Electronics the Easy Way [Paperback]

Rex Miller (Author), Mark R. Miller (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764119818 | ISBN-13: 978-0764119811 | Publication Date: September 8, 2002 | Edition: 4

This supplementary textbook for electrical engineering students will also prove enlightening to others who have an aptitude for working with electronic equipment. The authors present a complex subject in step-by-step fashion--literally guiding students through the easy way to understand electronics. This newly updated edition embraces the most recent developments in electronics. Opening with a chapter on the many available careers in the field, the authors continue with a review of the basic principles of electricity and electronics. Subsequent chapters explain semiconductors, audio amplifiers, stereo equipment, oscillators, transmitters, television, lasers and fiber optics, radar, computer hardware, and much more. The book is filled with informative line art and circuitry diagrams.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

A clear and easy approach to understanding electronics

Reviews basic principles of electricity and electronics

Describes many careers open in the field

Covers recent developments in electronics, including semiconductors; audio amplifiers and stereo equipment; oscillators; lasers and fiber optics; computer hardware and much more.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series; 4 edition (September 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764119818
• ISBN-13: 978-0764119811
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 7.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #345,696 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The content is there, if you can decipher it, December 17, 2004

By 

Richard Sim (Vancouver, BC, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Electronics the Easy Way (Paperback)

Straight off the bat I have to say that this book is quite poorly written, with sentences averaging around a dozen words all too often. I was constantly finding that the short sentences were interrupting the thought process as I read, making it hard to understand many of the concepts as they were being introduced and requring re-reading of paragraphs. Flicking through the book again, I'm noticing that the author uses very few commas, preferring instead to start new sentences as if they were bullet points in a list. Opening to a random page, a sample of this follows:
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The closed-loop op amp has feedback (see Figure 9-11). Feedback can be either positive or negative. Positive feedback reinforces the input signal. Properly adjusted for phase and ampliture, positive feedback can cause the amplifier to oscillate. A positive feedback loop is connected to the noninverting side of the input signal. This positive feedback loop increases the output of the circuit. The increase is caused because the input and output are in phase and the feedback in aiding the input and increasing its level of input to result in a greater output.
There is positive and negative feedback. Negative feedback can be used for a number of purposes. In this closed-loop op-amp circuit, it is used to increase the circuit stability and to reduce distortion. The negative feedback is 180° out of phase with the input signal. This cuts or drops the input signal. This reduces the output signal, and it has a better quality since some of the distortion was present in the uppoer peaks of the input signal.
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As this is the entire discussion of closed-loop op amps, I'd at least want a few diagrams to go along with it to show what affect some of these have on input/output signals - but you get nothing of the sort. The figure 9-11 that is mentioned is a basic schematic with an arrow pointing in the direction of feedback; which surprisingly enough is going in the reverse direction!
While this is a single example, it is a common problem throughout the book, with concepts mentioned once and never given a proper description, example, or diagram.

Aside from the short sentences and fairly frequent bad descriptions, I cannot say that I like the books organization in the beginning where the author tries to explain both AC and DC simultaneously. This adds a lot of overhead for the reader to keep separate while trying to understand even one of the concepts and is why most other books keep these two subjects very separate in the early stages.

Considering that I bought this book as a refresher for electronics and already knew most of the concepts it introduced in the first third-to-half, I cannot see how someone that is completely new to the subject will be able fare well using this book as a guide. As other reviewers have said here, using this book along with several others is probably the only way you'll get much out of it, but if you're going to do that you're probably better off just buying a better book to start with.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good beginning electronics book, September 1, 2001

By 

"robzilla_lv" (Las Vegas Nv) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Electronics the Easy Way (Barron's Easy Way) (Paperback)

This is an excellent book for basic electronics. I have about a dozen books on basic electronics and this is probably the best written out of them. It is written for an individual with no electronics experience that wishes to learn on his or her own. It is not a textbook and does not go past basic theory, but it does cover the theory of operation of several appliances such as; Television, VCR?s, audio cassettes, Compact Disks and radio. It does have a small amount of math that is well explained.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars easy ya buddy, August 23, 2000

By 

Bruce Kurth (Milwaukee, Wi) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Electronics the Easy Way (Barron's Easy Way) (Paperback)

A very easy read for those interested in learning basic electronics without attending a school. Very easy to read and understand. Review exercises are excellent.