What makes electronics interesting on the one hand but also difficult on the other, is because it is abstract and it's workings are invisible. As the name suggests, it has to do with electrons, particles that can't be made visible, and whose mometary position can only be located with a certain amount of probability and in fact, no-one really knows whether they are particles or not.

The electrons are similar to criminals, if they're successful, one can only see what they've done. And indeed, they certainly are successful, then they have turned the world upside-down. Electrons can only accomplish anything when working in circuits, thus we take a simple electric circuit as a basis. The effect must always be made visible separately.

Because one can't always install a consumer in complex circuits, one has to measure. Thus the command of measuring instruments, is what we need if we are to acquire the necessary abilities in this field. Some people often make faulty measurements, because they don't think about measuring ranges and circuit points.

So, if one does not know what one's doing, one shouldn't even begin with the measuring. Indeed, a certain amount of the systematics belonging to the field of electronics, is also an advantage in other fields. A mechanic who has been so trained, has learned how to think before tackling the practical task. He may often ask himself, whether he is still on the path which could lead to success. Perhaps in the end, he won't stand there with a pile of dismantled parts and no solution to the problem.

The reason for this is, that as a rule, the assembly part of electronics is not very much. If you think about just how much work is necessary, before a fairly complex piece of mechanics, which you've thought out yourself, functions fairly free of problems. In this case, using electronics make it much easier. Not only are the components cheaper, they can also be connected together for a test-circuit more quickly. Using rubber mounting mats, this can even be done without having to do any soldering.

However, when doing a test-run it won't be like a mechanical, hydraulic or a pneumatic test, there will hardly be anything to see. Electronics are somehow, more abstract. Naturally, even the errors are unspectacular. If one's lucky, a component may get warm and give off a little smoke, before it finally gives up the ghost. One can count oneself as being fortunate, if one sees a spark, because normally, malfunctions and the inconspicious demise, are the results of an unsuccessful attempt.

Luck and misfortune are very close to each other. The unbelievable speed of electronics is, in itself, a blessing. One can set a computer any number of tasks and they will be taken care of in fractions of a second. Indeed, defects also occur just as quickly. A slowly destructing mechanical part is, in comparison, a 'blessing' because in the end, one mostly has several faulty parts, which may be able to show why the breakdown took place.

One could say, that when the electronics break down, it takes place very quickly, so quickly in fact, that it possibly, cannot even be traced with a measuring instrument. One is forced to consider even more beforehand, to avoid defects occurring. One can write a well thought out computer program in a relatively short time and then often spend an infinite amount of time searching for an error which has crept in somewhere. Indeed this is the summit of circuitry, something which basically, is made up purely of software. 09/13