More Budding Engineer

I think N is getting really into modifying and building RC vehicles, and mom and I think it's awesome. He gets into it and it really piques his interest, and I can't say I blame him because it's pretty cool stuff. When I was a kid I used to love machines and gadgets and one area that I really loved was electronics. All that stuff with batteries, wiring, and electrical machines just fascinated me, and I'm not sure why I didn't pursue that line of interest more, though in retrospect, I do know why: my parents squashed my interest in anything that wasn't pre-med, but I won't get started on that path.

Like most boys, N has always been interested in machines and gadgets, initially turning his attention to big ones like tractors, trucks, motorcycles, and airplanes. He's always been interested in RC vehicles and gradually began to collect various cars and helicopters, but it wasn't until the got this higher-end Traxxas that things really took off. It's actually a pretty cool truck, mainly because it goes really fast, is very responsive, and best of all, you can modify and upgrade the components. The last part is the best part.

And modify is exactly what he loves to do. He's upgraded various parts of the truck to make it faster and more maneuverable, and now he's turned his attention to an RC boat that he got a year or two back. He hasn't used the boat much because it's not as optimally responsive as it could be. Let's just say it's not a Traxxas. He is now in the process of modifying the boat to make it faster and more responsive. He is going to take leftover parts that came off his truck when he modified it and use them in the boat. This will entail installing the parts and ordering new ones, all of which are way beyond my understanding, though I can appreciate it all. He's basically building the thing from scratch. How cool is that?

It helps that we got him a soldering iron, and a nice one, to boot. When I was a kid I loved soldering stuff to make various electronic gadgets, and the one we got him is pretty slick because it has LED lights on the base to illuminate his work. He's pretty stoked about it and he went to work immediately. In fact, he's set up shop in the basement and his work space has all sorts of projects going on. I love it.

On a side note, he also made a boat trailer out of legos and other toy parts. The trailer hitches to his Traxxas truck and the idea is that he can tow his soon-to-be RC boat with his RC truck. How cool is that? It sure beats watching TV all day. I was down in the basement this morning and saw a RC helicopter on the bench, so I'm guessing something is in the works.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.