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Comment by pizzaknife | Hacker News Reader

This is exactly what I need right now. I have a rudimentary understanding but I have a large project on the wipeboard which I don't yet have the knowledge to begin - this is the material i need. Thank you for sharing!

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What's the project?

im admittedly embarrassed to mention it because I know its very rudimentary but here goes - small solar array //and// an exercise bike transformed into a generator - both going to same battery store - stretch goal: generation and draw telemetry dashboard. What will it power you might ask? automated garden system (water delivery essentially), a nintendo switch and accompanying TV/peripherals. "Why a stationary bike?" Make the kids work for video game time lmao - EDIT: my current electrical engineering experience is limited to RC and full sized vehicle troubleshooting, like an RC servo or a motorcycle's stator etc...

Not sure this YouTube series is the right fit for your project. Razavi's course is focused on signal processing (for future integrated circuit designers), whereas your project is power processing. Quite different approaches. The only comparable academic alternative that comes to mind is maybe CU Boulder on Coursera, which covers at least some of your project. I'm not conversant enough with hobbyist-oriented resources to make a more relevant suggestion.

How deep do you want to go in terms of where to draw the line between building and buying parts?

Thanks for this feedback! I admittedly am not sure, to answer your last question. I am approaching it as one of those "I will know it, when I get there" sort of thing - example: i have replaced (successfully!) individual gears within a 900cc inline 4 motorcycle engine, I have performed the replacement of many different systems / components to home HVAC and larger appliances (without any formal training - some of these endeavors took longer than the aforementioned motorcycle transmission work, due to lack of instruction/schematic access). Would I do these things again? Absolutely not! But I'm a little stubborn as I will try and complete something to best of my abilities and will either reach a cognitive or personal initiative limit.

Academic resources will never get to a useful punchline. Maybe try a hands-on course like this for general electronics and PCBs https://youtu.be/aqVgYasrBs0

Avoid lithium ion batteries. Use a deep discharge lead acid battery instead.

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