What was your first electronics project?

When I was a child I did many projects with my father, especially with electromagnets, bells and cranes to pick up things, and a galena radio. My father was very fond of electricity but my grandfather made him study business administration for the family business.

On a trip to his hometown he took me to an electronics store and bought me an FM transmitter as a kit. I still have it; it was my first contact with electronic soldering. 

My first printed circuit board was for an electronic die with LEDs and later I made quite a few mini FM spy stations, some fit in matchboxes and some even worked inside old gondola telephones. I did those projects with classmates and we had some legal problems that led to the expulsion of some of my classmates from school. I was not so daring and I only enjoyed electronics, I didn't want to get into problems with illegal eavesdropping.

In the image my first soldering electronics kit and my first PCB for an FM transmitter. I got the microphone from an old damaged tape recorder that we used to listen to the audio messages that my priest uncle sent us from the Congo, in Africa, where he was a missionary.

When I got to university, electronics became homework and I lost interest. I was seduced by software programming and I have managed to make a living with it.

When I was a child I did many projects with my father, especially with electromagnets, bells and cranes to pick up things, and a galena radio. My father was very fond of electricity but my grandfather made him study business administration for the family business.

On a trip to his hometown he took me to an electronics store and bought me an FM transmitter as a kit. I still have it; it was my first contact with electronic soldering. 

My first printed circuit board was for an electronic die with LEDs and later I made quite a few mini FM spy stations, some fit in matchboxes and some even worked inside old gondola telephones. I did those projects with classmates and we had some legal problems that led to the expulsion of some of my classmates from school. I was not so daring and I only enjoyed electronics, I didn't want to get into problems with illegal eavesdropping.

In the image my first soldering electronics kit and my first PCB for an FM transmitter. I got the microphone from an old damaged tape recorder that we used to listen to the audio messages that my priest uncle sent us from the Congo, in Africa, where he was a missionary.

When I got to university, electronics became homework and I lost interest. I was seduced by software programming and I have managed to make a living with it.

That brings back a memory of my grade 2 teacher showing us how to wind wire on a nail to make an electromagnet.

This electronic kit toy sold in Spain gave me many hours of fun. My children have also enjoyed it after changing the capacitors

Nice!  I wish I had the foresight to have saved my Electronic Project kits. I had one something like this.

You had an amazing introduction to electronics as a child.  So cool that you were able to communicate with your uncle in the Congo.