Getting Started in Electronics

GREAT GETTING STARTED BOOK

When I was a kid, I bought this book at my local Radio Shack. I used it when I went to college to earn my Electrical Engineering degree. I buy copies for people that are interested in electronics to this day. I have collected almost everything Forrest M. Mims III has written. If you are interested in learning about electronics, this is the book to start with.

Great book. I lent my original version to someone years ago and needed replacement.

The whole Arduino phenomenon has done wonders for reigniting an interest in the type of gadgetry you can purchase in the ever-shrinking storage drawers in the back of the Shack, and as you start to implement some of the "cookbook" style designs that are online, those new to the electronics / integrated cirucit world will start to have a plethora of questions, such as (1) what's an RC circuit, or (2) how does a pullup resistor work in my Arduino product, and what is its purpose?Forrest Mimms does an excellent job providing an overall introduction to electronic components that suitable for the advanced elementary school / middle school student to the neophyte-non-engineer adult. His no-nonsense drawings combine the aesthetic of comic-strip photos with the handwritten-all-caps look of engineering textual notation. This book makes understanding elementary electronics a fun journey, and if you're actually making the projects and examples he delineates in the text, you'll develop an almost intuitve grasp of the subject. I'm not saying that you'll become an expert in the subject - but as you get into more abstract / mathematical areas of electronics and circuit building, you'll feel as if you know how to swim.I purchased this book because I cannot stand fiddling with things when I don't know how they work. I can't stand just following cookbook examples from Adafruit or other Arduino cookbooks available online, dropping in C++ libraries and code and plugging wires into a little blue board to watch LED's flash - I have to know what's causing what. I have been impressed with the utility of this book because it explains the concepts behind the schematics and the code you play with on an Arduino board. Forrest Mimms has an extensive amount of knowledge of the subject matter, and unlike many other "engineering" texts, he presents his information in a way that spoon-feeds the neophyte and re-emphasizes the basics for someone with a cursory understanding of electronics and circuits.Whether you are introducing a child to your field - and getting them started in electronics - or you're delving in for the first time yourself, before you go pick up that book on advanced engineering mathematics or a schematics reading guide, grab this book. Its images will serve as a strong mental reference for a long time to come and will answer a number (but not all) of the "why's" and "how's" behind the maker projects you work your way through but don't completely understand.And do consider many of the other books out there by Mimms - I believe he has written a whole book on the 555 IC. His texts are invaluable whether a beginner in microelectronics and circuits, a student, or even an experienced hand who enjoys an entertaining refresher. His "voice" in his texts is that of an amazing layman teacher - that voice and command of the subject matter possessed by the true teachers that take byzantine concepts and systems and make them accessible to the everyman. I speak from experience, and have thoroughly enjoyed FM's books - which I am now sharing with my two elementary school-aged sons.

This was not, in fact, the book that taught me electronics. That honor goes to Charles Platt's Make: Electronics. However, if I had discovered it in the 80s or 90s before Platt's book existed, I'm sure it would have done the job. It's less hands-on than Platt's book, and doesn't offer as much hand-holding or practical advice for beginners, but it's very accessible nonetheless. The explanations are clear, if concise, and the drawings are very elucidating. The book explains everything you need to know about the fundamentals of electricity as well as the passive components and transistors that you'll need to build basic circuits. It also covers a few of the classic linear and digital ICs, but it was written before microcontrollers became commonplace, so it doesn't even mention them.But none of this explains my attachment to this book, which is on a much more emotional level. The fact that the entire book is handwritten and hand-illustrated gives it a very personal touch. The drawings are whimsical and endearing. How can you not smile at the illustrations of electrons gleefully zipping down a wire, or at a MOSFET with lightning bolts shooting out of its head because it got zapped by static? Even if you already know everything that you could possibly learn from this book, it's still worth a read. As the title of this review suggests, it's like a comic book for electronic nerds. I'm sure if I had been given this book as a kid it would have captured my imagination and gotten me hooked. Just thumb through the book and you can tell that Forrest Mims loves teaching people about electronics and has a special talent for doing so.