Need a Good Newbie Text Book

Hi all,

I'm getting back into electronics after fifteen years. I studied the subject for two years in high school - but that was a while back. I understand the basic roles of most components and can read schematics - but don't necessarily understand all of them.

I recently picked up a book at Barnes and Noble on intro to electronics - but it was too high level. I'm looking for a detailed first year type text that I can buy. Specifically I would like to see sample circuit diagrams fully explained as to why each component was selected and it's role.

The intro book I currently have had several simple projects - but didn't explain them - so they were simply soldering excercises - with minimal knowledge gain. All of my WHY questions are still unknowns.

Thanks in advance.

hack said:

I'm looking for a detailed first year type text that I can buy. Thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

Here's a source many folks don't think of - Thrift Stores.

Nearly every town has at least one of them, operated by a charity and dealing in hand-me-downs. If you're lucky, you can pick up some used electronic textbooks someone has outgrown. This is especially true if there is a technical school located somewhere nearby. I've found a couple that still had test questions and/or student notes inside.

Such literature can usually be purchased for pennies... in one store I haunt, they sell all textbooks for 49 cents. You can also find some real gems. I bought back issues of Popular Electronics for the years 1979-80 for 10 cents per copy. Some excellent reading.

Thrift stores are also a good source of used electronics... gadgets people discard that can be pirated for parts. They are good ego-builders, too, if you buy something, trouble-shoot it, and get it working.

Go shopping!