Getting Started In Electronics

My approach to getting started in Electronics involves a lot of reading first, then building circuits and taking apart other electronics.


1. Get some Books

I still highly recommend this book, because it is a very easy to read and digest. Whether you are still in grade school trying to get into hobby electronics or a college freshman beginning in electrical engineering, I think this is the best book out there to get started in electronics. It is written by Forrest M Mims III who has written many other great technical works, such as his Circuit Scrapbook series and the Engineer's Notebooks series.

My full list of books categorized by level are here:


You can Purchase it online at Amazon:


In-store or Online at Radioshack:







2. Read a ton of Wikipedia Pages! (if you are not into that skip to step 3)














3. Get some free electronics to take apart 

Identify basic components, and you may get an understanding of how they work to create all sorts of circuits used to create a whole system that makes the device work.













4. Purchase a kit

Kits are widely available and are a necessary part of learning electronics. A typical kit includes a bunch of discrete passive and active components (eg. resistors, capacitors, inductors and transistors) and sometimes even some Integrated circuits. Breadboards are necessary as they are easy to use and don't require soldering, so they are reusable. The Radioshack electronics lab has everything you need to get started in electronics. This kit was actually designed by Forrest M Mims and comes with two workbooks that are written by him as well.

Get one at Radioshack: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3814337



If you are intersted in the Arduino the TinkerKit! is the best Arduino starter kit you can get!

Purchase One here: http://www.amazon.com/Arduino-TinkerKit-Starter-Kit/dp/B00CWEJM7Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381527651&sr=8-1&keywords=tinkerkit



5. Learn to solder 




Soldering is not only a very important skill to have in electronics, but it is a very important general skill in terms of working around the house and sometimes even repairing non electronic objects.

Note: Buy a Hakko FX-888D soldering iron, it may be $90 but it is worth every single cent

Link to my Hakko FX-888D review


Watch EEVblog soldering tutorials here:

Part I: tools & choosing an Iron
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5Sb21qbpEQ&list=TLif8zIOqCEUU



Part II: how to solder part I ( through hole soldering)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYz5nIHH0iY&list=TLif8zIOqCEUU




Part II: how to solder Part II (Surface mount devices)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9FC9fAlfQE&list=TLif8zIOqCEUU





Comments

  1. This is very nice blog . I'm using this Electronics

    ReplyDelete
  2. This approach is nice way to guide DIY learner and share his experience

    ReplyDelete
  3. Just discovered your site and am pleased to see you have recommended my books. Even better is your organized advice for beginners in electronics. I wish you and your visitors all the best for 2015.

    ReplyDelete

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