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Electronics Explained: The New Systems Approach to Learning Electronics
A industry veteran gives readers the real scoop on electronic product fundamentals as they are today. This book touches upon TV, audio, satellite, radio, wireless communication, and networking.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 29, 2012
I wanted to be able to do one thing: Understand enough about electronics to take the fear out of trying to set up a solar panel/water heating system for a distant off-grid chicken coop. I've been trying to understand from my readings online what I needed to buy to accomplish such a thing, but I've been getting more and more hopelessly confused. Electronics Explained looked like just the book for me, and it turned it out it was.
I was a little scared to dive into the book, however, because I've never been very good at understanding charts and diagrams. Maybe I'm dyslexic, I don't know, but I was afraid that even Frenzel's simplified systems approach would be over my head. I was delighted to discover that I could get through the first two chapters actually understanding the material. Whenever my diagram phobia kicked in, I found that persisting and not moving on until I had overcome my own determination to be too stupid to understand it paid off handsomely. And there, in chapter 2, was the discussion of solar panels and battery types that I needed, all clearly explained. So now I feel more confident that I can accomplish my project.
One thing that's been holding me back is the generalist's fear of misunderstanding the specialist's vocabulary. I encountered early on a word (I think it was "conduction") that the author had not defined as he had other terms he'd used up to that point. Well, that almost made me stop reading because I thought I might not really know what this commonly used word means in the specialized context of electronics. Fortunately, a quick look in the index showed me that the topic wasn't going to be dealt with until later on in the book, so I was able to relax and tell myself that it didn't matter if I didn't understand it completely at that point. So far, everything I've looked for in the index has been there, which is always reassuring when learning new material.
Frenzel makes learning how various electronic circuits work enjoyable. The electromagnetic angle was a delightful discovery for me; for some reason (and with some happiness because things were starting to make sense to me), I thought of James Thurber's mother who "lived the latter years of her life in the horrible suspicion that electricity was dripping invisibly all over the house." I remember from my childhood Thurber's funny drawing of his mother, and I know I don't want to be like her!
I'm not going to say I've read the whole book beyond just skimming through all the different types of circuits. I got as far as the solar piece I was hoping to figure out, and there I quit. But this book looks to be a wonderful reference that I will consult on a need-to-know basis. Having gotten through enough of the material to be comfortable with the vocabulary, the basic concepts, and the visual indicators used in the diagrams, I no longer feel so clueless. I think Electronics Explained is well worth the investment of one's money and time.
I was a little scared to dive into the book, however, because I've never been very good at understanding charts and diagrams. Maybe I'm dyslexic, I don't know, but I was afraid that even Frenzel's simplified systems approach would be over my head. I was delighted to discover that I could get through the first two chapters actually understanding the material. Whenever my diagram phobia kicked in, I found that persisting and not moving on until I had overcome my own determination to be too stupid to understand it paid off handsomely. And there, in chapter 2, was the discussion of solar panels and battery types that I needed, all clearly explained. So now I feel more confident that I can accomplish my project.
One thing that's been holding me back is the generalist's fear of misunderstanding the specialist's vocabulary. I encountered early on a word (I think it was "conduction") that the author had not defined as he had other terms he'd used up to that point. Well, that almost made me stop reading because I thought I might not really know what this commonly used word means in the specialized context of electronics. Fortunately, a quick look in the index showed me that the topic wasn't going to be dealt with until later on in the book, so I was able to relax and tell myself that it didn't matter if I didn't understand it completely at that point. So far, everything I've looked for in the index has been there, which is always reassuring when learning new material.
Frenzel makes learning how various electronic circuits work enjoyable. The electromagnetic angle was a delightful discovery for me; for some reason (and with some happiness because things were starting to make sense to me), I thought of James Thurber's mother who "lived the latter years of her life in the horrible suspicion that electricity was dripping invisibly all over the house." I remember from my childhood Thurber's funny drawing of his mother, and I know I don't want to be like her!
I'm not going to say I've read the whole book beyond just skimming through all the different types of circuits. I got as far as the solar piece I was hoping to figure out, and there I quit. But this book looks to be a wonderful reference that I will consult on a need-to-know basis. Having gotten through enough of the material to be comfortable with the vocabulary, the basic concepts, and the visual indicators used in the diagrams, I no longer feel so clueless. I think Electronics Explained is well worth the investment of one's money and time.
May 10, 2012
Good overview of electronics
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews