What book to buy as a beginner?

[DoorVb]

Hello everyone,

A few years ago I picked up electronics. At the time I didn't know anything about electronics so I wanted to learn the basic stuff from youtube.
Over the years (2 to be precise) I have made a lot of progress but I want to get a little more serious.
I'm thinking about buying a book. Maybe" The art of Electronics", "Learning the Art of Electronics: A Hands-on Approach" or "Fundamentals of Electric Circuits 5th Edition".

Here's where I need your help. I really don't know book what to buy.

Many thanks,
   Van Beveren

[Old Printer]

If you look at the head of this section (Beginners), you will see a permanent thread titled "Primers, et." It is pages and pages of just the information you are looking for. It gets asked so many times the mods made it a sticky. No need to buy anything if you have internet access, tons of free, solid info available, but plenty of books as well.

[Karlo_Moharic]

First of all why the hell buy  any book , when you can download them for free. If you need more guidance PM me.

[rstofer]

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...

[ez24]

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

[rstofer]

When this topic comes up, I always bring up the math.  I wish there were a consistent definition for 'learn' because, when I learned electronics, it took 4 years of undergrad plus a year of grad school.  That is my definition of 'learn' and is probably well beyond what a hobbyist wants to invest.  I can't say I blame them!

I don't want to scare people off by all the math.  Let's face it, most people don't like math and the reason they don't like it is because they aren't all that good at it.  After 40+ years I'm not all that good at it either!

I guess one of my concerns is that "Fundamentals..." is likely to be an engineering text and the authors will assume that the readers have a background in math.  There is nothing wrong with learning via the "Art of Electronics" and, later on, if more depth is necessary, take up the math at that time.

[CharlieEcho]

How much math is needed for AoE?

I think for many of us it gets overwhelming quickly. Similary, Fundamentals.... or even Inventors.....

I accept that real EE require math, but that is definitely a barrier once you have the very basics.

That said, there's a lot you can do with the very basics.

I think the OpenCourseware and etc. resources are a good way to bridge that gap. I keep trying, although I probably will have to back up to Khan Academy math courses to really progress....nice to have them available.

[rstofer]

Khan Academy is excellent.  They even have a EE series

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

There are many sites on You Tube including MathBFF and NancyPi  Nancy simply moved from MathBFF to NancyPI  She is one smart lady

CalcWorkshop.com has the entire math program from PreCalculus up through Differential Equations with hundreds of videos of various lengths - usually about an hour, perhaps more.  Jen has many years of experience teaching the subjects and she hits all the buttons.  I can't say enough good things about this site.  OTOH, it costs money - about $125/year.  The number of years depends on where you are starting.  These videos are BETTER than most lectures.  The series on Limits is free and well worth watching.  This program has nothing to do with electronics, it is strictly math.

Digilent has an excellent program of lectures, handouts and homework:

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

MIT Opencourseware is also excellent

https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/

There are plenty of resources and most are free.

[NEYi]

Not a single book, no matter how good it is won't teach you electronics unless you'll start doing some DIY electronic projects.
These books work more like references, not studying material, like if you need some solution – you check Art of Electronics' chapter for it. But you need to know what you actually need.
You can of course browse through these books at the very beginning to check what's possible in general, but you won't understand much unless you'll apply the knowledge on practice right away.

Eh, and in general – Google is still much better for references.

[rstofer]

Google can lead to excellent resources but what is necessary, in my opinion, is a 'program'.

The Digilent tutorials are a 'program'.  They start simple and progress to the more difficult.

It does little good to Google for the 'step response of R-L-C circuit' if you don't have the background to understand the equations.  Any time you get into 2d order differential equations, you had better have had a course in Laplace Transforms.  A progression - preferably by the same cadre.

That's what I like about CalcWorkshop.com.  The teaching style is consistent from pre-calculus through differential equations.  If the method works for you, you are all set.  Lower division math is a settled issue.  Alas, it is just math, no electronics.

Maybe the Electrical Engineering section at Khan Academy is set up like a 'program'.  I haven't spent any time with it but I will in the near future.  I need to recover my circuit analysis fu before my grandson gets to that class.  If I ever had any...

[LoFi]

...
I want to get a little more serious.
I'm thinking about buying a book. Maybe" The art of Electronics", "Learning the Art of Electronics: A Hands-on Approach" or "Fundamentals of Electric Circuits 5th Edition".

Here's where I need your help. I really don't know book what to buy.
...

Others have pointed you to the "Primers" sticky at the top of this forum.  Of course that's many pages to look through.  Two books that come up a lot are "The Art of Electronics"... which you've mentioned, and "Practical Electronics for Inventors". Both are excellent.  Practical Electronics is perhaps a bit more hands-on oriented with a lot of example circuits, but it also explains a good deal of theory. 

If you are considering the EE route, then of course you'll need a structured program and tons of math.  But there are degrees of wanting to "get a little more serious", and I think (hope) there can still be a lot of benefit from approaches that fall short of the full-blown EE route.   "Art of Electronics" or "Practical Electronics" should be helpful steps whichever path you choose...

[CharlieEcho]

It does little good to Google for the 'step response of R-L-C circuit' if you don't have the background to understand the equations.  Any time you get into 2d order differential equations, you had better have had a course in Laplace Transforms.  A progression - preferably by the same cadre.

I heartily agree. I've hit that wall more than once trying to do various tutorial programs in different disciplines. I really am not great at math, but it's different when you're doing it because you want to, not because you have to.

[hugo]

Hello everyone,

A few years ago I picked up electronics. At the time I didn't know anything about electronics so I wanted to learn the basic stuff from youtube.
Over the years (2 to be precise) I have made a lot of progress but I want to get a little more serious.
I'm thinking about buying a book. Maybe" The art of Electronics", "Learning the Art of Electronics: A Hands-on Approach" or "Fundamentals of Electric Circuits 5th Edition".

Here's where I need your help. I really don't know book what to buy.

Many thanks,
   Van Beveren

Practical Electronics for Inventors, Fourth Edition is another good one.

[rstofer]

I decided to check out the Khan Academy Electrical Engineering series and it is quite good.  There are paper exercises following the videos to help reinforce (and even expand on) the material.

The intent of the series is to provide the entire lower division of an EE curriculum and it certainly looks like they have that covered.  This would generally be considered the first two years of EE school.

Each video is short.  I didn't run across one that is more than 15 minutes and most seem to be 5-8 minutes.  This is good because my attention span is pretty short.  One hour lectures are a drag!

It's important to recognize that this curriculum is for engineering students, not necessarily hobbyists.  By that I mean, they're talking about theory, not applications.  There are robotics projects later on but in the early sessions it is strictly board work.  But that's OK!  It's important to have a foundation in circuit analysis before going too far forward in applications.

Check it out:

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

[CharlieEcho]

This looks quite good -- and the first lesson contains direct links to lectures on the prerequisites (specific topics, not entire courses). Nice!

[VEGETA]

Do you have some recommendation about Robotics design books?

[rstofer]

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

[marcuswilson007]

The art of electronics, Horowitz and Hill is a great book which is something you can always refer to.
It assumes you have a reasonable grasp of electronics and it's not a training manual, nor does it follow any progression through.
It kind of slots between a reference book and a companion to an electronics study course.
It is great for someone who wants to do hands on electronic design and construction.
If you continue with electronics you are very unlikely to sell it except to get a newer edition.
If you get it, after reading it you will have a better idea of what you may need to fill in what it doesn't cover.

[rhb]

I'd recommend an older edition of "Electronic Principles" by Malvino and Bates.  The current edition is ridiculous at almost $200 US.

It's written for vocational school use.  So the math is explained very simply.  Most important it is filled with circuit examples which the authors have built and verified using common components.  I worked through the 2nd edition while pursuing a PhD in geophysics at UT Austin as a diversion.  There is something deeply satisfying about building something, measuring it and seeing it match predictions.

The writing is excellent (my BA is English lit) and it covers the intended ground very thoroughly.  The first edition came out in 1973, the 2nd in 1979.  The current is the 8th in 2016.

[schmitt trigger]

I'm going to ask a dumb question, because to many people, "understanding electronic projects" means an Arduino board, coupled with a pair of shields, and then writing and/or downloading the code.

the question is: are you really interested in the hardware, or the software portion of a project?
Or both?

[iainwhite]

I'd recommend an older edition of "Electronic Principles" by Malvino and Bates.  The current edition is ridiculous at almost $200 US.

I picked up a good used Sixth Edition of Electronic Principles for $14 inc shipping on Amazon.  Bargain!

[rstofer]

I'm going to ask a dumb question, because to many people, "understanding electronic projects" means an Arduino board, coupled with a pair of shields, and then writing and/or downloading the code.

the question is: are you really interested in the hardware, or the software portion of a project?
Or both?

That is always the question with these 'learn electronics' threads. How much electronics do newcomers want to learn?

There's nothing wrong with Arduino projects, they're a lot of fun and when it comes to robotics, there is something to 'show and tell'.  A line following robot justifies a lot of test equipment!

There are 'me too' projects where an existing project is copied.  Nothing wrong with that either.  Everything I know about programming, I got with 'copy and paste'.

Then there is some lightweight circuit design.  There are sites, like Digilent's Real Analog, that spend a lot of time on the theory of circuits.  Khan Academy is also excellent.

Finally, we come to engineering.  That one takes a while.  The ironic part is that after four years of undergrad and a year or two in grad school, you still don't know much.  But at least you know that you don't know because you had the opportunity to specialize in one small aspect of electronics and pretty much kiss off everything else.  I was only interested in digital circuits and have always had just about no interest in analog.  Why?  Analog math is (was) hard.  Not so much these days with LTspice and Matlab but back in the mid '70s, differential equations and Laplace Transforms was seriously ugly arithmetic.  Matrix math wasn't a lot of fun either.  In comparison, digital was a walk in the park.  Field Theory and Maxwell's Equations?  Are you kidding me?

After 6 years in college, you still won't know how to lay out a PCB for SDRAM.  The good news is that your tech probably does.

Learn electronics?  It's a continuing process...

[CharlieEcho]

Finally, we come to engineering.  That one takes a while.  The ironic part is that after four years of undergrad and a year or two in grad school, you still don't know much.  But at least you know that you don't know...

Learn electronics?  It's a continuing process...

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.'

[Old Printer]

Ben Eater, who is a member of the Kahn Academy, has a YT channel under his own name. He is primarily focused on logic and the electronics needed to build basic logic gate computer demo circuits. He is a great teacher and his videos would be of value to any electronics noob. If you are a rank beginner, a structured approach will give you the fastest education. I have spent the last year bouncing from one topic to the next because they all interest me. I have learned a lot, but would be farther ahead if I was more focused. Just my 2 cents.

[tooki]

I'd recommend an older edition of "Electronic Principles" by Malvino and Bates.  The current edition is ridiculous at almost $200 US.

Yeah, for the hardcover. The paperback is vastly cheaper.