Essential electronics reading for a Mechanic? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Supernaut
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2024, 05:52:42 pm
content: As the title suggests really, Im a light goods vehicle mechanic with roughly ten years experience. Ive recently been repairing/restoring guitar amps and effects pedals/racks from the 70's/80's, Ive had great success so far although most of it has been "Educated Shotguns" of parts to get where I need to go. This is all done on my own equipment and Im just making my way through jobs just to get some experience.I can do basic electrical diagnostic work but im more familiar with mechatronics/systems diagnostics usually using a 12v feed with a 5v reference circuit for most sensors. I have experience using scopes to look for faults on vehicles but never with stand-alone electronics equipment. I feel like i can grasp most of the things im up against but silicon packages really throw me off sometimes.Are there any books people would recommend reading that might help me out? Since the gear im working on is fairly old i don't need anything too intense, even something like old technical leaflets or books from Mullard, Partridge, Heathkit, Hammond, RCA etc. Also interested in early days solid state literature just so im well grounded (pun not intended).So far ive repaired quite a few solid state amps, one valve amp, about 12-14 effects pedal repairs and re-capped some early 80's digital rackmount delays among other things. I just have a UNI-T UT89X and an old Regavolt variac that does 270v but only pushes 2 amps ( im hoping to buy another one soon)Paper books ideally, i cant stand reading e-books....Thanks in advance

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2024, 06:10:09 pm
content: For the basics maybe an older gcse course book,they dont delve too deep but still cover the basics of how things work and were written before electronics-=ardunio.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2024, 07:25:20 pm
content: +1 for GCSE Electronics course books.Call me a dinosaur, but I learned transistor circuits mostly from theMullard manual of transistor circuits(my dogeared paper copy is the 2nd (1961) edition). Its rather dated and oriented towards PNP germanium devices, but if you flip the supply rails, polarised capacitors, and any diodes, and allow for the higher Silicon Vbe, adjusting resistors accordingly, its lessons are applicable to more recent NPN Silicon devices.

author: dobsonr741
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2024, 07:34:43 pm
content: I suggest picking a practical objective you want to achieve by learning. Then you'll find the books that will guide you in that direction.For example, I had no clue how to calculate the biasing resistors for a one-transistor amplifier. A few years later, in high school, the laws of Ohm and Kirchoff, and transistor datasheets were revealed to me. I believe I would not be where I am today if I had not kept being curious.

author: Supernaut
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2024, 08:51:10 pm
content: Thanks for the replies so far!Il check out some old college books that people might be selling online, Ive just bought an Osram publication from 1952 and a book on valves too, Ive spotted some other interesting ones from Motorola and RCA that I might purchase also.Ideally il probably stay with 70's and 80's equipment, that's what Ive been buying and repairing so far and its worked out well. I bought two modern surface mount items which I was able to repair due to them having trivial faults but it was an indicator that Im not geared towards that type of tech and I generally find it less interesting to work on.I need to get a better grasp of transformers for valve amps especially, I can play the remove and replace game but as soon as you change the wire colours or ask me to hook things up differently then I would struggle. I also have a tough time with silicon due to how endless it seems to be with regards to part numbers and operating characteristics.

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2024, 11:31:13 pm
content: Pick up an ARRL Handbook from the era you are interested in, it will give you a lot of practical insights without heavy theory.

author: rhb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2024, 02:25:41 pm
content: I recommend any older edition of "Electronic Principles" by Albert Malvino. I worked through it many years ago and kept all my work in a sewn quadrille rule notebook. I'd fixed radios and stereos before that, but Malvino filled in the gaps in my knowledge.Dr. Malvino personally built and tested *every* circuit to make sure there were no typos.Have Fun!Reg

author: Infraviolet
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2024, 02:35:29 am
content: Horowitz and Hill is quite a good read, but I say that as someone who first encountered it after I already knew quite a bit.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2024, 08:47:21 am
content: Quote from: Infraviolet on March 12, 2024, 02:35:29 amTAoE and the companion x-Chapters areverygood reads -but not for a beginner.Having problems with "silicon packages" is like having problems with "steel sub-assemblies". Theoretical? Practical? Design? Diagnosis? Replacement? Substitution?I suggest the OP determines what class the "silicon package" is, e.g. op-amp, transistor, digital logic, etc. Then look for manufacturers' application notes on such devices, starting in the 70s and 80s. National Semiconductor "blue cover" books were very good.

author: Supernaut
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2024, 08:29:30 pm
content: "Having problems with "silicon packages" is like having problems with "steel sub-assemblies". Theoretical? Practical? Design? Diagnosis? Replacement? Substitution?"Almost all of the above, I would say that digital logic is at the bottom of the barrel for me just now. I suppose some of this knowledge just comes from spending time with the components but I need to better understand the expected behaviour of certain silicon packages with regards to fault finding. I can take all the readings in the world but the numbers don't really mean anything to me, I cant tell if something is functioning correctly or if its broken, or maybe its working but showing signs of fatigue. Unless its a blatantly obvious fault then I have no idea what Im looking for.Things like slew rate or hFE aren't things I would usually deal with, or the difference between JFET or MOSFET. Understanding substitution better, I know that not all the values on the data sheet have to match and there can be some deviation but how much headroom do I have for movement in either direction, and how to I figure that out?Its tough because Ive done a fair bit of ground work with electronics but its been exclusively related to automotive so some things are transferable but some are not, so im in a position of semi-understanding but not knowing which aspect to pursue first.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2024, 09:26:55 pm
content: OK, that's a sensible honest responseGood news: you can learn. If you've done that in one field, you can use the same attitude and techniques to do it in another.Bad news: it takes time. There's a fashionable meme that it takes 10000 hours to become an expert. Feel free to play around with the definition of "expert" and the timeNonetheless, the concept is sound, as you are well aware from your previous experiences.Good news: it takes time. It is a never-ending journeyNow I'm retired I can learn just the things that interest meOverall, work out the nextsmallthing you don't know. Then find out about that. Once you have done that a few times, you will begin to get a feel for the interconnecting and/or underlying things you don't understand. Rinse and repeat.

author: rhb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2024, 01:49:46 pm
content: I have fixed everything but watches and broken hearts. Often with *NO* service data in situations where I had to guess how to take it apart.Repair is a thought process in which you compare your idea of how something works to the tests you make until you isolate the fault. I've never met anyone who was skilled at fixing things with whom I could not find tremendous common ground. People usually get hooked on repair work if they stick at it until they are good at it.Auto repair now requires 4 years of intensive college level training to really be good. At least a year of that is electronics and embedded computer systems and sensors.Malvino is a trade school text and with a fist full of parts, solderless breadboard and DMM & DSO the reader will master the basics. From there it's applying that to the problem at hand.Have Fun!Reg

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2024, 02:36:01 pm
content: Here is a list I made of repair books, most of them are print. If anythings useful please leave a thanks.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/repair-and-service-books-magazines-dvds/

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2024, 03:22:45 pm
content: Quote from: rhb on March 11, 2024, 02:25:41 pmI like this book as well, not sure about early editions but the 8th is easy to read. It's not a hard core engineering book, more what you would learn at trade school (as rhb also mentioned).Same goes for Intro to Basic Electricity and Technology by Earl Gates.But these are both texts and not really focused on diagnosing circuit faults from a repair perspective. For that I'd probably pickup Electronic Troubleshooting - 2nd Edition - Jerome E. Oleksy

author: Supernaut
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2024, 08:35:25 pm
content: Thank you all for the suggestions so far, very extensive list of books to work my way through which il make full use of.As it stands ive currently bought;Linear Applications Handbook - A Guide To Linear Circuit Design - Linear TechnologyLinear Integrated Circuits and MOSFET's - RCAMotorola High Speed Switching Transistor Handbook - MotorolaThe Pye Book Of AudioElectrical And Electronic Principles - Ian Mackenzie - (looks like a 70's publication, probably used in colleges etc)The Practical Electricians Pocketbook - Osram - 1950Vacuum Tube Logic Book (after some research I discovered this book is for a line of amplifiers from the USA known as VTL, I hadn't heard of them and I just assumed it was a general knowledge book on valves)Il go over the names of books people have suggested in here and il add a few of those to my collection too, the books mentioned above have all been bought within the last few days so im waiting on them arriving in the post. Each book only cost a few pounds, so even if only 25% is useful to me its still money well spent in my mind.