Hands-On Electronics: A Practical Introduction to Analog and Digital Circuits [Hardcover]

Daniel M. Kaplan (Author), Christopher G. White (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 23, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0521815363 | ISBN-13: 978-0521815369

Packed full of real circuits to build and test, Hands-on Electronics is an unique introduction to analog and digital electronics theory and practice. Ideal for teaching and self-study, the book's friendly style, clear illustrations and construction details encourage rapid and effective learning of analog and digital circuit design theory. All the major topics are covered including RC circuits, diodes, transistors, op-amps, oscillators, TTL logic, counters, D/A converters and more. It explains how to use the equipment needed for the examples (oscilloscope, multimeter and breadboard) together with pin-out diagrams and manufacturers' specifications for all the key components referred to in the book.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

Packed full of real circuits to build and test, Hands-on Electronics is a unique introduction to analog and digital electronics theory and practice. Ideal both as a college textbook and for self-study, the friendly style, clear illustrations and construction details included encourage rapid and effective learning of analog and digital circuit design theory. All major topics for a typical one semester course are covered, together with instructions for using the equipment needed (oscilloscope, multimeter and breadboard) and manufacturers' specifications for key components referred to in the book.

About the Author

Daniel M. Kaplan received his Ph.D. in Physics in 1979 from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He has taught electronics laboratory courses for non-electrical-engineering majors over a fifteen-year period at Northern Illinois University and at the Illinois Institute of Technology, where he is currently Professor of Physics and Director of the Center for Accelerator and Particle Physics.

Christopher G. White graduated with a degree in Engineering Physics from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign in 1986. He received his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Minnesota in 1990 and is currently an Assistant Professor of Physics at the Illinois Institute of Technology. He is an enthusiastic and dedicated teacher who consistently receives high marks from his students.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 226 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (June 23, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521815363
• ISBN-13: 978-0521815369
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,389,469 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Impractical for the hobbyist, November 3, 2006

By 

Brian Lamure "Byte Head" (Seattle, WA - USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Hands-On Electronics: A Practical Introduction to Analog and Digital Circuits (Paperback)

This book is well thought out, organized, and thorough. It provides excellent hands-on exercises that help you to really understand in a functional way how electronics work. The mathematical explanations and exercises may be challenging to folks who haven't used their college calculus/algebra/trig skills in a while (me included) - though they will serve those seeking to understand the underlying fundamental calculations.

With all those positives, why a 3 star rating? Well, the book assumes that you have ready access to a ~$1,000 oscilloscope and a ~$500 proto-typing bread board. On top of that, you need all of the bits and pieces to actually do the experiments - those are relatively cheap, but not always readily available (at a local store). All of the required equipment and supplies can be obtained on-line, but it will take a concerted effort, a chunk of cash, and some lead time to get all of this stuff. There are alternatives to the expensive oscilloscope and proto-board, but this path requires some assumed additional knowledge and may prove challenging as it deviates from the proscribed curriculum.

My final thought on this book is that it is quite excellent in a classroom / lab setting, but is not very "practical" for the hobbyist.