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I recommend The Art of Electronics, by Horowitz and Hill. I'm an electrical engineer and in my experience most EE courses are very math heavy. This is because

I recommend The Art of Electronics, by Horowitz and Hill. I'm an electrical engineer and in my experience most EE courses are very math heavy. This is because the theory behind electronics is very math heavy. Many people don't enjoy doing math problems in their spare time, though. The thing is that after you get past the theory and into the practice, the math mostly drops away as you learn abstractions and little tricks to aid in designing circuits. I like The Art of Electronics because it has the math there if you need it, but assumes you didn't get past Algebra. It mostly leads with the abstractions and little tricks that you would use to design circuits with a just a pen and paper. Some people find it tedious, though. My advice is not to read it cover to cover. Read the parts that interest you and use the rest as a reference.

vvanders 10y ago
I'll second the recommendation, it does a great job of not only covering things but explaining why you'd use certain components and the engineering trade-offs required(the section on transistors is fantastic). It's old but still very relevant today. If I remember correctly they even go from transistor up to building an entire 8-bit micro in addition to the excellent analog reference. As someone who isn't an EE I found it still very straightforward to follow if a bit dense(in a good way) in some sections.
- manyxcxi 10y ago
  I started in EE in college and ended up switching to CpE (Computer Engineering, which basically was 60/40 CS/EE) because I found I liked the programming slightly more than the EE side of things. I still find the book a tad dense at times but it's absolutely a must have for anyone that cares more about the why than the how. As said above, this is a fantastic reference book, you will likely never read this cover to cover unless you're following it as instruction material for a class. Anymore these days, with all the breakouts and instructables a person could very likely get by with know whether something needs 5v or 3.3v (if that). I feel like these monthly subscriptions are good for a while for someone who wants to get into the hobby and has ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA where to start. You get the inspiration, materials, and help specifically for the task at hand without all the other noise. I have a feeling that after a few months if the person is still keenly interested they wouldn't need the subscription anymore and I'd be surprised if most subscribers stayed on past 6-9 months because of this (or the opposite).
mitchty 10y ago
Would it pay off to get the lab book Learning The Art of Electronics too? https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Art-Electronics-Hands-Course/dp/0521177235 https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Art-Electronics-Hands-Course...
- ageofwant 10y ago
  Yes. I have both, they are often recommended together. Get both and start doing the Lab Course. Refer to the Art when needed. Once you've done the Lab book you can re-read the Art to fill in the gaps. I recon you need about 15 months worth of leisurely evenings to do it justice.
  - mitchty 10y ago
    Cool beans thought so but wanted to be sure before I blew that much money. :)
nickpsecurity 10y ago
I asked an EE about that but got warned it's more like a reference book. He said the easiest book on electronics he ever saw was a Malvino book he stumbled on in a thrift store. I found one of its editions for $2 on Amazon. Great balance of explaining the basics, showing math, and practical advice of do's & don't. https://www.amazon.com/Electronic-Principles-Simulation-Albert-Malvino/dp/0073222771 https://www.amazon.com/Electronic-Principles-Simulation-Albe... Also just found this. Use it as backup copy if you buy the book. http://www.talkingelectronics.com/Download/Malvino_Electronic-Principles.pdf http://www.talkingelectronics.com/Download/Malvino_Electroni...

vvanders 10y ago

I'll second the recommendation, it does a great job of not only covering things but explaining why you'd use certain components and the engineering trade-offs required(the section on transistors is fantastic). It's old but still very relevant today. If I remember correctly they even go from transistor up to building an entire 8-bit micro in addition to the excellent analog reference. As someone who isn't an EE I found it still very straightforward to follow if a bit dense(in a good way) in some sections.

manyxcxi 10y ago
I started in EE in college and ended up switching to CpE (Computer Engineering, which basically was 60/40 CS/EE) because I found I liked the programming slightly more than the EE side of things. I still find the book a tad dense at times but it's absolutely a must have for anyone that cares more about the why than the how. As said above, this is a fantastic reference book, you will likely never read this cover to cover unless you're following it as instruction material for a class. Anymore these days, with all the breakouts and instructables a person could very likely get by with know whether something needs 5v or 3.3v (if that). I feel like these monthly subscriptions are good for a while for someone who wants to get into the hobby and has ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA where to start. You get the inspiration, materials, and help specifically for the task at hand without all the other noise. I have a feeling that after a few months if the person is still keenly interested they wouldn't need the subscription anymore and I'd be surprised if most subscribers stayed on past 6-9 months because of this (or the opposite).

mitchty 10y ago

Would it pay off to get the lab book Learning The Art of Electronics too? https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Art-Electronics-Hands-Course/dp/0521177235 https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Art-Electronics-Hands-Course...

ageofwant 10y ago
Yes. I have both, they are often recommended together. Get both and start doing the Lab Course. Refer to the Art when needed. Once you've done the Lab book you can re-read the Art to fill in the gaps. I recon you need about 15 months worth of leisurely evenings to do it justice.
- mitchty 10y ago
  Cool beans thought so but wanted to be sure before I blew that much money. :)

nickpsecurity 10y ago

I asked an EE about that but got warned it's more like a reference book. He said the easiest book on electronics he ever saw was a Malvino book he stumbled on in a thrift store. I found one of its editions for $2 on Amazon. Great balance of explaining the basics, showing math, and practical advice of do's & don't. https://www.amazon.com/Electronic-Principles-Simulation-Albert-Malvino/dp/0073222771 https://www.amazon.com/Electronic-Principles-Simulation-Albe... Also just found this. Use it as backup copy if you buy the book. http://www.talkingelectronics.com/Download/Malvino_Electronic-Principles.pdf http://www.talkingelectronics.com/Download/Malvino_Electroni...