How can I get started learning about electronics?

[eric55441]

I would like learn and understand more about electronics but I am not really sure where to start. I have a reasonable amount of knowledge in using computers but I still don't understand how they work. Basically Im interested in learning about digital electronics but I think I really should understand analog electronics first, right? Also Im not sure what I should learn from, I mean should I just read books and projects or is there other helpful things? Any advice or suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Thanks,
Eric

 

[3v0]

Google Google Google (like a turkey does)

Seriously. Use what you know to find that which you do not.

Google for electronic tutorial (maybe add basic)

 

[Sceadwian]

Very zen 3v0 =)

eric, for a complete novice but someone with brains Wikipedia is your best friend. Read the entire "Digital Electronics" article on there and that'll provide you with enough links and other things to look up to fry your brain inside two hours. The "List of electronics topics" that's referenced at the bottom of the page leads to another page that contains so many other topics each of which probably contain more information that you can take in in another couple hours =) Dive in and take it in bite sized chunks, you WILL burn your brain out in a hurry, so get some silly putty for a stress reliever or find a video game to play in between while you 'digest' the massive amounts of information out there. Wikipedia is just one stop, there are thousands upon thousands of sites out there that contain lots of wisdom and just raw information about electronics, both digital and analog.
When I originally started learning about electronics I kept bookmarks of all the good sites I found, after my bookmarks hit 200 I stopped because it was accelerating exponentially. Between google and wikipedia and forums like this there's not much you can't teach yourself if you're not afraid to learn.

 

[Cypher]

I started getting in to electronics about 3 weeks ago, and I have to say that Google, Wikipedia and a few other select sites have been an absolute godsend. I haven't read any official books or done any courses, but with a few searches it can be easy to find a site that will give you hours of reading time

Just to get you started...

The Electronics Club was extremely useful for finding out the specifics about components and what they are used for (Capacitors, Diodes, 555 Timers etc.). Not overly detailed but enough to get you started. Most Google searches for components came up with this as the first result anyway.

**broken link removed** - Sooner or later you're going to want one

Hope it all goes well!

 

[eric55441]

For any other people looking for way to start, this look very good.

**broken link removed**

 

[AllVol]

Any advice or suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Thanks,
Eric

Here is a good spot for beginners: **broken link removed**