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  • Author Author: spannerspencer
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Father's Day Badge-a-Thon: Quality Time King

spannerspencer

Adaptability is the cornerstone of fatherhood. Well, it probably should be. Whether it is or not, I'll leave for mothers and partners to decide upon!image

 

But, in an effort to embrace this notion, today's Father's Day badge has taken a twist. I've adjusted it in accord with some excellent suggestions you guys about creating projects with the kids.

 

"Did anyone else see the title and expect that it'd be "what toys have you made for your boys (or girls)". That's what being a dad's really all about," astutely pointed out, which agreed with.

 

"Perhaps one of the future days will cover Projects on the Dads To Do List," he says. "Cool things like Retro Arcade System, Club house, Doll house and of course expanding the body disposal area for when your girls reach the teen years and you need to get rid of "problems" ;-)"

 

So, other than undetectable methods of dissolving the tormented remains of your daughter's boyfriend in industrial chemicals, tell us about any projects, games, kits or other activities your parents made with you (all those long years ago) that got you into electronics, so we can take some inspiration for enthusing future generations.

 

  • Tell us all about them in the comments below, and maybe include a few photos to really help us set that nostalgic mood!
  • @mention another element14 member in your comment, and nominate them to post their parental project story.

 

And remember you'll need to already have the previous Father's Day badges in order to be crowned a Quality Time King.

Top Comments

  • two years ago I had my daughter fully involved with creating my prize winning entry for the Internet of Holiday Lights and it was great fun. She also made the Baby Bob Minion that we wired up to be included. and as you can see, she had secretly been making me a pile of Minions, one representing each member of the Family... now that's quality time image. I know at the same time as I was working on my project. was franticly working with wife and Daughter on their Christmas Entry... another fine example of good fatherly parenting.

  • Like I got into electronics via a many in one project kit, my parents bought it for me one Christmas back in the 70s/80s. They also provided me with some magazines from the husband of one of my mother's work colleagues. I don't remember working through any of the projects with them but they usually got involved with the testing of various burglar alarms I made. I do remember working on a crystal growing experiment with my Mother as it involved hot water and dangerous chemicals I was not left alone with that. Mother also helped with the preparation of blood slides for viewing in a microscope.

     

    My father was always repairing boats through my childhood so he showed me woodworking skills, tenacity and self learning.

     

    I recently got a copy of "Maker Dad" by Mark Frauenfelder but we've yet to build anything from that. I believe I will be making a lemon drizzle cake with my daughter tomorrow.

  • in reply to dougw

    It sound like your dad was a Master Maker. Just hearing your description of the airplane make me want to be 10 years old and your best friend.

    John

  • All of my kids like video games, even my daughter, who once had a job testing PSP games. I am in the process of collecting components to build a PiCade3: (inspired by the Pi3 retro arcade)

    image

     

    I don't think my path to be an electronics engineer follows many others. I had to decide whether to get an education of become a professional golfer. I chose education and wanted to be a mechanical engineer, but once in university, I quickly realized electronics was going to be a much lower cost hobby.

    I would like to know stories about which of the members' jobs were the most technically interesting - maybe top members like , have some interesting stories.

    However, my tendency to be a builder/maker/hacker/hobbiest probably comes from my Dad, who made us some phenomenal toys. One of my favourites was a two-seater (front & back seating) fighter jet, suspended by 2 chains, one in front of each seat. There was a steering wheel on each chain that allowed the plane to be pumped in a trapezoidal swing motion. The suspension points were at the center of gravity, so the plane could be have roll, pitch and yaw as it swung, controlled by the steering wheels and body position. There were rocket launchers under the wings, fired by the pilot at targets in front of the plane.  There were bomb bay doors in the fuselage - controlled by the co-pilot, to drop bombs on targets below the plane. There were buttons and lights and communication systems. We had to learn all the communication protocols. ("Pilot to Bombadier, prepare to open the bomb bay doors") We even had Morse code signal lights to communicate with the ground crew. It had retractable landing gear to stabilize the plane while boarding and deplaning. The 2 foot missiles launched with such dangerous velocity, they would be unthinkable in a commercial toy. Imagine a crossbow mechanism powered by slingshot elastics. It took hours of practice to be able to hit targets. He had us help build flotillas of naval vessels to shoot at. Actually the ships were for a different game, but they just "happened" to make good targets.

    So hats off to Dads of Dads, who got us all started on this path.

  • We all seem to have great similarities in our stories despite being spread out all over the world. Want a great commonality electronics has provided for us. Today I commented to my best friend (Wife) how lucky I have been to live in this age of technological expansion. I was designed to flourish in such an environment of technology. My nearsightedness that brings my normal focal point to a place 10 cm in front of my nose makes it perfect for working close on small electronic components. Health issues would have made my life rather short and miserable in an age less endowed with technology. In the past ages few people of my social economic status would even have the time or energy to devote to pursuits of leisure and hobbies like electronics. So I say thank you to the fates that put me here and now for a great and interesting life. I would rehash my beginnings and the sources of the inspirations from parents and supporters but as has pointed out I have mentioned these things in several other postings. Happy Fathers day to all of you my friends who have been blessed/cursed with children and Thank you to all of our Dads who shouldered the curse of our own existences and made the world better for us.

    John