The Art Of Electronics book is awesome!

[mcovington]

I didn't mean there was nothing to electronics but Ohm's Law.

What I meant is that Ohm's Law has to be considered absolutely fundamental and has to be in your mind whenever you think about electricity.  Of course in many situations you have to add other knowledge too.

Beginning students sometimes want to pigeonhole Ohm's Law as something you keep on a shelf and pull out when you need to do a calculation.

My point was simply that Ohm's Law has to be intuitive -- you have to have an intuitive understanding about voltage, current, and resistance, based on it.

[nfmax]

"The Art of Electronics" reminds me of "Radiotron Designer's Handbook" (proud product of Australia!), which guided engineers through the vacuum tube era and, like AoE, was full of practical information that was hard to get anywhere else.

I have a copy of that here! As well as all three editions of AofE. And Terman's 'Radio Engineering'. And the book by Eric(h) Zepler, written entirely from memory while he was interned in a camp on the Isle of Man, which is why there are no references...

[Terry01]

I will for sure check out some of the other books mentioned.

I like reading about something or other then building it up on a breadboard and being able to fiddle about adding more components or whatever so I can actually see what is being taught. I tend to learn stuff easier doing it that way and it seems to stick in my memory more too.

[nfmax]

We have wandered off topic and have started talking about some of the classic texts of the 1930's and 1940's. Sorry...

[Terry01]

We have wandered off topic a wee bit but it's all good 

All the posts are of recommendations for other good books for beginners or hobbyists or people who just like electronics and that can only be good.
I started the topic recommending 1 book and I have ended up with a few more that I will look into for sure.

That just shows how the forum for what it is.

Guys who know more and better sharing their hard earned knowledge with people who want to learn about electronics. 

[Paul Ed]

Lesley

....
It's exactly the position i'm in, I don't work due to some pretty bad discrimination, and poor mental health resulting from it. So I'm on state support, and very limited funds. Thus why I hunted out a bargain.

Am sooo sorry to hear this, life can be difficult at times can't it?

For UK peeps, who don't mind a battered copy on a budget, I got mine from here. https://www.anybook.biz/search/#results
Just put ISBN number 9780521370950 or 0521370957 for the 2nd edition, at budget prices.

Oh you are kind - also scored an ex-library copy too, am dead chuffed, so many thanks for the link and the ISBN details, both appreciated. 

[StillTrying]

LTspice.

[HobGoblyn]

For UK peeps, who don't mind a battered copy on a budget, I got mine from here. https://www.anybook.biz/search/#results
Just put ISBN number 9780521370950 or 0521370957 for the 2nd edition, at budget prices.

Oh you are kind - also scored an ex-library copy too, am dead chuffed, so many thanks for the link and the ISBN details, both appreciated. 

I suspect this is a silly question as surely two different books would have two different ISBN numbers.

If I search for 9780521370950

Some of the responses imply it's  "The Art of Electronics", other responses imply it's "Study Guide for the Art if Electronics"  but both have the second edition isbn number?

I suspect if I buy both, I will get two copies of the Art of Electronics and no study guide?

[LateLesley]

I suspect this is a silly question as surely two different books would have two different ISBN numbers.

If I search for 9780521370950

Some of the responses imply it's  "The Art of Electronics", other responses imply it's "Study Guide for the Art if Electronics"  but both have the second edition isbn number?

I suspect if I buy both, I will get two copies of the Art of Electronics and no study guide?

I think it's just the way the search works on that site, it's pretty poor to be honest. I'd go off the titles, and assume if you click into "The Art of Electronics", you'll get the book, and if you click the Study Guide, then you'll get the study guide. (I don't know what the study guide is, but i'd assume the ISBN would have to be different?)

[HobGoblyn]

I would agree about the ISBN, however look at the following two pics in this and next post  (couldn't work out how to get both pics in same post, the options didn't seem to work)

[HobGoblyn]

[LateLesley]

yeah, I see they have them listed with the same ISBN... Like I said before, their search is shockingly bad, and I'd go off the title, and if you are unsure, contact them.

[StillTrying]

LTspice.

Are there any newbies* trying LTspice together with AoE.

*everybody's a newbie in something

[Paul Ed]

I suspect this is a silly question as surely two different books would have two different ISBN numbers.

If I search for 9780521370950

Some of the responses imply it's  "The Art of Electronics", other responses imply it's "Study Guide for the Art if Electronics"  but both have the second edition isbn number?

I suspect if I buy both, I will get two copies of the Art of Electronics and no study guide?

I think it's just the way the search works on that site, it's pretty poor to be honest. I'd go off the titles, and assume if you click into "The Art of Electronics", you'll get the book, and if you click the Study Guide, then you'll get the study guide. (I don't know what the study guide is, but i'd assume the ISBN would have to be different?)

Ah, if you ( @HobGoblyn ) can wait a couple more days I can tell you - I assumed as did Lesley, that the book title (and icon) would be accurate - so I ordered (I think) the Art of Electronics but can see why you asked your question, I'll know hopefully by the end of this week which I actually bought as they've said it will be posted shortly.
 By the way this is what they listed on their email confirmation of my order :-

The Art of Electronics (2nd edt)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521370950
Our ref: 678604 (2150g)

[HobGoblyn]

Thanks, I contacted them and queried it, will post their response.

[PerranOak]

I agree that the book is excellent for gaining a proper understanding of fundamental and I love it for this.

However, when I have a practical problem and use it as a reference to solve that problem, it rarely delivers. Maybe I'm too thick.

[rstofer]

LTspice.

Are there any newbies* trying LTspice together with AoE.

*everybody's a newbie in something

You can certainly incorporate LTspice into a learning program, I used the "IBM Electronic Circuit Analysis Program" in about my 2d year (?) when we started dealing with AC circuits and amplifiers, circa 1970.

Where I don't think any computer simulation should be used is in the learning of the fundamentals.  Maybe as a cross-check but there is no education in simply probing a schematic without having first done the calculations.

Now, solving the equations themselves doesn't need to be done by hand, a 'solver' like MATLAB or Octave could be used but writing the equations IS the exercise.  Having LTspice do all the work isn't really learning anything.  It's like using an Arduino with somebody else's library - you don't learn a thing.

The 4 biggies (Ohm's Law, Kirchoff's Laws, Thevenin's Theorem and Norton's Theorem) need to be automatic.  Writing node and mesh equations needs to be automatic.  Solving the equations can be done with a 'solver' but, even then, using row elimination should be well understood.  Given the sparse nature of the matrix, it may actually be faster to solve by hand than type it into MATLAB.

OTOH, a graph is a very handy thing to have.  I just did a simple LTspice plot of the capacitor voltage of an RC circuit when forced with a square wave (attached).  Question:  Why is the square wave high for 6 ms and low for 6 ms?

[nigelwright7557]

Don't forget the lab manual "Learning the Art of Electronics" and the soon to be released "X Chapters" (Amazon is taking pre-orders).
You can read all you want but you won't really understand electronics until it is on a breadboard and you can probe it with a DMM or scope.

I did an electronics course in 1980.
We did theory in the morning and practical in the afternoons.
Nothing like sound of exploding electrolytic capacitors to show people are learning.

[rstofer]

Don't forget the lab manual "Learning the Art of Electronics" and the soon to be released "X Chapters" (Amazon is taking pre-orders).
You can read all you want but you won't really understand electronics until it is on a breadboard and you can probe it with a DMM or scope.

I did an electronics course in 1980.
We did theory in the morning and practical in the afternoons.
Nothing like sound of exploding electrolytic capacitors to show people are learning.

We didn't spend nearly enough time in lab.  Most of the fellows were prior military techs or working as techs for the military.  They didn't really need lab classes.  I did...  I had a pretty decent assortment of tools at home so it wasn't all bad.

[HobGoblyn]

I suspect this is a silly question as surely two different books would have two different ISBN numbers.

If I search for 9780521370950

Some of the responses imply it's  "The Art of Electronics", other responses imply it's "Study Guide for the Art if Electronics"  but both have the second edition isbn number?

I suspect if I buy both, I will get two copies of the Art of Electronics and no study guide?

I think it's just the way the search works on that site, it's pretty poor to be honest. I'd go off the titles, and assume if you click into "The Art of Electronics", you'll get the book, and if you click the Study Guide, then you'll get the study guide. (I don't know what the study guide is, but i'd assume the ISBN would have to be different?)

Ah, if you ( @HobGoblyn ) can wait a couple more days I can tell you - I assumed as did Lesley, that the book title (and icon) would be accurate - so I ordered (I think) the Art of Electronics but can see why you asked your question, I'll know hopefully by the end of this week which I actually bought as they've said it will be posted shortly.
 By the way this is what they listed on their email confirmation of my order :-

The Art of Electronics (2nd edt)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521370950
Our ref: 678604 (2150g)

I sent them the following email

Hi

If I search for ISBN 9780521370950 I get two different books come up.

1) Study Guide for The art of Electronics

2) The Art of Electronics.

Both are different books, one is a study guide to be used along side the other.

I want no 2) The art of Electronics, but I will also happily buy the Study Guide too, however, as they both have the same ISBN, I don\'t want to order both and find I've got two copies of the same book, even worse, I don\'t want to order two and find I\'ve got two study guides.

Could you check this for me please. I want fair + condition, not poor.

Many thanks

Here is their reply

Hello,

Thank you for your patience while these books were checked.

6849942,By (author) Cram101 Textbook Reviews,Studyguide for The Art of Electronics by Horowitz, Paul, ISBN 9780521370950 (Paperback) - Common,This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside.This book has hardback covers.  In good all round condition.  ,Cram101 Incorporated,Engineering,9780521370950,2013,2100gms, Asking Price GBP8.31,

 


All the copies with this ISBN are the textbook.

Sometimes an error occurs during cataloguing and it pulls incorrect publisher information from the web and lists the title as a Studyguide when it is not.

We will update the titles.

This copy 6849942 is in good condition.  The plastic covering the dust jacket is torn, but the dust jacket underneath is in good condition.  The binding is good and the pages appear clean and free of markings.  There is a number written in pen on the top edge of the page block.

We hope this is helpful.

Please mail us if you have any questions.

 
Kind Regards

The 4th paragraph says it isn't the study guide which is good to know

I like how they describe that particular book as both a paperback and hardback, am ordering it now

[StillTrying]

All you need to know is that:

Voltage is a relative value across any 2 chosen points, and has a direction.

Current is an absolute value flowing through any single chosen point, and has a direction.

1 Volt across 1 Ohm causes 1 Amp of current to flow through it.

That's all there is, there's nothing else.

I forgot:

1 Amp flowing into 1 Farad causes the Voltage across the capacitance to rise at 1 Volt per second.

1 Amp flowing into 1 Henry
1 Volt across 1 Henry causes the Current to rise at 1 Ampere per second.

That's all there is, there's nothing else.

[tggzzz]

1 Amp flowing into 1 Henry causes the Voltage across the inductance to rise at 1 Volt per second.(I think)

That's all there is, there's nothing else.

v=L di/dt

[HobGoblyn]

Well I feel like an idiot

After all my checking, I still ended up with two copies of "The Art of Electronics" Second edition.

I presumed as I ordered two different ISBN numbers, I was getting the first and second edition (should have googled each ISBN number, I knew they weren't the 3rd edition number)

I ordered ISBN 9780521370950  and ISBN 0521370957

What actually happened is the Second edition has both an ISBN 10 number and an ISBN 13 number, I ordered one of each   (I didn't even realise there was different ISBN numbers)

So if anyone in the UK wants a free second hand copy, you can have it. 

Edit, I know Lesley said

Just put ISBN number 9780521370950 or 0521370957 for the 2nd edition

   I stupidly read that as one ISBN for the first or one for the second

[HobGoblyn]

I hope I've now ordered the correct first edition (Abebooks has it)

ISBN-13: 9780521231510, ISBN-10: 0521231515

Will find out in 11 days

[LateLesley]

Well I feel like an idiot

After all my checking, I still ended up with two copies of "The Art of Electronics" Second edition.

I presumed as I ordered two different ISBN numbers, I was getting the first and second edition (should have googled each ISBN number, I knew they weren't the 3rd edition number)

I ordered ISBN 9780521370950  and ISBN 0521370957

What actually happened is the Second edition has both an ISBN 10 number and an ISBN 13 number, I ordered one of each   (I didn't even realise there was different ISBN numbers)

So if anyone in the UK wants a free second hand copy, you can have it. 

Edit, I know Lesley said

Just put ISBN number 9780521370950 or 0521370957 for the 2nd edition

   I stupidly read that as one ISBN for the first or one for the second

  sorry, my bad for not being clear enough. I thought you were only after the second edition, not the first! I only got the two numbers off the listings, and quoted them for folk to find the cheaper second editions. I thought your confusion earlier was over the Main book and the study guide. It didn't occur to me that you were looking for a first edition book!  I hope you get the right one in a few days.

Things I learned here and to be clear to folk following this.

1) there seems to be TWO ISBN numbering systems, a 13 digit one, and a 10 digit one.
2) The numbers I quoted from the listings, are the two ISBN numbers relating to "The Art Of Electronics, Second Edition"
3) The latest is the Third Edition , but it is considerably more expensive than the 2nd edition. (About 10x in my case)
4) There's a lab manual which is separate, and may be useful. And Also a new X Chapters being released.
5) I'm curious as to what the differences are between the First, Second, And Third editions.

Anyway, apologies @HobGoblyn, for the confusion.