Timer, Op Amp, and Optoelectronic Circuits & Projects [Paperback]

Forrest M. Mims III (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2004 | ISBN-10: 0945053290 | ISBN-13: 978-0945053293 | Edition: 1

This Engineer's Mini Notebook features more than two dozen 555 timer circuits that you can build, 50 operational amplifier (OpAmp) circuits, and a wide range of optoelectronic circuits and projects, including many LED and lightwave circuits. This is a compilation of three of Mims's best-selling notebooks: 555 Timer IC Circuits; OpAmp Projects; and Optoelectronics.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Forrest M. Mims, III, has written dozens of books, hundreds of articles, invented scientific devices, and travelled to the Amazon for NASA. He loves to share his knowledge with eager students!

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Master Publishing, Inc.; 1 edition (February 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0945053290
• ISBN-13: 978-0945053293
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,016 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Thanks very much to Amazon's reviewers or for their kind comments about my books. "Getting Started in Electronics," which has sold more than 1.3 million copies, seems to have received the most attention, so I'll comment on it here.

The book was developed during a 58-day marathon session of laying out the book and then drawing/printing the pages with a 0.7 mm mechanical pencil. It was then necessary to develop and test each of the 100 circuits. Each circuit was built and tested at least three times to avoid errors. The final round of tests was done directly from the hand-lettered text. The problem with the final testing was that many of the circuits could be built from memory without referring to the circuit diagrams in the book. This, of course, could have allowed errors to slip through. So it was necessary to check off each connection to make sure the book version was correctly reassembled from scratch.

This was the first Radio Shack book that was entirely hand-lettered. Dave Gunzel, then Radio Shack's technical editor, decided it was time for a fully hand-lettered book, and I was glad to oblige. "Engineer's Notebook," which preceded "Getting Started in Electronics," was introduced with several typed pages before full hand lettering was begun. It was Dave's idea to introduce these books, which eventually led to the "Engineer's Mini-Notebook" series. Dave used to witness science entries in my hand-lettered lab notebooks, and those notebooks triggered his idea for me to do the hand-lettered books.

A full list of my books, scientific papers, magazine articles and newspaper columns is at www.forrestmims.org. My scholarly history of Hawaii's Mauna Loa Observatory will be published by the University of Hawaii Press. I am planning a popular version of the Mauna Loa Observatory book and a memoir about my work as a serious amateur scientist.

Forrest M. Mims III
www.forrestmims.org

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Makes you remember why you wanted to be an engineer December 5, 2005

By calvinnme HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

I simply love this little book. Reading it has made me remember why I wanted to become an engineer in the first place - to build circuits that do cool and interesting tasks. You just don't see books like this anymore. Since the standardization of computing hardware, most engineering books are written at a very high level and do not have anything to say on circuitry that is readable by someone without a master's degree. That's where this book comes in. In less than 130 pages and for only $13 this book contains easy-to-read instructions on the construction of dozens of interesting yet simple circuits. The author even manages to make the 555-timer device, which is perhaps the simplest of all IC's, the centerpiece of dozens of interesting circuits. Each circuit requires only a page or two of information which includes complete schematic instructions and some notes on what the circuit does and why it is useful. Circuit assembly tips and pin-outs of IC's are included. I think what I liked best about this book was its section on optoelectronics. In simple language the author describes lenses and optical fibers, and then goes on to describe simple circuits that use the power of light to perform practical tasks. Since it is presented in "engineer's notebook" format, there is not much in the way of theory presented in this book. It is really good for students who are maybe thinking about a career path in engineering and would like to get a taste of what circuit design is about. However, even if you are a practicing engineer, I think that you will find the circuits in this little book both useful and entertaining. I highly recommend it.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Should Have Been a Part of His Engineer's Notebook January 19, 2005

By PeterB.

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

It is unfortunate the info and backround presented in this book is missing from his 'Engineer's Notebook'. His books seem to always overlap some of the same circuits. Sometimes I feel the publisher has him thin out info to sell more titles. His 'Circuit Scrapbook' should have remained his scrapbook. It has typos, incomplete info and contradicts his other statements using the same IC's and circuits. As a result, some circuits do not work as described or not at all. I've purchased about all his books dating from 1980 so I feel I have a good perception of his work. Sometimes I feel I have paid twice for the same info/circuits because of this duplication. This book is a good one but should have been included in his 'Engineer's Notebook'

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars technician/teacher July 23, 2011

By D. Appert

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is definitely for beginners. There's little or no theory but the explanations of how-to-do-it were useful. I think anyone could do the projects but I doubt they would learn much theory. They would however, learn some skills and terminology that could be useful as the novice grows in knowledge. I think this book has the potential of getting someone interested in electronics without any threatening math and theory to scare them away. If you are beyond beginners status in electronics this book has little to offer beyond what could be a few useful circuits. There is no explanation of how the circuits actually work but they do tell you what they are for.