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Author : Paul Horowitz
Edition : 2
Number of Pages : 1125
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
List Price : $105.00
Amazon Price : $75.60
Used Price : $59.93 |
Product Description This is the thoroughly revised and updated Second Edition of the hugely successful The Art of Electronics. Widely accepted as the single, authoritative text and reference on electronic circuit design, both analog and digital, this book has sold over 120,000 copies, and has been translated into eight languages. This book revolutionized the teaching of electronics by emphasizing the methods actually used by circuit designers--a combination of some basic laws, rules of thumb, and a large bag of tricks. The result is a largely nonmathematical treatment that encourages circuit intuition, brain storming, and simplified calculations of circuit values and performance. This completely new edition responds to the breakneck pace of change in electronics with totally rewritten chapters on microcomputers and microprocessors, substantially revised chapters on digital electronics, on op-amps and precision design, and on construction techniques. Every table has been revised, and many new ones have been added. The new Art of Electronics retains the feeling of informality and easy access that made the first edition so successful and popular. Customer reviews Not useful for learning electronics on your own.  by .. Manuel McLure (Sacramento, CA USA)
I've put a lot of effort into reading this book in an attempt to learn practical electronics. There are some very good points about this book. It covers a lot of the subject, from simple resistors to microcomputers to radio-frequency circuits and the authors are careful to explain how to make circuits that are resistant to component tolerance. I like this fail-safe approach.
On the other hand, from the point of view of someone learning this on his own (i.e. not in a classroom setting with a professor/T.A. to ask questions of) it leaves a lot to be desired. As I read this, time and time again I was reminded of that Far Side cartoon where the scientist has a blackboard full of formulas, with "THEN MAGIC HAPPENS" near the bottom and then the result. Too many steps are skipped when explaining the solution. A good example is the "error" reported by "larry f" in his review. This is not actually an error, but the explanation is missing some key insights that would have made the solution crystal clear. A couple of sentences such as "When the transistor shuts off, the emitter voltage will be -5V because of the voltage divider formed by the output resistor (connected to ground) and the emitter resistor (connected to -10V.) If the transistor is conducting, the current will increase through the emitter resistor, causing the emitter voltage to rise, thus the emitter voltage cannot ever go below -5V." It took me a long time of staring at the circuit to figure this out. This sort of omission is unfortunately the norm rather than the exception.
There are no answers to any of the many exercises (unless you buy the companion book for more money) so you can't check your progress to make sure you're understanding the concepts explained.
I think the very thing that makes this book a good reference lets it down as a teaching book. It overextends into too many areas. If the authors had written a simple analog electronics concepts book where things were examined in more detail, I think they'd have a winner. As it is, I don't recommend this book to someone who isn't assigned it in a college setting.
Beware of jargon!  by .. David Matthew Eklund (San Francisco, CA USA)
This is a great and exhaustive text on the topic of circuit design. However it fails at the stated goal in the first sentence of the preface:
"This volume is intended as an electronic circuit design textbook and reference book; it begins at a level suitable for those with no previous exposure to electronics and carries the reader through to a reasonable degree of proficiency in electronic circuit design." (emphasis on "no previous exposure")
I came into this book with a strong background in solid-state physics, electrostatics and electrodynamics. I could explain to you the difference between a pnp and an npn junction and apply Kirchoff's laws to a basic circuit. I could explain to you the covariant formulation of Maxwell's equations. However I was already struggling by the second chapter.
Here are some sample sentences from the first two chapters of the book that are provided with no real context (i.e. they are assumed to be self-explanatory). If the intended meaning of any of these sentences is not immediately obvious to you, you will probably need a companion to this text:
"A word on language. You frequently hear things like "the resistance looking into the voltage divider," or the "the output sees a load of so-and-so many ohms," as if circuits had eyes. It's OK (in fact, it's a rather good way to keep straight which resistance you're talking about) to say what part of the circuit is doing the "looking.""
"The first case is caused by a square wave somewhere in the circuit coupling capacitively to the signal line you're looking at; that might indicate a missing resistor termination on your signal line. If not, you must either reduce the source resistance of the signal line or find a way to reduce capacitive coupling from the offending square wave."
"Choose the base resistor conservatively to get plenty of excess base current, especially when driving lamps, because of the reduced beta at low V. This is also a good idea for high-speed switching because of capacitive effects and reduced beta at very high frequencies."
"At first glance this circuit may appear useless, until you realize that the input impedance is much larger than the output impedance, as will be demonstrated shortly. This means that the circuit requires less power from the signal source to drive a given load than would be the case if the signal source were to drive the load directly. Or a signal of some internal impedance can now drive a load of comparable or even lower impedance without loss of amplitude. In other words, an emitter follower has current gain, even though it has no voltage gain."
I should emphasize that these first two chapters are focused on "Basic" circuits. The second chapter even adds insult to injury by ending with a section called "Self-Explanatory Circuits" in which you are presented with diagrams of "good" and "bad" circuits which are -- of course -- self-explanatory.
Fabulous  by .. Zorglub (Maryland)
Encyclopedic coverage, clear explanations. Especially good for analog electronics. Among beginners, all but the brightest will be overwhelmed and perplexed. This is the book you need to help you advance from "good" to "top notch".
My experience is that of a theoretical physicist who likes to tinker. I have the first edition, purchased about 1980, after I had already designed my own low noise, low quiescent current, rail-to-rail power op-amp (at a time when they were not commercially available at anything resembling a reasonable price). I certainly wish I had encountered this wonderful book even sooner.
Not for Beginners by .. L. C. Robinson (Fountain Valley, CA USA)
You can reasonably assume from the price of this volume alone it is not something for beginning electronic circuit design enthusiasts.
Thankfully I had a couple of semesters of electronic theory and circuit design before my wife purchased "The Art of Electronics" as a gift. If not I would have been way over my head. For those with a basic grounding (no pun) in electronics you really can't go wrong with this book however I would suggest an additional purchase of the "Student Manual for The Art of Electronics."
THE book on electronics by .. D. Messer (MN USA)
An excellent text and an excellent reference. Clear enough for the novice and in-depth enough for the experienced.
Related Search : art electronics  |
Author : Gordon McComb
Edition : 1
Number of Pages : 432
Publisher : For Dummies
List Price : $21.99
Amazon Price : $11.65
Used Price : $14.95 |
Product Description Want to hook up your home theater system? Want to fix it so your garage band rocks the neighborhood? Want to solder the faulty wire on your old phonograph so you can play those 60s albums you’ve kept all this time? Whether you’re a do-it-yourselfer , hobbyist, or student , this book will turn you on to real-world electronics. It quickly covers the essentials, and then focuses on the how-to instead of theory. It covers: - Fundamental concepts such as circuits, schematics, voltage, safety, and more
- Tools of the trade, including multimeters, oscilloscopes, logic probes, and more
- Common electronic components (e.g. resistors, capacitors, transistors)
- Making circuits using breadboards and printed circuit boards
- Microcontrollers (implementation and programming)
Author Gordon McComb has more than a million copies of his books in print, including his bestselling Robot Builder’s Bonanza and VCRs and Camcorders For Dummies. He really connects with readers! With lots of photos and step-by-step explanations, this book will have you connecting electronic components in no time! In fact, it includes fun ideas for great projects you can build in 30 minutes or less. You’ll be amazed! Then you can tackle cool robot projects that will amaze your friends! (The book gives you lots to choose from.) Students will find this a great reference and supplement to the typical dry, dull textbook. So whether you just want to bone up on electronics or want to get things hooked up, souped up, or fixed up,…whether you’re interested in fixing old electronic equipment, understanding guitar fuzz amps, or tinkering with robots, Electronics For Dummies is your quick connection to the stuff you need to know. Customer reviews Very handy by .. J. Munger (atlanta, ga)
I picked this up because I needed to learn some fundamentals about electricity. I actually bought my first copy (which my dog ate and had to be replaced) at a retail store, so I got to do a side by side comparison with other "beginner" type books. The dummies guide gave the most basic, but not dumb introductions to the basic components and theories of electricity.
If you need to get a good foot hold for some basic projects this is a great place to begin.
Great book...period. by .. Howard R. Lee ()
Very good book.
If you are a student, a hobbyist, or an aspiring electrician, this is the book to start with.
You leave with no more than when you arrived  by .. rolly ()
This book does not explain enough of what is going on. It is way way way too superficial. One of the neat things about electronics is that it is not that heard to understand what is really going on, and what individual components do. That is knowledge you can build in. This book does not deliver that, despite having numerous pages devotes to the most insanely pedestrian subjects. The good tidbits here could be condensed down to a 10 page pamphlet.
Crash course by .. Drew (Connecticut)
I gave this book to an intern we have working for us in our sales dept. He is representing a technical product and does not have a technical background. He says that it has helped. Its on his desk with lots of bookmarks hanging out of it so it looks as though he's using it. I personally haven't opened it.
No Good by .. C. Dunn ()
After reading this book cover to cover I finished with a vague understanding of the concepts of electricity, almost no understanding of components, and absolutely no understanding of any of the projects or circuits it showed. He will go over certain concepts endlessly (like what a soldering iron is, or how a switch works) but then will leave transistors, diodes, and capacitors to be explained in a paragraph. I had to clarify everything with my own research, I am getting a different book.
Related Search : electronics dummies  |
Author : Paul Scherz
Edition : 2
Number of Pages : 952
Publisher : McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics
List Price : $39.95
Amazon Price : $21.72
Used Price : $21.68 |
Product Description THE BOOK THAT MAKES ELECTRONICS MAKE SENSE . This intuitive, applications-driven guide to electronics for hobbyists, engineers, and students doesn't overload readers with technical detail. Instead, it tells you-and shows you-what basic and advanced electronics parts and components do, and how they work. Chock-full of illustrations, Practical Electronics for Inventors offers over 750 hand-drawn images that provide clear, detailed instructions that can help turn theoretical ideas into real-life inventions and gadgets.. . CRYSTAL CLEAR AND COMPREHENSIVE . Covering the entire field of electronics, from basics through analog and digital, AC and DC, integrated circuits (ICs), semiconductors, stepper motors and servos, LCD displays, and various input/output devices, this guide even includes a full chapter on the latest microcontrollers. A favorite memory-jogger for working electronics engineers, Practical Electronics for Inventors is also the ideal manual for those just getting started in circuit design. If you want to succeed in turning your ideas into workable electronic gadgets and inventions, is THE book.. Starting with a light review of electronics history, physics, and math, the book provides an easy-to-understand overview of all major electronic elements, including:. Basic passive components o Resistors, capacitors, inductors, transformers o Discrete passive circuits o Current-limiting networks, voltage dividers, filter circuits, attenuators o Discrete active devices o Diodes, transistors, thrysistors o Microcontrollers o Rectifiers, amplifiers, modulators, mixers, voltage regulators . . ENTHUSIASTIC READERS HELPED US MAKE THIS . BOOK EVEN BETTER . This revised, improved, and completely updated second edition reflects suggestions offered by the loyal hobbyists and inventors who made the first edition a bestseller. Reader-suggested improvements in this guide include: . - Thoroughly expanded and improved theory chapter.
- New sections covering test equipment, optoelectronics, microcontroller circuits, and more.
- New and revised drawings.
- Answered problems throughout the book
. . Practical Electronics for Inventors takes you through reading schematics, building and testing prototypes, purchasing electronic components, and safe work practices. You'll find all thisin a guide that's destined to get your creative-and inventive-juices flowing. . Customer reviews Practical Electronics for Inventors by .. Jesse C. Aguayo ()
The book purchased arrived sooner than expected and clearly shows the distributor as willing to go above and beyond to meet the customers needs.
Thanks!
An okay resource if you look past the errors  by .. D. Messer (MN USA)
Just got the second edition. Most of the errors are still there. Glaring math errors. Schematic errors. Simple Example: 100 Watts/12 Volts is NOT 0.8 Amps. It's 8.4 Amps. Nor is 1.5 Volts * .1 Amps = .1 Watts. Both of these errors appear on page 15. These are minor examples. There are many others that aren't so minor and will send you down the wrong path. The errors are frequent and irritating. Basically, this is a resource only useful to readers willing to double check every concept before applying any of it. Hardly "practical".
well done by .. Igor M. Moreira (Campos, RJ Brazil)
Well done Amazon! The product has been delivered in according with the estimated delivery date.
I will soon purchase more products from yours.
Great for inventors by .. Daniel R. Garcia (Santa Clarita, CA United States)
30 years ago I was an electronics tech. Then programmer. now inventor.
I checked out the first edition at the library and was so impressed with
it that I got online and bought the second edition. It is absolutely
great! I'm looking for breadth, not some full-of-himself-professors
rambling about some nit pick point. This book delivers. The only
omissions I have found so far (not errors) is the omission of Diffused
channel FET's (which operate in both enhancement mode AND depletion mode)
which is a common omission among other books, and the omission of optical
encoders. This is a book about the practical part of electronics, not the theoretical stuff that puts you to sleep. Most books that include
the color codes stop at four band. I have seen more bands too often to
count with no explanation of what the other bands are for. This book
explains four bands, two varieties fo five band and six bands before
you even get to the copyright page!
There is a rule among publishers: "don't include too much information
or you won't have anything to write about in your second book". This is
the second author that I found to violate that rule. (the first author
is the one who told me about the rule).
If you are learning to be an engineer, this may not be your book. If
you are trying to design something. This is where to put your money.
Broad, deep, practical by .. Chungarru (Parker, CO USA)
As someone with a technical background, but little knowledge or experience with electronics who is seeking to design and build some special purpose circuits, this is a perfect book. It is well written and very readable (a major plus). It covers the basics, and expands on them to cover some advanced principles. It is well indexed so finding topics is easy. It has a wealth of knowledge on almost every facet of modern electronics.
This book provides a broad background, and deep and practical knowledge of electronics. It provides diagrams of hundreds of circuits, so you can quickly find something close to what you are trying to do, see how it works and find enough theory and background that you can figure out how to get from the example to what you are trying to do without another reference or book. This is very useful.
I have purchased other electronics books, but this makes the rest obsolete. It is now the only one I use. While it does not replace an electrical engineering degree, it comes damn close covering most of what a bachelors program will span in the first two years.
Related Search : inventors , practical electronics  |
Author : Forrest M. Mims III
Number of Pages : 128
Publisher : Master Publishing, Inc.
List Price : $19.95
Amazon Price : $19.49
Used Price : $17.49 |
Product Description This is a complete electronics course in 128 pages! Author Forrest Mims teaches you the basics, takes you on a tour of analog and digital components, explains how they work, and shows you how they are combines for various applications. Includes circuit assembly tips and 100 electronic circuits and projects you can build and test. Customer reviews An easy introduction for the basic electronics by .. newbieman ()
This book gives an accessible starting point to comprehend the use and logic of basic electronics. Good for young novices as well as older newcomers like myself. Recommendable.
Excellent introductory text by .. M. Eckardt ()
Its been over 20 years since I had any electrical engineering classes, but it only took about 20 pages to bring me back up to speed on the basics. Before the book was through, I got not only the information that I was looking for, but learned a few things that I hadn't known I needed to know.
Saved Me in Navy Electronics Training by .. Robert Hull ()
This was the first book on electronics I ever remember buying. I "discovered" it at the local Radio Shack in the early 80's while attending Navy electronics training. Thankfully this book and its writer, Forrest M. Mims, III made the challenging world of electronics accessible and best yet, fun. With the help of this book, I survived the Navy's training (thank you Forrest!) and it sparked a love for electronics that continues to this day.
Especially good for beginners, I strongly recommend this book for anyone looking to feed their electronics interest. In just 128 pages, Mr. Mims with his simple writing style, great explanations and numerous easy-to-make circuits makes the magic of electronics seem possible. Buy several copies because once you read it, you will want to share it. Just be sure to always have at least one copy for yourself.
Robert Hull
Director of Technical Services
TubeDepot.com
Must have by .. Marcus Trise (Maryland)
I have just started the hobby of electronics. There is a lot to learn and this book is a must have. It is in an interesting printing format, handwritten notebook style, I like this style, just different. Again a must have.
Best used as a refresher outline of sorts by .. D. Mokhtar (New York)
Not to dimish alot of the fine points of the book. Simple writing, straightforward illustrations and down to earth examples. Only problem I had was that it's a do-or-die book i.e. the whole thing is pretty cumulative and each page building on the one before it. Terms and concepts are explained once and then you move on. If you don't fully understand the idea from what's written in the section, you're left "up the creek without a paddle" so to speak. The author lost me by Capacitators on page 32.
But it would be great in conjuction with another book as a supplemental.-- Isaac Dayan
Related Search : getting started , electronics  |
Author : Gary Schneider
Edition : 8
Number of Pages : 655
Publisher : Course Technology
List Price : $97.95
Amazon Price : $87.82
Used Price : $88.36 |
Product Description ELECTRONIC COMMERCE, EIGHTH EDITION covers emerging online technologies and trends and their influence on the electronic commerce marketplace. By detailing how the landscape of online commerce is evolving, this leading book reflects changes in the economy and how business and society are responding. In addition to enhanced international coverage, this edition covers topical issues such as spam and phishing, and their role in organized crime, terrorism, identity theft, and online payment fraud. The updated content balances the technological with the strategic business aspects of successful e-commerce. Customer reviews Good book but could be better by .. MY MAHDI (UK)
I believe this book is good one for Business people so they know how does business get effected by E-commerce and technology. it has many examples and explanation but i believe that i could be doing the same purpose in less details and papers number, the case studies is good, but they do not have small and important information in the side of the papers as margin, in general i think you will like to read it but you have to be a little patient
Good overview of e-commerce by .. Scott Sheppard (Charlotte, NC USA)
I bought this book for a class at Strayer University-it's the textbook for an e-commerce class. The book gives a good overview of the current state of e-commerce and gives quite a bit of introductory information on putting together an e-commerce site; hardware requirements for hosting your own; security and payment systems. It's not in-depth, but that would require a much larger volume.
A solid book on the principles of e-commerce by .. Ted Schaefer (USA)
Schneider's seventh edition of "Electronic Commerce" graciously takes the user through many of the major topics that relate to electronic commerce and online business initiatives. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and it is packed full of real-life sites and examples to support the material being taught. Likewise, I found the "Learning From Failures" section within each chapter to be fascinating to read. There are many colored graphics and screenshots to help illustrate points and each chapter concludes with a thorough review along with dozens of additional resources that can be explored if further knowledge is desired.
It is worth noting that, with an average of 50 pages per chapter and 12 chapters in all, the wide range of material taught can be difficult to digest and at times topics seem to be brushed over far too quickly. Also, this book teaches the business concepts, evolution, trends, and terminology involving e-commerce but does not walk the reader through the actual process of designing and deploying such a site. So, people looking for a book that will directly assist them in setting up their own online store may wish to look elsewhere, since only a few chapters in the book even touch upon the subject of hardware and software options available for e-commerce design, although the book as a whole teaches the underlining concepts and knowledge useful in setting up such sites.
This book kept my interest from start to finish, and was written in a more leisurely and personable fashion than many other technical books I have read in the past. For this reason, I recommend this book to anyone majoring in an IT/Web-related field.
The best textbook for MIS majors that I've seen by .. B. Lee (fremont, ca)
First let me disclose that I have been a programmer for years (and for some of the businesses described in the book).
In general the book is good.
Pros:
It summarizes the business end of ecommerce very well.
The book covers most of the technical aspects of ecommerce from a high level.
The book is not about abstract, useless business theory that is common in many university business courses; the book is a collection of good case studies of ecommerce.
Cons:
The book chews more than it can swallow given the pace it needs to set for a normal class. Since it needs to stay at certain length, the book doesn't always do a good job explaining the technical aspects of ecommerce with enough detail from a layman's point of view. At times it is more of a review for people already with the knowledge. So unless your technical background is strong and deep (eg you are either a programmer or systems administrator for web servers), there may be a lot of jargon in some areas that will confuse and bore you. Consequently this is probably a senior year book
(The author should take notes from the HeadFirst series of technical books.)
Alot of good information, but not what it should be by .. John Cruz (Clinton TWP, Michigan United States)
My heart goes out to Ben Matthews (below) who had this thing for a level 4700. That's nuts. I had this book for a level 222 and it was a complete joke. There's a lot of good information and stories about what makes a good e-commerce site, I'll give it that. But there's nothing in here to really give you an edge as far as this stuff goes. The entire point of this book can be summed up in this statement:
"Look at amazon, look at google and look at yahoo. Look for reasons why they're successfull and take note. Do the same practices in your online sites".
This book is an interesting read, but for a bunch of stories and business jargon it's not worth the money.
Related Search : electronic commerce  |
Author : Stan Gibilisco
Edition : 4
Number of Pages : 698
Publisher : McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics
List Price : $34.95
Amazon Price : $20.89
Used Price : $22.40 |
Product Description Learn the hows and whys behind basic electricity, electronics, and communications without formal training The best combination self-teaching guide, home reference, and classroom text on electricity and electronics has been updated to deliver the latest advances. Great for preparing for amateur and commercial licensing exams, this guide has been prized by thousands of students and professionals for its uniquely thorough coverage ranging from DC and AC concepts to semiconductors and integrated circuits. - Written by Stan Gibilisco, an electronics legend and McGraw-Hill's most popular TAB author
- Perfect for hobbyists, students, and those of you who want to get ahead in tech-related careers
- Packed with everything needed to enhance learning: 600+ illustrations, practical examples, and hundreds of test questions
NEW TO THIS EDITION:
Updated to reflect the latest technological advances in: * Computers * Robotics * Artificial Intelligence * Amplifiers * Transmitters * The Internet * High-fidelity EXPERT HOW-TO GUIDANCE ON SOLVING PROBLEMS SUCH AS: - Simple current-voltage-resistance determinators
- Power calculations
- Designing acoustical and audio systems
- Designing circuits and systems
Customer reviews Rarely is a book good or bad enough to warrant a review by .. John Public (Michigan)
This one is really good. It starts off assuming you know absolutely nothing about electricity other than you shouldn't stick knives in electrical sockets and ramps you up. Lots of simple, easy to understand diagrams and a layman's explanation make this a book you don't have to be a technogeek to understand. Unlike most college textbook authors, this person WANTS you to understand what they are saying. I really liked the quizzes at the end of each chapter, and the schematic symbol appendix.
There is a bit of a downside (or upside depending on what you are looking for). While the author presents the basic formulas and theory very clearly, with lots of examples, there is not an awful lot of "extra" math or theory. He of course drills on stuff like capacitors in parallel/series, phase diagrams, and power formulas but (for example) in discussing magnetism the author does not tell you about the (force current) hand rules, or which side is north on a coil of wire. This is great if you want to understand magnetism, but not so good if you want to do calculations.
If you want to learn how to wire a house, design a computer, build a motor, or get into short wave radio, this probably isn't the book for you. If you want to thoroughly understand basic concepts, electrical components, and some motor concepts, this is worth looking at. As for me, within 4 hours of getting this book it was my favorite among the 2 dozen electrical books I have.
Carefully written by .. Driggs Swixx (Maryland, USA)
This book presents difficult topics in an easy-to-understand fashion. Its sparing use of math equations (for instance, the differential equation for inductance is not covered, but its effects are) may be a boon or hindrance, depending on your needs and math skills. Still, I whole heatedly recommend this book to anyone new to electronics, or anyone brushing up on their skills.
I've been very impressed that I have found no spelling or grammatical errors in this book. This author knows the difference between "its", "it's", "you're" and "your" (which if you're a grammar policeman like myself, is a breath of fresh air)
Paragon of Electrical Reference Books for Everyone+ by .. Magickal Merlin (Death Valley-SoCal)
I have read many electrical books,over the years.And this one was a pleasure to work through.The only problem that one might have with the book is that there are no explainations for your answers.So,i would recommend referencing this with other electrical trouble-shooting books.Rea's electronic problem solvers book is a great addendum to explore and inquire over.If your guesstimate assumption is incorrect,it's always comforting to understand why your proposed hypothesis is wrong.Rather than meeting theoretical dead-ends and getting nowhere.I have yet to find the ideal electronics book.This one is still pretty darn good for the sleuthing novice researching advanced electrical uses.
Over explained a bit disorganized, Stan, Wikibook this! by .. Mordy (Ontario Canada)
This book has the seeds to become a fantastic book, right now it's above average. I would have given it 3 stars but there is just so much information you can learn from this book.
The real problem is there is a lot that is over-explained for the purposes of teaching oneself and lots of it is disorganized, he needs some pedagogy in his work and to think like a total clueless person - how would you take someone that knows absolutely zip and build and relate the beginning concepts step by step, for your students to build a framework?
In the real world our ancestors did not start with electron theory or physics theory, they went from generalizations to theory. This is keenly forgotten by explaining theory first, instead of going from generalizations and then explaining theory. Humans learn in the former way first, not the latter, theory is for after you've had your "folksy" understanding of electronics. This idea of theory first is a bit preposterous considering how we actually learn in the real world. I hope he takes my criticism not as a slight against his book (which is good), but to improve his communication, organization and teaching of electronics.
It's great as a reference and to teach yourself, but you'll find yourself going to the Web using google and wikipedia will bring you to a better understanding (in combination with the book) by finding other publically available books / articles, written by people who understand how the process of learning works.
I think Stan has excellent writing skills, if not a bit pedantic and academic. This is why I think he should Wiki-Book is book and open it up to other teachers/experts/novices in the field, Wikipedia is so great because errors in expression, and repeting sentences get culled and deleted by many minds.
He should check out Metaphors we live by, by George Lakoff, and do some research into cognitive linguistics to help his pedagogy / communication and teaching skills.
Doing a monolithic work by yourself is hard work, hence I suggest Stan that you open it up for others to edit, organize, and help make THE resource for beginners for the next edition.
Thanks for your hard work!
Good Theory...but by .. obug (Indianapolis, IN)
Just to make this clear, I'm writing this as somebody who does NOT have a degree in Electrical Engineering. I've been trying to get into electronics for years and have tried many different books.
I'll break this review into three sections as I think this book needs three different ratings.
1. 5 stars for teaching basic electronics theory and concepts. The majority of the theory is in the first two sections of the book. After wrestling with "The Art of Electronics" and the 1st edition of "Practical Electronics for Inventors" for years this was the book that finally made sense. The chapters are well paced and the tests are a good way to help think about what you've learned.
2. 3 stars for Section 3. This is an issue because section 3 is where the book starts with diodes, transistors, and electronics circuits. As far as helping us understand electronics, this section is not even near the level of the first two sections of the book. More importantly, the author does not adequately explain the circuits presented.
3. 1 or 2 stars for teaching "Practical" skills. After moving through almost 3 sections of this book, I understand a lot of theory but can't understand what is going in a basic circuit when I look at one. This book is completely lacking in the practical aspect. I assumed all this would be explained in the third section but it isn't.
I think this would be a great first book. You will, however, need other books to learn some practical skills, which is why you wanted to get into electronics in the first place.
Related Search : electricity electronics , teach yourself , fourth edition  |
Author : Harry Kybett
Edition : 3rd
Number of Pages : 426
Publisher : Wiley
List Price : $34.99
Amazon Price : $18.72
Used Price : $18.50 |
Product Description For almost 30 years, this book has been a classic text for electronics enthusiasts. Now completely updated for todays technology with easy explanations and presented in a more user-friendly format, this third edition helps you learn the essentials you need to work with electronic circuits. All you need is a general understanding of electronics concepts such as Ohms law and current flow, and an acquaintance with first-year algebra. The question-and-answer format, illustrative experiments, and self-tests at the end of each chapter make it easy for you to learn at your own speed. Customer reviews Socratic-like format by .. Ann C. Treacy ()
My husband wrote the following evaluation of this book. "As a former scientist (who now reviews theatre), I liked the authors' Socratic-like question-and-answer format for teaching this otherwise terrifying topic. It asks the thousand and one questions that need to be asked, in the right order, gives you a moment or two to come up with something, then instantly shares the right answer for quick comparison with your own impulsive thought waves. If you start at page one, relax, take your good old time with each and every question, you will emerge 12 chapters later with an amazing and practical grasp of electronics."
Best I've ever seen! by .. Laurie E. Rozakis (Farmingdale, NY United States)
A real find. I highly recommend this book -- it's the best I've ever found on this topic. Earl has a knack for making difficult topics clear and easy to understand.
Fabulous!! by .. Helen Catherine Riff (Port Townsend,)
Wow, isn't this a fabulous find! We have had several students who have been interested in electronics and this has been an incredible enhancer to their desires to learn.
Thank you Earl!!
Shu
All New Electronics by .. Zapman (Port Townsend, WA)
I found this book to be very user friendly for both the novice and "experts"
needing to review the concepts of electronics. An excellent resource.
All new electronics, self-teaching guide by .. Mrs. L. A. Carder (Port Townsend, WA United States)
This is an incredible book. Well written, with great examples of the topic in discussion. If you are a student of electronics you will probably find you text falls short in areas, this book fill those gaps. A great reference book to accompany those formal texts. When you finish your formal academic classes you will want to divest yourself of old texts, this one you keep. You can easily go back over topics if you find you need to review, with clear examples to refresh the mind.
You will not be disappointed with this purchase.
Related Search : new electronics , guides , self teaching  |
Author : Efraim Turban
Edition : 1
Number of Pages : 1008
Publisher : Prentice Hall
List Price : $169.33
Amazon Price : $110.99
Used Price : $106.45 |
Product Description This text describes the essentials of electronic commerce–how it is being conducted and managed as well as assessing its major opportunities, limitations, issues, and risks. It is a clear, simple, well-organized book, and provides all the basic definitions as well as logical support. Using extensive, vivid examples from large corporations, small businesses, government and not-for-profit agencies from all over the world, it makes the concepts presented come alive for readers. Beginning with a comprehensive introduction to E-commerce, the book explores internet marketing, B2B and C-commerce, E-marketplaces and internet consumerism, E-government, mobile commerce, auctions, security, electronic payment systems, and strategy and implementation to launch a successful E-commerce business. Written by experienced authors who are well-versed in real-world practices, this book will prove invaluable for managers and professional people in any functional area of business; as well as those in government, education, health services, and other areas that can benefit from a knowledge of e-commerce. Customer reviews Anything But Concise--And You Reference Wikipedia??? by .. Krystal Farthing ()
While this book has allowed me (a person who has little business experience in electronic commerce) to better understand and appreciate the great influence e-commerce has had both in the U.S. and worldwide, I am constantly annoyed with the repetition throughout the book. Although, who knows, maybe it has facilitated my learning! My biggest beef with this book is its constant quoting and referncing of Wikipedia. Wikipedia is not a reliable source, and in my opinion scholarly journal articles should be used. Unfortunately, for me, that has compromised my trust in the authors.
Electronic Commerce 2008 by .. Mr. Q. Silvand (United Kingdom)
Electronic Commerce 2008 (Electronic Commerce)
This book is good if you are doing a business degree like me.
It is very detailed and contain relevant information. If anything, it is a little too detailed and could have been more concised.
A Really Poor Textbook by .. Lloyd R. (California)
The style of the book is reminiscent of certain government procurement specifications: massive, poorly organized, compressing the least amount of explanation into the most amount of words, and with a large surfeit of references which seem to be there, at least in part, to make up for the lack of explanatory power of the text itself.
Key concepts are explained poorly, or not dealt with at all. For example, Product Life Cycle Management (PLM), addressed on pages 337-338, is a key management concept poorly explained. Here is the first sentence of that section: "Product Life Cycle Management (PLM) is a business strategy that enables manufactures to control and share product-related data as part of product design and development efforts and in support of supply chain operations (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_Lifecycle_Mangement, IBM.com 2007)." The text then trudges on in this vein. Most folk with a smattering of business ed. will recognize this as a sadly deficient explanation of PLM. For those who might not be familiar with PLM, it's a strategy that aims to take advantage of understanding the natural life cycles of products so that resources are geared appropriately to the different life cycle stages (which are essentially: introduction, growth, maturity, and decline). With an understanding of PLM, there are all kinds of clever things that businesses can do, such as early market share gains at the beginning, and life-cycle extension strategies toward the end. The book fails to describe the management concept, and consequently fails to do an adequate job of exploring eCommerce management issues.
The treatment of PLM is just one example of failing to explain a key concept, and not the worst. At the same time, relatively less important information is often belabored in the text. The unevenness and sense of disorganization is made worse when the same information, be it important or not, is repeated in several chapters in slightly different styles.
Meeting the needs of students is a low priority. This is evidenced in many and various ways, however, for the sake of brevity, let's look at how the book handles acronyms. Acronyms are frequently introduced throughout the book but often are not explained until pages later, if they're explained at all. Basically this is poor writing, but especially unforgivable in a textbook; the reader has no clue what the text is talking about. But wait there's a glossary! Don't bother... many of the acronyms are not included. But what about the acronyms that are included? Not good. Instead of handling acronyms in a logical way they're usually embedded at the end of the phrases they stand for, e.g. "wireless wide area network (WWAN)" so they're not easy to find. In a few cases, where the acronym is actually shown first in the glossary entry, it's listed in the alphabetical order of the first word of the acronym, e.g. "SMEs small-to-medium enterprises" is listed between "smartphone" and "sniping"; so that readers, who don't happen to know that the "S" stands for "small", have to go through all the "Ss" to catch sight of the "SME".
In addition to the copious reference citings within the body of the text, at the end of each chapter there are two or three pages that simply list references. These pages of references are useless for most students, so the majority of these could be put on the book's website, lightening the book by some 40 to 50 pages. Would this leave room for a list of acronyms perhaps?
The book has 910 pages, and the website contains an enormous amount of extra material. All this, taken together with the thousands of references, makes for a confusing, overwhelming, disheartening experience that's entirely at odds with inspiring students to understand and perhaps love their subject.
It seems to deserve one star, but it gets two stars because I'm probably more annoyed by this book's weaknesses than I should be, and therefore suspect that I'm missing giving appropriate credit to its good points, such as guiding the reader to numerous exciting websites, and including several interesting but gushingly written case studies.
Related Search : electronic commerce , commerce , 2008 electronic  |
Author : Delton Horn
Edition : 1
Number of Pages : 326
Publisher : McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics
List Price : $21.95
Amazon Price : $12.23
Used Price : $11.45 |
Product Description Staying away from hard-to-understand theory and mathematics, this practical handbook show you how common devices such as multimeters, frequency and logic probes, signal traces, and oscilloscopes are used. You'll pinpoint problems in everything from TV sets and computers to automotive electrical systems. A practical, hands-on guide to troubleshooting with electronic test equipment - revised to include current testing techniques and new chapters on mechanical repairs and flowcharting. Customer reviews One Great Idea is Worth the Book by .. JB (Washington)
My goal is circuit troubleshooting communication gear. There is one terrific idea in this book that is worth far more than what I paid. There is a very simple circuit to use in conjunction with an oscilloscope that proves to be a super way to test components. Buy this book one for that alone.
Good, but not completely satisfying by .. Philip J. Bohlken (Caldwell, Idaho)
I bought and read this book at a time when I wanted to understand electronics better. I also had an old shortwave radio made with vacuum tubes. I was eager to learn how to keep it and other things working. While I enjoyed reading it and it had some useful ideas, I never really used what I learned from the book on anything. The book will not hurt you and may even help you. How helpful the book ultimately is may depend on your own skills at reasoning out solutions to problems. It will not do that work for you.
Good general book on component testing by .. hk538 (NC)
Doesn't cover a whole bunch, but does make for good bathroom reading. Good beginnner book. The section on DIODE TESTING has a mistake. Horn has the diode discription and schematic symbol completely backwards. Good starter book nonetheless.
Related Search : test almost , everything electronic  |
Author : Earl Boysen
Number of Pages : 432
Publisher : For Dummies
List Price : $24.99
Amazon Price : $11.03
Used Price : $9.50 |
Product Description These projects are fun to build and fun to use Make lights dance to music, play with radio remote control, or build your own metal detector Who says the Science Fair has to end? If you love building gadgets, this book belongs on your radar. Here are complete directions for building ten cool creations that involve light, sound, or vibrations -- a weird microphone, remote control gizmos, talking toys, and more, with full parts and tools lists, safety guidelines, and wiring schematics. Check out ten cool electronics projects, including * Chapter 8 -- Surfing the Radio Waves (how to make your own radio) * Chapter 9 -- Scary Pumpkins (crazy Halloween decorations that have sound, light, and movement) * Chapter 12 -- Hitting Paydirt with an Electronic Metal Detector (a project that can pay for itself) Discover how to * Handle electronic components safely * Read a circuit diagram * Troubleshoot circuits with a multimeter * Build light-activated gadgets * Set up a motion detector * Transform electromagnetic waves into sound Companion Web site * Go to www.dummies.com/go/electronicsprojectsfd * Explore new projects with other electronics hobbyists * Find additional information and project opportunities Customer reviews Not dumb enough for me by .. Laura Todd (Oaks, PA USA)
I am still searching for a book for REAL Dummies.. people who have never wired a circuit and who are still struggling with First grade concepts like "what is a volt, what is an ampere? How do I wire up one LED so that it will light up? Is it positive to negative or the other way round?"
This book is not really for that kind of dummy. It starts you off with a project that involves about 50 resistors, integrated circuits, etc. It should not be called 'for dummies', but simply "simple projects for home hobbyists."
Having learned to wire my single LED (from relatives and the internet), and thus discovering what resistors are all about, I want to build an equally simple circuit to discover what a Capacitor is all about.
I am still looking for the first grade primer that will guide me in these basic learning exercises, but this book isn't it.
Electronics Projects For Dummies by .. Sam Adams (Minnesota. USA)
This book offers no significant understanding of electronics or of the components used in it. Rather than encroach on the sales of his co-authored book Electronics For Dummies, Boysen simplifies his book of Electronic Projects to the point of incoherence. There is some explanation of what a component is doing in the circuit, but the explanations are very brief, and there is no background understanding provided for comprehending the significance of the explanation.
There is no discussion of current flow (negative to positive vs positive to negative) and of how current flow determines where in a circuit a component is placed. There is only a brief discussion on how to read and interpret a schematic, the discussion being on the meaning of the symbols. The authors spend more time telling you how to use a soldering iron than how to understand what it is you're actually doing when you replicate the schematic on the breadboard. As they describe step-by-step (along with photos) how to layout and wire the breadboard, they do not associate the procedure back to the schematic. Never do they say anything such as: "Now here in the schematic we see x occurring, and so on our breadboard we do y."
They very briefly explain how a breadboard itself is pre-wired but do not refer back to that explanation during the initial projects to clarify what it is they're doing. A study of the second project, a parabolic microphone, a less detailed project than the first, allows an easy comparison between schematic and completed breadboard and will clear up any confusion for the reader - no thanks to the authors. This completed breadboard is shown early in the book, with components labeled, as an example of what a completed board looks like, and shown again in the chapter on its project. But they don't take the trouble to be helpful to beginners and mention the IC is oriented top to the left. But then, the only help they're really giving anyway is telling you what to do, not why you do it.
There are no design tips, such as: "If you want a circuit that does x then these are the electrical conditions under which x would occur and this is how you might go about designing a circuit to make x occur." They don't explain how they went about designing the various circuits in their projects. Nor is there is any mention of any useful conventions or possible mistakes in drafting a schematic. When a sub-circuit (potentiometer/IC amp/speaker) is literally duplicated from one project to another, they don't point that out. This modularity is significant and they see no reason to mention it.
An advantage of the book, I suppose, is that you don't have to understand electronics to follow the step-by-step instructions for building the projects in it. Just skip the explanation of the schematic, which is only marginally helpful anyway, and connect the dots the way they show. Another analogy is painting by numbers. This color goes here, here and here, and this other color goes right there and nowhere else. You might learn how to paint that way, but it's a pretty mindless way to teach it.
There is a glossary but it is elementary. The entry for current is: "The flow of an electrical charge", with no mention of Ohm's Law, which the authors stated on page 19. If you look up Ohm's Law in the glossary you read: "The equation that you use to calculate voltage, current, and resistance, or power", with no reference to what the law says or where it is given in the book.
There are 10 projects. The first project results in LED lights that react to high or low frequencies of sound, so you get a blinking light show. That's followed by a parabolic microphone, then a circuit designed around a programmable IC sound chip that's activated by pressure switches which they put in a doll. Finally at project 4 you get to see the schematic for an AM radio, the first project that interested me, but since most of the electronics for it is on an integrated circuit, there isn't much to learn from this project.
Next we get two plastic pumpkins, one of which transmits an infrared beam to the other. When the beam is broken, the other pumpkin is activated to speak or play a recorded sound. This has applications outside of pumpkins, for an alarm system, of course. So this project has some appeal.
Project 6 involves timing a collection of LEDs to create a sequence of images, which they call Dancing Dolphins. Next they control a little 3-wheeled go-kart via infrared, which involves an infrared receiver and transmitter like in the pumpkins, although in this case the transmitter is a remote control for the electric motor in the go-kart.
After that you get a metal detector with a maximum sensitivity range of about an inch, then a project called Sensitive Sam, which involves a motorized cart that can follow, via sensors, a track on the floor created by black electrical tape, as long as the floor is otherwise shiny or reflective. With a radio wave remote you build you can control the cart's speed, honk its horn or turn it off.
The last project, which should have been one of the first, is a small box that detects its own motion off the horizontal via a tilt switch, which activates a sound chip. It contains a microphone for recording into the sound chip. This project does not require a computer to get your voice into the chip. It uses the same chip used in the talking pumpkin. In fact, the schematic for this is a slight simplification or variation of that for the pumpkin that receives the infrared beam. The authors do not mention this similarity, and because the schematics have to accommodate the few differences in the components they require, they are not drawn so that they mirror the similarities between them.
They're of little help in gathering the components for the projects. An appendix with a comparative chart of the components used in the book would have been helpful. They list what you need within a project's chapter, such as "100 microfarad electrolytic capacitor", which does tell you what you need in this case, if you can figure out how to find that in the huge electronics catalogs online, but there's no general suggestions about capacitors and resistors for future projects using AA batteries or other low voltage projects. If you want to buy in bulk they don't point you in the right direction: "Get a bunch of these, and these, and a lesser amount of these, and you'll probably appreciate a wide assortment of these, and you won't need any of these for a while but you might as well get one or two of these." They're no help whatsoever in choosing a multimeter: what features would be useful to a hobbyist and which are superfluous.
If you want merely to learn how to assemble some simple circuits and don't mind not learning any electronics along the way, and you like the projects the book offers, then this book can suffice. In the final chapters, the authors give helpful suggestions of where to go next. Among their suggestions the only two books they recommend are: Electronics For Dummies by Gordon McComb and Earl Boysen, and The Art of Electronics by Paul Horiwitz and Winfield Hill. I think I'll pass on the Dummy book.
What a great book! by .. Clarence J. Simpson (Memphis)
Years ago (many, many years...) I was an electronics hobbyist, and I even worked at Radio Shack. Recently, I came across some of my old "toys" and wanted to see what was going on in the world of electronics projects these days. A big fan of the "Dummies" books, I saw this title and took a shot.
At first I was a little dismayed to find that there were only ten or so projects, and looking at them they all seemed pretty lame. But once I studied them I realized that these ten, fairly simple projects, were perfect examples of so many different concepts that were easily adoptable and transportable to many other uses, more like what I had in mind.
Basically with these few projects you can learn about remote control, both IR and RF, speech recorder chips, speech synthesis chips, LED sequencing, light activated controls, motion activated controls, robotic propulsion, and even basics of radios and amplifiers, all using modern, easily obtainable parts.
And in additon to great content, the writers have a great style, using an approach and language that is easily understandable to beginners but meaty enough for experts.
If you are interested in an excellent book to give you a wide introduction to many different electronic concepts, this is the book for you!
A fun read! by .. A novice (AZ)
This book is well written and packed with fun, interesting electronics projects. This book provides a great hands-on way to learn the basics of electronics, how to set up your workspace, read circuits and get familiar with electronics components, especially for someone like me who is nervous about electrical things.
electronics projects for dummies by .. Mrs. L. A. Carder (Port Townsend, WA United States)
I am a hands on handyman type of person. Electronics have always been something I have avoided because I felt it was too complicated. It delt with something, electrons, that I couldn't see or touch. Not like nails, pipes or wood etc. Saw the book and thought that I would give it a quick look. I now own it. It is funny, informative, covers more than just the basics. The book stresses fun and safety.
I may not build my own computer, but I will build my own Go-Cart. If you have a problem you can actually contact the Authors at [...]
Related Search : math science , electronics projects , dummies dummies |
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