Books for learning electronics - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: prayag2010
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 02, 2013, 01:20:54 pm
content: Hello everyone,I am very much interested in electronics and I want to learn even more.Can anyone please suggest any book(s) for learning electronics and programming (arduino) ?Cheers,Prayag

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 02, 2013, 01:24:23 pm
content: The art of electronics is good. For the arduino avoid books by McGraw hill.

author: robrenz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 02, 2013, 03:14:07 pm
content: Buy "Practical Electronics for Inventors" 3rd edition only. Hands down the most usefull single book on general electronics and basic electrical. You will thank me after just browsing thru it.Here isis the table of contents (using the look inside feature on amazon) Just scroll down to see the table of contents.

author: MikeK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 02, 2013, 03:18:28 pm
content: "Electronic Principles" by Malvino

author: prayag2010
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 02, 2013, 03:33:45 pm
content: Thank you everyone for such quick reply!!I will definitely refer those books for electronics but can anyone please suggest any book for learning arduino ? I already read getting started with arduino. But I want to learn how to communicate with other devices using I2C, SPI and serial. If any book teaches those things, please tell me !!What about the Arduino Cookbook?Cheers,Prayag

author: robrenz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 02, 2013, 03:39:38 pm
content: Quote from: prayag2010 on March 02, 2013, 03:33:45 pmLook at that table of contents more closely, those things are in there.

author: prayag2010
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 02, 2013, 03:44:54 pm
content: Sorry, I missed those..........I agree, there is everything in there!!!I will definitely buy it.

author: robrenz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 02, 2013, 03:50:08 pm
content: Please post your impression of the book when you have had time to get a feel of it. I think this beats the art of electronics for a go to encyclopedia for normal mortals like myself.

author: prayag2010
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 02, 2013, 03:57:25 pm
content: Sure!!

author: krish2487
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 02, 2013, 04:37:40 pm
content: @MikeKQuote+1 for that.So far I have not seen anybody ever suggest that book, It is a really good book.@OPI d suggest even "Digital Principles" by malvino if you are intending to get into digital electronics too..

author: M0BSW
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 02, 2013, 05:55:30 pm
content: I have the 2nd edition of a book the Art of Electronics, and I've rarely put it down, answers everythingif your into amateur Radio anything by Pat Hawker , I learned loads from Pat Hawker

author: FenderBender
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 02, 2013, 08:13:07 pm
content: Art of Electronics is great. It's a little expensive new. You can get it pretty cheap used as I did.Not everybook has a preview (on Amazon) but I have found it helpful to read whatever is provided in that preview and then if it seems written in a manner that I can understand, I might buy it.

author: robrenz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 02, 2013, 08:38:21 pm
content: Don't get me wrong, I am not bashing AoE I have the second edition and it is excellent. It definitely goes deeper into many areas. IMO it is just not the best "if you could only have one book" or the best for a beginner.

author: Kevin.D
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 02, 2013, 08:56:49 pm
content: lots of people seem to recommend "art of electronics" so on what was said I bought it . I have to say though I find it awful ,I don't like the authors style at all,after I read it I actually feel like I lose some knowledge and come away more confused..It stays on my book shelf gathering dust . Since there are allot of people who really like that book though ,that just goes to show how individually what someone may like may be very different from what you will like, If I where you ,I would preview the books first before I bought anything .My best reading is my collection of old electronics magazines going back to the 70's, practical electronics and everyday electronics . Full of usefull techniques and gems of knowledge ,particularly like reading through the projects and the circuit explanations , great reading.

author: prayag2010
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 03, 2013, 07:18:35 am
content: Okay, I will first preview all those books and then only I will decide which one I should buy.

author: kd7eir
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 03, 2013, 08:06:04 am
content: I literally have several dozen electronics books, and without a doubt, "Practical Electronics for Inventors", 3rd edition, is the best single book in my library. It's current (A LOT has changed technologically since Art of Electronics was published 24 years ago), it's not priced like it's a piece of gold, unlike Art of Electronics, the THEORY section is over 200 pages, unlike Art of Electronics that thinks THEORY deserves less than a dozen pages. Art of Electronics is more of a cookbook/reference than a textbook, as it presumes A LOT of pre-existing electronics knowledge. The IC's recommended by Art of Electronics are, in many cases, no longer manufactured or have been replaced by much better and more capable IC's. It's not a bad book when used for it's intended purpose, but it was NEVER intended to be an electronics textbook, nor a book for a beginner to learn electronics from.As for Arduino specifically, what are you trying to learn first? Programming? Hardware interfacing? "Beginning Arduino Programming" by Brian Evans is a great programming reference. "Beginning Arduino" by Michael McRoberts is a great combination of hardware and programming information. "Learn Electronics with Arduino" by Don Wilcher is a great way to combine learning the Arduino with learning some basic electronics. "Programming Arduino -Getting Started with Sketches" by Simon Monk is a great basic introduction to Arduino programming. Simon Monk is one of the co-authors of "Practical Electronics for Inventors", 3rd edition.

author: prayag2010
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 03, 2013, 08:21:33 am
content: "Practical Electronics for Inventors", 3rd edition - decided.

author: MikeK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 03, 2013, 02:35:54 pm
content: As for learning Arduino, it looks like Adafruit has a bunch of tutorials. No need for a book, yet.http://learn.adafruit.com/category/learn-arduino

author: JackOfVA
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 03, 2013, 04:52:11 pm
content: Art of Electronics is an excellent reference. Still waiting for 3rd ed. to be completed, maybe this year, as AoE is showing its age. More than a few of the ICs and transistors recommended are either obsolete or will soon be.However, there's a much less known adjunct to AoE, The Art of Electronics Student Manual, that should be considered. It's a series of laboratory experiments to accompany the AoE text and you will know much more about electronics when you complete the lab work in the Student Manual. This also assumes you have the test equipment necessary to complete the lab work, or know someone to give you workbench time.The main drawback I see to owning both AoE and the Student Manual is price - the Student Manual new costs $65 at Amazon and AoE itself is around $100.There may be "international editions" available from India at a lower price; have not looked, but I bought my AoE 2nd ed. on a trip to Korea at about half the US price. That was 15 or more years ago and I understand now that Korean technical book prices are similar to US.AoE's original audience was, I think, the working scientist or grad student in a technical field that had to learn enough electronics to make a project work. It therefore does not start with the "this is Ohms law" and then work through a lot of theory. This approach has good and not-so-good points, in that a total neophyte may not have sufficient background for the content.

author: prayag2010
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 03, 2013, 07:07:25 pm
content: Quote from: JackOfVA on March 03, 2013, 04:52:11 pmI have no problem with the price of that book, but it is as you said, outdated, so I decided to go with the practical electronics one instead, but still, if it is good, I will surely consider buying all three - AoE, it's student manual and practical electronics for inventors, or even electronic principles by malvino.

author: ivan747
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 03, 2013, 07:59:15 pm
content: Quote from: krish2487 on March 02, 2013, 04:37:40 pm+1 as well. It contains lots of good information, even example datasheets and practical troubleshooting information at the electronic level (doesn't tell you how to use instruments, tells you how this or that componen usually fails). It teaches you about components in their ideal and non-ideal forms.The Art of Electronics is a goodreferencebook. Topics are loosely organized and it requires you to have a general idea of how everything works. If you do, then it is a great book to refine your knowledge and learn different circuit building blocks.Both of these books assume you learned basic electric circuits, with resistors, capacitors, inductors, voltage and current sources etc.

author: hanndoddi
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2013, 12:25:22 am
content: lot's of good caments here and books.Also see this fourum heregood luckhttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/electronics-primers-course-material-and-books/

author: toli
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2013, 07:08:40 am
content: As everyone said already, the AoE is better for either reference or for someone who has some background. I have lots of friend from the university who know the theory (were EE's after all), but still don't really understand electronics. I've recommended the AoE to them, and they are all very happy with it. Its a great book to help you make that leap from knowing how it works to knowing what to do with it. The practical aspects of EE are somewhat different than the theory which is the main focus of what's taught in the university.I must admit I mostly read books about analog/mixed-signal circuit design as this is my main field of interest, so I can't recommend anything for the use the OP asked. That being said, looking at the ToC of "Practical Electronics for Inventors, Third Edition" I'm really impressed it covers all of these things and is that cheap. Certainly looks like a good buy.However, I would like to add that some books (like AoE) can be bought quite cheaply if you purchase the "international edition". Some of my books were purchased this way (here in Israel some books are quite difficult to get, and the price is usually very high if you manage to get them somehow). Instead of buying from the Indian sellers on eBay, you can simply go to the right website and save 50%Most of the international editions are exactly the same as the original books in terms of content, but every now and then there's that odd book that has something missing so its better to verify that before placing an order (this rarely happens, but better safe than sorry).One option is bookvistas.com (ordered from them more than once), another is uread.com (uread actually don't ship most of the low price editions to most of the world as they are only meant to be sold in India and such). You can also use abebooks, but so far I've been very disappointed by the sellers there.

author: gotwood
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 05, 2013, 12:41:25 am
content: I bought the Malvino text Indian editionBought it new 20 bucks instead of 120Differences are paperback not hardcoverAnd pages are not high quality paper you find in the us paperbacksBut for 100 bucks I'm happyAnother note....it's less than half the size of us version but each page is identical

author: gotwood
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2013, 04:55:21 pm
content: After reading these posts I bought PEFI from amazon.I was surprised at the size and content for the price.Overall it's a very good book.It seems as though it's been written by a mathematician/physicist that likes to throw around advanced formulae and methods.I usually don't mind it but in the scope of the rest of the book it assumes the reader is familiar with higher mathematics.Seems the mathematics/physics part is written with a high brow and the electronics content is in much more layman terms.Overall I'd give it a B+My suggestion get it and Electronic Principle(malvino) read the similiar subjects at same time ...first PEFI then EPAnother good book you can get used is Circuit Analysis-Theory and Practice(Robbins & Miller)...just buy a used/new older edition for huge savings

author: Anquietas
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2013, 05:10:43 pm
content: Quote from: gotwood on March 07, 2013, 04:55:21 pmHm. Is this not typical of EE courses? At my university, EE undergraduate students have to take Advanced Calculus and Linear Algebra classes (neither of which is "higher mathematics", because you learn differential- and integral calculus in one variable and linear algebra for R^2 and R^3 in high school already) together with the maths and physics students, and passing the exams is mandatory. I believe you if you say that you don't need some amount of mathematics and physics to do entry-level EE based on intuitive principles but doing it entirely without any mathematics doesn't appear to do the "engineering" part in EE justice. The physics courses are also theoretical here, the professor just demonstrates stuff with experiments for all to see. I learned from some EE students here that the EE courses are hands-on with students sitting in front of a workbench and doing stuff as instructed after the professor delivered the theory.

author: potatogun96
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2013, 03:33:45 am
content: For basic electronics, anything by Forrest Mims III is excellent. I have his "Getting Started in Electronics" book and his 555 timer, op amp, and optielectonics book. They have taught me a lot, and his drawings make everything easy to understand. His books are full of schematics, so you can build many simple projects with his explanation.

author: JuiceKing
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2013, 04:06:31 am
content: Quote from: robrenz on March 02, 2013, 03:50:08 pmI bought this book on your recommendation and YES, thumbs-up, it's terrific. I love the way it gets into the details of the underlying physics that make things easier to understand.

author: killernat
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2013, 05:38:43 am
content: thanks for all the good book suggestions

author: commerou
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2013, 08:49:19 am
content: If you want to learn C, I recommend "The C programming Language" by Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie.