Looking for online "basics" resources...

My wife is taking a property-insurance course as part of her underwriting certification, and is struggling a bit right now with the alarm portion... specifically, her study guide dives right into full-on "high-low balanced" ULC-spec designs with NO information on the basics of alarm operation... needless to say, not having any background in electronics at all, she's having trouble grasping a lot of this.

Wondering if anyone can point out some online tutorials on basic electronics and alarm operation that might help her out?

TIA.

Reply to
Matt Ion
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There's always Level 1 training:

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Reply to
G. Morgan

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Yeah, that's a little extreme... she's not looking to become an alarm tech, she needs a better understanding of the basics to get her through her insurance course.

Reply to
Matt Ion

I think she'd be better off, going to the library and getting a book on basic alarm systems. I'd guess, now with the internet the ultimate source of everything you ever wanted to know about everything, that some of the books would be outdated. But, as you said, she doesn't need to know as much as a tech. There used to be some pretty basic books out there on alarm systems she could probably breeze through in a few nights of reading.

Here's another little suggestion. When my kids were in high school and had to write on a subject they knew little about, we'd go into the childrens section and check out as many books as we could on the subject. After reading this simplistic and basic information, we'd later go back and were then better able to pick books at their level they could make use of. They always got good marks using this method. I should say "we" always got good marks :-)

Reply to
Jim

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Reply to
Roland Moore

Well, I know I've seen some online electronics tutorials that had nifty animated-current-flow and animated-switch-and-relay-action graphics and what not, and figured that would help her more understand what's going on.

Just can't remember any of those sites, or find them again in a number of searches (damn Google's advertising-favored sorting, most of the top hits are book ads).

Reply to
Matt Ion

Here is a site to start at:

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Reply to
Tommy

Ah, now THAT is handy... thanks!

Reply to
Matt Ion

She shouldn't worry about it overly much. My insurance agent can quote ULC spec'd designs all day long and doesn't understand any of the concepts behind them. If you gave him a panel and a long distance card with "two hours" of prepaid time to Sara's Soda, he'd only wind up more confused than ever. In the end, all they look for is an official looking certificate.

Reply to
FIRETEK

Yes, but she needs to understand it well enough to answer the questions on the insurance certification exam. The study material, as I said, *starts off* with a high-low balanced circuit with C-form relay wiring, but with no electronics background, none of that makes any sense to her.

Whether she retains any of it after the exam is another matter.

Reply to
Matt Ion

Why don't YOU tutor her?

Reply to
G. Morgan

I have, a bit... however, knowing something and being able to impart that knowledge to another in an intelligible manner are two entirely separate things.

This is why I'm trying to find something online that's better-written... as I've noted before, I have seen electronics tutorials online that have animated circuit diagrams where the user can toggle onscreen switches and see the results in current flow, etc., but have been unable to find them again... this is the sort of thing I'm looking for.

Reply to
Matt Ion

Here are a couple:

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Reply to
alarman

Matt,

Here's a website that your wife may find helpful.

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Best of luck.

Regards, Robert L Bass

Bass Home Electronics

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941-866-1100
Reply to
Robert L Bass

You don't have a wife for asking such question

even if I teach computer stuff at night as a second job,I am not able to teach one bit about computer to my wife...

and why is it like that? simple,as soon that you repeat anything she will say: I am not dumb you told me that before...so you go on and now she complaint that your too fast,cause you don't repeat anymore,I've been able to teach a 62 years old electrician on how to to install its whole OS on his pc.in a 60 hour class,and at the first class he was not even able to find the power switch on the IBM machine in front of him..

But a man CANT teach anything technical to his wife....that's like trying to make a Jewish mother say that she was wrong on anything in front of her kids....

"G. Morgan" a écrit dans le message de news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

Reply to
Petem

Oh brother ain't that the truth!

My wife wanted me to teach her Photoshop in one night. Why? Because you have it on your machine, so I want to use it to print family pics...uh ok..but that's a bit of an over-kill, why don't you use Picture It...it's on your machine already. Why? You think I'm dumb? No, but it took me 6 months to learn PS. Well, that means I can learn it in 3. Ok, so what do you need me for? To teach me. Well, no one taught me...so you're on your own and we'll have a contest in 3 months :-)

| >>

| >>Yes, but she needs to understand it well enough to answer the questions on | >>the | >>insurance certification exam. The study material, as I said, *starts off* | >>with | >>a high-low balanced circuit with C-form relay wiring, but with no | >>electronics | >>background, none of that makes any sense to her. | >>

| >>Whether she retains any of it after the exam is another matter. | >

| >

| > Why don't YOU tutor her? | >

| > -- | >

| > -Graham | >

| > (delete the double e's to email) | |

Reply to
Crash Gordon

Thanks... for all the crap everyone else lays on Bass here, this has been the single most useful response I've had yet (and I can't believe I didn't think to check howstuffworks.com before).

Alarman's second link is good too.

Reply to
Matt Ion

LOL

that's the spirit!!

"Crash Gordon" a écrit dans le message de news: 456bc649$0$501$ snipped-for-privacy@news.qwest.net...

Reply to
Petem

I looked at the howstuffworks site and almost suggested it. The reason I didn't is because it said something about the 'typical' perimeter system uses "laser beams" (when referring to PE beams). I stopped reading right then.

If you could get a copy of the NBFAA level one manual that would be perfect I'd think.

Reply to
G. Morgan

Well, her study material has pretty good detail on all the different TYPES of protection - PIRs, photoelectric, pressure mats, magnetic, mechanical and mercury switches, in-wall wire mesh, etc. Mostly just concerned with familiarizing her with the /basics/ of alarm systems, like NO vs. NC loops, EOL resistors, and such.

She went through the howstuffworks section last night and I think that's got her sorted out. Thanks, all!

Reply to
Matt Ion

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