Society of Robots - Robot Forum
Electronics => Electronics => Topic started by: mdmedlin on August 08, 2009, 05:47:12 AM
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So basically at work we replace a lot of electronics. I, being a mechanic and hopefully computer scientist after I get done with my degree in the spring, know nothing about electronics. I see the boards they pull out of the machines and I take them apart. I have become very good at desoldering equipment LOL. The only things I do take are the DIP chips because they are the easiest. But the problem that I have is I don't know what those chips do. I have looked on the data sheets and there is a plethera of information. I start to read it and then next thing I know I wake up with aso;dnfasn ;oasindv on my screen. I admit that I know nothing where it comes to electronics. I don't know a DUART from an A/D converter. So the question that I have, where is someplace that I can go so that maybe I can learn something. There are no electronics courses at the University I attend, or I would take them and hopefully learn something. Your help is greatly appreciated.
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For me I started with the book "getting started in electronics" by Forest Mimms III. http://www.radioshack.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=getting%20started%20in%20electronics&origkw=getting%20started%20in%20electronics&sr=1 (http://www.radioshack.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=getting%20started%20in%20electronics&origkw=getting%20started%20in%20electronics&sr=1) It's a very basic book that does a great job of introducing a few key concepts. After reading that you can move on to things that are a little more complicated. I would also recommend a couple of publications www.servomagazine.com (http://www.servomagazine.com) www.nutsvolts.com (http://www.nutsvolts.com) It worked for me.
Conscripted
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I have seen some of those Mimms books. The ones that I have seen are pretty old. The paper smells funny LOL. I will give them a read, but the ones that I have seen might be a little bit dated. Thank you for the advice. ;)
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you could try reading the electronics parts tutorials here:
beginner: http://www.societyofrobots.com/electronics_basic_components_tutorial.shtml
advanced: http://www.societyofrobots.com/electronics_advanced_components_tutorial.shtml
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I have read the tutorials and I guess what I am saying is that I am looking for something a little bit maybe more advanced??? As in, I have a DUART, what the heck is a DUART and how do I use it? I have tried google, but it leads me to wikipedia and I am a wikiphobe. I don't believe 90% of the stuff on there. So, I have this pile of IC's and I don't know what to do with them is basically what I am saying. They seem cool and we did go over logic gates and what not in my assembly class, so I understand that if I subject gates to voltages then based on the type of gate I have, what the output will be. That stuff I understand, but I don't know what I can use those IC's for. I have looked at the data sheets and like I said before, big snoozer. I mean like one of the IC's is a clock. What do I need a clock for? I have many eproms, are those useful? I thought that was why you had an mcu. I will take a look at the Mims book when I am getting my textbooks for next semester.
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http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/
DUART: Dual Asynchronous Receiver / Transmitter. Takes in parallel digital data, coverts it to serial and puts it on a wire. Takes in serial digital data, coverts it to parallel and puts it on wires. The heart and soul of a modem.
http://www.williamson-labs.com/
http://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/
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Thanks KD those sites were very helpful!
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I have tried google, but it leads me to wikipedia and I am a wikiphobe. I don't believe 90% of the stuff on there.
for technical things wikipedia is right 99.9% of the time. if you don't believe what is written there you could always look at the sources listed at the bottom of the article and read them ;)
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Hi,
[...] I am a wikiphobe. I don't believe 90% of the stuff on there.
Why?
Do you believe what's written here on SoR - usually without any references?
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Oh man! You just brought me back to the past! I lived and breathed his books when I was young. They're awesome!
For me I started with the book "getting started in electronics" by Forest Mimms III.
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I take information with a grain of salt. I am not saying that the people here don't knwo what they are talking about. I am sure that they do and if they do make a mistake, usually the other people on the boards will be happy to point that out and correct any mistakes that others may have made. I don't know a lot of the information that others post about because I have not studied electronics, I am a computer programmer. I am hoping to change that as I go to graduate school. I have heard that a lot of the techincal information on wiki is believeable because it was created by a bunch of computer geeks. I do check the sources at the bottom and I go right to the source for the information. There is a reason why professors in schools in the US don't accept wikipedia as a reference in reports, there is a chance that the information may have been corrupted by unsavory individuals. I don't think that the people here are the types that will purposefully try to lead you astray.
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Hi M,
I have here a few books for you to read.....after you read them you should become an
EXPERT with HOBBY electronics
http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/books/edu/Wamv2_2.pdf
http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/prod/sic/3rdPrintSmartSensors-v1.0.pdf
http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/books/edu/EODLogic-v1.0a.zip.zip
http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/books/edu/Web_EWRE%201.0a.zip.zip
http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/books/edu/BAADv1.3.pdf
http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/prod/sic/Web-PC-v1.0.pdf
http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/prod/sic/Signals.pdf
http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/books/edu/Roboticsv2_2.pdf
http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/books/edu/ic.pdf
Regards
Samuel
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Even if the books are dated the forest M. Mimms books are great, and a good source of information. i loved reading them and was disappointed when radioshack stoped selling them. next to components they were the best thing rat shack sold,
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I am a professional electronics engineer and I have used Mims' little books too. There's nothing really outdated about them. There will always be a need for 555's, quad NAND gates, 741 op amps, etc. , and the simple circuits based on them.
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The Forest M Mims III big book is back at Radio Shack ala new cover. Same ol' goodness inside. Didnt see the little books.
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A set of basic, free electronics textbooks on the Internet is at www.ibiblio.org/kuphaldt/electricCircuits/ (http://www.ibiblio.org/kuphaldt/electricCircuits/) Also, I like the book Practical Electronics for Inventors, by Paul Schertz. Both are these are pretty hard core, though.