Hi guys,
I've spent quite some time lurking around and trying to figure out how some circuits here work. I've never had any "eletronics training" before, so I have to start from scratch. Ive read quite a bit about V, R and I, capacitors and the basic stuff. The thing is, as soon as circuits get a bit more complicated i get totally lost ;-) And i would really like to understand them a bit more...
So i was wondering, if any of you had to start from 0 without any teachers and how you went about it. Can you suggest any good books/websites? Especially ones that could help me understanding how to read a bit more complicated circuits.
Do you usually think in terms of V or I when looking the first time at a diagram? Or is it more about recognizing certain element groups and knowing what their effect is?
Would be cool to hear how you got your knowledge
Kind Regards
Cj
I've spent quite some time lurking around and trying to figure out how some circuits here work. I've never had any "eletronics training" before, so I have to start from scratch. Ive read quite a bit about V, R and I, capacitors and the basic stuff. The thing is, as soon as circuits get a bit more complicated i get totally lost ;-) And i would really like to understand them a bit more...
So i was wondering, if any of you had to start from 0 without any teachers and how you went about it. Can you suggest any good books/websites? Especially ones that could help me understanding how to read a bit more complicated circuits.
Do you usually think in terms of V or I when looking the first time at a diagram? Or is it more about recognizing certain element groups and knowing what their effect is?
Would be cool to hear how you got your knowledge
Kind Regards
Cj
Read this 3-4 times.
http://www.amazon.com/Valve-Amplifiers-Fourth-Edition-Morgan/dp/0080966403
Start with a simple kit like:
Transcendent Sound Grounded Grid Preamp
It's a great Pre. You will be able to use it for a long time.
http://www.amazon.com/Valve-Amplifiers-Fourth-Edition-Morgan/dp/0080966403
Start with a simple kit like:
Transcendent Sound Grounded Grid Preamp
It's a great Pre. You will be able to use it for a long time.
Yes, that is the way to do it. For example, once you understand how an emitter/drain/cathode follower works, and what its typical characteristics are, you can look for that sub-circuit in various circuits.xcj999 said:
A useful split (provided it is not pushed too far) is to divide a circuit into two:
1. parts for setting DC bias
2. parts for handling the signal
Most of my electronics knowledge is self-taught. I started with a Philips EE kit and made the circuits in the manual, then started modifying them. There are modern versions of this. In my view this is better than buying a specific kit for a particular piece of equipment, if your aim is understanding rather than just experience of building stuff.
alright, so this seems to be the right direction ;-) In the moment my biggest trouble is getting my head around transistors - don't know why I have such a problem with them *lol* i guess its because to many connections show up and i get confused. I think corkpullers suggestion might help in that regard.
Understanding and building - both fun. Ideally I am looking for understanding the circuit before i build it
Understanding and building - both fun. Ideally I am looking for understanding the circuit before i build it
Lets face it, the books I learned basic electricity from were hand-lettered in calligraphy by monks on sheep's skin, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. They are long out of print, so that will be no help to you.
Seriously, back in the day my dad had a set of these and they are what I learned basic electricity from:
Audels New Electric Library 1929 10 Volume Set Leather
The principles are still the same but the illustrations include first generation vacuum tubes and knob-and-tube wiring, so the context might be confusing.
There has been quite a bit of favorable comment about a book named:
"The Art Of Electronics"
The third edition is on Amazon for about $90 for the third edition,
http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Electronics-Paul-Horowitz/dp/0521809266
but there are plenty of earlier editions on eBay and other places on the web for about $20.
The new edition is pretty cool, but basic electronics hasn't changed since I was a pup. I've reviewed the relevant chapters from both editions, and really nothing of substance has changed.
Oh, and the book doesn't even mention tubes.
arny: *grins* sounds like the good old time? ;-)
but I heard about the Horowitz book the second time so I will definitely have to look into it. I guess part of the difficulty is all the maths behind it, and the lack of opportunity to apply it. Well , or more my impatience - trying to learn new stuff before i fully understood (and practiced) the old stuff
bruce: yeah, i spent quite some time on google but the sheer mass of information is hard to filter. And good explanations are a bit hard to find. I'm sure they are there, but buried under tons of confusing stuff. I guess I lack a bit of structure also
and i guess if I spend quite some money on building projects - which will happen sooner than later - i guess its worth spending some money on a good structured book as well. Also, i get your point, why waste money when there is free stuff around *grins*
but I heard about the Horowitz book the second time so I will definitely have to look into it. I guess part of the difficulty is all the maths behind it, and the lack of opportunity to apply it. Well , or more my impatience - trying to learn new stuff before i fully understood (and practiced) the old stuff
bruce: yeah, i spent quite some time on google but the sheer mass of information is hard to filter. And good explanations are a bit hard to find. I'm sure they are there, but buried under tons of confusing stuff. I guess I lack a bit of structure also
and i guess if I spend quite some money on building projects - which will happen sooner than later - i guess its worth spending some money on a good structured book as well. Also, i get your point, why waste money when there is free stuff around *grins*
Check out the learning resources called out here:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/tubes-valves/38278-line-tube-learning-newbies.html
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/tubes-valves/38278-line-tube-learning-newbies.html
Do you usually think in terms of V or I when looking the first time at a diagram? Or is it more about recognizing certain element groups and knowing what their effect is?
Would be cool to hear how you got your knowledge
Kind Regards
Cj
Thinking back and I learnt by reading, reading and reading... scouring the local libraries for anything and everything electronics related.
A plug in breadboard and a bag of components teaches you much, you get a real feel for what is happening. Even the simplest of things such as controlling an LED from a transistor and seeing how the transistor behaves would be the kind of stuff to begin with.
There are no short cuts but if the (your) interest is there then you will learn, and learn quickly. These days test equipment is cheap. A good meter and dare I say it, a cheap USB type oscilloscope would be a huge bonus.
thanks for letting me know about you beginnings and the encouraging words
you are absolutely right, i definitely have to get doing stuff... i guess it would be easiest to get one of the premade kits. I don't really have a source for electronic parts locally and ordering piece by piece is getting expensive
about the oscilloscope - is usb the cheapest way to go? or is it maybe worth trying to find something old online? any special features I should look out for? am a bit short on money for the next months ;-)
you are absolutely right, i definitely have to get doing stuff... i guess it would be easiest to get one of the premade kits. I don't really have a source for electronic parts locally and ordering piece by piece is getting expensive
about the oscilloscope - is usb the cheapest way to go? or is it maybe worth trying to find something old online? any special features I should look out for? am a bit short on money for the next months ;-)
Well if your really interested then a 'real' analogue scope would be a worthwhile purchase. A dual trace 20Mhz or higher model would make a great first scope. As to buying bits and pieces, well you could get a 'resistor kit' that has say 10 of all the popular values, a handful of general purpose transistors and some opamps and a selection of capacitors. £$30 should get you a good assortment to start with for simple circuits.
what would be the appropriate price range for an used analog oscilloscope?
i was looking into that https://www.crowdsupply.com/arachnid-labs/tsunami
what do you think of it? I kinda like the 2 in 1 package for the price ...
i was looking into that https://www.crowdsupply.com/arachnid-labs/tsunami
what do you think of it? I kinda like the 2 in 1 package for the price ...
Erm...
I think you would be better off with a proper rugged analogue scope tbh. You can generate all the basic audio test signals you need with Audacity, and then burn them to a CDR
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/soft...ing-using-audacity-get-you-started-guide.html
Quick two second browse,
KENWOOD CS-4125 20MHZ 2 CH OSCILLOSCOPE | eBay
Hitachi V-212 Dual Channel Oscilloscope 20MHz | eBay
These were excellent, I used one for the day job 8 hour a day.
HITACHI V-525 OSCILLOSCOPE | eBay
I think you would be better off with a proper rugged analogue scope tbh. You can generate all the basic audio test signals you need with Audacity, and then burn them to a CDR
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/soft...ing-using-audacity-get-you-started-guide.html
Quick two second browse,
KENWOOD CS-4125 20MHZ 2 CH OSCILLOSCOPE | eBay
Hitachi V-212 Dual Channel Oscilloscope 20MHz | eBay
These were excellent, I used one for the day job 8 hour a day.
HITACHI V-525 OSCILLOSCOPE | eBay
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