Customer Reviews

How Electronic Things Work... And What to do When They Don't

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

 

 

I must admit I was a bit disappointed with this book. The first chapter is meant to be for complete beginners to electronics and it covers basic electronic components (resistors, capacitors, etc) but I don't think it was basic enough for a complete beginner. For example this capter mentions that you can use a multi-meter to test various components, but then it doesn't give you the step-by-step instructions on how to do it (i.e. what setting to put your multi-meter on and what values to look for).

The rest of the book continues in a similiar fashion; it's quite high-level and doesn't really delve into the nitty-gritty practical side of things that you need to know to make real repairs.

There is plenty of sound advice on how to trouble-shoot and what to look for to identify the problem, but then it falls down on the "how to fix it" side of things. This is probably because there's so many different electronic devices out there that the author can't possibly cover all of them in any real detail.

Coupled with a manufacturer's service manual for the item you want to repair and a good guide to practical electronics, this book may be of use to people that want a pointer as to where to start looking for the problem.

I must admit I was a bit disappointed with this book. The first chapter is meant to be for complete beginners to electronics and it covers basic electronic components (resistors, capacitors, etc) but I don't think it was basic enough for a complete beginner. For example this capter mentions that you can use a multi-meter to test various components, but then it doesn't give you the step-by-step instructions on how to do it (i.e. what setting to put your multi-meter on and what values to look for).

The rest of the book continues in a similiar fashion; it's quite high-level and doesn't really delve into the nitty-gritty practical side of things that you need to know to make real repairs.

There is plenty of sound advice on how to trouble-shoot and what to look for to identify the problem, but then it falls down on the "how to fix it" side of things. This is probably because there's so many different electronic devices out there that the author can't possibly cover all of them in any real detail.

Coupled with a manufacturer's service manual for the item you want to repair and a good guide to practical electronics, this book may be of use to people that want a pointer as to where to start looking for the problem.

I got this book from the library and have read the first 20 pages. I immediately ordered my own copy from Amazon. I agree with the first reviewer that the book is not for the beginner, but I have a rudimentary knowledge of electronics, and this is the best book on practical troubleshooting that I have seen. I couldn't put it down. The descriptions are vivid and compelling. I have not seen any inaccuracies thus far.
Highly recommended for someone with an intermediate knowledge of electronics who wants to go deeper.