We should build a library filled with this kind of awesomeness.
agreed. i would love to have access to books and videos on stuff like
that.
i have never really done much with tools and stuff, other than
repairing guns when i was in the military, and the occasional minor
auto repair. having a library of materials to get started would
prevent people like me from wasting other people's time with beginner
questions and mishaps.
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/04/toolbox_shop_bookshelf.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
Electronics Reference:
Getting Started in Electronics
by Forrest M Mims III
More people probably learned electronics from this hand-drawn little
masterpiece than any other source. I hardly ever mention this book to
a
wirehead who came of age (er... electronically speaking) in the 80s or
90s and not have him/her give an "I'm not worthy" wave in Forrest
Mims'
general direction. I'm such a visually-oriented person that, when
someone says, for instance, "double-pole, double-throw switch," I
visualize the switch page in this book. I'd tried learning electronics
from various Tab Books in the early 80s, but it was this one that
finally keyed the lock for me.
Engineer's Mini Notebook Vol. I: Timer, Op Amp, and Optoelectronic
Circuits & Projects
Engineer's Mini Notebook Vol. II: Science and Communication Circuits &
Projects
Engineer's Mini Notebook Vol. III: Electronic Sensor Circuits &
Projects
Engineer's Mini Notebook Vol. IV: Electronic Formulas, Symbols &
Circuits
by Forrest M Mims III
I have two of these volumes on my bench, III and IV, and I love them.
Volume III has all sorts of low-tech tilt-switches, pressure gauges,
heat and light sensors, etc. Really clever, useful design ideas and
circuits. IV has electronics formula, mathematical constants, common
codes and symbols, etc. All sorts of useful reference info.
The Art of Electronics
by Paul Horowitz
This showed up on a bunch of people's lists. After the Mims books,
this one usually comes up in discussions as the go-to book for
learning
electronics. As the Scientific American review put it: "Full of clever
circuits and sharp insights, but with a surprising minimum of
mathematics... The depth is genuine, as is the richness of examples,
data and apt tricks."
Electronic Troubleshooting
by Dan Tomal & Neal Widmer
This isn't necessarily the best book on the subject, but it's the one
I have on my bench. I also have and use the Radio Shack Using Your
Meter
by Alvis J. Evans, which is equally clunky and not for novices. I'd
love to hear recommendations for other electronics troubleshooting
guides, especially for beginner-to-intermediate users.