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Dave from EEVblog recommends building power supplies. They're pretty simple, and it doesn't hurt to have a bunch of them. You can find kits, which will teach you how to solder parts onto a PCB, but it's not too hard to design a supply around an LM317 regulator, the data sheet will have the circuit you need right on it. This will also be a good chance to learn the non-electronics skills you'll need; instead of buying a plastic box, make one out of plywood and paint it up.

Once you have a power supply or three, start playing around with simple analog circuits. You should have a breadboard and jumper wires and at least one good multimeter, though the aforementioned EEVblog recommends two, and not cheaping out on them. He did a $50 multimeter shootout , if you don't want to watch an hourlong video this was the winner, but it's worth watching to see why it won. Anyhow, you can find kits and project ideas online, get some random parts and start playing around until you have a good feel for old school analog circuits. Try to make up your own project and build it, even if it's completely useless.

At some point, preferably after you have a good grasp of analog circuits, you're going to have to move up to digital. Arduinos are a good start, they're popular enough that you can't look at a single page of Instructables without tripping over an Arduino project. You're going to have to learn some programming to make it go, but there's a million tutorials online. To make the pinball machine go, you're going to have to learn how to use the Arduino (or something like it) to control analog components, probably while giving them their own external power source. You'll also need to know how to drive a display for the scoreboard, and of course you'll have to program the logic for keeping track of the number of balls left, current score, and what inputs translate to what increase in score. The programming alone is a big undertaking, so if you go forward on this, be prepared to spend years on it.

A good project to do would also be to make a MAME cabinet. It's much simpler on the electronics side, you either hack the buttons and joysticks into a USB keyboard controller, or buy one of these which does the same thing, and then use an old PC and monitor. The hard part is building an arcade cabinet, which is still a lot simpler than building a pinball table. You'd be looking at a couple hundred dollars in parts, but that's not too bad compared to what you want to end up doing.

This is a really good question and I'm not sure why exactly you were downvoted. I suspect the elephant in the room is that it's a question but it needs some in depth thinking rather than shitposted to the bottom in two minutes.

As for reading material, I'd go for paper every time myself.

Practical Electronics for Inventors 3e has a lot of nice analog material that's easy to get into and well explained: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0071771336/

It doesn't hit digital at all until about 70% of the way into the book and is in very small chunks of information you can read and think about for a bit. It's huge and cheap for what it is.

You will come out of it with "yay I managed to design a common emitter RF amplifier and filter" rather than "yay I connected to an LED to an arduino and it's flashing!"

Well worth the investment IMHO as one comprehensive and well written text.

After a dive into analog, the best thing is experimenting. Nothing quite works exactly how the textbooks say it does.

Arduino is a great learning tool and to go from idea to finished project is quite fast. I definitely recommend starting with arduino and see if you like it. If you continue, you'll find that you have to purchase an arduino for each project you start, which can get quite expensive, or you'll be ripping apart old projects to get the arduino.


I purchased arduino and a few shields, but I felt like I really didn't know how everything was working electronically. I really enjoy programming, learning about electronics and making devices, so I decided to stop using arduino and just use the atmega microcontroller, which is the MCU that arduino is based on.


If you wanted to go this route then I would suggest buying an AVR ISP mkii programmer and downloading atmel studio. It's much easier to program the chips than any other method I've tried. Less fiddling. If you have experience in C programming then it will be really easy.


This is the best beginners tutorial I've found for atmel AVR:
https://www.newbiehack.com/


This book is an excellent follow up to that tutorial:
http://www.amazon.ca/Make-Programming-Learning-Software-Hardware/dp/1449355781/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398472387&sr=8-1&keywords=make+avr+programming


A good book on electronics - 1000 pages:
http://www.amazon.ca/Practical-Electronics-Inventors-Third-Edition/dp/0071771336

digikey.ca or .com has lots of parts and next day shipping for $8.


how to make an arduino on a bread board:
http://arduino.cc/en/Main/Standalone


Breadboard, Schematic and PCB layout software
http://fritzing.org

Soon you'll be etching PCBs at home

• I can't recommend a better book than this one.
  
• Get this resistor kit. Seriously, I bought one of these a year ago and I've never once had to buy more resistors.
  
• You're going to need a capacitor set like this one.
  
• You're also going to need a breadboard.
  
• Make a trip to Maplin and get an assortment pack of LEDs and a few switches. Trust me, this will make your life a tons easier when it comes to making proof of concept or test circuits. And they make circuitry more interactive and fun!
  
• Lastly, get a cheap multimeter. You can get one at Maplin or somewhere similar for like <15 pounds.
  
  Sorry about the links, I'm in the US so the prices will be in USD but that shouldn't be a problem. I really hope you find this hobby as intriguing as I do, I started a year ago making little flashlights and what-not and now I'm making motion detectors and all kinds of cool gadgets. If you'd like some guidance or help, don't think twice about PMing me! Best of luck.
  

I picked up Make: Electronics and so far it has been very insightful. It walks you through doing real world examples while introducing some basic theory. It is all hands on which I like a lot. One caveat is that you need to also purchase all the components and tools. They sell 2 ready made component kits from Makershed.com but you can get the components cheaper utilizing different sources like mouser, jameco, even radio shack.

I also picked up a nerdkit (www.nerdkits.com) and it has been a great intro into microcontrollers. The documentation and support those folks provide are truly second to none. AWESOME community. Once I complete the Make Electronics book, I will be going full steam ahead with seeing how far I can get with MCUs.

And then, it will be on to exploring some robotics for me. If you are like me, be careful that you don't get bogged down with theory only. Back in my teens, I really wanted to explore electronics and read all I could on theory. Which was great and all, but also very very dry. Yes, Ohm's law is critical to know. However, making the leap from theory to practice will be equally as critical and will ensure you see how to really apply the theory you are learning.

a) yes, it seems pretty much the same. For the most uses, most DMMs (Digital Multi Meter) will work just fine. Your basic needs are to have a couple of different ranges for both voltage and ampacity readings (i'm refering to the accuracy of the readings here... a DVM generally has 3 or 4 characters on the screen to describe the charactieristic. one range will cover, let's say up to 2 millivolts, and the next will cover up to 2 volts, the next up to 20... you'll figure it out). another major tool on the DVM is an audible continuity tester. these just make a tone when you have a clean circuit path between points a and b. Big help. That one you linked up seems pretty decent.... when you start wiring houses or something, then you can think about upgradign into a fluke handheld or a benchtop if you're doing big fancy circuits, but that'd be fine for quite a while.

I'll tell you, my Iron Experience is pretty dang limited. but this is what i know. As far as a soldering iron goes, one of the major considerations is the power rating, i.e. the wattage ratings... i think mine is about 30W, and it works just fine. If i had my druthers I'd go to one of those variable ones that can get up to ~800 degrees. I'd also definitely consider one that comes with a proper resting stand. An operating soldering iron is a pretty big safety issue, in that it is a burning hot iron tip hanging around on a surface that may or may not be covered in flammable material or human flesh.

As far as de-soldering irons go, at school i have access to those fancy powered vacuum ones... I just take any desoldering tasks i have over there because they are the cats meow. I've used those l'il non-powered vacuum tubes and i think they are going to take a lot of skill and training to get to use efficiently. i didn't like them. I've never used or seen this type

Glad to see you're approaching this from the correct angle. We get this sort of question here all the time, but it's usually "how do i electronics" and they get upset when they find out math is involved.

Definitely follow the math up through precalc, calculus, and differential equations. Learn Laplace transforms if you have time. You'll also want to explore physics pretty far, much of it will apply when you least expect it. Electronics is a mix of applied physics and chemistry. Finally you'll want to learn some thermodynamics. Understanding heat transfer and energy will be pretty useful. For all of these, I would just hunt down some college textbooks and some related Schaum's outlines.

While you're doing that, make sure to dabble in electronics to keep you focused. Build up some assembly, soldering, and possibly circuit layout skill. Definitely find this book: http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Electronics-Paul-Horowitz/dp/0521370957

I have programmed computers for a living for nearly twenty years. I have also done hobby electronics for longer than that. However, I don't know electronics remotely as much as I do programming. So I have a few things to say about this in terms of programming.

My recommendation would be to begin learning C right away. You'll have to know it to learn C++ later anyway, plus there are many C-like languages out there. Once you understand C, it will be much easier to learn different assembly languages for different devices. From my own experience with electronics and programming, C will be an incredibly useful tool to have at your disposal. Once you have C basics down, there are tons of books and online resources out there for learning to program AI. It will take a few years to get good at programming, so stick with it and be patient.

The great thing about learning programming is that you don't need an instructor or class. You can learn it all on your own, all the way to being a professional. When you get to college, if you wanted to stay with programming only, then computer science would be a wise choice. However, my own experience has shown that getting a degree in computer science isn't necessary if you teach yourself programming, and you work hard at it. Therefore you can focus on electrical engineering when you get there and continue to work on your programming skills yourself.

For electronics, I would start with the book, Make: Electronics. Once you learn C, I would get an Arduino starter kit and a book about it. That will definitely get your feet wet with robotics-like electronics and C programming. You'll be able to do some pretty powerful stuff at that point, and have a really good idea of where to go next with college.

Finally, I would strongly suggest studying as much mathematics as you can. I hated math so much when I was younger, but now I use it all the time and wish I had better skills. You won't need it in the early years, but I guarantee that you'll need it later when you get good at your craft. I know this from my own experience and wish I had studied more math in high school and college. In fact, if I had it to do over, knowing what I know now, twenty years later, I would have just gotten a degree in math. You will eventually be shocked by how many uses there are for even some of the seemingly most useless math stuff. Every little tidbit you learn now is another trick in your pocket to make good money with later on.

It depends what you are working on, but if you are working on through-hole and SMT in the under $40 price range I'd go with a Weller WLC100. It was my first iron and I used it for a long time before I finally upgraded (I still use it sometimes).

The stock tip was a little big for my taste so I bought a replacement (ST7) tip. The ST7 is a smaller conical tip. You can also find these on Amazon, but pay attention to the shipping if you order it off Amazon Marketplace, some 3rd party tool vendors will gouge you!

For the Fume extraction you should buy a fume extractor... heh. Pretty simple. I built my first fume extractor from an old PC power supply, an old exhaust fan, an articulating lamp base, some activated charcoal pads, and a length of dryer hose.

You can certainly go that route and build your own. It's nice if you already have the parts on hand, but eventually it became too unwieldy so I bought a Weller Fume Extractor. You can buy something similar for about half the price on Marlin P. Jones, but I was never able to catch them in stock.

Either way, look around, have fun, and good luck!

You have to "bootstrap" somewhere. At the VERY bottom is generally NOT a productive or practical way to do it. We used to have a joke in EE school: "If want a good laugh, ask a physicist to design a circuit for you". The reason it's funny is they'll start designing from quantum mechanics or Maxwell's equation as they usually don't ever learn all the tricks we have in EE to "short-circuit" the process.

Basically start with analog circuits (Ohm's law) for DC, advance to AC and then to circuits and systems. You can go deeper but at the start frankly most people will get wrapped around the axle and give up first.

Everything from Grand Unification up to your iPhone is built on approximate models with assumptions that are not strictly correct all of the time if ever. In electronics you have circuits bounded by Quantum Mechanics and Maxwell's Equations as "actual physics". You can't actually use these for 99% of anything practical so these are not the best starting points.

Instead you use approximate models like Lumped Equivalent Model (which is what resistors, capacitors and inductors are: that resistor in your hand - it's not real - just an approximation). But you don't really want to learn that up front.

However if you want a reference that goes into the physics of electronics I'd recommend The Physics of Information Technology. Not cheap so borrow it from a library first.

But ONLY use it when you get that itch to naively dig into the physics for a quick dip or overview or orientation. Otherwise use regular electrical engineering (EE) intro analog circuit textbooks or something like Horowitz' Art of Electronics

Unless you have a physics or engineering degree TPIT will still go straight over your head mostly (the author is an MIT professor and he relatively gentle by BSEE/BS Physics standards on the math but it's brutal if you haven't had several years of university math).

I would highly recommend Art of Electronics. I've read dozens of books on this category and it is by far my favorite; useful both for initial instruction as well as later reference. Yes, it is expensive, but IMHO is well worth it.

The other book I'd recommend is "Practical Electronics for Inventors" by Scherz and Monk. Best breakdown of capacitor types and applications that I've seen. Link here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0071771336

I highly recommend the Hakko 936 soldering iron Hakko 888 soldering iron, which is still actually available. It's hard to fathom how a $100 soldering iron could be that much better than a $20 one, but once you start doing anything more serious than just sticking some wires together, it's worth it.

As for other tools,

• Standard needle nose, dikes, and pliers set
  
• Tweezers - Additionally plastic ones if you're going to do PCB etching.
  
• Dental Picks - for positioning surface mount parts and pushing wires into molten solder.
  
• Wire strippers - You'll often see people using the combo wire stripper / crimpers. They're not as nice as a real pair of strippers.
  
• +/-12V power supply for basic analog electronics, 5V for digital work
  
• Breadboard
  
• Solder sucker - Copper braid is useful for the same thing, but given the choice of the two, I prefer the sucker to undo soldered joints.
  
• 30x Jewelers Loupe - Mostly useful for surface mount work, but pretty much all soldering is easier when you're able to look at it.
  
  As for components, I've been buying them piece-meal for years, so other's will probably be able to yield you a better recommendation for kits than anything I can find just from a quick search. I do mostly digital work, so as far as passives, my main stock is:
  
  
• 0.1uF and 100uF capacitors, 25V
  
• 100, 330, 1k, 4.7k, 10k, 100k, 1M resistors
  
  If I need any other resistor for a specific project, I'll tend to just buy an extra 10 and keep them in labeled coin envelopes.
  
  Random other pieces:
  
  
• Precut Breadboard jumper wires
  
• 7805 - 1A 5V linear regulators
  
• 1N4007 diodes
  
• 1N4148 small signal diodes
  
• 3V linear regulators if you do low power work (MSP430, etc)
  
• An Arduino - If not for real projects, I use this a lot to hack together crude digital signal generators to test other chips.
  
• LEDs - I found a good deal on bright red ones, but any will do
  
• push buttons, power switches, DIP switches (4 in a tiny package that fits in breadboards)
  
• Copper clad perf board - To make through-hole projects permanent. Be careful because this also comes without the copper pads, which is just more of a pain in the ass to use.
  
• Copper Solder braid
  
  Edit: Fixed the soldering iron model.
  
  Disclaimer: I'm using my Amazon Associate links for all of these, which always feel a little amoral and a conflict of interest, but really, if my apartment were to go up in flames and I could afford it, I'd buy every link on this list right now. Does anyone have strong opinions one way or the other on using them?

I would recommend this one (Aoyue 936, $45). I have it and am really happy with it. Heats up nice and quick, and adjustable, it's all steel and durable plastic, looks and feels nice. And you can buy 10 tips for like 5 bucks if you want.

No problem, glad it was helpful! This book seems like what you're looking for, but it's a bit pricey. Right the First Time is another great resource, and volume 1 is available as a free .pdf online somewhere (and some HDI and flex circuit books, but that's a bit less relevant. Got them all at the same site when I downloaded them).

Practical Electronics for Inventors is an amazing book which covers the basics of essentially every aspect of electronics a beginner would need to know. Seems to have had a problem with poor editing but it's cheap (under $30) and still far better than anything else out there.

The Art of Electronics is twenty years old and is still pretty much the standard reference for practical electrical engineering topics. Some sections show their age but still incredibly useful. A new edition is supposed to be coming out eventually.

If youre thinking of buying that, dont waste your money, its a POS. I would recommend this station, good quality brand, relatively cheap and has some heat settings, doesnt give temperature, but its better than no control at all. Also the tips are pretty easily found.

As an electronics engingeer, purchase a copy of "The art of electronics"
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0521370957/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1321710457&sr=8-1

This book, although expensive, covers almost everything you would learn pursuing a degree in electrical or electronics engineering. Its a great bench reference book when you need it.

The trick is find an area of electronics that interest you. The Arduino is a great place to start.

Fluke makes great equipment, of course, but I would also consider Extech. While they don't cater to the professional market as much as Fluke, they make great meters and you can find a full featured one new for well under $100. Extech also manufactures Sears Craftsman branded meters. The one I use is similar to this one

The guys over at www.circuitlab.com are building a really awesome, free, in-browser schematic drawing tool and simulator.

Practical Electronics for Inventors is also a good mix of theory and telling you what you need to know to make things blink.

I actually just bought one of these multimeters that arrived today and I'm loving it, so much. It's only $30 and works amazingly well. It's full-featured and includes a helpful little socket with holes that you can put an electronic component (i.e a resistor) into so you don't have to wrestle with the test leads. I'd highly recommend it.

No, I don't, it was just the best ASIC textbook from when I was in grad school. It really helped me understand how transistors work. If you want a good book on discrete components I would recommend The art of electronics. It is written more as a practical guide, with part suggestions for op amps and filters. Like it compares and contrasts different discrete components and will give you suggestions for what op amp to use for different applications. 10/10, would buy again.

This page explains it fairly well, I think. So do Horowitz and Hill, if by chance you have their book handy.

I have used that basic design on a few different occasions, although my triangle wave generator looked more like this one. I believe I used an LM741 for the integrator (that's the amplifier with the capacitor in its feedback loop) and the two halves of an LM393 for the comparator in the triangle wave generator + the comparator used to make the PWM. Those exact parts aren't critical by any means, and I don't see anything wrong with Paul Hills' circuit (the first link) either except the part count is higher.


Edit: If you can find an MC33030, or if you care to trawl through catalogs looking for a modern (i.e. orderable) substitute, it will do do the PWM generation for you and it even includes the H-bridge to drive a motor (or in your case, coil) up to 1 amp.

Practical Electronics For Inventors shows you the basics of DC and AC analysis, how all the passive components work, how all the basic active components work (including BJTs, JFETs, and MOSFETs), and provides a TON of easy-to-build, practical projects.
I got this book when I took Circuits I, and because I read ahead in this book (which I found easy to understand even without any Circuits experience), I was one of three people in my Circuits I class (out of 40) to get an A. I still use this book today.

All About Circuits is very similar to the theory section of this book, but I do recommend this book since there are WAY more pictures, figures, and diagrams to help you along.

I dig it, good work. To help sort out some of the necessary fundamentals, I recommend you pick up a copy of The Art of Electronics by Horowitz and Hill - 3rd edition. This is a staple for anyone that does anything with electronics. A couple of reads through the first handful of chapters and you'll have a good understanding what a bipolar-junction or field-effect transistor is, what a capacitor is, and how a capacitor and frequency relate to one another - and a whole bunch of other stuff too.

Mostly YouTube videos and online articles. One book in particular I do recommend however is "Practical Electronics for Inventors". Tons of great information, but may be a bit too much if you're a complete noob.

https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Electronics-Inventors-Fourth-Scherz/dp/1259587541

These websites also have lots of great info:

http://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/

https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/textbook/

Consider [this Aoyue soldering station] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B006FA481G). It's really great for the price. I've been using one for a couple of years for through-hole and surface mount work, and I've been very happy with it.

Can't use free eagle (too big) for this, but kicad or probably other things would work. With a few good books you can lay out a big board without advanced tools, although it can take longer. With cheap/free tools you'll usually have to use some finicky or kludgy methods to do really complex routing (blind/buried vias, free vias, heat transfer, trace length), but that usually isn't too big a deal. Here's a timelapse of a guy using Altium to route a high speed, large (a bit smaller than op's) data board for a high speed camera. The description has rough steps with timestamps- 38 hours total to lay out.

I'm hesitant to go against the grain on this one but I've had good luck with this. They also make an analog version.

Sparkfun has some great tutorials, but they might be a little advanced for your level. I suggest trying to find a kit that does something interesting (adafruit and sparkfun have some of these). When you run into something you don't know, google it.

Also, BUY THIS BOOK!

All these comments are great, but the absolute beginning is here!

Next read the book suggested by ryzic. If you have the money, id buy the companion kits that Make sells for the book.

After reading those two books and doing all the projects, look into some "project kits." Check out sparkfun, The Evil Genius series of books, or my favorite the Nuts and Volts store.

After three or four "project kits" just find schematics and figure out how to buy all the parts yourself. Really the world is your oyester and with enough struggling you can build anything. Some ideas that always get people excited: a Tesla coil, cell phone jammers, tasers, ultrasonic range finders, a robotic arm, mechanized nerf gun, anything you think is cool and can find a schematic for.

From there you a going to find yourself really interested in microcontrollers. And well.. Thats a different comment lol!

For electronics I started with this book: http://www.amazon.com/Make-Electronics-Discovery-Charles-Platt/dp/0596153740/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369542421&sr=8-1&keywords=Make%3A+electronics
It has lots of cool experiments to get you started with concepts.

Then there's this: http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Electronics-Inventors-Third-Edition/dp/0071771336/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1369542421&sr=8-10&keywords=Make%3A+electronics
This will go much deeper into theory and give you a strong foundation.

Though if you want to delve right into the programming part: http://www.makershed.com/Getting_Started_with_Arduino_Kit_V3_0_p/msgsa.htm
and
http://www.makershed.com/Raspberry_Pi_Starter_Kit_Includes_Raspberry_Pi_p/msrpik.htm

MicroCenter will have the kits, and RadioShack should have the tinier parts, as well as the Raspberry Pi.

Read The Art of Electronics. It's a pretty great book.

This book is awesome and it's really easy to learn from: http://www.amazon.com/Make-Electronics-Discovery-Charles-Platt/dp/0596153740/ref=pd_sim_b_1

This is what we have around the house/lab. It works well, and offers variable heat control, which is handy. It comes with tips that are pre-tinned, which makes it much easier to keep them tinned.

I'm sure you've thought of it, but just in case, make sure your solder is lead-free. Also, the lower temp stuff works better for PCB work. If you do get the Weller iron I linked to, 50% heat should be more than enough for PCBs.

I can recommend this $25 Mastech for hobby usage. I picked one up five years ago and it's still going great.

mitx.mit.edu

MIT currently offering an introduction to circuits and electronics free on the internet. The book that goes with the course is very good at describing the link between physics and EE.

http://www.amazon.com/Foundations-Electronic-Circuits-Kaufmann-Architecture/dp/1558607358

This is pretty great, especially for the price. It is sectioned off into multiple topics, but refers to the other sections as far as design is concerned. It does have some basics, but gets pretty complicated in some of the opamp sections.

I found the book "Practical Electronics for Inventors" to be very helpful explaining things when I was getting started. It starts from results and metaphors and then introduces theory. Sort of the opposite of a lot of textbooks that are theory oriented and light on practical uses and metaphorical explanations of components.

With that book and some Arduinos I have gone on to fame (well my mom thinks I am famous) and fortune (I am a hundred-aire!) selling electronics I design and program.

I read this book and found it quite interesting and easy to read. It includes many pictures and is quite hands on DIY.

http://www.amazon.com/Make-Electronics-Discovery-Charles-Platt/dp/0596153740

https://www.amazon.com/Foundations-Electronic-Circuits-Kaufmann-Architecture/dp/1558607358/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1504840018&sr=8-1&keywords=anant+agarwal

It's pretty good for new learners. It's used as a first course of EE in MIT.

In addition to the per-IC decoupling cap already mentioned, I'd add a large electrolytic across VCC and GND near the connector on the right. You also might want to beef up the power and ground traces to reduce resistance to the individual ICs. Remember that your high-speed signal traces are going to induce the opposite current in parallel traces. A ground plane will help with this effect.

If you are really interested in digital PCB design, you might check out this book.

I just recently bought a Weller WES51 solder station and it seems like a very nice unit, the few times I've used it so far.

http://www.amazon.com/Weller-WES51-Analog-Soldering-Station/dp/B000BRC2XU/

I know lead is bad for us, but is that why or does lead-free heat up/bond better?

I've got a solder sucker. I'm sure it's the same thing.

Consider Make Electronics.

It is a full color book with a magazine-like layout that he should find appealing. It walks you through projects from very basic in the beginning to more advanced toward the end. There are also a couple component kits you can buy from Radio Shack or online from makershed.com. Those kits will save a lot of hassle by providing all the parts needed to do the projects.

This book is a must have in my opinion.

Electrical Engineering 101


I've been an electronics technician for 12 years and an engineer for 3. I still reference this book all the time when I need a review of the basics. Really awesome approach to teaching the very basics of electronics.

I love this book. Go around picking up scrap electronics and build little robots. I built one from a dual deck tape player, an answering machine, and two nightlights.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0072226013/ref=redir_mdp_mobile

> http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000JQ4O2U/afromods-20 I hear this one is good.

Of the one's you posted, this is the only one which is both auto-ranging and has a fused high-current port. It also has an audible warning when the probes are in the wrong jacks. For $25 it looks like a good value.

I polled Reddit once, asking which books everyone would recommend. This one was by far the most suggested, followed by Practical Electronics for Inventors. I was gifted both last Christmas, but still haven't found the time to open them up. I'd like to go on a vacation somewhere cozy, and just power through this one.

The "... for Inventors" book is more something that you'd reference on an as-needed basis. Not as much teaching and instruction as this one.

Try Practical Electronics for Inventors. I know it sounds cheesy, but it's very task oriented. It doesn't exactly deal with projects, more the pieces you need to know to accomplish your own project.

That's because it is RF design. Have you read the handbook of black magic? Excellent book, I'm told.

A lot of the Mims books are a good start, such as this one: Getting Started In Electronics

Also in the same vein, the "MAKE:Electronics" book by Charles Platt

My suggestion is to get started building as quickly as possible. That's the key. Also, if you want to hear more about electronics, I can selfishly recommend my podcast, The Amp Hour

In my experience, radio shack soldering iron tips go bad in a single use (of soldering a PCB's worth of components). No matter how much you try to tin the damn things, they oxidize.

I don't know anything about hakko, but I love my Weller.

High Speed Digital Design: A Handbook of Black Magic is supposed to be a great book on the subject but the frequencies you're working at don't really qualify as anything approaching "high speed". I really don't think you'll have any issues. The wavelength at 100 kHz is 3 kilometers so you're nowhere near having to worry about transmission line effects.

Make sure to adequately decouple every power pin at the chip to deal with the switching transients from the FETs otherwise you'll see a lot of ripple on your supply lines which can cause problems. ADI generally uses a 1 uF and 100 nF capacitor in parallel (IIRC) in their application circuits and I tend to think they know what they're doing.

Is your copper pour grounded? I wouldn't be very worried about coupling noise into your logic traces because 400 Hz is such a low frequency but I suppose it's possible.

ADI publishes a guide called "PCB Board Layout and Design Techniques" that goes through things like proper grounding but I didn't have any luck trying to find it on Google. The Circuit Designer's Companion is an excellent book that also covers the same material with a lot more depth.

I highly recommend reading Electrical Engineering 101, Third Edition: Everything You Should Have Learned in School...but Probably Didn't. It covers many of the fundamentals, while not being to difficult for you to jump into.

>a reflow oven costs a lot of money, and a homemade one might burn down the house. A frying pan on the other hand >.>

You can get a decent hot air rework station (with soldering iron) for under $200.


https://www.amazon.com/Aoyue-968A-Digital-Rework-Station/dp/B006FA481G/

If you are interested in buying the set,

http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Electronics-Paul-Horowitz/dp/0521809266/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=14NGF7FFK7YMCE5X9HFC

http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Electronics-Paul-Horowitz/dp/0521809266/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=14NGF7FFK7YMCE5X9HFC

about $170 for the set

would something like this or this be able to tell me?

Well, first your going to need to get a Solder Sucker of some variety, there are many out there, some cheap ones all the way up to very expensive vacuum powered rework stations. Recovery is going to be little more difficult, can I ask why you're trying to recover the solder?

Do you mean your going to attempt to reuse it?

Even if you do collect all the solder you "suck" that solder will be "dead". It won't have any flux in it, and you really won't be able to work with it again. Even doing little bits of rework or repair I usually completely clean the connection and go with new fluxcore solder else dope the area with flux before attempting any work.

There is a book called The Art of Electronics, 3rd Edition. Get that and also its separately sold Lab book.

https://www.amazon.com/Art-Electronics-Paul-Horowitz/dp/0521809266

The book might fulfill your needs.

This one is also good. I've gone through both of them.


https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Electronics-Inventors-Fourth-Scherz/dp/1259587541

You'll need to know basic analog electronics first, and then apply it to learning about logic gates. Otherwise you'll have trouble understanding things like totem poll versus open collector or open drain, why you need pull-up resistors, why there are limits to fan outs, and why unconnected CMOS inputs can make the chip cook.

The Art of Electronics will cover practically everything you need for your project including analog circuits, digital circuits, logic and even MCU's. I've yet to meet an electronics person that didn't have a copy. If your mathematics isn't strong you'll love it, and if your mathematics is strong it'll build your intuition.

Also look for the student lab manual that accompanies the 3rd edition of AoE. This book makes AoE much more approachable. Be sure it's the 2016 edition.

this book.

OP's board is clearly not high speed so it doesn't matter.

I like to use The Art of Electronics as my basic reference book.

Some people like this book: Art of Electronics

I'd recommend getting a temp sensor; possibly one of these multimeter/temp sensor combos so you can calibrate. The FX-888D should be very reliable, provided you haven't received a knockoff.
https://www.amazon.com/Extech-EX330-Autoranging-Multimeter-Temperature/dp/B000EX0AE4/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=extech+multimeter+thermometer&qid=1558588555&s=gateway&sr=8-2

It's a fantastic book. No need to get all of them though, this is a pic of the third edition (2015), the second edition (1989), and the first edition (1980). You can skip the first and second.

I know this is over your budget but I think it's worth it http://www.amazon.com/Updated-Aoyue-Digital-Soldering-absorber/dp/B006FA481G/ref=sr_sp-atf_image_1_3?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1407708595&sr=1-3&keywords=aoyue+soldering+station

Big fan of this one

http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Electronics-Inventors-Paul-Scherz/dp/0071452818

i recently did a project from this book http://www.amazon.com/JunkBots-Bugbots-Bots-Wheels-Technology/dp/0072226013
it was what i understand to be a simple solar motor. i can follow directions. but as far as understanding why it does what it does, i find myself clueless. i also found this website
http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/
it seems to be pretty complete though, as im sure ive mentioned, im no expert.

110 dollars on amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Electronics-Paul-Horowitz/dp/0521809266/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427412717&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Art+of+Electronics

Amazon have April 30th 2015. http://www.amazon.com/Art-Electronics-Paul-Horowitz/dp/0521809266/

I have this one and it's served me well for the last few years. There's also an analog version. The digital ones only read in Celsius, if that bothers you. They definitely aren't as nice as a Hakko or a Weller, but it has never let me down.

As far as the fumes go, it isn't the lead that's the problem, it's the flux inside the solder. Lead doesn't vaporize until ~1700C, which your iron is never going to reach. I mention this so you know that lead free solder doesn't solve the problem.

You should either solder in a well ventilated area, or use a fume extractor. Commercial fume extractors are expensive, and you can make your own with fan and a carbon filter (you can get them for normal air filters and cut to size).

Extreme overkill probably, but if you really want to spoil him...Best investment I have made tool-wise.

If he is just getting started I doubt he will need the hot-air rework side of things, but after a while soldering I wanted one for a long time before I actually got around to picking one up...

Mainly posting this here because I am a big Aoyue fan and everything here is Hakko and Weller.

For me, it was Mark Tilden's introductory book on BEAM robotics: Junkbots, Bugbots and Bots on Wheels.

Electrical Engineering 101: Everything You Should Have Learned in School...but Probably Didn't

2nd the recommendation for Art of Electronics. I just watched an interview with one of the authors by Lady Ada. He was building things for his own lab and started a course for people who just wanted to be able to build circuits without becoming an EE. The companion book, Learning the Art of Electronics is completely hands-on. A practical course in analog and digital circuit building in a book.

I ordered the third edition last month, at the time I read that the companion for that version was not yet released. Is that the new companion?

I found this on amazon, it has a recent publishing date, but I don't see what version it is.

https://www.amazon.ca/Learning-Art-Electronics-Hands--Course/dp/0521177235/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1458182205&sr=8-2&keywords=learning+the+art+of

The Art of Electronics
http://www.amazon.com/Art-Electronics-Paul-Horowitz/dp/0521370957

The Art of Electronics

The Art of Electronics Student Manual

The Arcade Manual Archive

PINBALL MACHINE MANUALS

This book?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0521370957/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_ehsUzb9K25VCF

http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Electronics-Paul-Horowitz/dp/0521370957

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Electronics-Paul-Horowitz/dp/0521370957

The Art of Electronics.

​

Years ago I got my 2 year degree in electronics. Afterwards I ran across this book and it filled in ALOT of blanks with more layman explanations.

$108 Pre-Order at Amazon.

Getting Started in Electronics by Forest Mims
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0945053282/

Make: Electronics
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0596153740/

Lab Manuals for Electronics
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471386952/
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0135046858/


Videos
Make videos by Collin Cunningham on youtube.com

Edit: Changed Chris to Collin (I got mixed up)... one guy does Aphex Twin videos and the other does Make videos

This book helped me a lot: http://www.amazon.com/Make-Electronics-Discovery-Charles-Platt/dp/0596153740/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414321028&sr=8-1&keywords=make+electronics

You absolutely must get the book "Make: Electronics".

PEI is excellent... https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Electronics-Inventors-Fourth-Scherz/dp/1259587541/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

Foundations of Analog and Digital Electronic Circuits by Anant Agarwal in combination with video lectures by the author.

How would you say that compares to the Weller WES51?

Get yourself a Weller WE-51 http://www.amazon.com/Weller-WES51-Analog-Soldering-Station/dp/B000BRC2XU

and some Kester 63/37 solder http://www.amazon.com/Kester-Rosin-Core-Solder-Dispense-Pak/dp/B00AVLM4SO/ref=sr_1_3?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1454222158&sr=1-3&keywords=kester+63+37

That's all you need

I would stay away from really cheap meters if you are going to be measuring mains voltages. I have one of these in my portable tool bag. It's small and the non-contact voltage checker is handy.

Aoyue makes a lot of decent cheap stations that can take standard Hakko tips.

all I want to say is whatever you do, DO NOT buy This Book I did and I literally have 50 printed pages of errors and corrections. It makes it really hard to work through when you have to not only worry about doing it right but if the book is even right and reference the corrections.

I haven't picked up a copy, but I've heard nothing but good things about The Art of Electronics. Apparently it's very design-oriented and light on the math rape.

Pretty expensive, but finding a pdf may be possible.

Alligator clips are recommended by Charles Platt in his book Make: Electronics. And he's no amateur. Just because you've discovered micro clips doesn't mean that alligator clips are all of a sudden the worst idea ever.

http://www.amazon.com/Make-Electronics-Discovery-Charles-Platt/dp/0596153740/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1419029216&sr=8-3&keywords=charles+platt

There are tons of books for learning basic Electronics. Any one of them will give you the basics, but you won't be able to get your EE degree in 2 weeks.

http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Basic-Electronics-Softcover-arrl/dp/0872590828/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335460522&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Started-Electronics-Forrest-Mims/dp/0945053282/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1335460522&sr=8-7

This book will show you all the stuff you don't know yet (because I seriously doubt you could read this book in 2 weeks and have an understanding of what is in it):

http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Electronics-Paul-Horowitz/dp/0521370957/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335460573&sr=8-1