Note to Parents, Teachers and Mentors
I want to start with a respectful nod to practicing embedded systems engineers. Their work takes deep knowledge and a lot of practical judgment. I am not claiming that level of expertise here; these exercises are simply a safe, approachable place for students to try the basics and see what interests them.
The goal is to provide hands-on exercises about embedded processors for pre-college students. The activities are designed to invite curiosity, experimentation, and learning by doing. Parents, grandparents, youth organization leaders, and mentors may find these lessons useful for introducing young people to how small computers can sense, decide, and control things in the real world.
By way of background, the author is a degreed electronics engineer with more than 30 years of experience. Today, embedded processors and electronics are a personal hobby.
America's super-power is 'Engineering'. Do your part by encouraging/mentoring an American child/young adult to explore engineering as a possible career field. Do not let the corporations be right ... they claim to need H1B Visa in order to produce their products. They are only right, if American's are unwilling to do the work. This wonderful youTuber, an Australian, reminds us that people come to America when they want to build stuff and try new things ... it is our freedom and liberty that makes America great. Watch his video (Reef Rebels) and contribute if you can. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Building your own kits
- ensure you order the pi Pico with headers; otherwise, you will need to solder on the pins.
- For resistors, ensure purchase is not for multiple resistor values (unless a variety is desired).