is reading lots of schematics the best way to learn? - Electronic Circuits Projects Diagrams Free

psasidisrcum · 14th April 2005, 01:04 PM

Hi all,
I'm a novice in the field of electronics and wanted to know what your suggestions are for further learning. I've had a few university courses in electronics but don't feel like I have much practical knowledge that would be useful in designing anything complicated.

I gather that The Art of Electronics is an excellent book and plan on getting one soon. But beyond this book, is reading a lot of schematics the best way to learn (other than actually doing lots of projects, of course)?

If so, are there any good books that contain tons of schematics with explanations? I'm guessing The Art of Electronics is more of a how-to book, rather than something with tons of schematics and examples. Certainly, just going through this book isn't going to make me very capable, is it?

I've visited a number of sites with schematics, recommended by people on this forum, but often found them to be either lacking explanations, or inconsistent in presentation (not to mention that I prefer looking at a paper rather than an LCD :P).

The books that I did find were mostly limited to a single subject (ie. audio), and I was looking for something more general, ideally presented in an increasingly-complicated manner.

I guess I'm looking back at how I learned to program, and I remember that reading other people's code was of tremendous value. I'm hoping that taking a similar route in learning electronics will speed up the process (please correct me if I am wrong)

Also, are software simulators(ie. PSpice) a good aid in learning? or are they more useful for checking things before actually building a project?

Thanks for your input!

**Nigel Goodwin** · 14th April 2005, 01:15 PM

Certainly studying circuits is a GREAT help to learning, but you need to start off simple and work up. Larger circuits are usually derived from a number of smaller sections - if you already understand the smaller sections, it doesn't take long to see how the larger circuit works.

I would also suggest you study discrete designs, generally IC's don't lend themselves to helping you understand the circuit.

Above all, remember that most circuits can be understood with a basic knowledge of ohms law! - and a little thought!.

ljcox · 14th April 2005, 10:13 PM

Nigel's advice is very good.

I started by reading electronics magazines and constructing some of the projects they described.

Then you can start your own designing.

Len

zachtheterrible · 15th April 2005, 01:37 AM

One good way to learn is to put a circuit that you see into a simulator. Make sure that it is doing what it is supposed to be doing though! Then you can change out different componenets and see what that does to the way the circuit works.

Nigel won't be too happy about this posting though, he has an aversion to simulators :wink:

bryan1 · 15th April 2005, 02:37 AM

Yeah I found my into electronics by reading the siliconchip magazine and buying electronic kits. Once I got confident I ventured into using breadboards and the simmstick. Now I'm still learning pic's and when time permits my son is dazzled by some of the circuits I make. This is 1 hobby that will stick for the rest of my life

Cheers Bryan1

bryan1 · 15th April 2005, 02:45 AM

opps double post

ops:

Juglenaut · 15th April 2005, 05:21 AM

I learned alot by buying defective electronics and fixing them.

**Nigel Goodwin** · 15th April 2005, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zachtheterrible

Nigel won't be too happy about this posting though, he has an aversion to simulators :wink:

True! - I see no point in using a simulator unless they are 100% effective, from LOAD's of threads in these forums it's apparently commonplace to have to modify your circuit to make it simulate properly! - as I see it, this makes a simulator worse than useless!.

stevez · 15th April 2005, 11:24 AM

At some point you'd benefit by narrowing your study field because electronics is a very broad field. Sure, things like Ohm's Law apply but you did say "practical" and implied in that is a wish to accomplish something.

Lab or bench work is essential, in my opinion, to learning anything and is especially true with electronics. Read thru some threads in this forum on the trials and tribulations of those who built the simple FM transmitters. On something so "simple" there is a lot to be learned - sort of the practical that supplements theory.

You might select an area that is already of interest to you. Digital electronics, audio/stereo, robotics. You'll be able to link up with others of like interests - nothing speeds the learning process better than to have others as partners even if only connected via the internet. A local hobbyist group would be better.

Don't be afraid to look closely at one of those 50 in 1 or 500 in 1 electronics labs - or to purchase some kind of breadboarding equipment if you can afford it.

Ldi Edt · 15th April 2005, 11:31 AM

DO NOT use a simulator as a learning tool.
It would be like having virtual sex.

People learn in different ways, from different perspectives.

I happen to be a "visual" learner, which means that diagrams above verbage works best for me. We all differ in regards to learning.

I would suggest learning interactively, at the lowest-basic level.
Read, form a hypothesis, build, observe, question, and repeat if necessary.
Do not move to a higher level until fully understanding what you have learned.

Kind of like classical guitar instruction...if bad habits are formed in the beginning steps, getting to higher levels will be much more difficult.

Ldi Edt

ThermalRunaway · 15th April 2005, 10:12 PM

I think simulators can be extremely useful, and they are quite often used in real-life teaching classes, but they do of course have limitations and I have seen the problem Nigel mentioned all too often where students are having to modify their circuit design in order to get the simulation working.

Overall I feel I've learned a lot more from practical building and testing of prototype designs rather than the use of simulators, but simulation sure is cheaper!

Brian

bonxer · 15th April 2005, 10:53 PM

I hated when professors would have us simulate a circuit, but never ever taught us how to actually use the simulator. There were times I would just go to lab and connect the circuit, take measurements with a multimeter, then jump through whatever hoops I had to to get the simulator to match. :P Change those obscure paremeters 'till it works! Hehe.

zachtheterrible · 15th April 2005, 10:57 PM

Quote:

DO NOT use a simulator as a learning tool.
It would be like having virtual sex.

Nice analogy!!!

Quote:

I think simulators can be extremely useful, and they are quite often used in real-life teaching classes, but they do of course have limitations and I have seen the problem Nigel mentioned all too often where students are having to modify their circuit design in order to get the simulation working.

I do agree that simulators arent the best for actually building a circuit, JUST BUILD IT!! But hey, I figured out how a one transistor op-amp circuit works by using a simulator in gatorclips, a real piece o junk simulation program. Ive figured out how a lot of things work by means of simulation.

Roboticinfo · 16th April 2005, 12:54 AM

The way I learned, was through books, it is a good way to take your time and you can alway's go buy more book's on what you want to learn.

mstechca · 16th April 2005, 12:57 AM

I dont think circuit simulation is the best choice myself. It's much better taking a schematic from a professional than to try to create a schematic in a simulation program. Sure, a simulation program can make your circuit look pretty, but there can be bugs in them!

Go to googles directories, and search for circuit archives. Google has a list of websites under "circuit archives" that contain useful circuits.

and dont forget to read descriptions to the schematics.

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14th April 2005, 01:04 PM	(permalink)
psasidisrcum	is reading lots of schematics the best way to learn? Hi all, I'm a novice in the field of electronics and wanted to know what your suggestions are for further learning. I've had a few university courses in electronics but don't feel like I have much practical knowledge that would be useful in designing anything complicated. I gather that The Art of Electronics is an excellent book and plan on getting one soon. But beyond this book, is reading a lot of schematics the best way to learn (other than actually doing lots of projects, of course)? If so, are there any good books that contain tons of schematics with explanations? I'm guessing The Art of Electronics is more of a how-to book, rather than something with tons of schematics and examples. Certainly, just going through this book isn't going to make me very capable, is it? I've visited a number of sites with schematics, recommended by people on this forum, but often found them to be either lacking explanations, or inconsistent in presentation (not to mention that I prefer looking at a paper rather than an LCD :P). The books that I did find were mostly limited to a single subject (ie. audio), and I was looking for something more general, ideally presented in an increasingly-complicated manner. I guess I'm looking back at how I learned to program, and I remember that reading other people's code was of tremendous value. I'm hoping that taking a similar route in learning electronics will speed up the process (please correct me if I am wrong) Also, are software simulators(ie. PSpice) a good aid in learning? or are they more useful for checking things before actually building a project? Thanks for your input!

14th April 2005, 01:15 PM	(permalink)
Nigel Goodwin	Certainly studying circuits is a GREAT help to learning, but you need to start off simple and work up. Larger circuits are usually derived from a number of smaller sections - if you already understand the smaller sections, it doesn't take long to see how the larger circuit works. I would also suggest you study discrete designs, generally IC's don't lend themselves to helping you understand the circuit. Above all, remember that most circuits can be understood with a basic knowledge of ohms law! - and a little thought!. __________________ PIC programmer software, and PIC Tutorials at: http://www.winpicprog.co.uk

14th April 2005, 10:13 PM	(permalink)
ljcox	Nigel's advice is very good. I started by reading electronics magazines and constructing some of the projects they described. Then you can start your own designing. Len

15th April 2005, 01:37 AM	(permalink)
zachtheterrible	One good way to learn is to put a circuit that you see into a simulator. Make sure that it is doing what it is supposed to be doing though! Then you can change out different componenets and see what that does to the way the circuit works. Nigel won't be too happy about this posting though, he has an aversion to simulators :wink: __________________ I'm no electronics god, i just talk too much.

15th April 2005, 02:37 AM	(permalink)
bryan1	Yeah I found my into electronics by reading the siliconchip magazine and buying electronic kits. Once I got confident I ventured into using breadboards and the simmstick. Now I'm still learning pic's and when time permits my son is dazzled by some of the circuits I make. This is 1 hobby that will stick for the rest of my life Cheers Bryan1 __________________ " The only way to avoid human error is to avoid the use of humans"

15th April 2005, 02:45 AM	(permalink)
bryan1	opps double post ops: __________________ " The only way to avoid human error is to avoid the use of humans"

15th April 2005, 05:21 AM	(permalink)
Juglenaut	I learned alot by buying defective electronics and fixing them. __________________ Your website has been blocked

15th April 2005, 11:24 AM	(permalink)
stevez	At some point you'd benefit by narrowing your study field because electronics is a very broad field. Sure, things like Ohm's Law apply but you did say "practical" and implied in that is a wish to accomplish something. Lab or bench work is essential, in my opinion, to learning anything and is especially true with electronics. Read thru some threads in this forum on the trials and tribulations of those who built the simple FM transmitters. On something so "simple" there is a lot to be learned - sort of the practical that supplements theory. You might select an area that is already of interest to you. Digital electronics, audio/stereo, robotics. You'll be able to link up with others of like interests - nothing speeds the learning process better than to have others as partners even if only connected via the internet. A local hobbyist group would be better. Don't be afraid to look closely at one of those 50 in 1 or 500 in 1 electronics labs - or to purchase some kind of breadboarding equipment if you can afford it. __________________ stevez

15th April 2005, 11:31 AM	(permalink)
Ldi Edt	DO NOT use a simulator as a learning tool. It would be like having virtual sex. People learn in different ways, from different perspectives. I happen to be a "visual" learner, which means that diagrams above verbage works best for me. We all differ in regards to learning. I would suggest learning interactively, at the lowest-basic level. Read, form a hypothesis, build, observe, question, and repeat if necessary. Do not move to a higher level until fully understanding what you have learned. Kind of like classical guitar instruction...if bad habits are formed in the beginning steps, getting to higher levels will be much more difficult. Ldi Edt

15th April 2005, 10:12 PM	(permalink)
ThermalRunaway	I think simulators can be extremely useful, and they are quite often used in real-life teaching classes, but they do of course have limitations and I have seen the problem Nigel mentioned all too often where students are having to modify their circuit design in order to get the simulation working. Overall I feel I've learned a lot more from practical building and testing of prototype designs rather than the use of simulators, but simulation sure is cheaper! Brian

15th April 2005, 10:53 PM	(permalink)
bonxer	I hated when professors would have us simulate a circuit, but never ever taught us how to actually use the simulator. There were times I would just go to lab and connect the circuit, take measurements with a multimeter, then jump through whatever hoops I had to to get the simulator to match. :P Change those obscure paremeters 'till it works! Hehe. __________________ There\'s no graphic in my signature. I don\'t know your IP, and I\'m not trying to hax0r you. You\'re welcome.

16th April 2005, 12:54 AM	(permalink)
Roboticinfo	reply The way I learned, was through books, it is a good way to take your time and you can alway's go buy more book's on what you want to learn. __________________ Robotics is heaven in my book.

16th April 2005, 12:57 AM	(permalink)
mstechca	I dont think circuit simulation is the best choice myself. It's much better taking a schematic from a professional than to try to create a schematic in a simulation program. Sure, a simulation program can make your circuit look pretty, but there can be bugs in them! Go to googles directories, and search for circuit archives. Google has a list of websites under "circuit archives" that contain useful circuits. and dont forget to read descriptions to the schematics.