[rhooper]

I realize I could google for this, but I thought it would be better to ask those that know from experience...

What should I look for to read to learn about why and how the various amp circuits work, how capacitors work and affect audio, etc... I know the basics of electronics, but never got any theory beyond P=RV type of basics. My electronics teacher in high school got ill and went away early in the year, leaving us with substitute teachers thereafter. I got left with a little bit of knowledge and the ability to read schematics and build things. Not bad, but not great!

Cheers,
Roy

 

[h3nG]

I think it's P=IV. But a good place to start is:

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=21563

scroll down a bit.

 

[Garbz]

Or to keep it a function of P V and R is: P=V^2 /R

How advanced is your electronics knowledge? Many stores offer starter books with basic kits to build which have very detailed information on how and why they work. I mean you could probably skip the one that hooks a battery to a resistors and a light, and jump onto some basic 555 timing circuits and/or transistors.

 

[SiBurning]

You might try locating a good technical college-level lab manual that accompanies the text books. There's nothing like hands-on. I'd suggest NOT getting the matching textbook. Get a different one or two. This is the engineer's approach to learning--at the last minute. Learn enough to do the labs and understand what's going on. Filling in the holes later is pretty easy, especially if you're serious about learning. A good lab manual will cover most of the basics, and your own motivation will guide you through the rest. On the down side, you might have to borrow or buy a used oscilloscope to use this approach. Just stay away from the home printed manuals the professors print and get one from a real publisher that's been around for a while. The quality of the labs is often much better and there's less chance that the lab notes and techniques are fudged to prod the student toward the right results. Many schools have quotas that require them to pass a certain number of students, so the labs can be dumbed down.

 

[grasshpr]

One good book that is relatively cheap is: Art of Electronics by Horowitz. Its a wonderful book that will guide you step by step through many different amplifier configurations (in addition to many other topics). Its not very math intensive and as a result will be good for a high school student to read. In my opinion, its a classic for those wanting a multipurpose electronics education (just need to be patient enough to read carefully

).

Anyway, hope this helps your search and I wish you good luck in your electronics adventures!

 

[rhooper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grasshpr One good book that is relatively cheap is: Art of Electronics by Horowitz. Its a wonderful book that will guide you step by step through many different amplifier configurations (in addition to many other topics). Its not very math intensive and as a result will be good for a high school student to read. In my opinion, its a classic for those wanting a multipurpose electronics education (just need to be patient enough to read carefully ).

Since I'm not a high school student, (or any kind of student), the presence of math is fine ... but reduced math just makes it much easier to work through

Cheers,
Roy

 

[grasshpr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhooper Since I'm not a high school student, (or any kind of student), the presence of math is fine ... but reduced math just makes it much easier to work through

Very sorry, I hope I didn't offend you with my comment. Sorry again...

 

[rhooper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SiBurning You might try locating a good technical college-level lab manual that accompanies the text books. There's nothing like hands-on. I'd suggest NOT getting the matching textbook. Get a different one or two. This is the engineer's approach to learning--at the last minute. Learn enough to do the labs and understand what's going on. Filling in the holes later is pretty easy, especially if you're serious about learning.

This is pretty much how I learn everything. Find various references, dive in, backfill the holes using the references. Experimentation to learn. References to help as I go. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? I'm also going to TRY to sit through the two opamp seminars on the Analog Devices site.
Quote:

Originally Posted by SiBurning On the down side, you might have to borrow or buy a used oscilloscope to use this approach.

There's a few on ebay, and there's bound to be tons of used ones around town, especially if another optical startup dies.

 

[rhooper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grasshpr Very sorry, I hope I didn't offend you with my comment. Sorry again...

Heck no. I realized the potential for confusion existed when I spoke about High School as being my only (poor) source of education for electronics.

If only I was that young again. Learning took even less effort then.

 

[skyskraper]

i just like checking out books from the library every few weeks to have a read of and to take in.

this weeks books: PCB design