It's understandable that you'd rather concentrate on writing neat software, but when your hardware doesn't work and your guide doesn't help you, I'm guessing yo

It's understandable that you'd rather concentrate on writing neat software, but when your hardware doesn't work and your guide doesn't help you, I'm guessing you'll wish you'd spent a little more time learning basic circuits. To that end, Horowitz and Hill's The Art of Electronics is an oft-recommended starting volume, and it will remain useful as a reference---it's got little "cookbook" sections at the end of each chapter. At the very least, read through Chapter 1---that'll cover the basics of passive components (R, L, C) and diodes, and introduce you to some useful terminology. You can stop there, or continue through transistors, op-amps, filters, power circuits, et cetera, or just refer to chapters as necessary. You should be able to find used copies of H&H all over the place, since lots of intro courses use it as a textbook, and if you're doing anything more than wiring up a bunch of blinky lights, it's likely you'll find it very useful in the future. (I'm a mixed-signal IC designer, so I'll admit my view of what everyone "ought" to know might be a bit on the aggressive side. :)