Might be considered odd, but here's one of mine:
HEATHKIT MODEL GC-1005 DIGITAL ELECTRONIC CLOCK ASSEMBLY MANUAL
I assembled one of these kits in 1973 or 1974. I was a sophomore or junior in high school. Probably wasn't really that complicated, but at the time, it seemed just amazingly complex to me. Anyhow, I earned the money for the kit ($60 as I recall, a significant sum in those days for a high school student) and ordered it, and when it arrived I tore in to it like there was no tomorrow. I soldered all the connections, put in all the switches, assembled the case, plugged it in, and bingo, it worked first time out.
The clock worked for 30 years, only needing a single neon display element replaced over the years.
Anyhow, the gist of putting the assembly manual here is, I learned by doing something complex that I could do complex things. Accurately and precisely, and have something interesting and useful to show for my efforts. In those high school days, electronic digital clocks were pretty scarce. I saw the kit reviewed in a magazine and had to have one. And I did. I've still got it; the display lights, but as a clock, it is erratic in it's operation these days. Most likely the integrated circuit that runs it (at the time it was made, it was virtually the most complex IC in the world) has developed some issues after over a quarter of a million hours of operating.
I realize as I am typing this, I can probably take the case off the clock, get the numbers off the IC, and go get another one on Ebay, and make the clock work again . . . .
HEATHKIT MODEL GC-1005 DIGITAL ELECTRONIC CLOCK ASSEMBLY MANUAL
I assembled one of these kits in 1973 or 1974. I was a sophomore or junior in high school. Probably wasn't really that complicated, but at the time, it seemed just amazingly complex to me. Anyhow, I earned the money for the kit ($60 as I recall, a significant sum in those days for a high school student) and ordered it, and when it arrived I tore in to it like there was no tomorrow. I soldered all the connections, put in all the switches, assembled the case, plugged it in, and bingo, it worked first time out.
The clock worked for 30 years, only needing a single neon display element replaced over the years.
Anyhow, the gist of putting the assembly manual here is, I learned by doing something complex that I could do complex things. Accurately and precisely, and have something interesting and useful to show for my efforts. In those high school days, electronic digital clocks were pretty scarce. I saw the kit reviewed in a magazine and had to have one. And I did. I've still got it; the display lights, but as a clock, it is erratic in it's operation these days. Most likely the integrated circuit that runs it (at the time it was made, it was virtually the most complex IC in the world) has developed some issues after over a quarter of a million hours of operating.
I realize as I am typing this, I can probably take the case off the clock, get the numbers off the IC, and go get another one on Ebay, and make the clock work again . . . .
The granting of a pardon is an imputation of guilt, and the acceptance a confession of it.
