Book with circuits with explantions - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: madsdyd
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 25, 2023, 10:38:33 am
content: Hi thereBeen fiddling with electronics for a while, and believe I have a basic understanding. Have built (jlcpcb) my first custom PCB (very simple battery indicator for 12V SLA Lead Acid battery).However, I would like to learn more about how more complex circuits work. I find it entertaining to try and figure out how stuff works, and what it does -- sort of like solving a puzzle.I have been trying to find a book with electronic circuits in, with detailed explanations. I don't need yet another ressource to explain what a resistor is, how an inductor works, Ohms or Kirchhoffs laws or Thevenings and Nortons Theorems, but rather something that starts with e.g. something like an astable multivibrator, and ending with ? Something complex? :-) With lots of explanations on how the circuits work, why they are designed the way they are, and so on.There are a number of websites that provides some of this, but I think that a book often provides a more coherent presentation. And I would like to read on my Kobo ebook reader.I have tried to find such a book, and here are some misses:Reference guide to useful electronic circuits and circuit design techniques, Part 1, by Kerwin Mathew. This was a huge disappointment. No real explanations, and the figures were scans of handmade drawings. Can't recommend3,000 Solved Problems in Electrical Circuits (Schaum's Solved Problems Series). Probably not circuits? Only available as paperback, I need an electronic ressource that I can use with my kobo (epub, Adobe OK)My reference books (fundamentals?) are "Practical electronics for inventers" (which I have read most of) and "The art of electronics" (which I have not yet read).Any suggestions?Thanks in advance!

author: RAPo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 25, 2023, 11:14:36 am
content: Take a look at thecircards. There are several books, download them all, they are free ;-)

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 25, 2023, 11:54:59 am
content: I guess what you are looking for now, after getting the basics, is applications. Old magazines and application notes can be a very interesting source of applied electronics, indeed. Worldradiohistory is a great resource, has many electronic magazines and can be downloaded entirely in case you want to read while traveling, without internet access.Started once a topic to collection links of interesting electronic journals:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/found-a-goldmine-looking-for-more-treasures-(hp-journal-and-alike)/While reading is always interesting, you may find a lot of fun in experimenting, too. Analog devices has many experiments plus explanation of various circuits in theirs education/libraryhttps://www.analog.com/en/education/education-library.htmlRandom example:https://wiki.analog.com/university/courses/alm1k/alm_circuits_lab_outline

author: Doctorandus_P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 25, 2023, 01:12:02 pm
content: There are many books about more "advanced" topics, but they tend to be highly specialized. There are for example a few excellent books about audio amplifier design.You can also have a look at electronic magazines. Paper magazines have gone out of fashion, but the online versions mostly still exist. You can also easily find online issues of lots of them on the 'net. I think Elektor has stopped commercializing on their magazine from <1990 or so, and these are now freely available. You can also buy USB sticks with archives of the magazines from a lot of those magazines.You write you want "something more complex". But that is too generic. Stop being lazy and put some effort into finding what area's of electronics interest you most, and then search further into that direction. The magazines I already mentioned can help with sowing seeds in different directions, but you have to work the field before you can reap the harvest.Also, IC manufactures on the west side of this round ball have lots of application notes and design info on nearly everything they make. Just go to the website of any such manufacturer and start browsing.

author: donlisms
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 25, 2023, 05:15:26 pm
content: I would suggest that if you really want to understand how circuits work, the explanation must come from within you. If know components and Kirchhoff, and a few other goodies, you should have the tools you need to understand what's happening. So the example circuit is anything you can find, and the explanation is from continually trying to improve your... reading skills. There are enough basic examples here and there to get you started, but there is no way to skip the hard work of digging in yourself if you really want to Do the Thing. It must come from your own brain. It's like art. That's why the book is called "art".

author: madsdyd
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 26, 2023, 12:25:16 pm
content: Quote from: RAPo on June 25, 2023, 11:14:36 amThank you very much. Several is somewhat of an understatement-- bit hard to find something that matches what I am looking for, but I will give it a try :-).

author: madsdyd
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 26, 2023, 12:30:30 pm
content: Quote from: donlisms on June 25, 2023, 05:15:26 pmThe whole purpose of writing (technical) books is to allow others to gain understanding quicker.

author: RAPo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 26, 2023, 12:38:32 pm
content: So what are you looking for ?Quote from: madsdyd on June 26, 2023, 12:25:16 pm

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 26, 2023, 12:47:47 pm
content: Quote from: donlisms on June 25, 2023, 05:15:26 pmNot true.Thedesigneris the person to explainwhythe circuit is the way it is, its purpose and performance, usefulness and its limitations. You can't get that from looking at a schematic.It takes time and effort to understand that, and the OP has indicated they are willing to do that.As for "really understanding" something, that's a never ending quest. Soon you'll be trying to understand Maxwell's equations, since those are the "real way" to appreciate why current flows where it does (and doesn't), and the limits of applicability of the simple everyday "electronics concepts" such as "ground" and "capacitor".

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 26, 2023, 12:56:05 pm
content: Quote from: madsdyd on June 25, 2023, 10:38:33 amIt will rather depend on what interests you.I suggest application notes, often collected into a single volume by manufacturers. Classic example: the National Semiconductors Linear Applications Guide from 1984.For RF, find an old ARRL Handbook.