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Gordon McComb
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Electronics For Dummies 1st Edition

by Gordon McComb (Author), Earl Boysen (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars (150)
Want to hook up your home theater system?

Want to fix it so your garage band rocks the neighborhood?

Want to solder the faulty wire on your old phonograph so you can play those 60s albums you’ve kept all this time?

Whether you’re a do-it-yourselfer , hobbyist, or student , this book will turn you on to real-world electronics. It quickly covers the essentials, and then focuses on the how-to instead of theory. It covers:

  • Fundamental concepts such as circuits, schematics, voltage, safety, and more
  • Tools of the trade, including multimeters, oscilloscopes, logic probes, and more
  • Common electronic components (e.g. resistors, capacitors, transistors)
  • Making circuits using breadboards and printed circuit boards
  • Microcontrollers (implementation and programming)

Author Gordon McComb has more than a million copies of his books in print, including his bestselling Robot Builder’s Bonanza and VCRs and Camcorders For Dummies. He really connects with readers! With lots of photos and step-by-step explanations, this book will have you connecting electronic components in no time! In fact, it includes fun ideas for great projects you can build in 30 minutes or less. You’ll be amazed! Then you can tackle cool robot projects that will amaze your friends! (The book gives you lots to choose from.)

Students will find this a great reference and supplement to the typical dry, dull textbook. So whether you just want to bone up on electronics or want to get things hooked up, souped up, or fixed up,…whether you’re interested in fixing old electronic equipment, understanding guitar fuzz amps, or tinkering with robots, Electronics For Dummies is your quick connection to the stuff you need to know.

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  1. ISBN-10
    0764576607
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0764576607
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publisher
    For Dummies
  5. Publication date
    February 4, 2005
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    7.4 x 0.9 x 9.28 inches
  8. Print length
    432 pages
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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Begin having fun with electronics projects right away

Explore the basic concepts of electronics, build your electronics workbench, and create cool projects

Wish you could fix that faulty doorbell, hook up a motion detector, or maybe build your very own robot? This book will really get you charged up! It won't make you an electrician, but it covers the basics, choosing and using tools, and how to build more than a dozen really cool, inexpensive gizmos. You'll be shocked at how easy it is!

Discover how to

  • Master electricity basics
  • Fill up your electronics parts bin
  • Read circuit schematics
  • Test circuits with multimeters
  • Design your own printed circuit boards
  • Build robots and program their actions

About the Author

Gordon McComb has penned 60 books and over a thousand magazine articles. More than a million copies of his books are in print, in over a dozen languages. For 13 years, Gordon wrote a weekly syndicated newspaper column on personal computers. When not writing about hobby electronics and other fun topics, he serves as a consultant on digital cinema to several notable Hollywood clients.

Earl Boysen is an engineer who, after 20 years in the computer-chip industry, decided to slow down and move to a quiet town in Washington. Earl lives in a house he built with a wonderful lady and finds that he is as busy as ever with teaching, writing, house building, and acting.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ For Dummies
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 4, 2005
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0764576607
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0764576607
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.4 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.4 x 0.9 x 9.28 inches
  • Best Sellers Rank: #280,226 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars (150)

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Gordon McComb

Gordon McComb

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Gordon McComb has written more than 65 books and thousands of magazine articles—more than a million copies of his books are in print, in more than a dozen languages. He’s has been called "The godfather of hobby robotics" by MAKE Magazine.

For 13 years, Gordon wrote a weekly syndicated newspaper column on computers, which reached several million readers worldwide. He has been a regular contributor to SERVO Magazine, and most recently completed seven years as writer of their popular Robotics Resources column.

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
150 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book easy to understand and appreciate its introduction to electronic components, with one customer noting it covers all the way from the basics. The book receives positive feedback for its value, with one customer mentioning it's cheaper than a college electronics course. Customers find the book readable, with one noting it kept them interested enough to continue reading.

Select to learn more

Knowledge levelIntroductionEase of understandingReadabilityValue for money
12 customers mention "Knowledge level"11 positive1 negative

Customers appreciate the book's knowledge level, finding it practical and useful, with one customer noting it helps with understanding electronics.

"The information in this book is easy to understand and very helpful. I would recommend this to anyone." Read more

"Electronics for Dummies..." Read more

"good for dummies, like me......" Read more

"...easy read and covers very basic electronics principles, parts id, bench tools, multimeters, choosing an oscilloscope etc...." Read more

9 customers mention "Introduction"8 positive1 negative

Customers appreciate the book's introduction to electronic components and basic concepts, with one customer noting its comprehensive coverage from fundamentals to more advanced topics.

"Having decided to give DIY audio a try, this book is a good introduction in how to get started without injuring yourself." Read more

"Electronics for dummies is an easy read and covers very basic electronics principles, parts id, bench tools, multimeters, choosing an oscilloscope..." Read more

"...It covers everything from the how and why of electronic components (parts) and circuits (parts connected together to perform a desired result) to..." Read more

"This book talks about the physical description of electronic components but doesn't get into circuit theory. xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxx" Read more

8 customers mention "Ease of understanding"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to understand and read.

"As always, appreciate the way these people make any subject fun and comprehensible...." Read more

"...the "dummies" series books are in my opinion very helpful and simple to understand." Read more

"...It's easy to read, and kept me interested enought to read on. The projects look very interesting, and I am working on starting them...." Read more

"The information in this book is easy to understand and very helpful. I would recommend this to anyone." Read more

3 customers mention "Readability"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read, with one mentioning it kept them interested enough to continue reading.

"Fun to read and cheaper than a college electronics course and just as educational, without listening to somebody else's stupid questions." Read more

"...It's easy to read, and kept me interested enought to read on. The projects look very interesting, and I am working on starting them...." Read more

"As always, appreciate the way these people make any subject fun and comprehensible...." Read more

3 customers mention "Value for money"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book offers good value for money, with one customer noting it's cheaper than a college electronics course and another mentioning it's a great buy for beginners.

"...I think this is a great buy for beginners if you want to know what to do to not blow things up on accident." Read more

"Fun to read and cheaper than a college electronics course and just as educational, without listening to somebody else's stupid questions." Read more

"...Learning about the multimeter was a valuble chapter. This would be a great book for getting a basic understanding of electronics." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • TechToo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Practical & Understandable
    Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2005
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    This is the perfect book for gaining an understanding of the basics and the buzz words of today's electronic world. It covers everything from the how and why of electronic components (parts) and circuits (parts connected together to perform a desired result) to symbols, schematic reading, meter and oscilloscope use, tools, and more. Did you know that a choke, coil, and inductor are all the same physical component and why it's referred to with 3 different names? "Electronics for Dummies" is a book less on theory and more on practical. It includes breadboarding, creating projects and printed circuit boards--from 30-minute projects to a basic microcontrolled robot--all clearly explained and easily understood. After finishing this book, you won't be a rocket scientist, but you certainly will have a basic understanding of electronics--enough to gain a confidence for further study or enough to be an informed component in today's world of circuits.
    37 people found this helpful
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  • Frederick J. Maess
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great beginner book
    Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2025
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    I’ve learned so much from this book. It lays everything out in simple easy to understand terms.
    Helpful
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  • zipzipinc
    4.0 out of 5 stars Easy read, basic introduction
    Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2013
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Electronics for dummies is an easy read and covers very basic electronics principles, parts id, bench tools, multimeters, choosing an oscilloscope etc. Some easy fun circuit construction to get you started towards the end. If your interested in electronics and who isn't these days, or just like to fix things then this is a book for you.
    Helpful
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  • Stephen C. Ziembicki
    5.0 out of 5 stars electronics for dummies
    Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2009
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    I always wanted to explore and experiment with electronics, so I picked up this book. It's easy to read, and kept me interested enought to read on. The projects look very interesting, and I am working on starting them. Learning about the multimeter was a valuble chapter. This would be a great book for getting a basic understanding of electronics.
    3 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • e. l. jacobson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Electronics for Dummies
    Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2013
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    As always, appreciate the way these people make any subject fun and comprehensible. It amazes me that all the books in the "Dummies" series are always so well done.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Edith R. Church
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not much theory in this book
    Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2012
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    This book talks about the physical description of electronic components but doesn't get into circuit theory. xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxx
    Helpful
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  • Ray Chapman
    5.0 out of 5 stars Elactronics for Dummies
    Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2013
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Fun to read and cheaper than a college electronics course and just as educational, without listening to somebody else's stupid questions.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • ISaidThat
    2.0 out of 5 stars A nice overview, but ultimately too superficial for me...
    Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2005
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Overall, I did not like this book, but that doesn't mean that there aren't those to whom it might be helpful. Certainly some of the other reviewers found it helpful, so if you're convinced that you'll never be able to do anything with electronics at all, or you've found all other books to be confusing from the first, then maybe start here. Or if you just want to know how to read, but not analyze or understand, a schematic and how to solder, this book is a good choice. If you're pretty self-confident and want to actually understand how circuits work, then you probably won't find this book helpful. I was looking for something that would teach me to understand the workings of simple circuits and, ultimately, to get me on my way towards designing and altering existing ones. The author did a good job of introducing the basic concepts behind common electrical components. Certainly, I hadn't known what a piezoelectric was, that an LED was a semiconductor, or even what a semiconductor was. I did know Ohm's Law and found his coverage of it cursory, especially since he never gave any reason to use it. Those who don't like algebra will be able to skip his explanation and just use the formulas he's derived -- although, again, he doesn't actually provide any reason to ever use the formulas. His introduction to electronic components was well done. Aside from one or two isolated examples, however, rather than explaining to you how those components might be used and the principles behind their use in circuits, he instead proceeded to give you instructions on how to make very specific gadgets. While you could build those gadgets as per his instructions, the book didn't provide the means to understand how the more interesting of them functioned. At best, these projects might give you some soldering practice and probably the ability to put together pre-designed kits from schematics, but not the means to actually understand the workings of any circuit more complicated than simple series or parallel lightbulbs. If you know absolutely nothing about electricity, then this book might be helpful, but if you've even taken college physics, look elsewhere first. I would recommend considering another book or a searching for an online electronics tutorial. Backtrack to this book only if:

    1. you find another book geared towards beginners to be too difficult.

    2. you find the qualitative descriptions of the components in another book confusing.

    3. you can't decide what type of solder or soldering iron you should get.

    In cases such as those, this book might be helpful, but probably not otherwise.
    38 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Berg
    1.0 out of 5 stars Not helpful
    Reviewed in Canada on February 19, 2014
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Once you've finished this book you'll know what components do and lots of useless information about them but you still won't know how to put a circuit together beyond the battery/lamp stage.
    Report
  • Tony Cardall
    4.0 out of 5 stars Kindle version and why I didn’t give it a 5
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 5, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    As a complete novice I found this book extremely useful. It explains electricity and electronic logic in a simple, easy to understand way. BUT! I wish I had bought a hard copy instead of the Kindle version. On Kindle every time a word appeared in italics it is joined to adjoining words. Normally this might not be a problem but when the italicised text is used for technical names and they are joined to another word it becomes a little difficult. If only a little time had been taken to quality control the transfer to Kindle text.
    Other than that, brilliant book.
    Report
  • Matt W
    5.0 out of 5 stars A comprehensive book for getting started with electronics
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 1, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I have recently decided to learn about electronics after doing amateur programming for the past few years with the goal of using Arduino and the like to design some basic robots and the like. This book is great to understand the principles of electronics but if you are intending to use a Raspberry pi or Arduino or similar then I would also recommend getting a book that specialises on covering those as well, which is what I have done. The book features quite a few example circuits at the end as well which is handy
    Report
  • Regular Buyer
    1.0 out of 5 stars Kindle version isn't spell checked (or has formatting errors)...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 6, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    In the kindle version someone didn't do their job of spell checking, resulting in 5% of all the words in the book not being separated by [space]. meaning that every couple of sentences you'll come across two words that are 'welded together', making for a very frustrating read. Kindle version is basically a broken product :/
    Report
  • Carol Small
    1.0 out of 5 stars Avoid Kindle Edition If You Want Spaces Between Words
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 29, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Spaces between words are kinda nice; and legible diagrams would also be helpful, especially in a book on electronics.
    Report