Book Recommendations? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: C.Cole95
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 08, 2018, 09:20:42 am
content: I'm an Advanced Aviation Electronics Technician in the Marines with 5 years experience of work and 6 months of in-depth, fast-paced schooling. I may not exactly be considered a "newbie", however, the knowledge I gained is very specific towards the gear I work on. As I begin my transition out of the Marine Corps, I want to dig deeper into electronics itself. I'm not getting the job satisfaction I would like when it comes to electronics so it's time to move on in my career. I am currently readingElectroncis for Dummiesand will follow it up withCircuit Analysis for Dummiesto refresh my memory and actually learn more about electronics circuits and how it all works. Whenever I watch an electronics video or read a book it seems as though I don't understand anything and as if I'm back at square one knowledge wise, which is why I'm coming into this all with the newbie attitude. So with that being said, does anyone have any other recommendations of books to read? I'm not looking for any specific knowledge per say, so any and all book recommendations about all electronic subjects are welcome

author: agehall
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 08, 2018, 09:36:21 am
content: I'd suggest you start by readinghttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/electronics-primers-course-material-and-books/

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 08, 2018, 02:11:41 pm
content: I haven't seen those "... For Dummies" books but they will probably cover the basics.You can go a long way in electronics with just a couple of ideas: Ohm's Law and Kirchhoff's Laws. OK, toss in Thevenin's Theorem and Norton's Theorem. I know, everybody KNOWS Ohm's Law -> E = I * R. Simple. But it applies to so many electronics circuits in ways that are not always obvious that I include it here anyway. The number of newbie questions that come up around here that can be answered just using Ohm's Law is enlightening.Watch w2aew's videos on transistor amplifiers to see Ohm's Law as it is really used. In fact, watch all of his videos, they're excellent. Google for 'w2aew transistor video' and have at it.Watch Dave's video on Op Amps to see Kirchhoff's Current Law in practice. There is an entire semester worth of EE in Dave's video when you see how it really works.This video from Sparkfun is all about biasing an NPN Common Emitter amplifier. Don't worry so much about the details, watch how Ohm's Law is used.I like his comment about how electronics isn't a precision deal when it comes to calculations versus results.Then there is this video on the Op Amp Summer. I am including these videos because the demonstrate the most important tools in electronics. Whether you actually use a summer isn't terribly important but the math on how it works is.https://www.khanacademy.org/science/electrical-engineering/ee-amplifiers/ee-opamp/v/ee-summing-opampI realize you are looking for books and there are literally thousands of textbooks. Go to your community college and see what they are using.In my opinion only, I think the online videos present the material a lot better than dry books. I suppose they are best used together but I haven't looked at a textbook in a very long time.There is a ton of material on the Internet. Thousands and thousands of videos just on Ohm's Law (Google says 436,000 hits for "Ohm's Law video". Everything you need is out there.None of which matters if you don't reduce it to practice with a little breadboarding. That's why I like w2aew's videos, he shows the entire project: schematic, breadboard, input and output along with all the calculations.You could, of course, start a formal program for a degree in Electronics Engineering if you wished. There are family situations that make this difficult (there's a reason I know this!) but picking up a course or two at the community college might be possible.

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 08, 2018, 03:54:40 pm
content: https://www.amazon.com/Electronic-Principles-Albert-Malvino/dp/0028028333This book covers the basics very well. It's not necessary to get the latest edition.

author: iainwhite
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 08, 2018, 07:30:17 pm
content: Quote from: rdl on August 08, 2018, 03:54:40 pmPlenty of older copies 2nd-hand on ABEbooks for about $5 plus shipping

author: wilfred
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2019, 07:11:44 am
content: Someone recommended these books to me today. Anyone read them? "Rockets and People (Creating a Rocket Industry)" by Boris Chertok.https://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/rockets_people_vol2_detail.htmlFree to download.

author: JustMeHere
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2019, 10:24:41 am
content: High-Speed Digital Design: A Handbook of Black MagicGood for SMPS and understanding high speed signaling.

author: todorp
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2019, 12:46:23 pm
content: Quote from: wilfred on September 06, 2019, 07:11:44 amVery nice book but completely off-topic. The book is about the history of the USSR/Russia space programme...

author: wilfred
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2019, 01:13:10 pm
content: Quote from: todorp on September 06, 2019, 12:46:23 pmSomeone might be interested on a forum like this one. Dave is pretty interested in space related stuff so I expect I'll get away with it this time.In my experience on this forum people are pretty tolerant of being told something is available for free.

author: Addicted2AnalogTek
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2019, 01:46:13 pm
content: Troubleshooting devices from a service manual with a few meters, a scope, and a curve tracer is one thing, which is how I started.I'm working towards an initial goal of understanding how linear and nonlinear devices and various circuits function at the atomic level and understanding the principles.Next up is getting a grasp on the mathematics involved.My approach is as follows:1) Read through the book"Practical Electronics for Inventors" by Paul Schertz and Simon Monk, highlighting key points that I definitely want to revisit.---- It's a huge, information packed book, so first reading is just to familiarize myself with things and experiment along the way.2) Simulate and build various circuits and revisit sections of the book as necessary in order to cement in knowledge and understanding.3) Reference the book"Engineering Mathematics" by K.A. Stroudas I encounter mathematics that I'm not yet familiar with. I don't want to be entirely dependent on calculators, although a good one or two will be critical to the process.Another book, which I don't yet have, that people say is fantastic is"The Art of Electronics" by Paul Horowitz and Winfield Hill.---- This book is so highly regarded and frequently purchased that there's numerous counterfeiters that have been copying it. I intend to purchase a genuine copy soon.

author: Old Printer
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2019, 02:42:26 pm
content: Quote from: Addicted2AnalogTek on September 06, 2019, 01:46:13 pmThis is a huge book in our field, yes it has been copied. There is also a sister lab manual that goes with it. For me, If I could only afford one print copy, it would be the lab manual. Nothing like a book on the bench.BTW, nobody that is a "Dummy" is going to get far in this field. If they would change the titles to "For people who have not studied this yet" I might have a look inside

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2019, 03:57:49 pm
content: Quote from: wilfred on September 06, 2019, 01:13:10 pmJust to close off the OT, instead of singling out that one, if you go to the downloads tab, there is awhole raftof free space related ebooks. Thanks for the initial link.

author: GerryR
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2019, 04:18:09 pm
content: If you can find them, "Grantham Electronics-With-Math Series," Volumes 1 thru 6, are excellent, though some of the material is dated. Volume 3, Mathematics For Basic Circuit Analysis, is excellent.

author: Johnboy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2019, 05:41:15 pm
content: I read the "for dummies" books at one point because I thought they might explain some concepts I didn't feel I understood very well in very basic "Lego" terms. I was not very impressed with their coverage of basic electronics.The Malvino book suggested above is very well-written, but it is more of a "second-term" college book, rather than starting off as though the reader knows nothing about electronics.Scherz/Monk's book is useful as a reference, but if you're not comfortable with calculus, the theory chapter might be a little confusing, and it is enormous in length. I would advise setting aside "chunks" of it to read, as it's a lot to take in all at once, and the mathematical/typographical errors in it are off-putting although there are errata pages available for the third edition here if you search this forum for them.Edit: I have the second edition of "The Art of Electronics" and its companion lab manual. TAOE is definitely not a "beginner" text, unless you are a physics grad student interested in getting out of your comfort zone and experimenting with circuit design. Although the lab manual allows it to be used in this way, it was never really intended as a primer in the usual sense of the word; it assumes you know a thing or two about the laws of physics if not circuit behavior. I'm astonished that there are people who have the commensurate experience and understanding to learn the fundamentals of electronics utilizing this book without extensive formal education or a mentor, but they're out there. I take my hat off to them. I came away from my first reading of the tome as more of a review for designers who already have a firm grasp of what they're doing and enjoy some professional insight. I understand it's deemed indispensable to those in the know, but much of it goes over my head, even though the book is not as formula-heavy as some.My reservations about these books are just my own grievances as a rank amateur. Students in an engineering setting swear by these books over the textbooks assigned by their professors for class, and they have more at stake. I'll just tell you what I've personally found useful to me. (Disclaimer: I am not an EE or an educator; I'm a hobbyist. At this point I've read many primers, including most of the "classic noob texts" like the ARRL Handbook and Forest Mim's series which got a lot of people started.)I've already mentioned this book in the "Primer" thread, but that thread is really about free resources and I really had no business posting in it as I don't have a link to a free PDF. It's called "Electronic Communication" by Robert Shrader, and it's been through six editions although dated (last edition was 1990 I think). I felt that Shrader explained basic concepts-- ground up-- better than any of the other textbooks I've seen. He taught merchant mariners and his main focus was preparing them to maintain radio equipment at sea, and at a certain point in the book it becomes generally about communications systems, radar, etc. But there is no calculus notation in it. I think that or someone who has had a hands-on education specializing in the military already would find it an excellent primer for technicians who are preparing to go into the field. It fit me like an old shoe. YMMV.I'm currently reading Malvino's "Calculus for Electronics", another primer I found in a box of discarded books at my library. (As you may have guessed, I'm not exactly Captain Calculus. I'm enjoying it, though.) There are tons of free books recycled into pulp every day. The older editions of most textbooks are still educationally valuable, as has been stated in this thread.After reading several primers, I found an odd book called "Electronics Are For Earthlings". It is unique in the sense that it is not really an electronics primer, but more of a novel made up of analogies. After becoming familiar with the basics, you may find it enlightening-- there are some overgeneralizations in it, but it might help to reinforce understanding in juxtaposition with the book-larnin' dryness of the more conventional texts. I liked it.Dave has threatened to review some textbooks recently and I hope he decides to do it in a future EEVBlog.rstofer is right that there are tons of videos out there; they are certainly less dry, possibly more entertaining, and that may well work better for some. I prefer books because if I don't understand something in context, I can stop, reread the whole paragraph/page, or stick a bookmark in and call it a night if I don't feel like I'm making progress. I don't enjoy rewinding or noting where I left off in the video format. Plus I can take a book anywhere without need for wifi or power considerations. I also don't prefer reading backlit, tiny screens. All of that said, I very much enjoyed these animations, which I also found here on one of the myriad threads discussing this topic.https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkyBCj4JhHt8DFH9QysGWm4h_DOxT93fb