How do I learn electronics?

[Rori]

I watch a lot of videos on YouTube like with lukemrose1 and retrogametech and I wanna know how they know how to do the stuff they do.

I get the basics of what they do but some of the other stuff like testing for continuity. I think I know what that means (lol, is it checking for cuts in traces?). I've got a soldering iron and stuff but i've never used it because I don't have that stuff behind me. I'm very good with computers so it'd not like it'd be hard, I just need a recommendation of where to learn that :s

aside from engineering school!

 

[GutsDozer]

I watch a lot of videos on YouTube like with lukemrose1 and retrogametech and I wanna know how they know how to do the stuff they do.

I get the basics of what they do but some of the other stuff like testing for continuity. I think I know what that means (lol). I've got a soldering iron and stuff but i've never used it because I don't have that stuff behind me. I'm very good with computers so it'd not like it'd be hard, I just need a recommendation of where to learn that :s

aside from engineering school!

There is tons of books that you can read that will teach you electronics. I would start by learning AC/DC then move on to more complicated things. You can also take classes at a technical collage for very little money. Good luck electronics is a fun and rewarding hobby.

 

[sylvie]

I've been wanting to learn this kind of shit too. I need rewarding hobbies.

 

[wyo]

I would start by learning AC/DC then move on to more complicated things.

This is also good advice for any budding guitarists.

 

[lastcallhall]

Start with DC electronics, then move on to AC - AC is a bit more involved than DC, which is pretty simple to learn. From there you can go anywhere from analog circuits to digital electronics, its all really about what you want to learn. You could even learn communications techniques like RF, radio, satellite, etc. If you can afford it, try looking into a trade school, or see what your local colleges have to offer.

 

[HeavyMachineGoob]

Be warned, electronics is a cruel and unforgiving mistress. It's incredibly easy for something to go wrong in electronics.

 

[sylvie]

My only experience was hardmodding my PSP battery in my dimly lit room when I was 16. It was successful.

 

[purple]

my advice is, just take the soldering iron and start, buy a solder sucker and try unsoldering soldering things. you can learn a lot from trial and error.

 

[GadgetUK]

Get yourself some books off Amazon. Something like this:-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0068N44BO/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1391204375&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX110_SY165

Or something at GCSE or A level in the UK. Start by learning about voltage (DC and AC), current, power. Move onto switches, LEDs, bulbs and motors, followed by resistors and capacitors, diodes, then transistors. Covering those topics to start with will lead you into other areas - coils, transformers, triacs etc.

Once you've understood most of that stuff look at ICs - start with logic gates (AND, OR, NOT, NOR, XOR etc) and then move onto microprocessors - start by looking at 6502 or Z80 and PIC chips.

 

[Rori]

I just started reading Stan Gibilisco's Teach Yourself Electricity and Electronics

http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Yourself-Electricity-Electronics-Edition/dp/0071741356

 

[mainman]

I was trying to teach a buddy of mine starting with the basics using a malfunctioning board as a example but he JUST kept telling me to jump to the end before I explained the fundamentals making it impossible for me to teach and him to learn because he had no patience. Basically he wanted to learn the whole science in a hour.

So basically what I am telling you is you must have patience and be ready to fail before you succeed and most of all you must be genuine in your desire to learn, the hobby is really rewarding.

How to learn. First and foremost you must understand how a circuit works. It's not enough to just follow directions to assemble a circuit. You must actually READ engineering books to understand basic principles and math behind how a transistor works for example. Ohms law learn it and all its inverse formulas. Learn DC first before you move on to AC because AC will kick your ass if you don't get a grasp on DC first. Digital is a must learn at all cost. If your not willing to pursue a formal education in electronics don't even bother trying to learn RF because it is on a whole other level. I would advise you to learn from college text books as they provide FAR superior explanations with mathematical examples, I still have and reference my college text books when I need to be refreshed.


Hang out on tech site such as EEVBLOG which is a major hub for technology nuts.

When your ready to get your hands dirty you must have basic components and equipment to experiment with because what good is book knowledge if you can't apply it. I am not going to talk about advance test equipment, with that in mind the most essential piece of test equipment you must own is a multimeter and I mean a good one as it WILL be used so frequently the price of a fluke meter is justified along with the fact that a fluke will last you for a decade and exceed your requirements to perform all basic measurement. Make sure you get a meter which will meet your needs such as do you need to be able to measure frequency, temperature, etc. Buy a temp controlled Weller station, no cheap radio shack crap. You will have to buy a inventory of basic components to experiment, resistors, capacitors, transistors, omp amps, etc. Start with a project book to get a ideal before you try to do your own thing.

 

[Rori]

Thanks! Chapter 1 has already covered Ohms law. The book recommends 1 chapter a week but i'll be doing 1-2 chapters a day.

I'm already subscribed to EEVBLOG on YouTube but i've never checked out the videos since it looks more advanced and I probably can't relate what I know to what I see in the videos yet. I already want a EPROM burner and stuff but i'm getting ahead of myself, in terms of knowledge and cost. So far I just gotta first get my AES and play it.

My goal is to do about three projects to try my hand at soldering, then install the JNX S-Video kit... or maybe I should hold off to get an encoder. I don't know.

 

[mainman]

Thanks! Chapter 1 has already covered Ohms law. The book recommends 1 chapter a week but i'll be doing 1-2 chapters a day.

I'm already subscribed to EEVBLOG on YouTube but i've never checked out the videos since it looks more advanced and I probably can't relate what I know to what I see in the videos yet. I already want a EPROM burner and stuff but i'm getting ahead of myself, in terms of knowledge and cost. So far I just gotta first get my AES and play it.

My goal is to do about three projects to try my hand at soldering, then install the JNX S-Video kit... or maybe I should hold off to get an encoder. I don't know.

Be advised with book knowledge it is use it or lose it, so it is not enough to read that book you must DRILL it into your head.

Learning how to properly solder is a skill that will take a much more substantial amount of time than learning how AC/DC circuit works.

A good project would be to build your own encoder around a CXA1645P or AD725 encoder.

 

[HeavyMachineGoob]

Video encoder boards can be extremely picky, I don't recommend that. Try something more straight forward, like desoldering a chip from a single sided PCB and replacing it with a socket. That is pretty hard to screw up and even includes desoldering.

 

[Rori]

Video encoder boards can be extremely picky, I don't recommend that. Try something more straight forward, like desoldering a chip from a single sided PCB and replacing it with a socket. That is pretty hard to screw up and even includes desoldering.

That sounds like good practice for a Uni bios install

 

[mainman]

Video encoder boards can be extremely picky, I don't recommend that. Try something more straight forward, like desoldering a chip from a single sided PCB and replacing it with a socket. That is pretty hard to screw up and even includes desoldering.

That's not a project.

Building a encoder board from either of those chips has been well documented and proven, there is no guess work or variables other than your TV for things to be picky as he would not be trail blazing anything. It's not a good ideal to be so easily intimidated right out the gate. Remember trail and error, this is the only way to learn.

 

[ebinsugewa]

The most important things when getting involved with electronics are to learn not to be intimidated, as well as to be meticulous. Both of these things will serve you very well. Start on some smaller projects and learn not to be afraid of taking something apart. Document the process so you can put it back together. Label/organize components, and make a log of what you're doing. This will help you reverse the disassembly, as well as serving as a resource for others in the future who may have the same problem you do. Since everything in electronics is completely logical, even with minimal training or knowledge you can make something work again. You will spend a lot of hours ultimately pulling your hair out and potentially have to undo some of your work and redo it, but nothing compares to the feeling you get when you've fixed something with your own hands. You will fuck things up at first, that's normal. Don't be afraid of this. As long as you follow a few basic safety principles, double and triple-check your work, and learn from your mistakes, you can learn a lot about this stuff very quickly.

 

[Alpha Skyhawk]

Honestly, I wouldn't even bother unless you only ever want to do it as a hobby for fixing old game consoles. Even then, parts are drying up. NEO-D0, POKEY, etc. There are plenty of people out there who know what they're doing, too.

So much crap these days is disposable garbage that you can't do anything with once it breaks, and I think we're coming up on a change in technology progression where hardware development will become less important than it ever has been. Plus, everybody and their brother is an engineer in India, and they can do whatever a first world country can do for cheap.

I wish I became a plumber.

 

[Tyranix95]

I was trying to teach a buddy of mine starting with the basics using a malfunctioning board as a example but he JUST kept telling me to jump to the end before I explained the fundamentals making it impossible for me to teach and him to learn because he had no patience. Basically he wanted to learn the whole science in a hour. ....

I love it when people demonstrate how a tool solves a particular problem or group of problems.

Don't sit there and show off your CheyTac. Instead put a .408 cal. bullet in something with precision and supersonic speed from 2,200 yards away!

 

[mainman]

I love it when people demonstrate how a tool solves a particular problem or group of problems.

Don't sit there and show off your CheyTac. Instead put a .408 cal. bullet in something with precision and supersonic speed from 2,200 yards away!

That wasn't a shot at you J, I have had a ton of local people drop by my place for pickups and we often chat a lot and my test gear often is the point of extended conversation.

 

[greeneye8181]

I'm a civil engineer by trade. Sometimes I get around the electrical engineers and I just sit there and drool when they talk.
I keep the questions to a minimum because I don't want to be "that guy".
I'm also a fisherman and it was very intimidating opening a 400$ reel with spring loaded everything. I just dove in. I took pictures and took my time.
Now I'm on here soaking up info from these guys and learning as much as I can. Owning a Neo Geo AES was a childhood dream. Now as an adult I want to take it a step further.