I have Horowitz' "Art of Electronics" and Student Manual that I just started to read. As "uncomplicated" as these books supposedly are, I'm finding it a little difficult to follow; I'm wondering if there are other books that might be easier to understand for someone who is really horrible at math and who does best with things like comic books. 
Getting Started In Electronics by Forrest Mims III would be my recommendation to you. It begins with some basic physics that H&H skip over, but is most helpful when it comes to learning active devices.
Ohm's Law is most fundamental in electronics. It and series, parallel, and reactance formulae aren't usually difficult but can't be ignored. Software can replace a lot of the pencil work, but you need to understand the math in order to make use of it.
Ohm's Law is most fundamental in electronics. It and series, parallel, and reactance formulae aren't usually difficult but can't be ignored. Software can replace a lot of the pencil work, but you need to understand the math in order to make use of it.
Hi,
Unfortunately being horrible at Maths takes you out of the mainstream of understanding anything, nevermind electronics, just about all engineering.
Its not something you can sidestep, you cannot access physics without
mathematics, and your physics is always limited by your mathematics.
H&H is a great book regarding electronics, I bought it nearly 30 years
ago, but you have to have the maths (from physics) to understand it.
You can't avoid the maths as a means of explanation.
rgds, sreten.
Unfortunately being horrible at Maths takes you out of the mainstream of understanding anything, nevermind electronics, just about all engineering.
Its not something you can sidestep, you cannot access physics without
mathematics, and your physics is always limited by your mathematics.
H&H is a great book regarding electronics, I bought it nearly 30 years
ago, but you have to have the maths (from physics) to understand it.
You can't avoid the maths as a means of explanation.
rgds, sreten.
I have recommended this book to folks that describe themselves as you have:
There Are No Electrons: Electronics for Earthlings [Paperback]
Kenn Amdahl ~ $10.00
The book is frowned on by some academic types but - I have received positive opinions from "visual" learners.
This just might be what you are looking for.
Cheers.
ZAP
There Are No Electrons: Electronics for Earthlings [Paperback]
Kenn Amdahl ~ $10.00
The book is frowned on by some academic types but - I have received positive opinions from "visual" learners.
This just might be what you are looking for.
Cheers.
ZAP
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And stay away from Finnegan's Wake.
Math is no doubt important, but I think a lot of the conceptual stuff can be explained by description and analogy. Analogy breaks down, but if it describes the relationship between a couple of things, it has done its job.
Like many others of my age bracket, I learned my basic electronics from the ARRL Radio Amateurs Handbook. You can find it in libraries, used at ham radio gatherings, new at book sellers. It comes out new each year, and is constantly updating. The 1962 edition covers mainly tube circuits, and not so much those new-fangled semiconductors. The 2002 edition covers mainly the silicon stuff with a little tube thrown in. But the basics are the basics regardless of the year. It has math but is not too hard to understand. Look into it. You may not need the shortwave antenna chapters, but audio circuits are covered as are power supplies, and also things like construction, components, and of course the basics.
Everyone is different, and everyone reacts to texts in different ways. Keep looking, and some book or other resource is going to speak your language and appeal to you.
Math is no doubt important, but I think a lot of the conceptual stuff can be explained by description and analogy. Analogy breaks down, but if it describes the relationship between a couple of things, it has done its job.
Like many others of my age bracket, I learned my basic electronics from the ARRL Radio Amateurs Handbook. You can find it in libraries, used at ham radio gatherings, new at book sellers. It comes out new each year, and is constantly updating. The 1962 edition covers mainly tube circuits, and not so much those new-fangled semiconductors. The 2002 edition covers mainly the silicon stuff with a little tube thrown in. But the basics are the basics regardless of the year. It has math but is not too hard to understand. Look into it. You may not need the shortwave antenna chapters, but audio circuits are covered as are power supplies, and also things like construction, components, and of course the basics.
Everyone is different, and everyone reacts to texts in different ways. Keep looking, and some book or other resource is going to speak your language and appeal to you.
And not least, there are web resources: forum member Perry Babin's website, the free PDF series Lessons in Electric Circuits by Tony R. Kuphaldt, etc., etc.
Hmmm I consider myself maths challenged, I barely scraped through 3 unit maths at school, but I managed to get a High Distinction in 1st Semester Physics at University.
I never got calculus, and I've completely forgotten integration. (and never needed it since school).
I think as long as the OP can do basic algebra it should be fine to start a hobby in electronics
Tony.
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H&H has less maths than most electronics books. "Foundations of Wireless" by Scroggie has even less. However, if you can't do maths then you will never understand electronics, although you may convince yourself otherwise. Fortunately, it is possible to make some progress in electronics by using rules of thumb etc. - just don't assume that these are somehow equivalent to real understanding. Of course, it is possible to do all the maths and still have no understanding; maths is necessary but not sufficient.
Bare minimum to even start is arithmetic and simple algebra. To understand AC (including distortion) you need some trigonometry. To understand things like supply cap bleeders you need calculus. To understand loop stability requires complex numbers.
Having said all that, many people enjoy making DIY electronics without worrying too much about understanding the circuits.
Bare minimum to even start is arithmetic and simple algebra. To understand AC (including distortion) you need some trigonometry. To understand things like supply cap bleeders you need calculus. To understand loop stability requires complex numbers.
Having said all that, many people enjoy making DIY electronics without worrying too much about understanding the circuits.
i do not know your age, but i don't think you are older than me, still, the advice is the same and take it as it is. Harsh? debatable. Insulting? most probably. Valuable? unarguable.
SIT YOUR *** DOWN AND LEARN MATH.
It's the SINGLE BEST advice anyone will give you.
if you think you can do ANYTHING without mathematics just set your computer on fire right now and throw it out the window
hell, even if you just want to PAINT stuff, you will STILL encounter geometry when you get to drawing with perspective!
SIT YOUR *** DOWN AND LEARN MATH.
It's the SINGLE BEST advice anyone will give you.
if you think you can do ANYTHING without mathematics just set your computer on fire right now and throw it out the window
hell, even if you just want to PAINT stuff, you will STILL encounter geometry when you get to drawing with perspective!
Thank you everybody for your suggestions (bookmarked this to look into your suggestions in the near future). I am currently reading Michael Geier's "How to Diagnose and Fix Everything Electronic" and am learning a lot about the basics (it's written in a very non-complicated way which I'm enjoying).
I honestly am looking to build/repair and maybe even customize some things and not necessarily design/improve circuits that are out there already, so I'm not too worried bout my lack of math skills (I'm primarily an audio engineer, which means I'm only good for making sonic decisions with gear that's already been developed; if I am able to maybe save some time by fixing a common problem without the need to send it out for repairs and losing a few days of work, I would be pleased!)
I honestly am looking to build/repair and maybe even customize some things and not necessarily design/improve circuits that are out there already, so I'm not too worried bout my lack of math skills (I'm primarily an audio engineer, which means I'm only good for making sonic decisions with gear that's already been developed; if I am able to maybe save some time by fixing a common problem without the need to send it out for repairs and losing a few days of work, I would be pleased!)
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Lots of things can be done without mathematics: cooking, playing an instrument, being a good friend. It just happens that understanding science, especially physics and its applications such as electronics, isn't one of them.tsiros said:
You won't get far with fault fixing without some maths, unless you merely apply rules obtained from others. You might struggle with customisation too, as 'minor' changes fail to work but you won't know why.HiFi1972 said:
If you have any passion for the subject, you'll be fine. These days repair can be more taxing on a mind than design work. Memorize Ohm's Law, and make a "cheat sheet" of the other common electronics formulae and keep it handy.
One other book I have on my shelf that is written in a casual non-threatening way is Electrical Engineering 101 by Darren Ashby.
I think I know what you mean by "left brainer". People have amazing skills and aptitudes for certain things, and it leaves others wondering how, why and where they acquired them. For example, on paper I should be a computer-oriented sort of person, and I am, but only for using them directly as components in an overall hardware/software system. The 'IT' stuff simply leaves me cold. IP addresses, DNS gateways, DHCP, bridging adaptor, the difference between an ethernet switch and a router etc. My eyes glaze over, and I always have to get someone else to do it. But how did those people acquire that knowledge? Did they have a "passion" for it? It seems unlikely, given the ultimate tedium of the subject.
Similarly, their eyes glaze over when I describe how I'm going to use a computer programmed with a neural network to learn the best way to recognise and reject bad potatoes on a conveyor belt. Both skills involve computers, but the wiring of our respective brains is different.
And I think the divide between these different skills persists because the wiring of the brains leads to the entire 'infrastructure' surrounding a particular subject developing in a way that reflects that wiring. Mathematicians manipulate seemingly abstract symbols and, for all I know, never actually visualise what they mean in practice. Electronics engineers design with schematic diagrams, and IT engineers just love their acronyms and config files etc. without so much of the graphical stuff. If you suffer from a 'dyslexia' when it comes to these particular representations, it's an in-built barrier to making much headway in the subject.
However, if you know what it is you want to achieve, I find it is possible to 'dip into' other people's subjects once you get over your complete bafflement at how they acquired their knowledge. Their brains are wired differently from yours, and despite their apparent superhuman skills, it turns out that they have weaknesses too, although they never seem to mention that! As you have identified, part of the process is finding literature that was written by someone whose brain is wired with a bit of left and a bit and right, so they can bridge between the different worlds.
Similarly, their eyes glaze over when I describe how I'm going to use a computer programmed with a neural network to learn the best way to recognise and reject bad potatoes on a conveyor belt. Both skills involve computers, but the wiring of our respective brains is different.
And I think the divide between these different skills persists because the wiring of the brains leads to the entire 'infrastructure' surrounding a particular subject developing in a way that reflects that wiring. Mathematicians manipulate seemingly abstract symbols and, for all I know, never actually visualise what they mean in practice. Electronics engineers design with schematic diagrams, and IT engineers just love their acronyms and config files etc. without so much of the graphical stuff. If you suffer from a 'dyslexia' when it comes to these particular representations, it's an in-built barrier to making much headway in the subject.
However, if you know what it is you want to achieve, I find it is possible to 'dip into' other people's subjects once you get over your complete bafflement at how they acquired their knowledge. Their brains are wired differently from yours, and despite their apparent superhuman skills, it turns out that they have weaknesses too, although they never seem to mention that! As you have identified, part of the process is finding literature that was written by someone whose brain is wired with a bit of left and a bit and right, so they can bridge between the different worlds.
i get your point, but only the last example doesn't involve mathematics (but it does involve simple arithmetic and i am not sure i could be a good friend with someone who doesn't think mathematics as something worthwhile.)
cooking involves weighing of foodstuffs, estimating ratios, calculating time of preparation... same, although to a lesser degree, with an instrument.
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