John M. Hughes - Practical Electronics

by John M. Hughes

Copyright 2015 John M. Hughes. All rights reserved.

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• March 2015: First Edition

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So, how much electronics do you need to know to be able to create somethinginteresting, or creatively modify something that already exists? Well, thatdepends on where you start in the creative process. It also depends on yourwillingness to seek out new knowledge and acquire new skills as you go along.

The primary purpose of this book is to give you a reference for some ofthe more arcane (and possibly mundane) but essential aspects ofelectronics. These include things you would typically learnon the job and from years of experience, such as how to read the datasheet for an electronic component, determining how many things can beconnected to an interface pin on a microcontroller , how to assemblevarious types of connectors, how to minimize noise and interferenceon a signal interface circuit, how to determine the resolution of ananalog-to-digital converter, how various types of serial and networkinterfaces work, and how to use open source tools for schematic captureand PCB layout. And, of course, we will also coverthe tools used in electronics work and how they are used, and wellexamine whats available in terms of test equipment beyond thegarden-variety digital multimeter.

Well start off with an introduction to the underlying physics ofelectricity that dispenses with the water-flowing-in-a-pipe analogy andgets right to the heart of the matter with a look at how atoms passelectrons around. Well then examine the basic concepts of voltage andcurrent. For those readers who might need or want a more detaileddiscussion of basic electrical theory, it can be found in .

I should point out that this book is not intended to be an in-depth tutorialon electronics theory. There are already many excellent books on that topic,and to repeat that here would just be a pointless exercise in killing trees.So, while there is some introductory material to set the stage, so to speak,the primary intent of this book is to provide you with a reference for topicsthat arent usually covered in an electronics text or a step-by-step projectbook.

With this book, perhaps one or two of the suggested reference works in, and your own enthusiasm and ambition, you should be able tocreate that gadget or system youve been wanting to build and have it workas you intended. And remember, its not the end of the world if youaccidentally convert an electronic component into charcoal. It happens allthe time; its called learning .