Gordon McComb's Robot Builder's Bonanza has a lot of basic electronics information. I sure wish I had Gordon's book five years ago when I was first learning to use microcontrollers. If don't already have it, get it.
Here's a forum thread with some discussion about the book.
Also note that "schematics" can also be called a "wiring diagram" or "electrical diagram" for various things.
And various electrical diagrams for specific things may have their own unique symbols which are not found in other diagrams. (Like an electrical diagram for a house, air conditioning unit, TV, car, medial equipment, aircraft, etc. will use different symbols.) Sometimes there will be a table in the front or back of a electrical diagrams manual explaining what each symbol is for.
Many electronic schematic diagrams show a "black box" with pin numbers for various chips and give the chip number. But don't show what is inside each chip. To find that information, search for a "Data Sheet" for the chip. Here is an example of a data sheet for one chip...
Erco mentioned one of Forrest Mimms books sold thru Radio Shack in the 1980's. Radio Shack also sold a Mini Notebook series by the same author and one or two them talked specifically about how to read schematics.
One book, also written by Mimms and sold by Radio Shack, is Introduction to Electronics. It's a good book for beginners as it gives an overview of electronics.
Also, if you can link to the specific schematic you are looking at, and ask a specific question, we might be able to give an answer. Once the light bulb goes on, it gets really easy.
Maybe these PDFs can save some wear & tear on my treasured paper copies, which are getting old and a bit dog-eared. Still fun to thumb through, I get ideas just seeing all his great hand-drawn schematics & descriptions. Missing pulse detector, anyone?
Given RadioShack was still printing and selling these, I would be very skeptical of the public domain claim. Copyrights can be renewed for significant time by the author and heirs. Or by RadioShack (or whoever acquires the rights to these from a bankruptcy judgement). I do have a couple of these around, easy lookup sometimes when the net is not available. They have faired much better than my 4+ copies of the TTL cookbook, two worn to falling apart, one loaned and not returned, one lost in move to/from Germany years ago...
The PDF in ercos's first link above states that it copyright to Forrest himself. In the comments in the hackaday thread linked to above Forrest states that he kept hold of the copyright for much of this work when Radio Shack were selling it. Wise move.
I fail to see how some Canadian can decide that they are free of copy right restrictions.
Thank you for the replies! All of this should keep me busy for the next week... (:
So I wonder how Android got on with this schematic reading. I thought one week was a bit optimistic. It's been four years now, so that should be sufficient! It's one thing to be able to read a schematic well enough to be able to acquire the parts and build the thing. It's another thing to read the schematic well enough to get the whole story. Like how does it work? Why were those parts selected? Why are the C's and R's etc of the values that they are? Etc.
I recall trying to fathom the schematics and explanations that came in the book with my Philips Electronic Engineer kit when I was 10 years old. I'd been tinkering with circuits made from 6v light bulbs and batteries since I was 4. Then, later, microphones and head sets. So I had some notion of this thing called electricity the came out of one end of a battery, went around the circuit and returned to the other end of the battery. Couldn't really understand why two lamps in series glowed dimmer than two in parallel at the time. I mean, the same electricity has to run through both right?
That is as far as got with those EE kit schematics. As soon as my electricity hit the first transistor I was lost. It was another four years before I got a glimmer of understanding of all that.
I got started in grammar school, about 3rd or fourth grade with some mid 1960's era books with projects loaded with spring clips and "fixing" tube TVs. (not hard, if it didn't glow, replace it, if tester at the drug store said bad, replace it. And the obligatory crystal radio with the safety pin contact and antenna wire strung across the backyard fence and the house gutters. But nothing compared to the RadioShack P-box kits. Oh, lord did they stink when you took too long and melted or burned the plastic!!! What else would the P stand for in P-box?
Strangely enough, Cluso, my Philips EE kit traveled with us all the way from England to Australia in 1967. A year later most of the components, not the box, based board or book made it back to England with us when we returned.
I was mightily upset when the leads started falling off the LDR and transistors through over reuse. Took me a while to figure out where to get replacement components.
The EE kits were very smart and simple for their time.
I enjoyed making crystal sets. Had an aerial made from fine enameled wire strung from the roof to a tree (way up high) a long way up the backyard. Used to get into trouble listening to the set when I was supposed to be sleeping, so I built a better crystal set that could drive an old set of war headsets. Used one as a speaker under the pillow. Never got caught! Often listened to the Beatles and others of the early sixties.
He's selling lots of similar DVDs with older content on magazines and manuals, including Heathkit. I know those are protected. Their ham radio manuals used to be free downloads from BAMA but they were forced to remove them several years ago.
Android
Posts: 82
Comments
Try google schematics
https://www.google.com/#safe=off&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=schematics&oq=schematics&gs_l=hp.3..35i39j0i20l2j0l7.4120.14550.1.14813.14.12.2.0.0.0.485.3175.0j4j5j1j2.12.0...0.0.0..1c.1.16.hp.36RZ6TMJwHU&psj=1&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.47534661,d.dmQ&fp=25f6a726e19c6949&biw=1280&bih=929
.
Then :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cps7Q_IrX0
That should keep you busy for a couple days.
Here's a forum thread with some discussion about the book.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Engineers-Notebook-II-Integrated-Circuit-Applications-Forrest-Mims-book-1982-/130922830041?pt=US_Texbook_Education&hash=item1e7b9bd8d9#ht_188wt_917
And various electrical diagrams for specific things may have their own unique symbols which are not found in other diagrams. (Like an electrical diagram for a house, air conditioning unit, TV, car, medial equipment, aircraft, etc. will use different symbols.) Sometimes there will be a table in the front or back of a electrical diagrams manual explaining what each symbol is for.
Many electronic schematic diagrams show a "black box" with pin numbers for various chips and give the chip number. But don't show what is inside each chip. To find that information, search for a "Data Sheet" for the chip. Here is an example of a data sheet for one chip...
http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/lm555.pdf
Also search google.com for the following words to find more electrical / electronic symbols...
(On google, click on Images after searching.)
electrical symbols
electronic symbols
automotive electrical symbols
architectural electrical symbols
Etc.
One book, also written by Mimms and sold by Radio Shack, is Introduction to Electronics. It's a good book for beginners as it gives an overview of electronics.
Also, if you can link to the specific schematic you are looking at, and ask a specific question, we might be able to give an answer. Once the light bulb goes on, it gets really easy.
http://www.londonpower.com/tube-amp-books/oconnor/Ready-Set-Go
I can vouch for the clarity of his writing.
your knocking the dust off an old thread.
Going for the 20K posts?
Ha! No more than in any of my other 18K+ inane, puff piece posts!
I found two at http://www.zpag.net/Electroniques/Kit/The Forrest Mims Engineers Notebook.pdf and https://www.scribd.com/doc/19963886/Forrest-Mims-III-Getting-Started-in-Electronics-Radio-Shack
Maybe these PDFs can save some wear & tear on my treasured paper copies, which are getting old and a bit dog-eared. Still fun to thumb through, I get ideas just seeing all his great hand-drawn schematics & descriptions. Missing pulse detector, anyone?
As far as I can tell unless you are the government or your copyright has expired it is next to impossible for a work to enter the public domain.
I fail to see how some Canadian can decide that they are free of copy right restrictions.
So I wonder how Android got on with this schematic reading. I thought one week was a bit optimistic. It's been four years now, so that should be sufficient! It's one thing to be able to read a schematic well enough to be able to acquire the parts and build the thing. It's another thing to read the schematic well enough to get the whole story. Like how does it work? Why were those parts selected? Why are the C's and R's etc of the values that they are? Etc.
I recall trying to fathom the schematics and explanations that came in the book with my Philips Electronic Engineer kit when I was 10 years old. I'd been tinkering with circuits made from 6v light bulbs and batteries since I was 4. Then, later, microphones and head sets. So I had some notion of this thing called electricity the came out of one end of a battery, went around the circuit and returned to the other end of the battery. Couldn't really understand why two lamps in series glowed dimmer than two in parallel at the time. I mean, the same electricity has to run through both right?
That is as far as got with those EE kit schematics. As soon as my electricity hit the first transistor I was lost. It was another four years before I got a glimmer of understanding of all that.
I was mightily upset when the leads started falling off the LDR and transistors through over reuse. Took me a while to figure out where to get replacement components.
I enjoyed making crystal sets. Had an aerial made from fine enameled wire strung from the roof to a tree (way up high) a long way up the backyard. Used to get into trouble listening to the set when I was supposed to be sleeping, so I built a better crystal set that could drive an old set of war headsets. Used one as a speaker under the pillow. Never got caught! Often listened to the Beatles and others of the early sixties.
He's selling lots of similar DVDs with older content on magazines and manuals, including Heathkit. I know those are protected. Their ham radio manuals used to be free downloads from BAMA but they were forced to remove them several years ago.
Yup, I just did too. If anyone deserves money from the sale of this material, it's Forrest.