Practical Electronics Crash Course

Learning circuit design the fun way

Welcome to the world of electronics!

Getting started in electronics is not as difficult as you may think. Using this book, you will explore and learn the most important electrical and electronics engineering concepts in a fun way by doing various experiments and by simulating circuits. It will teach you electronics practically without getting into complex technical jargon and long calculations. As a result, you will be creating your own projects soon.

No prior knowledge of electronics is required, only some basic algebra is used in a few simple calculations. Many tested and working projects and simulations are presented to familiarise yourself with the construction of electronic circuits. Circuit simulation is introduced at an early stage to enable you to experiment with circuits easily without breaking anything.

You will learn:

• The concepts of voltage, current, and power
• AC and DC
• Basic lamp circuits with switches
• Passive components: resistors, capacitors & inductors
• RC & RCL circuits
• Electromagnetism
• Loudspeakers, relays, buzzers, and transformers
• Active components: diodes & LEDs, bipolar transistors & MOSFETs
• Transistor-based switching circuits
• Optocoupler circuits
• Astable & monostable multivibrators
• Using the 555 timer IC
• The operational amplifier
• Digital logic
• Advanced examples: amplifiers, oscillators, filters, and sensors
• Test and measurement tools
• Microcontrollers: Arduino UNO, ESP32, Raspberry Pi Pico, and Raspberry Pi
• Reading datasheets and best practices for selecting components
• EMC & EMI and norms & regulations