Looking For Book Recommendations On Electronics
shawnpwilson
Posts: 10
Hello.· Just looking to get some recommendations on some electronics books·for beginners.· Not too too·heavy on the mathematics/physics/theory etc.· I'm not looking to become an electrical engineer (although if I could·go back to·college,·I'd choose electrical engineering over computer science)· Thanks to all for any suggestions.
Shawn.
Shawn.
Comments
(I am a Computer Science major).
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Jon Williams
Applications Engineer, Parallax
Check out: http://www.forrestmims.com/
(Both EE and CS)
http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?p=553773
The NEETS are a good INDEPTH resource for EE,
However, I would highly suggest "Practical Electronics for Inventors" It covers all the bases of electronic design, analog to digital.
It also doesn't over do it.
Of all the books I own, this one brought me from knowing very little, to knowing a good amount.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0071452818/qid=1133502451/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-5867249-2167354?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
http://www.arrl.org/catalog/?item=3983
Rick
http://www.nutsvolts.com/Store_Pages/Books/Inventors.htm
http://www.nutsvolts.com/Store_Pages/Books/Prog_Stamp.htm·- good combination of electronics and programming
http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=28113
I recently followed this approach to refresh myself on electronics theory that I learned 18 years ago, but haven't used extensively in a long time. And when the cost is figured out, the WAM kit at RS is probably the best feal going. The WAM kit without a board is $65 from Parallax, and the WAM RS kit gives you that plus a Homework Board for $80. The HW Board is ~$40 from Parallax, maybe a bit more since they usually sell them in 10-packs for $400.
If you can afford it, combine this kit with the above book suggestions, and you'll be able to add some good value to your CS experience.
As additional help, I humbly offer my reviews on the books listed above:
I like Paul Sherz's "Practical Electronics for Inventors" (link is above) because he uses a water pipe to describe specific concepts like how a diode works, what you can do with a transistor and what the various flavors of 74xx IC's are for. He also has a chapter or two on the math if you need to get into that. This one is my foundation.
Paul Harowitz's "The Art of Electronics" is about $55 but if you are patient, check out Amazon used books and once in a while one pops up on there. This is a big book and he prides himself in not showing you the fluff (i.e. a picture of the inside of a multimeter) but rather he describes HOW a multimeter works. This book is intimidating and I don't recommend it as a FIRST book but I do recommend it as a "reference" book (just as you would not recommend a dictionary as a "how to read" book). It is excellent and well worth the money. If there is a 3rd edition in the works, I'll be using my Barnes & Nobel gift card to get one of those!
Mims' books (there are many) are fun. Save yourself some money and buy the 4 book series as a set (Engineer's Mini Notebook, Vol 1 through 4). He talks about how to measure pressue, magnetic fields, etc. in his sensor book (vol 3) and op amps (vol 1). This is the series to own if you want to know how to interface all of those 74xx chips to your micro processor.
Gilliland's cookbooks (vol 1 and 2) are both a short read and facinating. Do you need to connect 8 devices to your MCU with only a couple of pins? His books will show you how. Short and clever chapters are like pastries. They are not a complete solution to your meal (project) but they are a valuable component to it. I think Jon W. said he has a new book coming out soon on the SX series. That will be on my wish list!
By far, I'd recommend the "What's a Microcontroller" kit as a first book. That was my first purchase and it was a lot of fun! That was the best $80 I ever spent because the experiments are easy and you literally fly through the book boosting your confidence.
I don't have any Scott Edwards books. However, note the magazine in the link. Nuts & Volts is a great intro magazine. The articles range from very easy to way over my head! This it the magazine that I look forward to each month. Other magazines in this category are "Everyday Practical Electronics" (UK, www.epemag.com), Servo and Circuit Cellar. Sensors is a free industry magazine that has interesting articles on the state of the art chips for sensing everything (temp, soil, pressure, etc).
Finally don't overlook the free books and articles on Parallax's site. The Understand Signals, Digital Logic, etc books are all as well written as the "What's a Microcontroller" and just as much fun. Besides you can't beat the price. The free Nuts & Volts articles in Parallax's download section feature short projects designed to capture your imagination (why else would one write an article on how to make an electronic flickering candle
Other authors I recomend:
Myke Predko - he gets into the innards of processors and why things happen.
Jan Axelson - she writes about interfacing the Serial, USB and Parallel ports to microcontrollers
Hope that helps.
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John J. Couture
San Diego Miramar College
There is also a version of vol 2 that comes with a homework board. I saw it listed on Amazon. Good deal if you don't already have a stamp to work with.