Books with Examples and Exercises

[joseche]

Hi all,

I have read: Getting Started in Electronics, by MIMS but I want a book with more examples and exercises as you go reading the topics.

So I am thinking on buying:

1: The Art of Electronics (Student Manual with Exercises) - Thomas C. Hayes

2: Schaum's Outline of Basic Circuit Analysis - John O'Malley

Are there better options ?
Thanks

 

[jameske]

What sort of topics do you want the books to cover - general electronics such as, resistors, power, parallel circuits, series circuits, ohms law etc on a 'getting started' level, or would you prefer a book that targets some specific topics on an intermediate level for example, digital electronics, analogue electronics, semi-conductors etc?

James

 

[joseche]

Thanks jameske,

I want to build circuits with sensors for tempeture, humidity, light, etc... for growing delicate plants so I guess those are basic parallel circuits.

With Getting Started in Electronics I knew the basic concepts but now I am looking for examples on how to put all those things together.

 

[jameske]

Right well there are two ways you could implement such a system, with analogue or digital circuitry. Analogue circuitry involves circuits that purely run with the process as follows, Input from sensor -> Process -> Output. Lets use a light sensor circuit as an example, the input to the circuit maybe changes in voltage or resistance depending on how much light falls on the sensor, more light = more resistance. Therefore when it comes to the process part you could have a transistor set up so that when the resistance decreases (not much light is on the sensor) the transistor switches a light on (light being the output).

Or for a digital circuit the process is the same, Input from sensor -> Process -> Output, how ever it is complete a little differently. Lets use or light sensor circuit again. The input comes in from the sensor again, however this time instead of going into a transistor it goes into an integrated circuit ore microcontroller which converts the analogue signal to one that it can use. By using a digital circuit you can have control over many more factors, for instance, you could make the circuit only operate during the day using a realtime clock (also an integrated circuit) or you could set up the circuit to be controlled by a computer!

Which way do you want to go (and yes, you can learn both)? As a summary, analogue circuits will just do most of what you want, really well. However, digital circuits will not only do just what you want but can also give you greater flexibility without too much added physical space or hardware requirements!



James

 

[joseche]

I will start with Analog Circuits, once I feel like I can manage that I will move to digital, I have one more question in that regard:
is it good to stay away from Arduino and those kind of things before I master the basics ?
I don't want to be just buying and soldering things according to manuals, I want to design and understand things, and seems to me like maybe those solutions are for people more focused on programming, after they know about basic design, what do you think ?

 

[jameske]

OK, I have a couple of book suggestions you could try (These books are from a company that is New Zealand and Australian based, I'm not sure where you’re from and if you prefer to buy from your country. You might even be able to get these books in your country I’m not sure). Firstly, if you want a book filled with examples or exercises to try have a look at the Short Circuits books by Jaycar there are three volumes **broken link removed**,**broken link removed**,**broken link removed**. These books start off fairly basic at volume 1 (it may be to basic for you, so just check it out) and get quite advanced in volume 3. I know a few schools around my area use these books for mainly two reasons, they are easy to understand and cover many levels of electronics allow teachers to use them according to the skill and knowledge of the student, and you can buy the kits with a circuit board and components all ready to be assembled with the help of the book (if you don't want to do that part yourself).

These books are great for not only giving example circuits but they also teach you how the circuits work! Now if you have gone through these books and want something a little more advanced now or you want more circuit examples, I would say have a look at the **broken link removed** also from Jaycar. I have had experience with the Short Circuits books but not allot of experience with the 309 Circuits Book. A few friends of mine have it and they say it is quite useful, however you might just need to check it and see if it is what you are looking for!

So if you are looking for books that will get you going with analogue circuits (and the occasional integrated circuit) I would suggest the books above.

Another option is to by kits that come with all the parts required, instructions and an explanation of how the circuit works. I guess it depends on what you prefer.

is it good to stay away from Arduino and those kinds of things before I master the basics ?

Now for your second question, if you want to only deal with analogue circuitry for now then don't look too much into arduino yet. It is a good idea to master the basics of electronic circuitry first, and once you have a taste of some analogue circuitry you might want to try something different and that’s when you can pull out an arduino! When or if you are looking at doing this I would suggest getting a development board where you can just plug in an Arduino and use the onboard connectors to connect to external circuitry, this way you know that the power supply voltage to the chip (and a few other things) will be correct and it will also allow you to program the chip quite easily.

I want to design and understand things

With Arduino there is quite allot of already made open source hardware out there with the firmware to go with it, however this doesn't mean that you have to use it. Once you know how to make your own circuits you will find that you can design and build your own hardware to go with a microcontroller such as an Arduino!

and seems to me like maybe those solutions are for people more focused on programming

Firstly, yes there is programming involved when dealing with microcontrollers, however, a microcontroller is useless if it has been programmed to do something but has no hardware to do it with! When you get into microcontrollers such as an Arduino, you will find yourself building your own hardware and programming the microcontroller to do what you want. So, Arduino or solutions such as these aren't only for people more focused on programming but also for those enthusiastic to build hardware!

I hope this is helpful and answers your questions, if you don't understand/want a further explanation of something don't hesitate to ask!

James

 

[BeeBop]

I will start with Analog Circuits, once I feel like I can manage that I will move to digital, I have one more question in that regard:
is it good to stay away from Arduino and those kind of things before I master the basics ?
I don't want to be just buying and soldering things according to manuals, I want to design and understand things, and seems to me like maybe those solutions are for people more focused on programming, after they know about basic design, what do you think ?

I'd recommend jumping right into Arduino, or any other controller; you will feel like you are making more progress, and your interest will drive you to learn new things. Start by blinking an LED. If you can do that, I think you will be able to do anything you want, given the time.

If you stay with a 'mainstream' micro, there is a lot of help available here, and at other internet sites.

Once you feel comfortable with the instruction set, try making yourself an instrument which represents what you wish to achieve in the green house. A temperature controller is not too difficult, and there are a lot of other designs to look at. You will be on your way in no time.

 

[joseche]

Thanks a lot jameske and BeeBop, you are really kind on giving very good answers and sharing knowledge. I hope I can help others in this forum soon !