Advice on lab skills?

<p>So I am about to take an electronic physics class which is mainly about lab. It's targeted at physics sophomores. I am expecting this lab to be a "solo" lab where you don't really work with others but yourself. </p>

<p>Now I've never been a great lab technician; I've always been one of those people who just stands there and not know what's going on while everyone is doing their own thing. I am extremely scared about this because I've never been great with devices.</p>

<p>In my first year, the TAs would help me through almost every step to the point where I feel bad (I truly regret not going to him for help me improve my lab skills)</p>

<p>I am a little afraid of talking to the instructor because he is somewhat anti-social (same professor for 1st year and he just got tenured ) and I feel "troubled" if i keep asking him every step because the instructor is a professor, not a TA. I could ask others to help, but I don't want to slow others down. </p>

<p>I've been reviewing on how to use breadboards, how to use a multimeter, and oscilloscopes and so far I got the basics, but I am afraid of the little things that go wrong. </p>

<p>I've always been a booksmart person, i do well in lectures. But in the lab, it's like I am from the Stone Age.</p>

<p>Any great lab experts here with handful of experience with physics equipment can give me some advice?</p>

<p>Here is a homepage of what labs we will do over the year.</p>

<p><a href="https://people.ok.ubc.ca/keiedmon/Phys231/phys231.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;https://people.ok.ubc.ca/keiedmon/Phys231/phys231.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Thank you so much for reading and I appreciate any comment.</p>

<p>Edit function got disabled. </p>

<p>So I’ll write it here. The reason I had trouble with breadboards was because I always had to draw circuits first on paper before I make the connections. I think it is expected that I can’t do “scratch work” on a piece of paper anymore.</p>