BITTEN BY A RADIOACTIVE SPANNER: HOW I SUDDENLY STARTED LEARNING AND UNDERSTANDING MACHINES AND DEVICES

 



It's true, there's an epidemic of radioactive garage parts going around.

When it started....

Weeeeeellll...that's not actually how it went.

So at times, we know, as we grow up, we have things thrown around the house or room, and we just saw them as trash?

At times, I did think, what if, that tube of toothpaste could be used differently?

That time, I mostly thought it was overactive imagination taking over from watching lots of Cartoon Network's Kid's Next Door or Dexter's Laboratory. You know? Trying to create the gadgets they had. Hilarious.

Fast forward to COVID, when lockdown hit and, schools and universities were closed, no one could go out and be free and job layoffs were spread all over like shredded cheese over a pizza right about to go into the oven.

A lot of people tried new things, during COVID, from new dances, cooking, workouts, businesses.

But for me?

You would not believe how it all started, what was false, is actually now true. For real this time. So there was this spanner, that laid in the bin from a lab, and then...boom! 💥

Pfft! Well let's get the real story.


I ended up doing something, that had nothing to do with what I learnt, or have ever been to a classes. 

I started figuring out how machines work and took a few of them apart.

It began with small stuff, a broken fan, a light switch, an old radio. I didn’t have a plan. I just had questions, like
Why does this work? What’s inside? How does this connect to that? 🤔

Why Machines?

First of all, it all started with curiosity and how far my skills could go, because, I was just trying to find some skills to work with and earn a living. However, as I went on I started to realize, I actually understand this stuff. Well, at least, enough to go around it.

But still the question was how? Out of nowhere. Well, surprises happen everyday.

So Google was my best friend, and I got some ooooold pdf that talked about machines. A machines 101 if you will. It's called Basic Machines and How they work.

This kicked me off on this journey, but in a span off finishing the book I finally understood what machines consist of and how they operate. However, in the process, I did learn each machine does rely on some concepts of Physics for them to operate, so I got high school Physics textbooks and off to self-studying I went.

Physics helped me connect the dots in machines parts and systems. First major, understanding of a complex machine was the internal combustion engine. This helped me understand it's applications from motorbike, generator, submarines, cars, lorries, tractors and many more.

The other book that helped me learn about cars mechanical operations was Hillers Fundamentals of motor vehicle technology Vol.1 by Alma Hiller V, A W Hiller.

From here I did try and get to a place to get small practice but well, as far as being ghosted by workshop or garage people goes. Let's say I could write a story.

However, the curiosity to learn went on, and another best friend came along. YouTube.

I delved into pages like CrashCourse for their engineering playlist. For the record, this is only for learning purposes because I was curious and it led me there, not because, I was already an MIT prodigy. I did find some pdfs with fundamentals of engineering though.

Back to YouTube, so other pages include Engineer's Academy, Real Engineering, The Efficient Engineer and The Engineering Mindset. The key learning moment from all this, is that, Math is crazy in engineering. It definitely an area I could just into. The math looks like taking alphabet and calculating it.

So what to do with this new found superpower? 

Well, now here we are, expressing this journey and learning as we go. 

From just looking at them everyday, to understanding how they do what they do. A smartphone, for example, fits in your hand but does what a whole computer used to.
How? What’s inside that makes that possible?

I didn’t go to engineering school. I’m not a certified technician. I just started learning, from books, videos, and mostly from experience.

What I’ve Learned So Far

So what does this self-taught journey leave me saying?

I learned that:

  • Machines are energy translators. They turn heat into motion, electricity into light, or motion into sound. As Albert Einstein said, energy is never created or destroyed, but only transferred
  • Every part has a purpose inside a machine — every screw, every bolt every wire, every spring. All of it, isn't just made for the fancy stuff. Literally everything plays a role for a certain purpose.
  • Every machine is built for a specific purpose - Transport, Communication, Cooking, Dissecting, Surgery, Chemical testing etc, you name it. Each machine is based on a purpose to serve everyday life.
  • You don’t need a lab to learn. Just curiosity, observation, and maybe a screwdriver. Learning can really, take place anywhere and in various ways.

Sometimes I understand things clearly and I have an idea of how things operate in a number of devices. I'm not an expert, though. Other times, I open a device and have to search the internet to learn things here and there before, I actually conclude my observations. However, every time, I learn something.

Why This Blog?

This blog is my notebook. A place to track what I learn, what I open up, what surprises me, and where I get stuck.

I’ll be writing about:

  • Machines and devices I come across and learn about
  • Discussion about current things in terms of tech
  • My learnings in basic physics and how they apply to machines
  • How different people use or adapt to tech in different ways.

Join Me on the Journey

This blog isn’t a tech manual or a repair guide. It’s a record of someone figuring it out piece by piece.

If you’ve ever looked at a machine and thought, “How does this thing work?” This might be your space too.

Let’s learn together.

 


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