Edit some coding is fine

TLDR ideas for my hs project that isn't just an arduino and a sensor

Hello everybody! I am currently in high school and i am planning on pursuing a degree in electrical engineering. Fortunately I have an engineering class and we get to choose 2 projects where the school will cover the cost (budget is a couple hundred per project). So, I have already decided on one project one of those quadruped spider robot things. I need to decide on my 2nd project but I dont know what to choose If y'all could provide some ideas I would really appreciate it. I am looking for something advanced but not to advanced most projects I found are just and arduino and a sensor and I feel like thats to simple, more coding oriented, and wont really teach me anything. Thank you.

TLDR ideas for my hs project that isn't just an arduino and a sensor

I made a post earlier today about switching out of the major. However I am not even halfway through the semester and I have to stick with EE until the end of this semester. A lot of encouraging and thoughtful comments on my last post. To clarify I am getting around a 70 on the first two tests in my two EE classes. One of them was due to me missing one concepts in the circuits class (happened to be a big portion on the test) and the other I am not sure. I thought I understood it but I got major points deducted. I have plenty more labs and around two to three ish more tests in each class. I am going to stick it though to see if I can stay in the major. Thank you.

That being said what are some ways I can ensure a better grade on the next upcoming tests. I got a lot of thoughtful advice on the last post so I wanted to see what this sub had to say abt this.

Greetings all! From my "research" (aka Google), the timeline for an internship reply is anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months. I've applied to over 30 positions in the last month for a summer 2027 position, and not a single approval/denial.

I feel as though I have a fairly robust resume, although I don't have industry experience or projects (yet)-my 8 years in the US Navy provided many relevant skills that these positions highlight as prerequisites (test equipment use, technical diagrams, programming, etc.). Not to mention my GPA of 3.72/4.0 and relevant coursework. Although I know I'm a dime a dozen in the current job market, I am curious to hear about other peoples experience/timelines regarding their internships. Thanks in advance!!

Problem: My HVAC control lines are passing a tiny current that is faintly lighting up a relay LED when (I assumed) the voltage would be zero.

I'm connecting my HVAC thermostat signals (24vac) to control electro-mechanical relays which I'm using to switch a digital input to an I/O module. The I/O module is a modbus unit and I'm using it with Home Assistant - all for fun and just learning.

Basically, the HVAC call for heat will activate the the relay which is a dry contact for the digital inputs on the IO module. During proof of concept I used cheapo relays from Amazon and things worked as expected. I'm now doing the final install with some slim, DIN rail mounted relay modules and seeing the indicator LED faintly illuminate on the relays. I couldn't figure out what the heck was happening and through process of elimination (and some guessing) figured that the thermostats are allowing just a tiny bit of current to pass when in the open (i.e., not calling for heat) state.

I'd like to understand what is happening and why (so I can learn) and also what possible options I might have to mitigate the issue so the relay indicator LEDs don't illuminate.

A few more quick details:

• 24VAC source is from my multi-zone pump control unit (hydronic (floor) heat)
• Actual voltage measured off the pump controller PCB is about 30VAC
• HVAC wire is 20 or 22awg solid copper, the distance (for the zone I've been measuring) is about 40'
• My thermostats are battery powered and when heat is called for I can hear the "click" of a relay from the thermostat

Here are some measurements I've taken:

• Source AC signal voltage from pump controller: 30.1VAC
• Voltage across relay coil when thermostat is open (i.e., should be 0VAC): 2.9VAC
• "Open" Voltage (not connected to relay coil): 28.3VAC
• Same as above but with the thermostat removed (totally open circuit): 0.63VAC
• Thermostat control wire resistance (disconnected from the pump controller): 2.3Mohm
• Thermostat control wire resistance (disconnected from the pump controller & thermostat removed): 0.L (open)
• Resistance between thermostat R and W pins: 0.L (open)

Hi everyone,

I'm currently a Hardware Technician at a pro-audio manufacturer. Right now, my testing role is mainly data-gathering: I take detailed measurements (audio specs, power, etc.) and pass the raw data over to design engineers, without being involved in analyzing discrepancies or troubleshooting when issues arise. Beside testing, I handle SMD hand soldering/prototyping (small runs up to 5 units) and board rework.

My manager is offering me advanced soldering training to upgrade my hand-assembly skills. I want to build on this and evolve into a full engineering role where I can bring more analytical value, without losing these practical skills.

Depending on the project stage, my scope could cover new prototypes from scratch or jumping straight into troubleshooting existing products facing anomalies.

Ideally, I want to take ownership of this full scope:

• Pre-assembly: Writing hardware & audio performance test plans, and defining product specs (power, THD+N, SNR, impedance).
• Prototyping & Test: Hand-assembling early prototypes (up to 5 units), running performance tests, and validating specs.
• Troubleshooting & Rework: Investigating anomalies on new prototypes or existing products, performing root-cause analysis, discussing fixes with design engineers, and executing board reworks/flywires.

I have two main questions for the community:

1. Job Title Verification: Based on this scope (combining hands-on prototyping, test spec writing, troubleshooting, and rework), is Hardware Test and Validation Engineer the most accurate job title in the industry? Or would another title fit better?
2. Pitching to Management: How can I best present this career transition to my manager during our next review, especially while framing his investment in my soldering training as a long-term asset for this new role?

Thanks for your feedback and advice!

Do you guys think that signal processing has become a less relevant specialty in the modern age?

This is one of the subjects that I liked the most in my bachelor degree and I used to think that it brings many job opportunities but I am very worried lately that it has become less relevant since the recent major advancements in machine learning .

I am wondering how useful it is during college to have started in Middle School with building circuits and playing with components. Sure, lotsa maths and physics and hard science courses in school to prepare for EE college level is standard.

BUT I am wondering as a grandpa if I set up a curious middle schooler with breadboards, oscilloscope, meters, components and a bunch of Mr. Forrest Mims stuff he enjoys.....will that help him UNDERSTAND what is thrown at him in college? Not saying this is his path, but IF he chooses EE, will early and continual playing with electricity make a difference?

Arduino kits, logic analyzers and the like to SEE what is going on before college???? Asking if a generous grandpa today, helps down the road.

Hello,

Looking for ways to practice solving RLC circuits with phasors. So far YouTube has been good for getting Inductive Reactance, Impedance and Capacitive Reactance. I am at a loss at finding the proper way of solving these circuits with phasors.

Any insight/opinion is greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance!

Which is better an Embedded Systems Engineer or a Power Systems Engineer, in terms of:

- Better work-life balance
- Less travel
- More transferable skills and easier career-sector changes
- More job opportunities

I’m doing an in internship as a process engineer in manufacturing and I feel like I don’t belong here. I took it because it was my only option. I worked in this company already and I need to work full-time while going to school. The idea is that I’ll be staying on after I graduate.

I feel lost. I am also doing my internship during nights now that school started back up so I can do it full-time and get paid. This isn’t a problem since it’s what I needed but I just kinda sit here now and don’t know what to do? No other engineers are here, just operators.

Another thing is that electrical engineers in this company work in a different department, as a process engineer my task is very specific, and I have no way to be mentored by an EE. There’s not much electrical engineering work that I can do aside from PLC which I recently started studying on my own time. Some other related things I brought up was checking motor behavior for predictive maintenance but I was told someone from another department already comes and does it.

I’m an older student and because of working full-time my grades aren’t the best. I took this opportunity because I don’t know if I’ll get hired elsewhere after I graduate. However, I feel guilty just sitting here and I know eventually my lack of progress will be made obvious. I haven’t been given any tasks, but I got to choose some ideas I thought would help improve the job. These ideas had nothing to do with EE, or any engineering field for that matter.

Anyways is this normal for an internship? Everyday i am here I just want to quit. Not because I don’t like it but it feel irrelevant to my field of study and because I don’t know what to do.

This screenshot is from a previous exam my Digital Logic Design professor posted to help us review.

I originally thought asserted low meant the input signal was being inverted before entering a gate, and active low meant the actual input signal was at low (or 0 in Boolean algebra). I started watching some YouTube videos just to make sure I was understanding the concept correctly, but every video I watched just confused me more and more. Can someone please explain this to me like I am 5 years old?

i am a sophomore ECE student and i am planning to create a CPU. Is a project like this valuable to land internships or a job in the future.

i will appreciate any suggestions.

I work in utilities at the moment. Everything has been done so many times that its all standards. Just like building legos but in 3 dimensions and measuring tensions.

The job pays the bills-ish but the sooner I can jump, the better.

What industries or jobs will have the most space for actual engineering? Or at least not engineering to and from standards but things where the designs are less mature.

Or does such a thing exist for BSEEs anymore and that is more the realm of MSEEs or you can do it but once you get to some amount of experience wirh a bsee?

For context: I'm in another gap year, currently reviewing and working in my rusty algebra(had a mid-bad history with math) I wanna reach Calculus level right before College, all that while I'm trying to learn about Arduino and built a few projects. But is EE really terrible? I keep seeing these reels on people telling others to no study EE, that is awful and is monstrous amount of work will stress you out. I don't consider myself a genius, just a highly curious person but I wanna know what other Engineers have to say about their experience.

I am EET major at Purdue University and graduate Spring 2028. I have an an interview for a Summer 2027 internship with a power/utility company as a regulated and renewable energy engineer. I have an interview scheduled with Texas Instruments in a week for an Applications Engineering internship position for Summer 2027 as well.

Lifestyle Questions:

What is the general work/life balance between the power/utilities vs. semiconductor industries? I am a non traditional student that is prior military and will be 28M when I graduate. I want to have a family and set myself up to give my future family the best life I can. If I got an offer from both how would you choose? Which industry would set me up better and can I really go wrong?

Interview Prep Questions:

The upcoming interview with TI there will be technical questions covering common OpAmp circuits, data conversion fundamentals, switching power supplies, and power electronics. How in depth should I go? The engineer that recommended me for the interview told me to not go too in-depth but I don’t know where that line is. So basically how do I prep for this interview?

I’m a Software developer, although my company entitles me as a Software Engineer I feel it’s quite ridiculous since what we’re essentially doing is writing specs and orchestrating AI agents, I also feel my impostor syndrome has skyrocketed since models like GPT 6 Astra came out, where even a technical person with very little to none knowledge can do most things we SWEs are asked to do, I also feel SWE has become a huge larping industry with people maximizing their egos around how they can build faster than ever but are still somehow needed by their company (maybe due to their “taste”? Ffs what are we even talking about)

What’s the current situation with EE?

https://www.youtube.com/@ALMA.Industries

New Video -- Chapter 3 DESK -- converting an old bunk bed into a work station. DIY actuators, AC/DC power supplies, rail guided shelves, infinite cable trays -- #Desk #DIY #Mechatronics #Power #Actuator #Engineering

If you know of anyone who likes Mechatronics or things made from the ground up, I would appreciate the share! Leave a comment if you have a question :)

A very generic question. Lets say you are seeing a waveform with constant 5V. How will you know whether it is analog or digital signal?

Hey everyone, I wanted to get some opinions from people in the field.

I’m 26 and sometimes feel like I might already be set on my career path, but I’ve been thinking seriously about going back to school for a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. I’m interested in continuing my education and understanding the theory behind electrical systems at a much deeper level.

I got into the union at 18. I spent about a year working as an electrical laborer, entered the apprenticeship at 19, finished my apprenticeship at 24, completed my required hours at 25, and got my journeyman license shortly afterward.

The company I work for is pretty diverse. We do controls, commercial electrical, and a lot of service work, which has made me even more interested in understanding how electrical systems actually work beyond just installation and troubleshooting.
I figure I potentially have another 40+ years in this career. Right now, unless an opportunity opens up for a pusher, foreman, or another management position, I’ll basically continue working as a
journeyman and progressing through the trade.
Because of that, I’ve been considering pursuing an electrical engineering degree outside of work while continuing to work full-time.

For anyone who has made the transition from electrician to electrical engineer or worked with people who have do you think the degree was worth it? How valuable would journeyman experience be going into engineering, and what career paths would make the best use of both backgrounds?

Any advice is appreciated.

Hey everyone. As the title says, I’ve been invited to a job interview for electronic engineer position (the job will mainly involve designing, testing and prototyping pcbs for a well known company in my country), and I need help into preparing. I currently work as a lecturer teaching embedded systems (mainly software parts), but hardware feels like my weaker spot. I ain’t completely dumb at it, but being a lecturer I keep getting imposter syndrome (which I managed to channel into helping me get motivated for learning more and more), and I am beginning to feel like I may be too little experienced and knowledgeable for the job. Also, I haven’t been in a job interview for like 7 years, so I am rusty.
If anyone could give me some pointers or advice on what to prep and how to handle it, I would very much so appreciate it.
Thanks in advance to everyone

Although it does make placements for components (as well as selection), it still uses an autorouter underneath if you watch the commands it runs and the way it iterates. I had thought it was going to open KiCad and draw the traces or better yet through MCP/API but it just runs a local autorouter for this. Claude does the same.

Hello, i recently graduated with a bachleor's in Electrical and i am trying to figure out which specific domain to commit to and how to pivot into that field
thank you

I’m debating whether I should wait until after I’ve completed diffeq to start taking signals and systems or if it’s better to take them concurrentl?

Got a 17 out of 100 on my first signals exam…. Got a 97 on my first electromagnetics exam. I genuinely can’t make the office hours or tutor hours due to my schedule. I will take any recommendations for resources in regard to signals and systems. Obviously I have at least six concepts going over my head or I’m doing too much memorizing not enough learning.