The annual dilemma – To renew my Silicon Chip magazine subscription or not…

[Mr.B]

I have been subscribing to the print media version of Silicon Chip for so long now I cannot remember.
My subscription is due in March, so here I go again: Do I or Don’t I…???

Over all the years I have only ever built one project directly from the magazine:
It was the USB power meter. I nice little device that tells you Volts, mA, mW of a USB device plugged into it while it is plugged into the USB port.
I used to use it quite a lot.

I have since replaced it with a YZXstudio equivalent, but more accurate and more features, from Franky. (Forum member iloveelectronics)

Over the years I have increasingly become bored with a lot of the content, sometimes only reading half the publication.
I don’t think it has anything to do with the publication itself, it is more likely just that my tastes have changed.

Since joining the EEVblog forum I have found a world knowledge, loads of entertainment, tonnes of expert advice, the list goes on…  I am not sure Silicon Chip is for me anymore.

Are there any other Silicon Chip subscribers out there?
What is your opinion on your current level of enjoyment of the publication?

Thanks in advance.

[EEVblog]

I haven't subscribed in years now, and when I did it was just as a support thing for the last remaining Oz electronics magazine, I didn't really find anything of value in it.
That wasn't a reflection on the quality of the publication, but because like yourself, my tastes and needs have changed.

[DTJ]

I bought it for decades, then I found Circuit Cellar and had a digital subscription for a years.

Maybe check out Circuit Cellar if you are looking for a change.

[Ed.Kloonk]

The online incarnation of the mag is, frankly, irritating. You can read this page but not that. It's needs to be a selection of entire articles available not just the first page of all articles. The opening two pages of the amplifier in the latest edition might have interested me but I couldn't justify the expense of the whole mag just to find out what the schematic looks like. Sorry. But I can't buy the kit if I can't see more info about what is in it.

[Ed.Kloonk]

For clarity, I would appreciate if the linked pages in the online edition clearly spelled out that an entire article is not free for view and I could then gauge whether or not it's worth going down the rabbit hole.

It is implied that I can view 40 pages and I assumed that meant I could open any 40 pages but no, I open the article of most interest, the amplifier, and as soon as I flip the page.. Bam! Pay wall.

And for that the mag can eat a bag of dicks just like Mr Murdoch.

[CatalinaWOW]

I have similar dilemmas about my print media magazines.  But I am nostalgic for print, and know that if people like us drop them they will disappear.  So far the cost hasn't driven me away from my sentimentality.

[Mr.B]

I have similar dilemmas about my print media magazines.  But I am nostalgic for print, and know that if people like us drop them they will disappear.  So far the cost hasn't driven me away from my sentimentality.

For me it is not about the cost, and I prefer lying in bed reading printed material rather than looking at a screen... Hell, I do that all day most days...
I guess I have just out grown the content.

[Mr.B]

Maybe check out Circuit Cellar if you are looking for a change.

I will check it out.
Thanks.

[Mr.B]

The online incarnation of the mag is, frankly, irritating...

Absolutely agree.
I subscribed to it on top of the printed edition for one year some time ago.
It was terrible...
Never renewed that one.

[Mr.B]

I stopped about 5 years ago when Leo didn't stop pontificating about his political views...

I agree.
The editorial is almost always often "Leo Simpson on Politics"... Not "Leo Simpson on Electronics".

I am not that interested in the politics of my country, so I am really not interested in Leo's opinion of your politics.

[kripton2035]

I bought elektor during years, then I stopped some years ago: as you said, my tastes changed, also the magazine changes
and may be also my level in electronics grew up and I wasnt fascinated anymore with the contents.
also internet brought a lot of contents, you have to digest all and may be no more room for papers ?
try others like circuit cellar is a good idea.

[EEVblog]

Just looked at the latest issue and Jim Rowe is still going!   

[EEVblog]

I stopped about 5 years ago when Leo didn't stop pontificating about his political views...

I agree.
The editorial is almost always often "Leo Simpson on Politics"... Not "Leo Simpson on Electronics".
I am not that interested in the politics of my country, so I am really not interested in Leo's opinion of your politics.

He did an article ranting about the ranters here:
http://www.siliconchip.com.au/Issue/2016/December

[CJay]

I love a print magazine, PDF or whatever esoteric anti piracy end user annoying technology is in vogue this week just doesn't have the same appeal*.

Sadly the only remaining UK magazine was just a rehash of old Silicon Chip articles which, when they're micro controller based, they rarely make source code available which means there's absolutely no point to building the project unless I just want to be a chip stuffer.

The two I'd recommend:

Elektor. Seems to have hit hard times and has gone bi-monthly, their projects are usually high quality but their shop is very expensive (they're currently offering a TL866 programmer for about 2.5 times what I can buy one for anywhere else), nevertheless, I have spent more money buying boards and firmware/software from them than anywhere else and regularly buy a copy when I find them (currently on a 'free trial' offer)

I did 'win' a sub to Circuit Cellar once and would recommend taking a look at their sample magazines, when I get around to it i will re-subscribe.

* PDF is however an excellent way to have all your magazines to hand if you find yourself, as I do regularly, at a loose end at work (no, I can't take hardware projects to work but I can code)

[Mr.B]

Decision made.

Sorry Silicon Chip.

Just signed up for a 12 month subscription to Circuit Cellar - I will see how it goes.
Also just backed Dave on Pateron.
 

[Sal Ammoniac]

I'm in the States and Silicon Chip isn't available at news stands here, so I buy it from a company in Thailand (of all places). SC is better than all U.S. magazines, with the possible exception of Circuit Cellar. The main difference is that Circuit Cellar construction articles are usually written by third parties (often by university students who write about their senior project) whereas Silicon Chip has a staff that writes most of their articles. For me, the best part of Silicon Chip is the column by the Kiwi who writes about his experiences as a repairman.

I usually find British magazines to be better in general than American magazines too, but the only British electronics magazine I can get here is Everyday Practical Electronics. EPE seems to copy all of its construction articles directly from Silicon Chip--only the columns are original.

[bill.coghill]

I subscribe to elektor green edition after the special they did with SC a few years back. What I like is you can get the entire archive with a single subscription.

I have many years of SC in the garage as they're was always something of interest, but I'd be happy to pay a nominal fee to access an online PDF archive or subscribe to a PDF version of the mag. It's hard to justify the space for a bunch of old dead trees now.

It seems the 'old men' of SC only see pdfs as a route for piracy and ripping off content. Shame as they are missing a big opportunity IMO.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

[Sal Ammoniac]

It seems the 'old men' of SC only see pdfs as a route for piracy and ripping off content. Shame as they are missing a big opportunity IMO.

Circuit Cellar has been available in PDF form for several years now and it's very convenient to keep copies on a portable device for reference. You can get a digital subscription to receive a PDF every month, usually several days before the print version is available. They also sell a USB memory stick for $250 that includes PDFs of every Circuit Cellar issue ever published.

[bill.coghill]

I also have the CC electronic sub. I kind of lost interest during the elektor ownership phase as it seemed to loose its focus, but now it has a good mix of engineering and solutions based projects. Also had a feature on Dave !

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

[bill.coghill]

Maybe if enough of us email SC they might revisit PDF subs.  I feel a readers letter coming on...

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

[Ed.Kloonk]

Just looked at the latest issue and Jim Rowe is still going!   

I still want to hear him on The Amp Hour. Time to extract the digit.

And Graham Cattley.

[Ed.Kloonk]

 

[station240]

The editorial is almost always often "Leo Simpson on Politics"... Not "Leo Simpson on Electronics".
I am not that interested in the politics of my country, so I am really not interested in Leo's opinion of your politics.

He did an article ranting about the ranters here:
http://www.siliconchip.com.au/Issue/2016/December

Thanks Dave, I hadn't seen that issue yet.
Leo really hasn't solved anything, more foot in mouth disease.
I cannot escape the fact he is on the wrong side of politics for most of the electronics industry, who want to innovate or supply new technology.
Preempting the results of an article on batteries he hasn't even publish yet, wow fail.
Saying a 46 year old brown coal fired power station (due to be shunt down real soon) is "not particularly old", is just weird. Just how old does a vital "base load" generator need to be before it's retired then Leo ?

Yeah subscribed to SC many many years ago, gave up because:
1) Projects were a lot like Cable TV, after the first year everything repeats (projects based on ideas from past ones).
2) If you just buy the kit you want in the shop, you get the article anyway.
3) Projects with propriety parts, or stuff from the e-surplus shop who's name escapes me.
4) The Serviceman was the only part I read consistently.
5) Better off spending money on actual electronics.
6) Leo Simpson's ink wasting column and occasional entire articles.

[Mr.B]

1) Projects were a lot like Cable TV, after the first year everything repeats (projects based on ideas from past ones).
2) If you just buy the kit you want in the shop, you get the article anyway.
3) Projects with propriety parts, or stuff from the e-surplus shop who's name escapes me.
4) The Serviceman was the only part I read consistently.
5) Better off spending money on actual electronics.
6) Leo Simpson's ink wasting column and occasional entire articles.

Well summed up.
Agree entirely.

[steve30]

I've never subscribed to a magazine, and I don't think I'd bother.

I tend to buy Everyday Practical Electronics several times per year, but like with other magazines, I only get it if that month's content is interesting to me, and if its something I want to read that month. Sometimes I buy computer magazines, or bicycle magazines, or sometimes, no magazine at all.