How do you find inspiration for new electronics projects?

[wobbly]

I've been stuck for a while.  I'm desperate for ideas for new electronics projects to embark upon but I'm really struggling for inspiration.

My last trivial project was a few weeks ago (making a vintage "E&V Megger" unit into a Fallout 4 geiger counter film prop).
My most recent significant project was over a year ago! That was an inverted pendulum balancer which turned out great.  I loved that project, it took me about 8 weeks and I learned a lot about robotics and PID controllers.

So I'm in a real funk and I can't seem to drag myself out of it.  I've got a small but modest electronics lab at home with a scope, sig-gen, frequency counter, PSUs, spectrum analyser, DMMs aplenty etc.
Every time I sit down at my bench I'm confident that inspiration is about to strike at any moment and I'll be embarking on something fun within a few minutes.  Hours later - disappointment  .

I've tried asking friends and family if they have anything that needs fixing, or something automating perhaps.  Again nothing.  Everything that WAS broken, I've fixed ages ago!

What do you guys do when you can't think of something to build?  Does that ever even happen to you?

How do you get inspiration for a new project?

[Postal2]

Good question. Make your own video codec or your own processor using FPGA. Make a small artificial intelligence on CUDA to restore various firmware.

[jpanhalt]

If you have to force yourself to come up with ideas, find something else to do.

[joeqsmith]

What do you guys do when you can't think of something to build?  Does that ever even happen to you?

How do you get inspiration for a new project?

Coming up with ideas that I want to pursue has not been a problem.   It's tying to pursue them with a very limited budget.   

My focus hasn't been to invent anything novel at home, but rather just learning about what has been done.   Recently I have been going down a waveguide rabbit hole after reading a book about the history behind them.  This led to constructing a few, which led to reading about some basic concepts of quantum physics and constructing a homemade EPR spectrometer.  There was a lot of other projects that went along with this as well.  Something that was done in the 40s but I find it very interesting and so I dig in. 

With electronics, physics, chemistry being such a broad subject,  I will die with really knowing very little about any of it.  One thing I won't do is run out of things to experiment with. 

[CatalinaWOW]

Sounds like you don't really care what you work on if you are learning something.

One source of ideas would be old electronics magazines.  Not to duplicate the projects, but to find problems that they thought were worth solving and then figure out how to solve them better using the tools and components available today.

This forum is a rich source of ideas.  Look for threads asking for help doing something.   Possibly the best ones will be ones where people have said it is too hard or too silly to implement.  There is your opportunity.

You could also look into what it really takes to be a volt nut or time nut.

Does nothing in your life irritate you because it requires you to do something regularly that you don't particularly like doing?  Again a rich source of opportunities.  In some cases your solution could make you rich.

[Postal2]

If you have to force yourself to come up with ideas, find something else to do.

I disagree. Perhaps the author of the question simply does not have enough knowledge to cover the options. Just give him an idea.

[Buriedcode]

Having other hobbies that require gadgets or custom options really helps.  A lot of electornics guys make RC models, or bits of kit for their car/boat/bike.

Mine is guitars - there are thousands of guitar pedals in a range of complexities, from simple one transistor boost/fuzz, to FPGA/SDRAM driven loopers, to full on DSP reverbs.
My other (sad) hobby, is doing science experiments, often the stuff I build for those are one-time use and either get "recycled" into other projects, or thrown (or in two instances, donated to labs).

As I've mentioned in other threads about electornics as a hobby - we really are in the golden age - the internet to share schems, firmware, projects and ideas, the cheapest parts ever only a few clicks away, and ever more complicated processors/modules that to someone from the 70's work like magic.

The downside of that is often people end up with ideas looking for applications, and whilst it used to be there was only really one way to solve a problem with electronics, we now have many.  Raspberry pi's, arduinos, endless modules, kits - the number one thing that stalls one of my projects is indecision in the face of far too many options.

Technology can't solve everything, and far too many believe it can - but as a hobby, it can be fun to grossly over engineer things - purely because you can!  Case in point - weather station, or temperature sensors in every room that goes into far too much detail than is required.

[tggzzz]

Find a technical topic outside your comfort zone. Determine what theory you will need to know before you understand the topic properly. Create something that demonstrates your understanding and lack of understanding.

Build something from scratch, without relying on pre-defined hardware/software modules.

Do something astounding without modern technology.

Off the top of my head...

Bandpass filter with Q>1000, skirts >100dB/decade, using 10% resistors and capacitors.

4GHz oscilloscope/TDR using 2N3904 class transistors in the signal path.

Any hard real-time hardware/software where the performance must be guaranteed by design, not measurement. Include non-realtime functions (e.g. ethernet/USB comms) that conflict with the real-time functions.

[Xena E]

4GHz oscilloscope/TDR using 2N3904 class transistors in the signal path.

Oooh... that'd be some weird messed up distributed amplifier ...

 

Where's me bag of BC 107's

 

E

[RJSV]

   Ahh, INSPIRATION, is an elusive parameter.

   I'm a self-proclaimed Inventor, and so a crucial component is always the putting aside the multitude of day to day worries;  groceries, friends and family, errant pets and annoying neighbors.

   Firstly, don't drink (alcohol);  it's a 'depressant'.
   Then there is distractions.   Barking dogs, if extended in time, can be problem.
Nearby park often has nighttime concerts, (I pity the home dwellers next to local community park!).

   It always helps to be continuously studying, and having skill to find the best sources.
A magazine, in the U.K. was very helpful, or at least entertaining.  It was called 'Everyday Electronics', or similar.
Being able to sit, with a good large desk surface, with that magazine to ponder was nice.

Oh, and don't drink...that's important.

[tggzzz]

4GHz oscilloscope/TDR using 2N3904 class transistors in the signal path.

Oooh... that'd be some weird messed up distributed amplifier ...

 

Where's me bag of BC 107's

 

Not as interesting as that; far more prosaic Yes, BC107/177 are fine

It is permissible to have fast transistors in a trigger circuit, but TDR doesn't need that.

[armandine2]

If your diodes are plentiful, this electronic pitch pipe project from Elektor might be a starter.

Though my ideas are seldom finished - this looked a roundabout enough way to add reassuring weight.

[SiliconWizard]

I have the opposite problem, too many projects piling up.

[tggzzz]

I have the opposite problem, too many projects piling up.

... and too little remaining life for all the interesting ratholes

[RJSV]

   Local library had only opened back up, recently, (post COVID).
   I'm polishing a method of 'walking the stacks' where I've got the subject area.   Chemistry, Math, Minerals, etc.  all new in the sense that it's a specified Library stack format...this one puts books according to subject.

   First, I noticed that I'd grab too many book subjects, that were not useful at home.
You can also access the US PATENT office, prior art, and do specific searches like;
   Cat toy Laser Pointer
and, maybe,...:
   'Fart Noise joke Cushion'.   But I haven't searched that prior art, as it's called.

   Same idea, for trademarks.   You might see a trademark filing that suggests some function you haven't thought of:
   Doggy Doorbell (tm).  (Not a tm).

   Dreams, they say, can suggest things, but, like most folks, mine aren't clear enough.

Numerous Pet Toys are yet to be imagined / built.

   Keeping a clear table top, and office often takes some barriers to creativity away.
Some biographies make for fascinating reading, including;
   Thomas Edison.
   Jimi Hendrix, a great story of an American who rode the big wave, of so-called 'British Invasion's bands, in late 1960's.
   Ask around local University, or Technical College.

   Keep a list.

[jpanhalt]

It's quite systematic.  This shows a common method with 2 letters and a decimal.  I lived in the QD section (i.e., science + chemistry).

https://howardcc.libguides.com/c.php?g=10536&p=2137881

[EPAIII]

Inspiration for projects? I read. I watch YouTube. I look at catalogs. I read magazines (you know: paper, ink, bound together and sold at book stores). I find myself wanting something for life. I listen to requests from others. I am watching YouTube DIY videos as I type this and they aren't all about electronics. But many of the non-electronic ones could benefit from some added, electronic bells and whistles.

Sometimes I am laying in bed, trying to sleep and an idea just pops up. Other times I have looked around the room I'm in and think, "Boy, I sure would love to have a remote control for the blinds and draperies." "And it should be voice controlled."

So many project ideas. So little time. I have at least a dozen projects waiting for my attention; probably more like 20 or even more. My problem isn't ideas for projects, it's time for the ones I already started.

I am 80 yo and my bucket list just keeps getting longer and longer.

[CatalinaWOW]

This is a little off the wall, but I also recommend the TRIZ methodology for coming up with new solutions to problems.  It has been made unpopular by the patent trolls who use it to expand their claims, and it certainly isn't a magic wand to solve problems, but it has helped me get the creative juices flowing in a useful direction.  A little googling will get you enough to get the core benefits.

[pcprogrammer]

I have the opposite problem, too many projects piling up.

Very recognizable. Things that happen here are, something breaks and needs to be fixed. Oh there are liion batteries involved, so a new field of technology needs to be investigated.

A way back bought FNIRSI 1013D scope arrives with a defective touch screen and needs to be reverse engineered. Took quite some time but was very interesting. Did put every other project on hold and also brought on ideas for new ones.

An old fischertecnik 27MHz remote control does not work properly anymore. Ah well lets make a more modern version with a microcontroller and a nrf905 transceiver.

A last year acquired Lenovo tablet now has touch screen problems after update to Android 13 and needs to be investigated. Tried to restore an older version of Android, and only got errors and looked like the tablet was kind of bricked, so opened it up and disconnected the battery as per advice from the flashing tool. Low and behold it came back to live, still on Android 13, but it looks like the touch screen problem is over.

Then there are the other ideas that keep popping up and hardly get worked on or actually started but never finished.

Sometimes very frustrating. 

[Messtechniker]

My electronics projects (hardware/software) as well as
equipment purchases depend on what I need for repairs,
my recording studio and gadgets for use in and around the house.
Its as simple as that.

[RoGeorge]

See if you are interested in any project ideas from this thread https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/say-a-weekend-project-idea-something-nice-to-build/?all, or search for "EDN Design Ideas", or browse journals/magazines collections.

[perdrix]

4GHz oscilloscope/TDR using 2N3904 class transistors in the signal path.

Oooh... that'd be some weird messed up distributed amplifier ...

 

Where's me bag of BC 107's

 

E

Surely you need to use OC44s???

[tszaboo]

Ideas are not difficult. Nowadays I look at something with electronics in it ,and my first thought is either:
- Hey I can design that myself
- I wonder how much time and effort if would be to design that myself

It's actually self-control which is difficult. Right now, I'm working on a power rail probe for oscilloscopes, an ultrasonic anemometer, a DCC controlled model train turnout decoder for servos, a low cost bandpass filter which can be controlled by an Arduino. And a PCB for an oven controlled crystal oscillator. And I have a Rogovski coil PCB that I need more testing of. And a DCC model train engine decoder.
Plus there are the projects at work.

[Phil1977]

Finding projects is easy if you are curious.

Just go through your old projects and look for anything that you don't understand. Look for any weird behaviour that´s not in line with the datasheet or schoolbook.

Don't blame it only on the parts, blame it on you. Make more experiments, read about it, ask questions at places like here. From the beginner to the lifetime specialist, we all have things we don't understand. But we can try to find an answer, even if it mostly means finding more questions.

[jonpaul]

 Ham Radio, Vintage radios

In UK

RSGB
https://rsgb.org/main/get-started-in-amateur-radio/

or BVWS.
https://www.bvws.org.uk/

j