I've been aware of your blog for less than 24 hours, so perhaps I've missed it..

[MarkS]

Do you have one that goes over reading data sheets? As a hobbyist, I found them quite intimidating at first. While I eventually deciphered them to a point that I can get usable information out of them, I still find myself skipping over tons of data that I really don't know what to do with.

I know that data sheets are critical to design, so it would be nice to have someone that knows what they're doing to go over this.

[metalphreak]

Dave goes through a few datasheets in this video. I don't think he has one dedicated solely to datasheets though.

[EEVblog]

No, none specifically about reading datasheets, as there are just so many variations depending on the device, it's not really practical.
But I have a lot of videos where I do show and explain stuff in datasheets for various components.
But I can't rattle them all off my head unfortunately.

Dave.

[joelby]

EEVblog #204 might be another good one: http://www.eevblog.com/2011/09/29/eevblog-204-designing-a-li-ion-battery-gauge-with-the-lm3914/

[metalphreak]

I'm not sure I would watch a video just on datasheets, but I like when you point out various bits and pieces about them when referring to a device in a video. I also think people learn more when its explained in reference to a real project/device rather than just generalisations.

Some of the parts of a datasheet like the graphs can be intimidating, and they really aren't of much use until you understand the workings of the device. This really isn't something you can cover on a general basis. I find it handy to get datasheets from various manufacturers of the same or similar devices, because some have much better application notes and designs.

[MarkS]

Thank you all! By looking at the two videos posted here, it looks like I was actually reading them correctly. I know that all of the information listed in a datasheet applies to the device in question, I was under the incorrect assumption that ALL of the data applied to any application that uses the device. There were times that I ran across information in the datasheet that I didn't fully understand, but I was able to divine the meaning with some research, at which point I found the info didn't apply. This led me to the incorrect assumption that I was doing something wrong.

It is quite amazing how something simple, like reading a datasheet, can be difficult to someone that hasn't gone through an EE course. 

Dave, thank you so much for your blog and site! I had dropped out of the hobby for quite some time and ran across your blog on YouTube quite by accident a couple of days ago. It reminded me just how much I enjoy this.