Customer Reviews

Build Your Own Electronics Workshop: Everything You Need to Design a Work Space, Use Test Equipment, Build and Troubleshoot Circuits (TAB Electronics Technician Library)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am an amature in electronics and have been waiting for this book to hit the book stores. I finally picked up a copy. I like the subjects covered. The content on at least some subjects leaves a little to be desired. There is a lot of verbal descriptiion but diagrams would have been helpful when discussing how to use controls on an oscilloscope, for instance. A fuzzy photo of an oscilloscope is shown, and then a detailed discussion is presented of how to use various dials, buttons and so on without any diagram showing where these controls are on the oscilloscope. Similar problems of what waveforms should look like without any diagrams, or photos of how they appear.
I am particularly concerned about the description of how to build your own waveform generator. A discussion of how to do this is given along with a parts list. A photo is then shown of the "assembled function generator". However, the photo shows that this is really a Canakit (www.canakit.com) funtion generator. No credit is given to Canakit for this photo and the Canakit does not appear to be the same assembled function generator as the one described in the text.
Unfortunately, the author does not wish to be contacted about any questions about what he has presented in this book, since he has given no method of contacting him. A brief search of the WEB did not show any way to contact him.
I realize that writing a book of this size and range of topics is quite a labor, and I will try to get any missing info from other sources.
Electonics amateur/hobbyist

This book has lots of useful information for the beginner and overall I enjoyed the content of the book. However, it could have been a great book if PCBs or wiring guide diagrams were provided for the construction projects provided throughout the book. This is detail the beginner requires. Perhaps this can be provided through downloads from the publishers site? In addition, I found some references to components, such as resistors and diodes for example, from some of the projects listings that could not be located in the accompanying schematic.

Overall, I found this to be a helpful book as I try to re-kindle my interest in electronics after many years away from the hobby. It contains much good information and a great deal of detail with respect to setting up a home electronics workshop. In addition to suggesting commercially available products it also offers plans and parts lists for home built testing equipment. It would have been more useful if the author had provided PCB diagrams for the various projects outlined or a least a source for these boards.

My major complaint is that the book needs some serious editing. I have not read the whole book yet, but I have come across several sentences that were clearly overlooked in the editing process. Parts of the book are needlessly repeated almost word for word from earlier sections. The whole book is in much need of a critical re-editing and corrections.

Apart from these problems I did find it a helpful and useful addition to my library of electronics books.

The book is more about doing electronics than how to build a work shop. He covers what insruments you need in the order of importance and how to build simple test equipment that you may need. In general there is a chapter about each major piece of test equipment and how to use it. There is a similer chapter on tools. The main concept is how to build new electronics and how to repair electronics. I think the equipment you need depends on what type of work you expect to do, thus some of the recommendations may not not apply to you. For example, you do not need a giga hertz range oscilliscope or signal generator if you are not working in the ultra high frequency range. The complexity of electronic equipment increases with the increased frequency involved. For a person new to electronics, I suggest that you begin with low or audio frequencies, and progress upward to about 5 megahertz first. Your equipment is much less expensive in that range, than much higher up.

First, it's a pretty heavy book, hundreds of pages. That's not necessarily bad except when the text goes on..and on...and on...and... Perhaps it's the typeface?
I'd have liked it better if the author had included a QUICK START chapter!

As an (unconscious) proofreader I found multiple errors as I skimmed the book,
both in the grammar, punctuation and in a few pictorials. I'd say it's probably a good book for Reference, but don't try to read it cover-to-cover as I usually like to do. I put it down after crawling through the first two chapters.

At about $15 or more it's overpriced; a better deal would've been $10.
Sorry I can't recommend an alternative off the top of my head, I know
there's more like this one out there.

Happy Reading!
-Criticatlarge

I know some about electronics,
but never studied electronics and was never really sure when i needed an oscilloscope or a frequency counter.
this books explains all that
great book for explaining test equipment
but i don't recommend it for beginners