[SOLVED] Getting Started in Electronics

[farnoise]

Hello All,
I guess I have the most general question to ask, I am a computer programmer, I mostly work with Pearl, Python, PHP, etc.. I very much like to get involve in Electronics. I'd like to start from Scratch and build my way up so I am looking for recommendations to get a book which talks about Analog/Digital circuit design, covering basics and at the end I be able to design a basic circuit.
Does anyone know a good book that I can start reading?

Thanks

 

[barry]

The Art of Electronics: Horowitz and Hill

 

[tpetar]

Hi Farnoise and welcome on EDABoard,

For start read this small tutorial :

https://www.analog.com/en/content/beginners_guide_to_dsp/fca.html

**broken link removed**


Analog and Digital is wide range of combinations in electronics, in other words we can cover all with this two words. Better concentrate for start on particular thing and start with this, like make some measurement with ADC, and make some PC software in Perls to showup measurement values on it.

 

[enjunear]

Don't forget the hands-on part of electronics. Just like you'd write up a simple function to test out a piece of code, you should also start dabbling with small circuits.

Get a small-medium solderless breadboard to do your prototyping on, a cheap soldering iron (about US$20), some small gauge solid core wire (to use as interconnects on the breadboard), a wire stripper, a simple volt/ammeter (US$20-40), and a low voltage DC power source. You can start with 6V, 9V batteries initially. If you can find a small, old (functional) ATX power supply, use a wire or switch to connect the PS_ON line to ground to fire it up... then you'll have some loosely regulated +12, -12, +5, -5, +3.3 VDC supplies that could be useful on later projects.

As for parts, you can find resistor kits and capacitor grab-bags from vendors like Newark, Digikey, etc, if you don't have a local place to source small electronic components. Start with leaded components, then move up to surface mount when you start messing around with making your own circuit boards.

 

[farnoise]

Don't forget the hands-on part of electronics. Just like you'd write up a simple function to test out a piece of code, you should also start dabbling with small circuits.

Get a small-medium solderless breadboard to do your prototyping on, a cheap soldering iron (about US$20), some small gauge solid core wire (to use as interconnects on the breadboard), a wire stripper, a simple volt/ammeter (US$20-40), and a low voltage DC power source. You can start with 6V, 9V batteries initially. If you can find a small, old (functional) ATX power supply, use a wire or switch to connect the PS_ON line to ground to fire it up... then you'll have some loosely regulated +12, -12, +5, -5, +3.3 VDC supplies that could be useful on later projects.

As for parts, you can find resistor kits and capacitor grab-bags from vendors like Newark, Digikey, etc, if you don't have a local place to source small electronic components. Start with leaded components, then move up to surface mount when you start messing around with making your own circuit boards.

Thanks guys the info they were really helpful. in reply to 37enjunear's comment, I should say I do have a wide rang of electronic components, and soldering tools. I started with few small robotic projects couple years ago which I found online, maid few circuits, but again I was just following procedures and I had no idea how to actually design one. So i was just assembling things that other people designed. That's why I would like to start getting into the field and design my own boards and program them. But I don't know how to design.

 

[enjunear]

Thanks guys the info they were really helpful. in reply to 37enjunear's comment, I should say I do have a wide rang of electronic components, and soldering tools. I started with few small robotic projects couple years ago which I found online, maid few circuits, but again I was just following procedures and I had no idea how to actually design one. So i was just assembling things that other people designed. That's why I would like to start getting into the field and design my own boards and program them. But I don't know how to design.

It helps to understand the fundamental building blocks in theory, and how they perform in application. This is why college classes teach you the theory, then have you do lab exercises that are directly related to the same topic. You might want to look into a more project-focused intro to electronics book for example circuits to build (sorry, I don't know one of the top of my head, but I'll look around).

Theory will get you a long way, but some people learn better by building, testing and modifying/messing around with the real circuits.

Kudos for taking the leap into unknown territory (hardware design)!

 

[DineshSL]

Since you are a computer programmer and familiar with electronic components; I guess you can jump in to micro-controllers.

As a propose, select Arduino or PIC;
http://arduino.cc/en/



http://www.winpicprog.co.uk/ (For any one who wish to start programming PIC this is a great place to start. Old but really inspiring your way...Thanks Nigel Goodwin)

For them; great helpful web sites and sample project are available; and not even expensive.

 

[farnoise]

enjunear, Thanks again bud. Very informative. and helpful

Cheers!

 

[jeffrey samuel]

try also this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8Dq8blTmSA