Help me pick some books

[jimjam]

My background: I studied electrical/electronics engineering about 20 years ago (gosh I'm old now). Once I graduated though I went straight into programming so I've never really had much practical electronic experience. I have also forgotten almost everything 

I'd like to learn again and play with electronics and would love to read the basics. I know there are plenty of reading materials out there, but I am probably old fasioned and prefer to read from a real book. I'm wondering if you have any books you could recommend as the "basics" or "must read" stuff, which topics I should learn about, etc. Please tell me if any of these are obsolete now:

I think that the areas I need to learn as a start (let me know if I've missed something)
- circuit analysis - those ohms law and RLC circuit, transistors, op amps, etc
- basics of digital design / logic gates (I remember learning about Karnaugh map, and creating a bunch of logic gates using this... I mean it's probably silly since it can all be done much more easily using micro controllers now?). I need to brush up on the transient logic.
- some practical stuff - components and their characteristics, data sheets (e.g. what does 74xx looks like on the inside), what voltages they operate at etc. I guess we can look this up on the internet nowadays. Back then I had to find books.
- Probably read up on microcontroller stuff, but I'd imagine this stuff hasn't changed that much - data bus, i/o bus, etc, so I don't need to read the "basics/theory" - just the practical stuff to build circuits.

I am currently planning on getting these books:

Practical Electronics for Inventors, Third Edition by Paul Scherz
Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071771336

I'm not sure about this book:
Digital Design and Verilog HDL Fundamentals by Joseph Cavanagh
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1420074156
I am looking for a basic to intermediate digital design book as a refresher. I studied it at university a long time ago but back then I haven't heard of HDL / Verilog, so I am curious about it. I'm not sure if this is the best book to re-fresh on digital design basics.

Circuit Analysis: Theory and Practice by Allan H. Robbins
Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1133281001
This is mainly theoretical stuff that I think I used to learn at uni too, but have forgotten most of.

Comments / suggestions are welcome!

[TimNJ]

Hi!

I'm a rising sophomore electrical engineering student, so maybe I don't have all the wisdom in the world, but I've been doing hobby electronics since early in high school...

This summer I've been dedicating around an hour a day to sit down with the classic "The Art of Electronics", "The Art of Electronics Student Manual", a calculator, a notebook, and pen. TAOE cover from all the way from simplest concepts all the way up to analog to digital converters and beyond. Very thorough book and well written.

I have lot of other books that I've acquired but I feel that the TAOE and its accompanying student manual is a fantastic way to learn (and fairly quickly at that).  You can get both used and in good shape for around $100 I'd say.

Now I've heard great things about "Practical Electronics for Inventors" and one of these days I might buy it to see what all the hype's about. I can't comment on it but people around here do really like it, especially for the price. I also can't comment on the VHDL book but hey Amazon reviews are usually good indicators. As for the circuit analysis book...it could in all likelihood be a good book but if I was going to try to learn some electronics concepts I probably wouldn't get a collegiate textbook that gets into all the nitty gritty like that...but that's just me. I also don't always like the "politically correct" descriptions textbooks tend to use, making simple concepts kind of overbearing. Maybe I'm just not that bright.

[jimjam]

TimNJ, thanks for your suggestion on TAOE. I'll check that out.

Last night I purchased the kindle version of the "Digital Design and Verilog HDL Fundamentals". The Kindle version is only $4 cheaper than the hard cover! But so far I like what I see in it.

I think I'll reserve the circuit analysis book for later. I chose it because I studied that stuff at uni and would like to a refresher but you're right in that it's probably too in-depth.

[Bored@Work]

Now I've heard great things about "Practical Electronics for Inventors" and one of these days I might buy it to see what all the hype's about.

It is hype, more hype than substance. It is not even good enough as a door stopper, because of the cheap binding. It is one of those books that tries to sell you a good feeling "you can be an inventor, too", and puts communicating that feeling before communicating facts. A lot of fragments combined in a book. The fragments stop when it starts to get hard and difficult. Old technology (4000 series and 74LS logic, 741 OpAmp  ?). Lots  and lots of errors, even the fanboys had to admit that.

And one of my pet peeves:

Hey Scherz and Monk, learn how to draw a freaking sine curve! If you can't, get an old school drawing template or let the computer do it! Even electricians in training have them, you with your PhDs can have one, too. Page after page with "sine" curves assembled from parabolas is not the way to do it. Like the many errors it shows lazies and a f*ck you attitude towards your readers.

I can't comment on it but people around here do really like it,

Not everyone, but many felt for the "it makes you feel good" trick.

especially for the price.

Yes, cheap it is.

[Kremmen]

Can i once again endorse Mancini's "Op Amps for Everyone? http://www.ti.com/lit/an/slod006b/slod006b.pdf.
While it is nominally about operational amplifiers, it starts by introducing some relevant core concepts and all through the text you will find ancillary information that is generally relevant for circuit design. And what is best, it is freely downloadable from the interweb.
Speaking of circuit design, there is Tim Williams' useful "Circuit Designer's Companion". http://www.amazon.com/Circuit-Designers-Companion-Design-Engineers-ebook/dp/B006WW6PMC/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1401175237&sr=1-1 Well worth having if you can get it at a reasonable price.

[jimjam]

Thank you! The opamp book is great and free! The circuit design book seems interesting too. Much appreciated.

[Legion]

I started learning electronics back in February. I bought Practical Electronics for Inventors and Art of Electronics.

Practical Electronics for Inventors is a very good book. The explanations are clear and easy to understand. TomC put together a comprehensive list of errata for the book which is very helpful. The latest version of the errata can be found here: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/practical-electronics-for-inventors-3rd/75/
Near the bottom of page 6.

Art of Electronics has been a disappointment. Perhaps it's because I'm a beginner but I find the explanations to be very poor. They read like word salad. The student manual explains things much better. It's hard to believe it was written by the same people. Unfortunately, the student manual only covers a fraction of what's in the book.

Definitely recommend Practical Electronics for Inventors. Not so much AoE.

[DonRon]

Have a look at Leslie Green's Analog Seekrets

Search for it on this forum

 Re: Leslie Greens Analog SEEKrets Re-upload
« Reply #19 on: January 29, 2012, 06:57:40 AM »

    Quote

I have the file for download from one of my sites:
http://www.lesnagy.ca/seekrets/seekrets.zip

[DonRon]

and this is the homepage:

http://www.logbook.freeserve.co.uk/seekrets/

[Dave]

Now I've heard great things about "Practical Electronics for Inventors" and one of these days I might buy it to see what all the hype's about.

It is hype, more hype than substance. It is not even good enough as a door stopper, because of the cheap binding. It is one of those books that tries to sell you a good feeling "you can be an inventor, too", and puts communicating that feeling before communicating facts. A lot of fragments combined in a book. The fragments stop when it starts to get hard and difficult. Old technology (4000 series and 74LS logic, 741 OpAmp  ?). Lots  and lots of errors, even the fanboys had to admit that.

And one of my pet peeves:

Hey Scherz and Monk, learn how to draw a freaking sine curve! If you can't, get an old school drawing template or let the computer do it! Even electricians in training have them, you with your PhDs can have one, too. Page after page with "sine" curves assembled from parabolas is not the way to do it. Like the many errors it shows lazies and a f*ck you attitude towards your readers.

Had to actually find a PDF version of it and see for myself.
It is actually worse than I first expected.

Seriously, take a look at the "sine" waves. A bunch of goddamn chopped ellipses. Infinite dv/dt at zero crossing. What?
Also, spike on the mains goes directly through to the DC voltage? And the DC voltage is perfectly flat, apparently.


They keep forcing these water analogies. Words cannot describe how ridiculously wrong this one is.

[TimNJ]

I started learning electronics back in February. I bought Practical Electronics for Inventors and Art of Electronics.

Practical Electronics for Inventors is a very good book. The explanations are clear and easy to understand. TomC put together a comprehensive list of errata for the book which is very helpful. The latest version of the errata can be found here: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/practical-electronics-for-inventors-3rd/75/
Near the bottom of page 6.

Art of Electronics has been a disappointment. Perhaps it's because I'm a beginner but I find the explanations to be very poor. They read like word salad. The student manual explains things much better. It's hard to believe it was written by the same people. Unfortunately, the student manual only covers a fraction of what's in the book.

Definitely recommend Practical Electronics for Inventors. Not so much AoE.

I know what you are saying about TAOE. I think the book alone is tough for a straight up beginner and that's why I don't recommend it on its own. Whenever I find myself questioning something in the main book, I look at the Student Manual and I usually find my answer. Haven't had to resort to the Internet too many times...yet.

[jimjam]

I have ordered both TAOE and Practical electronics.... downloaded a bunch of stuff... well, I better start READING!!!

[jammet]

I used Boylestad's book on uni.
Electronic Devices and Circuit Theory by Boylestad

[Bored@Work]

It is actually worse than I first expected.

The book is just full of crap. I pity the people who trust that book.