Schematics

[daniel123]

Hi
I was wondering if anyone would like to teach me how to read schematics. I have a problem though I don't learn real well if I read or watch a video buy if I have a live person for a couple hours a day I can learn it much better. I am asking because I really want to learn how to read schematics because it's kind of hard to find things that are photos directly onto a breadboard. I am simply asking for a live teacher to Skype or some sort of live chat if  they are OK with it. I am 15 and I am a freshman in high school. I am interested in kart racing pipe organs and small engine mechanics and of course electronics and computers. So if you are OK with it feel free to contact me at this email: danielvrolijk55@gmail.com. If you can help out I would really like that!

Sincerely,
Daniel Vrolijk

[ataradov]

Couple hours for a private session can be expensive from a person who can actually teach. And anyone who does not value their time, are not likely to teach well or even know stuff.

Also, it is impossible to learn to read schematics in a day. Schematics are not fixed well-defined things, they are used to convey engineer's though. If you don't actually know basic building blocks, you will not get anything out of the schematic, even if you can tell exactly what everything is. It is like sheet music - real easy to learn notation, but it does not mean you will be able to play an instrument.

You will learn to read schematics as you learn electronics in general.

It is better to start with simple circuits and try to understand them. Ask questions here, there are always people willing to help.

[alsetalokin4017]

Daniel, look for a book called "Getting Started in Electronics" by Forrest Mims.

It turns out that this is actually available on Google Docs:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5jcnBPSPWQyaTU1OW5NbVJQNW8/edit

I think you'll find it pretty easy to learn from this book, even if you don't generally learn well from books. It's like having a patient teacher right there with you, taking you through everything step by step with lots of hand-drawn drawings. Take a look at the Google version. The first few pages will probably be below your level right now but go through them anyway so you don't miss anything.

[mojoe]

And anyone who does not value their time, are not likely to teach well or even know stuff.

So, people like Dave or W2AEW and many others who provide lots of instruction for free don't value their time and don't know anything? I myself, spent one night a week for three months (and that didn't count the prep work), teaching basic electronics to a couple of college-age kids, for free. Why? Because they were interested and willing to learn. And I still freely mentor those who show an interest in technical fields where I have some knowledge.

But I suppose that I don't know anything either, even though I have been into electronics since I was a teenager, was an avionics tech in the Air Force, am an Amateur Extra, hold a CET and GROL w/RADAR endorsement, as well as several computer certs, have three decades of experience in technical fields and currently work as a radio tech.

Don't be so quick to discount someone's altruism and dismiss their knowledge as worthless.

[ataradov]

So, people like Dave or W2AEW and many others who provide lots of instruction for free don't value their time and don't know anything?

I was talking about private 1:1 session.  That is exactly why I said

Ask questions here, there are always people willing to help.

[mojoe]

So, people like Dave or W2AEW and many others who provide lots of instruction for free don't value their time and don't know anything?

I was talking about private 1:1 session.  That is exactly why I said

Ask questions here, there are always people willing to help.

Oh, so your dismissive attitude only applies if you're teaching one person? I taught two for the electronics course, so apparently that doesn't count. But all those times I've taught/mentored individuals, I didn't know what the hell I was talking about.

I'm not going to continue and argue over this, but your statement was offensive to me and probably to others who are willing to teach others, no matter the number.

[stmdude]

I was wondering if anyone would like to teach me how to read schematics.

I'm not in a position to help you (wrong time-zone), but I can give you some tips on how to learn by yourself.
If you're not used to reading schematics, you're probably looking at the whole schematic at once, and trying to figure it out like some kind of giant equation (I did).  This probably wont work, as it's like drinking from a fire-hose.

Break down the schematic. Look at just small pieces of it, like the power-supply part of it. Figure that part out, then move on to the other part.

What helped me was to basically copy other schematics into my EDA tool. A reference circuit from a datasheet for instance. By doing that, you'll be going slowly enough to have time to think about each part you're copying.  Something like: "Ah, this resistor completes a voltage divider", "This is decoupling cap", or "Why is this diode the wrong way around?  Ah, it protects from a reversed-polarity power-source"
The up-side is that you'll be learning to create your own schematics as you go.

[danadak]

If you go here there is a ton of hobbyist magazine archives for the beginner.


http://www.americanradiohistory.com/


Focus on Radio Electronics, and Electronics World in the Technical section.

Magazines full of first time as well as experienced sections, columns.

You can download them and build a permanent reference library.


Regards, Dana.