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How to learn Electronics ? Practice vs Theory

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avdrummerboy

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basicsofelectronicscircuits.com

Hi all.

I just wanted to gripe.

I have noticed that there are many great learning books out there for electronics (I know, I have many of them .) You have books that go over lots of theory, books that go over a lot of how to build, and many in between. However, even after all the reading that I have done in these books, I still am very confused about electronics.

You see the way I see it is that these introductory teaching items go over very simple circuits (yes even I can understand them.) They explain these simple circuits very well and then leave you on your own for anything more complicated. Take the trusty one transistor Class A amplifier for example. We all know it (and for those who don't off the top of your head if you saw the schematic you would know it.) One transistor (PNP, NPN it doesn't really matter), four resistors (okay sometimes more depending), and three capacitors. Wow how simple. Heres a project, go find any electronic device that uses that very simple circuit with no modifications other than value changes. You WILL not find one. They always have oddball components surrounding them. Look at any schematic and you will see many components around simple circuits, with no description of what they do.

It would be nice to see a book, or anything for that matter that would not only cover theory and the basic circuits but these big complicated ones as well. And a description of what each component does and what happens when the value is changed. What happens when it gets bigger in value? Smaller? What if you remove it entirely? Maybe I'll be the first to write a book about this, or maybe not. Probably nothing will happen thats why this is a rant.
 

Learning electronics

Many electronics systems consist of numerous small basic circuits interconnected in creative ways. With experience, you will learn to identify them, understand their purpose, and create your own. Someday you will begin noticing weaknesses in other people's designs, and you will say to yourself "I see a better way of doing that".

If you haven't seen the book "The Art of Electronics" by Horowitz and Hill, check it out. It gives more circuit details than many basic electronics books.

Sometimes a circuit is difficult to understand unless the designer has provided a "theory of operation" description.

It can also be very educational to read the "theory of operation" chapters in well-written product service manuals such as from HP or Tektronix. Especially their test instruments from the 1980's and before. They don't explain every resistor and capacitor, but you will see a variety of innovative design techniques.

The BAMA web site has a large collection of service manuals. Some of them are quite old, so don't be surprised to see vacuum tubes.
**broken link removed**
 

Re: Learning electronics

You may read hundreds of books and is not bad. But you'll never understand electronics without practice. Don't read books anymore just for reading, study simple kits and free electronic applications on the web there are thousands. When you don't understand the explanation offered by the author on his web pages, go back to the books but study only things related to that application. In that way you have a chance to learn something usefull. Yes Horowithz and Hill is a good book but, don't read it like going to G_o_d because is a boring book for someone knows just a litle about electronics...
I this world there are doctors in electronics which have no practical ideea which is the difference between GTO and MOSFET, belive me it's your choose to be a real user or just a theoretical one.

Maybe posting that example with one NPN and four resistors you don't understand and asking what exactly you don't understand will be a good starting point...
 

Learning electronics

"Maybe posting that example with one NPN and four resistors you don't understand and asking what exactly you don't understand will be a good starting point..."

What did you mean by this. I have the general knowledge about this circuit. What I am talking about is that no book, website, or any other source that I have seen tells what happens with different component values or what happens when a component is removed.

"belive me it's your choose to be a real user or just a theoretical one.belive me it's your choose to be a real user or just a theoretical one."

Believe me the story of my life. I have always been that way, I have great theoretical knowledge about things but can't do anything practically with them. Welding, I know a lot about the practical side, but it takes me a while to get welds right, java programming (what can I say I suck :( .) However, I know more theory that practice. Same with electronics. I am slowly getting into building, however if I don't totally design something from scratch myself, it feels wrong to me, I feel like I am stealing when I use someone else's schematics, so I end up needing to know a lot of theory.
 

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