I've been enjoying the E-book for quite some time now and it has been a great supplement to my independent education. Thank you, E-book developers and sponsors! However, I've been investing a lot of time into finishing the E-book lately and I plan to be finished with Volume IV in the next couple weeks.

So where do I go now? Many of the conversations on this forum still seem like Chinese to me, but I feel like most of the things discussed are more practical, hobbyist-related projects. I really DO want to be competent in that area, but I also want to have a stronger emphasis on theory as it pertains to more advanced digital and analog circuits, as well as more advanced electromagnetic theory. I especially want to begin studying the theory behind computer processors, in due time of course. As for computer programming, I decided to study that separately and I have plenty of sources.

Can anyone recommend me to reliable and effective EE sources like the E-book that delve into more advanced topics?

 

Hello,

You could take a look at the NEETS series:
http://jacquesricher.com/NEETS/

Bertus

 

How much hands on have you done? Lab work supliments theory, the two need to go together.

Basically go through the areas you are weak in, and study them (including experiments). Most of my ahah! moments were while I was studing a real circuit.

 

Any of the books by Albert Malvino are great for understanding how things work and why. I just found out about them (thank you Bill Marsden!) and they have made me understand more than any of the other books I've read. They are available used from Amazon ,com and are more than worth the money!

Here is a link to the titles; http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&ke...ooks&hvadid=2321847839&ref=pd_sl_21t24i81wb_b

 

How much hands on have you done? Lab work supliments theory, the two need to go together.

That's one of the problems had this year, the labs in school seemed to only have enough time to build the circuit, get the measurements, then go to the next class.

This summer I've been focusing on getting in place the equipment I need to re-run them again to play a little with the circuits, I think you learn as much from play as other things.

 

How much hands on have you done? Lab work supliments theory, the two need to go together.

Basically go through the areas you are weak in, and study them (including experiments). Most of my ahah! moments were while I was studing a real circuit.

I'm on a budget, so unfortunately I haven't really had the opportunity to design most of the circuits I have studied in the e-book. In the fall, I will have access to more materials, but until then, I just need to make do with literature. I will definitely check out the experiments section, though!

 

lendo1 --

Get the parts you need, and the hands-on experience. I had just gotten my first job out of tech school, and the company hired a fresh-out engineer. He knew his theory well, but had real trouble figuring out which end of a soldering iron to use! We techs just shook our heads and quoted C.S. Lewis: "What DO they teach them?" Poor guy lasted about a month.

Of course, back then, if you needed electronic parts, you could watch for TVs, stereos, and the like being thrown out, and raid them for caps and resistors. The component legs were short, but with a little care and some solder, you could add single-strand telephone wire to them. Ahh, the good ol' days when the 80286 was "Advanced Technology"!!

--Rich

 

I'm on a budget, so unfortunately I haven't really had the opportunity to design most of the circuits I have studied in the e-book. In the fall, I will have access to more materials, but until then, I just need to make do with literature. I will definitely check out the experiments section, though!

If you are starting a course of formal education in the Autumn, much of your time and energy from then on will have to be devoted to the course requirements.

In the meantime, if your "budget" really does not extend to getting some basic parts and tools, you could try doing some problems. Just reading materials often leaves us convinced we have understood ideas, but working with them helps us to know if we have really grasped them.

Another possibility is to get hold of a free circuit simulation program like LTSpice. http://www.linear.com/designtools/software/

Using something like this will let you try out circuit ideas virtually, even if you don't yet have access to the real thing.

 

Hello,

You could take a look at the NEETS series:
http://jacquesricher.com/NEETS/

Bertus

I didn't know anybody else knew about the NEETS. I took them with me in PDF when I left the navy and I just found them on an old thumb drive the other day. I was going to post them up here, but I guess no need now.

 

If you start a parts bin (most hobbiests do) it pays to shop. There are lots of mail order places that are quite economical. BTW, this does not include Radio Shack. If you can wait a week for mail order you can usually get a part for 25% or less than most store fronts charge.

If you do start a parts bin think ESD protections. There is a chapter I wrote in the AAC book. Chapter 3 section 9 I believe.

 

If you do start a parts bin think ESD protections. There is a chapter I wrote in the AAC book. Chapter 3 section 9 I believe.

I was looking to read this. can't find it. Which volume?

 

I agree with all who suggest you begin getting your feet wet playing with components. Pick a simple circuit that is fairly easy and inexpensive and experiment with it. Bill Marsden's 555 timer projects are a fun and interesting introduction to digital oscillators. All you need is a few capacitors, resistors, a 555 timer device, an led, a battery, battery holder and a solderless breadboard to get hours of enjoyment.

hgmjr

 

I was looking to read this. can't find it. Which volume?

http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_3/chpt_9/1.html