What book to buy as a beginner?

[Cliff Matthews]

You can take a look here:

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/other-blog-specific/a/msg1341170/#msg1341170

I usually buy textbooks on Alibris.com

I will add Alibris    to the list

I am surprised Roger (EZ24) didn't get thanks noted on his post.. This guy works hard! 
Maybe some want it served on a silver platter, but older techs had to pay$ and duke it out with "Bernard Grob"

Anyone gone completely through the free Practical Electronics? (It seems touch and go - written for the Arduino crowd)
https://github.com/billcollis/textbook/raw/master/IntroToPracticalElectronicsMicrocontrollersAndSoftwareDesign.pdf

[eev_carl]

The book "Mastering the Art of DC Circuit Theory: A Practical Workbook for the Electronic Technician" which I got on Amazon helped me internalize a lot of the concepts such as superposition and Thevenin equivalents.  This is a workbook with A LOT of sample problems.  Each fully worked-out problem is paired with a second problem with different values (answers are in the back).

It's also helped me with schematics because the different problems will have different series/parallel arrangements that initially were difficult for me to visualize.

[ez24]

https://github.com/billcollis/textbook/raw/master/IntroToPracticalElectronicsMicrocontrollersAndSoftwareDesign.pdf

Good find - I added it to my PDF list

[VEGETA]

I don't have a particular book to recommend but there are many available.  Google for 'books about robotics'.

Currently, I settled on this: http://modernrobotics.org/

Aside from ROS books which I will read them after this.

[ez24]

Currently, I settled on this: http://modernrobotics.org/

This is a surprise.  This link goes to the book's homepage where there are links on where to buy it - no surprise.  But there are also links to download the book - surprise.

First time I have come across this sort of thing.  Added to my List C (it will show up later - currently under work).   
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/other-blog-specific/a/msg1341170/#msg1341170

[VEGETA]

Currently, I settled on this: http://modernrobotics.org/

This is a surprise.  This link goes to the book's homepage where there are links on where to buy it - no surprise.  But there are also links to download the book - surprise.

First time I have come across this sort of thing.  Added to my List C (it will show up later - currently under work).   
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/other-blog-specific/a/msg1341170/#msg1341170

They offer the option to buy paper version and also freely and legally download pdf version. Do you have list of modern books in such fields of engineering?

[ez24]

Do you have list of modern books in such fields of engineering?

Only those listed under PDF.  I did not include advance engineering type of books in order to keep the size of the list down.

[rstofer]

At some point, electronics becomes a numbers game.  Circuit analysis usually gets into matrix math.  Sometimes, if you have a rather simple 3x3 problem, you can solve the equations by hand.  Once you get to 4x4, computers come to mind and there are lots of math programs around that do this quite well.  One of which is Matlab.  The Home version is quite inexpensive, the Student Suite is an even better deal if you are in school.

So, what books to buy?

"MATLAB for Beginners - A Gentle Approach" - This is a very good book for beginners with MATLAB and slowly builds up through more complex math.  Don't worry, differential and integral calculus are covered in the last chapter but it really does start from the beginning.  When it comes to working with complex numbers and AC circuits, the math just gets out of hand.  I remember solving these problems with a slide rule and, trust me, the computer does it better.  Any time you are dealing with vectors or phasors, use a computer!

"Solving DC and AC Circuits By Example Using MATLAB" - This book covers a lot of ground and if you really want to do circuit analysis, this is the place to start.

wxMaxima also does a very nice job and it's free.  I don't know if there are any books on the specific subject of Maxima and Electronics but there are a lot of tutorials on the web.  wxMaxima is simply the graphical interface to Maxima which is the math engine.  CERN is heavily invested in Maxima, Google for 'CERN maxima mathematics' to see some of their tutorials.

[Johnboy]

As noted above, the sticky on this topic is your friend.

I humbly toss my hat in with earlier comments suggesting that applying concepts first and understanding the mathematical relationships later is as viable a path to concrete understanding as the reverse.

To that end, I'll say that the Platt book "Make: Electronics" is a fun way to immerse yourself (although to make the projects, be prepared to shell out some dough for the materials; there are pre-selected kits available that follow the book's requirements).

I would also suggest that the ARRL question pools are a great way to learn about fundamentals by researching the answers in the pools. Google "FCC technician question pool" to find a link to where you can download them. They helped me a lot.

Oh, and hello. For a first post, I'm kind of coming off as though I'm in a position to recommend stuff. I'm merely sharing what I found useful in getting my feet wet. After all, if a hobby's not fun, there's no point in sticking around.

[Jwillis]

This is why engineering is a profession. Like law or medicine. The education just gets you over the threshold of basic understanding. Then you have to 'git gud.'

I agree.I've worked in many environments from marine ,civil ,electrical. etc. etc. Having to work under to many "engineers" just out of school flashing class rings with no practical experience almost always turns into a disaster. Education is good don't get me wrong .But good old fashion experience with education goes much farther .
 Start with low voltages and make some smoke. That is good experience that can be applied the further you go.

[mtdoc]

Ignore anyone telling you that you need higher level math to do electronics.     Most DC circuit analysis can be done with basic algebra. AC will require some trig and complex numbers. Nothing beyond that is needed for most electronics. Even professional EEs often don’t need more. Dave himself has said as much.

And the truth is most practical electronics doesn’t even require algebra or trig or complex numbers. A good non-math based introduction to basic circuits followed by lots of hands on building, testing, and  measuring will get you far and may be all you ever need. And there’s always Spice, Matlab, etc if needed. Sure delving heavily in to theory requires lots of math -but who wants to do that other than university students or those working on the bleeding edge?  Some people do well with a math based approach but many don’t. Don’t confuse mathematical and theoretical knowledge with practical real world understanding (true for many fields). Great enginners may often have both, some may only have the later, but none have only the former.

If you enjoy math - that’s great -lots of electronics textbooks focus on the math based theory (written by university profs who are selectively drawn to that approach).

The Art of Electronics is unique in that it is at a higher level but is a non math based approach. Some of the books by Bob Pease (I’m thinking of his Troubleshooting Analog Circuits) and some of the writtings of Jim Williams (essays and app notes) are also good examples of this. There’s a reason why the non-math based approach of Horrowitz, Hill, Pease and Williams are so enduring.

At a more basic level, I that agree that Pratt’s Make: Electronics is a good hands on entry level book. Quan’s Electronics From the Ground Up is also good, with lots of hands on examples.

[mathsquid]

I'd recommend an older edition of "Electronic Principles" by Malvino and Bates.

Thanks for suggesting this book.  I picked up a copy of an edition from 1988 (3rd I think) and it's fantastic. And was only about $5 delivered from abebooks.com.  It has the best description of the behavior of electrons in semiconductors that I have ever read. I wish I'd had this book when I was a kid in the 80s. It's much better than what I found back then in the library and at Radio Shack.

[perdrix]

Not forgetting the excellent "Electronic Circuits" by Tietze and Schenk.

I have the English translation of the 2nd Edition.  I don't think the later editions have been translated from German.

Buy this from Abebooks or similar and go for the "Springer International Edition" or be mugged (GBP144).

David

[VEGETA]

What about "Practical electronics for inventors - 4th edition"? It is a best seller and I have the 3rd version and it is good. I didn't read much in it though.

[rpmilius]

For absolute beginner like me, +1 for Make: Electronics: Learning Through Discovery.” It’s a fun book to work through. I also picked up “Practical Electronics for Inventors” which looks good though I haven’t dived into it yet.

[rhb]

I'd like to second @mtdoc's comments.  Yes,  math can be very useful and if you know calculus and differential equations and integral transforms they are  a huge advantage.  But if you  don't, they are a very long and arduous sidetrip.  I know all of those, but have yet to employ them in anger on a project.  The closest I've gotten is to cartoon Fourier transforms on a sheet of paper from memory.

I suggested Malvino because it is a trade school textbook, so nothing more involved than algebra and trig.

Read "Max Wien, Mr. Hewlett and a Rainy Sunday Afternoon" by Jim Williams.  He had no formal math or electronics  education and is widely regarded as one of the great analog electronics designers.

It's important to remember that the circuits came first.  The mathematics was invented to explain it.

[13hm13]

The U.S. Navy Series has been a staple -- at least here in the US -- for decades (un-revised since the early 1970s -- still very useful).



Also this one:

[rstofer]

Back to "learn electronics"...

For the next semester, I will be building sample circuits to reinforce my grandson's Circuits class.  Why a budding ME has to take circuits remains unanswered, at least in my mind.

So, we all know "ELI the ICE man" but when was the last time you saw it?  In theory, the voltage across the resistor in an RC circuit should lead the voltage across the capacitor by 90 degrees.  It's easy enough to model this in LTspice but you need a differential measurement across the resistor.  I don't know how to do that...  Probably a math function taking the difference in two node voltages.

My Analog Discovery 2 knows how to do that!

Build a simple little series RC circuit (10k Ohms, 0.1 ufd, 159 Hz sine wave) with the signal coming in to the resistor and one side of the capacitor wired to ground.  A low pass filter.

Set Scope Channel 1 as the voltage across the resistor (this is a differential measurement, it is not measured relative to ground) and note that the voltage and current are in phase across the resistor so even though we are measuring voltage, we can talk about the waveform as current.  More on that in a moment...

Connect Scope Channel 2 across the capacitor.  This is a simple measurement because one side is ground.  No differential capability is required.

Now, plot the waveforms - the Orange waveform is the current (voltage across resistor) and the Blue waveform is the voltage across the capacitor.

Remember ICE man?  I leads E in a C circuit.  The current waveform (Orange) is exactly 90 degrees ahead of voltage waveform (Blue).

ETA:  The current in the resistor is the same as the current in the capacitor so it is correct to say that the current flowing through the capacitor is 90 degrees ahead of the voltage across the capacitor.  ICE - current in capacitor leads voltage.

What's the point?  Well, other than it's just plain fun to see these things at work, it really gets down to how much you can learn with a simple RC circuit.  I also have a Bode' Plot of frequency and phase as well as a plot of a slow square wave causing the capacitor to charge and discharge for 6 Tau (time constants).  We know Tau is 1 ms (10^-7 Farads times 10⁴ Ohms gives 10^-3 seconds or 1 ms).  We know that the charge and discharge are exponential waveforms and in 6 time constants the output will be 99+% of the input voltage but it's just fun to see it work.

I haven't spent a lot of time with Digilent's Real Analog program but I have spent a lot of time with the Analog Discovery 2.  There's a lot of theory wrapped up in a resistor and capacitor.  It's one thing to read about it, another to simulate it but it gets real when it's on your breadboard.  Real parts, real concepts.

There really is a lot of education in simple circuits.  The problem is, we just blow by them in class and never really have the time to sit down and spend some quality time with them.

[rajhlinux]

There's a sticky at the top of this forum re: books.

Art of Electronics is a text book with the intent to go light on math
Learning the Art of Electronics is a lab manual that matches the text book

Fundamentals of Electric Circuits could apply to a number of books.  Author?

I usually buy textbooks on Alibris.com

There's a problem with learning electronics and, in a word, it is mathematics.  DC circuits only involves matrix arithmetic - fairly simple.  Once you hit AC circuits, the math blows up.  You go absolutely nowhere without a lot of time invested in math courses.

Many community colleges now offer AS degrees in various fields related to, and including, EE.  All will have Calc I, Calc II, Calc III and Differential Equations as degree requirements (for an Associates Degree!) and, as it turns out, the first electric circuits course has a co-requisite of Differential Equations.  In other words 3 semesters of advanced math before the first course in circuits.  This assumes that you are up to speed on Algebra I, Algebra II, Trigonometry and Pre-Calculus from high school.  Otherwise you have to take these as a prerequisite for Calc I.  Electrical Engineering is Applied Mathematics, that's the only way to think about it.

What do you want to learn?  You can certainly go a long way with Art of Electronics but I'll bet that Fundamentals book is going to require a ton of math.  Most do...

Thumbs up on this, right on, all the basic electronics on the internet is boring, any "fun", "practical" or "advanced" electronics always requires some form of advanced math to truly understand how electronics, theory and their formulas work. I agree, take calculus 1, 2 and 3 then start reading the advanced electronics books which everyone are all raving about, everything will be much more clear and understandable and it was also a wise thing to mention that its better to go to a community college and get an AS degree for EE career since its a win-win situation since you got the knowledge to know the math needed for your electronics hobby but also got an AS degree along with it.