Maker Pro
Maker Pro

I'm new to electronics...

Vexis

Oct 21, 2012
1
Joined
Oct 21, 2012
Messages
1
I want to learn all about electronics so that I can create some amazing devices and systems. Where is the best place to learn about electronics? I am a complete newbie, and barely know anything. In fact, I was using a wood burner as a soldering iron for quite a while.
 

donkey

Feb 26, 2011
1,301
Joined
Feb 26, 2011
Messages
1,301
there are many areas to learn. the tutorial section on this site is great cos after reading it you can ask us to explain parts you don't understand.
there are heaps of books.
the best idea for learning in my opinion is to start making circuit and figure out what is happening.
take an LED for example. figuring out why you need a resistor, and how to calculate the value of the resistor is a very basic example of electronics
 

davenn

Moderator
Sep 5, 2009
14,254
Joined
Sep 5, 2009
Messages
14,254
hi Vexis,

welcome to the forums :)
donkey has given you some good starting ideas there
and dont forget to type electronics tutorials into google :)

cheers
Dave
 

screwball

Jan 9, 2012
89
Joined
Jan 9, 2012
Messages
89
I started with the "Electronics lab 1-100" when i was young then decided i like electronics so got the "Electronics lab 1-300" and you can make circuits with it using intergrated circuits, leds, lcd displays etc there are 300 circuits in the book which you can make with it but you can make your own also

Admittedly, i learnt nothing from it, just that i can make circuits from a book, so i got a simulating software where i made circuits or copied them from the internet and learnt how them circuits work rather than just making it on a board and seeing it works. From them circuits i would change them to do what i might want it to do for example.

After time of playing on simulating software i understand electronics to a fairly good extent (im no expert), so if you want to learn i would recommend that.

Theres a few good sites if you couldnt get simulating software like technology student
www.technologystudent.com/elec1/elecex.htm

It teaches you electronic circuits in animation form rather than a picture of a circuit and text,

You can also get a breadboard and components very cheap from ebay, you could make some circuits up and learn practically rather than just seeing it, then move onto stripboard (soldering needed) then making your own PCBs
 

CocaCola

Apr 7, 2012
3,635
Joined
Apr 7, 2012
Messages
3,635
Admittedly, i learnt nothing from it, just that i can make circuits from a book

You know I (like many others) also started out on those little lab kits, with the springs... And like you I learned nearly nothing except that one mistake can cause a huge frustration and disappointment... It was a fun toy and as an adult I might actually have learned something but as a child it was simply beyond me... Now with the internet at your fingertips, simulators and access to a plethora of info and cheap components you can do so much more and learn so much faster if you simply spend the time tinkering and reading online...
 

CDRIVE

Hauling 10' pipe on a Trek Shift3
May 8, 2012
4,960
Joined
May 8, 2012
Messages
4,960
If your school district has evening adult education you can look into a basic electronics course. I recommend this for individuals that need structuring.

Chris
 

(*steve*)

¡sǝpodᴉʇuɐ ǝɥʇ ɹɐǝɥd
Moderator
Jan 21, 2010
25,510
Joined
Jan 21, 2010
Messages
25,510
You know I (like many others) also started out on those little lab kits, with the springs... And like you I learned nearly nothing except that one mistake can cause a huge frustration and disappointment... It was a fun toy and as an adult I might actually have learned something but as a child it was simply beyond me... Now with the internet at your fingertips, simulators and access to a plethora of info and cheap components you can do so much more and learn so much faster if you simply spend the time tinkering and reading online...

That is worth quoting in it's entirety.

I too started with the same thing. I too learned far less than I could have. However, in retrospect, you could learn a lot with these (and yes, even (maybe especially) as an adult).

What you need is support from someone who is willing to explain how the circuits work and you need the discipline to keep focussed on one circuit until you understand it.

These things are very much like a circuit simulator, except with real components.

I'm not sure that it's that much different from using a solderless breadboard, other than it allows construction without the need to read schematics.

OH, that was one think I learned from these things -- how to read schematics. Once you got proficient at using them, you could construct the circuit just from looking at the schematic, and not needing to worry about the wiring instructions (which you could fall back to if you needed to).

The circuit descriptions for many of the circuits I built were too complex (perhaps paradoxically because they were so short) for me to understand the more complex ones.

These days I look back and wish I had a forum like this to help me understand them. I can't imagine how much further forward I'd be in my understanding.
 

screwball

Jan 9, 2012
89
Joined
Jan 9, 2012
Messages
89
I learned nearly nothing except that one mistake can cause a huge frustration and disappointment...

I wasn't recommending those lab kits if thats what your saying haha Just saying thats how i started but its not the best thing to start out on
The quoted part above is the best and very true line also
 
Top