Anyone know of a really good electronics course?

[JohnBee]

I've purchased both Art of Electronics books and have been working through these, though I must add that they are proving to be quite challenging to say the least.
And so I've been thinking that I might be better off focusing on the fundamentals of electronics beforehand.


With that said, does anyone know of any really good basic electronics course(analog) that I could sign-up with?
I don't mind paying for the course, if that's of any importance.


Thanks in advance for any help you might have to offer on this.
JohnB

[Cliff Matthews]

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/electronics-primers-course-material-and-books/

[rstofer]

Khan Academy has a program

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/electrical-engineering

So does Digilent

https://learn.digilentinc.com/classroom/realanalog/

Both of these are going to cover theory such as might taught in a college course.  They will both involve math and Khan Academy is well know for covering that.

Caveat: I haven't followed through with either of these programs.

[Shock]

The only professional beginners video course I know of that covers the very basics is "Understanding Modern Electronics". https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/understanding-modern-electronics.html

It moves quite fast but the videos are well presented, an easy rewatch if you need. It doesn't dwell on theory or math just gets all the groundwork in, similar to a basic electronics book but less wordy. Here is a sample video.

[rstofer]

The Great Courses has a large variety of programs - I have several on math but none on electronics.  Hm...

The courses tend to be expensive.  Worth it, but expensive.  Every week I get discount offers and if there is something I am interested in, the discounted price can be quite low.  I don't recall seeing any of the more technical programs discounted.

[Vtile]

Do you have formal mathematics education? If so in which level. Which level is your basics? Do you have knowledge how to solve basic electrical circuits? Ohm's law etc.

If you are just starting out and the foundation isn't yet formed you might to look at: Getting Started in Electronics (Paperback)by Forrest M, III Mims

It is really solid, but have surprising amount of knowledge.

[rstofer]

I forgot to mention above, that video is excellent.  In a short lecture he covers things like AC frequency and amplitude, transformers, diodes, filter capacitors, a low voltage regulator and an audio amplifier.  It's really quite good.

The entire series is 24 similar videos that cover quite a lot of ground.  They cost about $11/video - really, that's a bargain!

[EddyK59]

Hi,

A good type of book to start with would be one used in the introductory course in technician school.

Many of these have labs that you can set up and do, plus many practice problems which help give the feel of Ohm's Law, etc.

A good one is _Fundamentals of DC and AC Circuits_ by Mark Hazen.

_Foundations of Electronics_ by Meade is also very good.

There's another with a similar title by Floyd.

The next books would be _Electronic Principles_ by Malvino, which covers active devices.

In each case, look for old editions used on Amazon, ABEBOOKS.COM etc, the old editions are very inexpensive.

Ask questions here. And... don't give up on The Art of Electronics.

Good Luck

[JohnBee]

Wow so many great suggestions!
Since I started this post, I've signed-up with Khan Academy and enrolled in the recommended program. I only took a quick peek at the outline and introduction but, it certainly seemed like an in depth course(perhaps even too advanced for my current level), though I'll definitely keep it on tap.

In addition to this, I found a great deal on the DVD Understanding Modern Electronics course on Amazon. And so I ordered it.

And finally, I googled Getting Started in Electronics (Paperback)by Forrest M, III Mims, and found that we actually already owned this book as part of our Homsechool library. Of which, I completely forgot about. And so there are some good reasons to dig those up.

As for EddyK59's recommendations, we absolutely love adding books in our home. And so I'll do my best to source out some bargains and add your recommendations to my library.

With all that being said, there are so many great recommendations here and so I'd like to thank-everyone for helping out. Learning electronics is so very exciting, and I really can't wait to get some real momentum with hands-on projects. I have several Arduino's and similar proto-boards lined-up for experimentations, just as soon as I can learn enough to get my hands dirty - so-to speak

[rstofer]

For used books, consider Alibris.com.  I buy all of my used books there - probably near two dozen over the last few years.

Facts don't change, the presentation might.  When I go back to my 1970 era books, I find them to be fact filled tomes with a truly boring presentation.  Modern texts seem to be 'lighter' in the manner of writing while still covering the material.  The graphics in newer texts are much better and many use color.