Electronics Book recommendation - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: RH1056A
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 22, 2025, 05:17:30 pm
content: I am new to electronics and have a fundamental understanding of the basic building blocks. I would like to learn how to integrate these components to create functional designs. Could you recommend a book that provides a structured approach, detailing the transition from block diagrams to schematic diagrams?

author: ZGoode
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 22, 2025, 05:49:46 pm
content: "Practical Electronics for Inventors" is a good book for starting out. It's a decent reference, I still reach for my copy every so often.

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 22, 2025, 06:38:49 pm
content: Don Lancaster's book can be downloaded for free, a good place to start.https://www.tinaja.com/ebksamp1.shtml#freeeb

author: thephil
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 22, 2025, 06:47:09 pm
content: I totally second ZGoode's recommendation:Practical Electronics for Inventorsis one of my favorite books!I also have an old copy ofFundamentals of Analog Circuitsby Floyd and Buchla that I like, although more of a textbook. And, of course, everybody recommendsThe Art of Electronics.

author: RH1056A
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 22, 2025, 06:54:03 pm
content: thank you all for recommendations.I am from the electrical engineering branch, so I would like to know whether control system engineering is useful or not. For example, I am looking to design a microcontroller-based soldering station and would like to determine the best approach for designing the system. This includes identifying the fundamental blocks, defining their interconnections, and determining the optimal feedback points—similar to principles used in control system engineering. While this is not a highly complex problem, I believe that even for more intricate designs, there must be a structured process to follow. I am seeking books, articles, or other resources that explain such methodologies, ideally with schematic diagrams for better comprehension, although that is not my primary focus at this stage.

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 22, 2025, 08:51:21 pm
content: If that's what you need, that's more about control theory and programming, doesn't have much to do with electronics.You may want to search for "Digital PID control loop" instead, or maybe search for "Digital PID temperature controller".

author: armandine2
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 22, 2025, 09:10:03 pm
content: ...by coincidence? IMSAI Guy has a book video just out, if you're interested.

author: Doctorandus_P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 23, 2025, 09:05:22 am
content: Electronics is a very wide subject and it's impossible to give a good recommendation from such a short introduction post. Good advice starts with getting some insight into what lever of information the other side needs at this particular moment.I guess you know some of the basics, voltage, current, resistors, capacitors and such.Have you ever built a circuit. Building a LED blinker with an NE555 is still a good exercise. I also quite like the "30V 2ma to 2A" power supply. You can buy it as a kit. It has a bunch of flaws, but learning what those flaws are is a good step in learning electronics. Analyze it's schematic, possibly make modifications. And in the end you have a usable power supply, which is something all beginners with electronics need.Nearly all electronic projects use microcontrollers these days. They're nearly impossible to avoid. And learning to work with microcontrollers is a few extra chapters in your electronics knowledge.And you can't learn electronics just from books. You really have to build circuits, analyze why it does not work (or analyze lesser flaws) and find ways how to work around that. There are a gazillion examples of small microcontroller projects that use a uC board combined with breakout boards for IC's that have some specific functionality.Breadboards have serious limitations, (for example don't put a bare uC with a crystal directly on a BB. (or you'll learn how unreliable it is) ), but breadboards are still great tools to use for experiments.Another few chapters is with simulators. I have only a little bit of experience with ngSpice in KiCad, and it's still a struggle for me, but I've also done some simulations of self designed circuits, and I've learned from the simulation why my Idea (which I was very enthusiastic about) does not work in practice, and exactly where the limitations and flaws in my ideas were. Simulators are another great tool, but also have their limitations.Drawing schematics and PCB design is another chapter. Hand drawn quick idea's is (A.k.a DaveCAD) is great, but once you start getting into more elaborate projects, you will also want to improve your documentation. And further on you probably want to design and order (etching@home is messy and out of fashion with the modern cheap PCB services that have better quality PCB's then you're likely to even be able to make yourself).But your question was about books. But what sort of books do you want? Do you want books about theory, or do you want books with practical projects?

author: RH1056A
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 23, 2025, 11:25:54 am
content: Quote from: Doctorandus_P on May 23, 2025, 09:05:22 amI have some practical knowledge, as you mentioned. I have built several kits, including a power supply unit, a frequency counter, a crystal kit, and an electronic load, for which I etched the PCB myself.However, when it comes to books, I am looking for ones that include practical projects ranging from easy to moderate difficulty. If there is a single book that covers both analog projects and microcontroller-based projects, that would be ideal. Otherwise, separate books covering these topics would also be acceptable.

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 23, 2025, 11:29:26 am
content: You may find this collection interesting, all free to download (mostly Application Notes, journals, some books, too):https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/found-a-goldmine-looking-for-more-treasures-(hp-journal-and-alike)/

author: BILLPOD
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 23, 2025, 12:40:22 pm
content: Good Morning RH1056A, Welcome to the forum. It's not a book, but there is a LOT of electronics reading/learning right here at the forum. Find yourself a bunch of 'threads' you find interesting and spend some time, each day, reading through them; you will soon have a bunch of favorites. There is even a thread for cooking. It is always a part of my day, and will be yours too, I'll bet. Welcome, again.

author: radiolistener
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 23, 2025, 01:30:30 pm
content: I recommend:Paul Horowitz, Winﬁeld Hill - "THE ART OF ELECTRONICS"

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 23, 2025, 06:21:32 pm
content: Quote from: radiolistener on May 23, 2025, 01:30:30 pmFar too heavy for a newcomer. Perfect after 10 years of EE experience.

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 23, 2025, 08:56:18 pm
content: Quote from: Benta on May 23, 2025, 06:21:32 pmAbsolutely agree. AOE is like the IBM Fortran manual; only helpful if you already know the answer.But, I did just receive what I consider to be a great book for those of us self studying the first couple years of an EE curriculum ( and freshmen may well find it helpful). It ties MATLAB and Multisim together. The Matlab section is mainly stuff you can figure out on your own; but 90% of the book is devoted to Multsim and using Matlab with Multssim. Just what I need!Essential Circuit Analysis Using NI Multisim and MATLABby Asadi, 2022; Springer Press.

author: Doctorandus_P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2025, 03:10:08 am
content: I also don't recommend the Art of Electronics to relative beginners. It's a good book, goes deep into many details, and is still quite readable, but it's not a good choice for learning the basics.Do you want a paper book, or are you fine with something viewable on a PC?If you're interested in viewing many projects, then looking into old magazines is a good choice. Some old magazines are archived for free, for other magazines you can buy 40 to 60 years worth of them for a reasonable price. That's 600 magazines, 6000 pages and 2500 or so different projects. Up to around 1990 most projects are analog, and after the year 2000 or so microcontroller projects start to dominate.Some magazines that focused (or still focus) on projects:Circuit Cellar.ElektorEPEHackspaceNuts and VoltsOdroid (Brand of Linux PC's with a montly pdf magazine with projects)Raspberry pi also has it's own monthly magazine I think.Robotics Age ( Only from the '80-ies robotic stuff is severely outdated)Such magazines are also a view into the past and you can get an idea of how electronics evolved over the years. Magazines from before the '80-ies are mostly very simple electronics (single transistors were even expensive) and many were radio related, going further back you see tube circuits. during my own study period I had a subscription to Elektor for about 8 years and I learned a lot from it. I also spotted quite a lot of errors in that magazine. I stopped the subscription after my study, (they had discounts for students) I also had a subscripton to Circuit Cellar for a bunch of years. It was cheap, had some nice projects, and they had sourcecode for all their projects freely downloadable (Elektor is notorious for putting GALS and such into circuits for no other reason then to make it more difficult to replicate projects without them earning more money) When Circuit Cellar started cooperating with Elektor, their subscription price more then doubled and I did not renew it.I don't have much love for Elektor, but I also accept they are a commercial company and have to do things to keep their head above the water line. Many electronics magazines have perished in the last 20 years, and Elektor is still alive and kicking. (They did reduce the number of paper issues from 11/year to 4 to 6 per year of so. Elektor also has a quite big section of projects made and maintained by users. (maybe 2000 projects).Application notes of IC's are also an phenomenal source for information. Many IC's have application notes with example circuits and circuit descriptions, and you can often find collections of application notes easily.Also, did you go though this (sticky) thread?https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/electronics-primers-course-material-and-books/

author: radiolistener
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2025, 11:38:22 am
content: Quote from: Doctorandus_P on May 24, 2025, 03:10:08 amI’m curious why you assume the original poster is a beginner and don't have knowledge in electronics at all. He mentioned "having a fundamental understanding of the basic building blocks and are now looking to learn how to integrate those into functional designs", which suggests he past the introductory stage and want to learn more in detail.From that perspective, The Art of Electronics seems like an excellent fit. It’s well-structured, goes into practical circuit design in great detail, and covers a broad range of real-world examples. For someone aiming to move from theory to actual design work, I’d say it’s one of the best resources available.

author: Doctorandus_P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2025, 02:05:41 pm
content: Quote from: RH1056A on May 23, 2025, 11:25:54 amHe built a few kits, (apparently) has not designed a project himself (yet). That's still quite near the beginning of an electronics career as far as I can see.But I also find's OP's post confusing. He writes:Quote from: RH1056A on May 23, 2025, 11:25:54 amBut a bit earlier he wrote:Quote from: RH1056A on May 22, 2025, 06:54:03 pmMy analysis of a soldering controller would be:First decision is whether you want to build an analog PID controller, or do it in software. I don't like potentiometers, analog circuits are difficult to modify, have drift, etc. Using a microcontroller for anything but the simplest soldering irons would be a logical choice for me. User interface can be anything from a bar of LEDS and/or a few buttons for temperature offsets, to a TFT LCD with elaborate menus and a rotary encoder. Maybe you want to control it with the touch screen interface of your phone.For the rest, you need something that can deliver power to the tip of the iron to heat it. A MOS fet switch controlled via PWM is the logical choice (both for uC control or analog, you don't want the FET itself to heat up, so it must switch on/of.You also need feedback from the tip. There are some old fashioned soldering irons that just have a PTC, but they overheat (burn flux) when laying on your desk, heat slowly etc. Those are not fit for electronics. There are also gas burners which heat a chunk of copper, those are also not fit for electronics (I realize now I automatically assumed your soldering iron is intended for electronics)Temperature feedback depends on the actual tip you are using. Thermo couples are common, some may have an RTD. Some tips only have two wires (they combine heating and do the feedback during the off time of PWM. Other tips have 3 or more wires. Choosing the tips is the single most important decision (except maybe for uC / Analog) Making your own tips is impractical. There are a lot of different tip models to choose from. I was interested in a TS80 for quite some time, but I did not like the ergonomics of the quite long tips. A long tip is far away from the handle, and this reduces fine control for soldering SMT. If the tip is too short, then the handle itself starts to heat, plastic may melt etc, so all tips have a minimum length defined by simple physics (I have not seen water cooled handles for soldering irons. The "heat break" in 3D printers goes from very hot to pretty cold in a few mm, but I'm drifting.) So I spent a long time (spread over a few years, I already have a working iron) to make comparisons between different tip brands. and models My wishes were:* Short handle to tip distance for fine control.* Quick heating. (preferably < 10s).* Easily exchangeable tips. smallish tips for fine soldering, thicker for more heat transfer, cups for drag soldering, maybe more.* A big assortment of tips available. TS80 for example just has around 10 models, and my pefered model was not among it. I found that too limiting.* Easy availability of tips. I want to be able to buy quality tips locally, but price / performance ratio of the tips is also a factor.* Quite some power, I also want to solder thick wires.In the end I decided to buy a KSGER which uses cloned C245 tips. The cloned tips are good enough to start with, I do have the option to buy origininal JBC tips, and there are hundreds of tip models available. C245 tips heat in 5s or less, so that's excellent too. Exchanging tips is done in about 3 seconds, you just pull them out of the handle and push in another one.You can also find plenty of GIT repositories for this iron. Complete schematics and software source code is available (PCB layout too I guess) Spare controller boards for when the thing blows up are also pretty cheap, so you can buy a few extra just as spares, or to experiment on or make modifications. Heck, you can even use them as a generic STM32 development board with encoder and TFT for completely unrelated projects. There is plenty of info to completely analyze the circuit. make repairs or modify firmware.So this ticks all the boxes. I still have some doubt about the robustness and longevity of the hardware but I bought one, (and about 8 different tips from (probably three different) clone brands and well see how it behaves over time. I still have my older Weller PU81 if the KSGER blows up.A quite important feature I almost forgot is a lower standby temperature. Reducing the temperature of the tip for as long as the iron is in the holder reduces power usage, but more importantly, it extends the life of the tips. A quick heating element is also a big plus for here. The C245 tips go from "standby" to "hot" in the time I take the iron out of the holder and position it precisely for soldering (2 seconds or so) There is no waiting whatsoever, it's wonderful.So that's the whole process in short that I went through to buy an extra soldering iron.

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2025, 12:02:18 am
content: Any of the books by Forrest Mims such as:https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Started-Electronics-Forrest-Mims/dp/0945053282There are several, search AmazonThere's a sticky at the top of this forum dedicated to learning materials:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/electronics-primers-course-material-and-books/

author: ahsrabrifat
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 27, 2025, 07:52:18 am
content: For analog electronics, I would suggest Principles of electronics by VK MehtaFor digital electronics- Digital Design by Morris ManoHere are some more suggestionshttps://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/threads/what-is-the-best-book-to-start-learning-about-electronics.172173/

author: pdenisowski
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 27, 2025, 10:11:45 am
content: Quote from: rstofer on May 25, 2025, 12:02:18 amA grossly underrated author - he has some of the clearest writing (and illustrations) that I have ever seen in beginner's materials.For something more modern, I very much like the "Make" electronics series of books - very practical, well-illustrated, with lots of examples / labs to work on.As for the "Art of Electronics" ... (sigh) It's a classic, much in the way that Pozar's Microwave Engineering or Skolnik's Radar Handbook are classics: definitely something you should read at some point as a EE, but not something I would recommend for the beginner. There is a fundamental difference between what I call "educational" books and "reference" books, and all of these, in my opinion, fall into the latter category.

author: BlackHecilopter
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 28, 2025, 10:10:40 pm
content: Electronic Principles by Albert Paul Malvino for a beginner. Otherwise, The Art of Electronics.

author: anwar.shiekh
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 29, 2025, 05:17:53 pm
content: Not sure where to post thisI am after the errata forPractical Electronics for Inventorswhich was born here and available on SCRIBE, but I don't have an account there and seem that I am not allowed to send PMsthanks in advance