Beginning Electronics

Get the Book, Get Your Parts, Get Started!
This is a great introduction to electronics. The fourth edition offers an updated, more modern print layout, plus a chapter on soldering.Unfortunately, the parts list from the third edition seems to have disappeared. This, plus the author’s habit of showing only a partial parts list at the start of each chapter, then describing additional parts needed in the text of the chapter, makes it a little rough to get started.The following are equipment and parts lists to help you get started:EQUIPMENT:General:(1) Needle-nose pliers (small)(1) Wire cutters (small)(1) Digital multimeter(1) Breadboard(1) Breadboard hookup wires (set)(2) 9V batteriesChapter 12, Soldering:(1) Hookup wire package (multiple spools)(1) Prototyping board (package of multiple recommended)(1) Wire strippers(1) Soldering iron(1) Soldering iron stand(1) Solder (spool)(1) Solder extractor(1) Solder wick (spool)For convenience, here is an Amazon wish list of these items that you can use as a shopping list. Note that products change all the time on Amazon, and I cannot guarantee availability of any of these items at the time you read this review: https://amazon.com/registry/wishlist/4YLFYJ61GBD2PARTS (read notes further on!):Resistors:(2) 150 ohm (1/2W) [660-MF1/2DC1500F](2) 1.5K ohm [603-MFR-25FBF52-1K5](1) 4.7K ohm [603-MFR-25FBF52-4K7](3) 10K ohm [603-MFR-25FBF52-10K](2) 15K ohm [603-MFR-25FBF52-15K](1) 22K ohm [603-MFR-25FTE52-22K](3) 47K ohm [603-MFR-25FBF52-47K](2) 100K ohm [603-MFR-25FBF52-100K](1) 220K ohm [603-MFR-25FBF52-220K]Potentiometers:(1) 1K ohm miniature horizontal preset (linear trimmer) [652-3386P-1-102LF](1) 47K ohm miniature horizontal preset (linear trimmer) [652-3362P-1-473LF]Capacitors:(1) 1nF [594-H102K25X7RL63J5R](2) 10nF [594-S103K75Y5PN83K0R](2) 100nF [581-SR211C104KARTR1](1) 1uF electrolytic [647-UKL1H010KDDANATD](1) 10uF electrolytic [140-RN100K1HBK0811P](1) 22uF electrolytic [647-UKL1E220KDDANA](1) 220uF electrolytic [647-UKL1E221KPD](1) 470uF electrolytic [647-UKL1E471KHD]Integrated Circuits (ICs):(1) 555 timer [512-LM555CN](1) 741 op-amp [926-LM741CN/NOPB](1) 4001 NOR gate [595-CD4001BE](1) 4011 NAND gate [595-CD4011BE](1) 4049 hex inverter [595-CD4049UBE](1) 4071 OR gate [595-CD4071BE](1) 4081 AND gate [595-CD4081BE]Other Semiconductors:(1) 2N3053 transistor [610-2N3053](1) 3V0 Zener diode [78-BZX85B3V0](1) 4001 diode (rectifier) [863-1N4001G](1) OA47 diode (or suitable substitute) [621-SBR10U40CTFP](3) LEDs [859-LTL-4231N]Mechanical Parts:(1) Single pole, single throw (SPST) switch [611-BD08](2) 9V battery connector [123-5006-GR]Amazon is not an electronics parts supplier, so you will need to order these from a separate company. Amazon also does not allow links to other sites, but the list above includes part numbers for Mouser in square brackets. For example, to pull up suitable 150 ohm, 1/2W resistors, use part number 660-MF1/2DC1500F on Mouser’s site. Make sure you’re looking only at parts in stock, as ordering a non-stocked part will result in a backorder that could take several months. There are several other suppliers, including DigiKey, Jameco, Allied, and Fry’s, where you should also be able to order these components, if you want to look for them yourself; they are very generic.Note that products change all the time with any supplier, and I cannot guarantee availability of any of these specific part numbers at the time you read this review.NOTES:The breadboard hookup wires provided in the equipment list eliminate the need for cutting and tinning your own wires; you only need the spools of wire if you intend to do Chapter 12, Soldering. Also, the battery connectors recommended in the parts list are pre-tinned, so you can eliminate the soldering equipment entirely if you choose not to do Chapter 12.In general, resistors can be low-wattage (1/4W is sufficient and a fairly handy size to work with). The 150 ohm resistors are specifically stated as 1/2W in the book.There seems to be a mistake in a few of the digital projects, where a 100K ohm resistor is used with an LED, instead of a 10K ohm. The parts list from the third edition of the book, as well as looking at the circuit, indicates this is wrong (you’ll note there are two other LEDs in the same circuits that use 10K ohm resistors). The list provided in this review plans on using (3) 10K ohm resistors, and only (2) 100K ohm resistors. If you want to follow the book to the letter, instead get (2) 10K ohm resistors and (3) 100K ohm resistors.Voltages on capacitors should be at least 9V. Electrolytic capacitors in these sizes are commonly and cheaply available in 16V, 25V, and 50V, so this shouldn’t be any problem.The book talks about miniature horizontal presets. You can use a trimmer potentiometer (“pot”) for these. You want it to be linear (as opposed to, say, logarithmic). You also want it to fit into the breadboard, so look for through-hole components with a leg spacing of 2.54mm (0.10in).The OA47 diode isn’t so easy to get these days. It was an old-school germanium diode, in a cute glass tube. The idea of it in the book is to be another point of reference in your experiments, so you can see it has different characteristics from the other two diodes as you make measurements. A Schottky diode with a low voltage drop will do the trick. The one listed from Mouser is actually two diodes in a single package. It’s a little black box that looks nothing like the other diodes–it has three pins. When you get to Chapter 6, Diodes I, you can simply use one end pin (the anode) and the center pin (the cathode), and ignore the other end pin (the second diode’s anode)–or, if it really bothers you, you can clip off one end pin with your wire cutters. There! Now you have only two pins! (I’m actually serious–this will work fine.)The integrated circuits and other semiconductors are somewhat delicate. Many of them can easily be burned out by mistakes. (A common early mistake is to want to see an LED light and hook it up directly to the battery, without any resistance–it will be gone very quickly!) It’s probably a good idea to order redundant parts of some of these, particularly cheap ones, just in case there’s an accident.LEDs can be whatever color you like. Green, red, and amber tend to be quite cheap, although you may find prices you can stand for spiffy blue or white ones. The ones listed from Mouser are green LEDs, fairly bright (LEDs come in different brightnesses, measured in mcd, or millicandela), and are diffused (the light is spread out to make it easier to see from different angles when they’re lit).The switch listed from Mouser is actually eight switches in a single package. It plugs into the breadboard. You can get single switches, or pairs, or whatever you like; they tend to be a similar price, and having more switches to play with could be useful for future projects. If you get a different model, just make sure the leg spacing is 2.54mm (0.10in), so it fits in your breadboard.Chapter 11, Digital Integrated Circuits II, is entirely theoretical–there are no circuits given to build. Thus, none of the components mentioned in that chapter are provided in the parts list.

Electrons For Beginners
This is a real begginer book that starts as simply as how to pick up a screwdriver. You are expected to know nothing more than how to read. It is the most basic of basics, easy to read and follow through. Just what I needed.

Uncertain.
My first impression was good – simple, well written and with lots of examples accompanied by clear pictures. However, as I read through it I’ve been bothered by fig 3.1, which breaks down a complex resistor network into series and parallel ‘blocks’. Some of those identified as parallel don’t look parallel to me – they have more than a single in and single out connection to the rest of the network. If you are an electronics expert can you lay my doubts to rest? Thanks.

Two Stars
Embarassing

Received in good condition and on time.

I studied chemistry and physics many years ago and went down the chemistry road as a career, so was looking for a basic electronics book to get a new understanding of this complex subject. I bought this book and found the writing style to be very enjoyable; the subject matter does move along quite quickly and many of the complex fundamentals are omitted so as to gain an easier understanding of the subject. There are a few mistakes throughout the book which did niggle and slow me down a little, but all in all it is a really enjoyable introduction to electronics. I would highly recommend it!