electricity and is disconnected from the computer. The offline nature of the data is “air-gap” security against cyber-attacks.

“Cloud” Storage:

The cloud is simply someone else’s computer that you have agreed to connect to and use. These cloud computers have their own storage and processing power, running services like Google Drive, iCloud, One-Drive, Drop-Box, or really any website. Cloud storage uses the same technologies in this list specifically chosen for their need. 

To address your specific storage needs, get in touch with us today to discuss your unique storage needs. 

 

By Layne Harris — Updated October 2018

Deciding on the right external hard drive for you needs can be difficult when there are so many on the market. This guide will explain the main differences between drives, when you should choose one over another, and present the best up-to-date deals on external storage! Let’s dive in. 

If you want to skip right to the best drives available today, click here. 

Whats the difference?

The technology that a storage device uses is one of the main features you should look for while shopping. Luckily there are really only two categories: a Hard Disk Drive (HDD), and a Solid-State Drive (SSD).

Here’s what you need to know about how the two stack up:

Both types of drives come in varying storage sizes, with cost per GB depending on the type and drive; more on this later. Also note that even though SSD’s fail less than HDD’s, both types have been known to fail. The best way to prevent losing important data is to have proper backups! If you want to learn more about the inner workings behind these storage types, read more here.

Which do I choose?

Both types of drives do the same basic job, but SSD’s and HDD’s are both suited for a particular type of computing. The first step is recognizing your use for an external drive. From the descriptions below, choose one of the products below that best matches your need!

. . . at Work!

If your device is shared with many people for data intensive applications, such as moving large files frequently, you will absolutely want the speed and durability of an external SSD. 

If you are looking to store project data in one place to be accessed by multiple people over a network, contact us to receive a personalized storage plan tailored to you. If you are a small business or organization, you can use a consumer level network access server (NAS) to set up a simple mass storage system in your home or office. Ask about our device setup services for complete support in installing a NAS.

. . . at Home!

For office or home use where the drive will remain stationary to extend the storage of a device,  you will be fine using a HDD for a cheap cost per GB of storage. These are great for storing converted movies, an archive of documents and pictures, or any other large volume of data. Be cautious moving these drives as a bad fall can render the drive dead.

. . . on the Go!

If you are looking for a storage device to use as a travel companion, on the go or otherwise used away from a stationary locations, SSD’s. You can be sure these devices will last under the stresses of daily life. They are at least 5x faster than HDD’s, but newer M.2 SSD’s are pushing 50x faster than HDD’s
 (5Gb/s throughput). Because SSD’s also have no moving parts, they are very durable

HDD’s have been used as the most popular storage type for many years.