Something got me thinking, a big part of any job specification is the amount of experience that a candidate has. In the current job market (Such a thing does apparently exist, its not just jobs for friends and ignoring anyone else), every little bit of experience seems to help. The question is however, how do you get this experience when no one will hire you? Do employers actually consider personal projects that might not necessarily follow a proper project life cycle?

If personal projects are can be worth the effort, what is your preferred way to show them off? On one hand you could list it on your resume (CV, whatever you wish to call it), or you could use a portfolio in a similar way to artists. How would you go about it?

Any one out there have any experience of getting going in the electronics/embedded software industry in these relatively tough times?

Late post is late.

Many thanks to e-14 for this one. Some time in summer, I won a lovely bit of kit. At the time I was cursing, the day I found out I was only round the corner from the offices but couldn't make it to drool in person. However, following a short wait (and a looong drive home from Leeds), I got home to find a box. What was inside it you ask? Simple, a Fluke 233 and some e-14 goodies.

The Fluke 233 is a remote display Digital Multi Meter with an impressive feature list including:

• Measure up to 1000 V ac and dc
• Measure up to 10 A (20 A for 30 seconds)
• 10,000 μF capacitance range
• Frequency to 50 kHz

Whats impressive about this, aside from the features, is the display. For those who have parts of systems scattered about, or in awkward places, or just want to monitor something from the other side of the room (We've all been there right?), the display module detaches. This allows you to connect up the meter as usual, but walk away (Up to 10 meters) with the display. To make it easier the display itself is magnetic allowing you to easily attach it to a nearby surface such as a control box you are working on. The main unit however is not so lucky. With the basic kit your only option is to carefully place it somewhere stable. Or, take advantage of one of the accessory kits. One such item is the ToolPak. This simple strap clips onto the back of your Fluke meter and adds the magnetic feature seen in the disaply module. Should you not have a magnetic surface available, you can always clip it onto another appropriate surface. Should you want to refrain from hanging about, there is the stand option, seen on many meters. Simply flip it out from the back of the meter to prop it up while you work.

Aside from the amazing remote display, the meter itself is pretty standard. Auto ranging, Min/Max/Avg options, temperature and frequency features, back light, true-rms etc. A good quality meter, great for any engineer working in potentially hazardous or awkward spaces.

While working with it, I haven't had any major problems (The minor ones all being down to a lack of tea), the battery life is ok. It might struggle with heavy use, however it does not need anything special, just AA alkaline cells. The wireless function for the display turns off when connected to the main unit (and resorts to an IR connection, no dirty pins to deal with) in order to conserve power. Over all it is a very nice unit, well worth the money, if a little on the expensive side. Not one for beginners thats for sure!

My only complaints with it are with the kit contents. While it is not expected that the meter comes with a case, I do feel it could have came with one, or at least some nice bubblewrap to package it. For those considering getting one, or who have one I do recommend getting a case. You can get one from Fluke directly or locate one for yourself. Just don't forget it must have room for all your accessories! My other complaint is with the manual. It is on CD. While not a problem for most users, some platforms may have issues opening the included files. Should you need the manual, you can soon download a copy from the Fluke website.

My rating? 9.9/10

Marks are lost for the manual not being as accessible as it could be.

Worth buying? Yes, if you are going to need the remote display, go for it, if not, stick with one of the other models and save the money from the batteries.

A friend of mine, an artist by trade, is working on a piece and needs some assistance with some lighting. So I thought, what a better place to ask than a site full of engineers?

Heres the problem, there is one standard canvas (Presumably painted) that needs to be back lit. Previous attempts have shown standard LED torches are not enough, multiple lamps (Assuming desk lamps) are enough, however there is a problem with the canvas burning. Can anyone suggest a suitable way to do it on a low budget?

It is a long shot, but maybe there is something we have missed

In other news, work on my main project has moved to focus on moving the system to an ARM processor. Problem is it is being designed with a mbed and will need to be moved to a stand alone chip. Thats going to be fun for me!

Wednesday (9th June) saw the School of Computing, Engineering and Information Sciences put on its second annual graduate show. The VIP part of this went well and if I had any advice for any students out there its this. If you are given the chance to exhibit your project at a graduate show, do it! You will not regret it. For the sake of a few hours of your time, you could end up walking away with some decent opportunities.

In my case I went not expecting much and as such didn't have a fully working product (See other complaints about mystery issues that no one knows how to fix). Despite this I left with the chance to get it working with the possibility of the product being produced or sold. While this is not a guaranty that it will happen, how can you turn down such a chance?

The basic point I'm trying to make is that as dull as some shows may sound, take the chance, you never know what may come from it.