Where to start learning Electronics?

[ahmetozay]

i am completely new to electrics and electronics but very eager at the same time just i dont know where to start. Then i found this amazing place and hope that you all will help me to learn these stuff.
where can i start?
whick books should i read?
which programs to study with(currently i downloaded multisim 2001)?
thanks for your help

 

[Encrypted]

The Art of Electronics by Horowitz & Hill is an excellent book and covers almost everything.

Can't really make any other recommendations unless we know what branch of electronics you're interested in.

 

[ahmetozay]

i really and even dont know what are those branchs of electronics. i think first i should know the base of the electronics then step over one of those branchs. where can i download this book ? is it found on the net?
thanks

 

[Encrypted]

I don't think you'll find it on the net. It's over 1000 pages, I doubt anyone has scanned it!

Have a look in your library, if you like it then buy it as you will always be referring to it.

 

[arebee]

hi ahmetozay. If you're serious about learning electronics then note these points:

-> You will need to buy books! There's only so much you can learn for free on the internet, believe me, I know. If you are an absolute beginner, I recommend reading one of those basic electronics type books and see how it goes from there. Later on, get a few textbooks, these are much more detailed and perhaps boring, but they cover stuff you must know.
-> Brush up on your math. Forget everyone thats says you don't need to be good at math to learn electronics - you do unless you plan on blindly accepting everything you read. You should be able to prove everything you learn, derive every equation, etc. Don't memorize everything!
-> Take it in stages, start with the very basics (resistors, circuit theory, etc.) and work your way up. Try not to get discouraged though, this stuff can get boring to some, but its worth it.
-> Decide on what branch (RF, digital, etc) you want to focus on after you've tried each one, don't listen to anyone, make this choice on your own.
-> I recommend using a circuit simulator from the beginning (e.g. demonstrating voltage dividers, etc.) as well as doing real-life experiments using meters, etc. I think Micro-cap is a good simulator, very easy to use and quite powerful.
-> Ask questions whenever you need to. There are many other boards on the internet which deal with basic electronics and are happy to help.

The AoE is a good book, but probably not good enough for the beginner by itself (this isn't a free book i.e. you can't download it off the net as far as I know).

I'm sure we can help you with any other future questions you may have. Hope this helps you, good luck!

 

[ahmetozay]

Thank you so much Arebee, for your recommendations i will take them all very seriously. Can you suggest some good books for beginners for me because i am completely beginner and dont know which book is good for me and could you be more specific about your recommendations as i believe that they are some common recommendations. It is such a pity that i am a man who wants to die to learn but doesnt know the exact way to achieve that. Please i need your specific recommendations. Thanks

 

[Crisbe]

It's a good way to walk to your local library and look through several books. I can't remember a real "Start-here"-book. Most of them explain the basic parts like resistors etc. Boring but u will need this.
But you can search after books from Elektor http://www.elektor-electronics.co.uk/ or ELV. These books consits of many different circuits, digital and analog. So u can see how it works. The circuits are explained. Maybe this is confusing first but the time is worth to study this.

 

[arebee]

Hey ahmetozay. Its hard for me to recommend a beginners book, but I agree with Crisbe, you should try looking around a library. Most general physics books cover the basics of electricity, you can start there. A search on amazon.com or some other online book shop should be of help too.
For a free work-in-progress text, see here: **broken link removed**
Hope this helps.

Good luck,
Arebee

 

[elecTr?]

Another couple of important aspects (I believe) to be aware of that help when you are teaching yourself electronics are:

* While textbooks are certaintly a necessary part of learning, misinterpretation of the text can result, not to mention a error in the text itself, causing confusion and grey hair. If possible, whenever learning whatever, try to prove (by simulation, math, conversing with a knowledgeable person, etc.) what you are learning. This takes a more time but results overall in much time saved.

* Logical intuitive curiosity - a good thing to have. General example - Ahh, now I see how this works, so this must result as well. So go and try to varify that your thinking is correct.

Regards,
e