Hacker News Reader

Comment by criddell | Hacker News Reader

I'm very tempted to buy this, but I know it would just be another hobby that I don't have time for. Even if I could afford to be retired, I doubt I would have enough time to explore all the things that interest me.

View on HN

Yup... I have "The Art of Electronics" megatome sitting right next to this keyboard I'm typing on. Will I have time to open it up this month? Maybe to wistfully flip through it, right before I go to bed. Otherwise, probably not.

That book -- I tried reading it. It's ... well, hard to stay focused. Ended up just now getting "Learning the Art of Electronics: A Hands-On Lab Course," its student manual companion, in the hopes that I'll be able to follow both easier than just one alone. :)

I have an earlier edition of "The Art of Electronics" and I'm wondering how different the latest edition is. That said, I rarely open it so it probably doesn't really matter anyway.

I've done only one electronics project since my electronics course in undergrad. I keep meaning to do more, but I never get around to it.

I bought the new one on the basis of the sample chapter that is available to download at any number of places. It's a much much better book in terms of readability and structure, and has a lot of additional content compared to the previous edition. A lot has happened in electronics since 1989. I recommend you go read the sample chapter and decide accordingly.

To be clear, though, it doesn't cover software, or what you'd need for Arduino-based projects. But it has quite a few sections at the end for micro-processor based projects and communication protocols, etc. I found it to be a good starting point for definitions or ideas, and to then head to the internet for more details.

There's also: Ladyada interview with Paul Horowitz - The Art of Electronics ... http://youtu.be/iCI3B5eT9NA

Thanks for the info. I'm not worried about software. I've done enough low-level programming for that to be not a problem. I'm knowledgeable enough about electronics, what I need most of all is a good reference which is why I have the earlier edition.

Thanks!

The lab manual is definitely the way to go, especially if you have a good circuit simulator available.

And doing it with real components and equipment is pretty cheap now.

me too!

Any of you doing that might try Malvino's Electronic Principles. An EE recommended it to me as explaining the stuff better than most with some practical advice mixed in. Got a relevant edition for under $3 on Amazon. Finally understand quite a few things.

Still suffers from general problem with electronics books where I hardly know where to start on building real things. People have been recommending Chris Gammel's courses or certain kits for that, though.

In that case, do you suppose that the value of reading about the hobby is worth $15 to you? There is perhaps pleasure to be had just reading about it and dreaming about it.

Oh absolutely. The six-foot tall stack of books in my to-read pile attests to that.

You should probably split it into two three-foot tall stacks.

Well if you're looking to donate, Equality Florida is on the Humble Bundle charity roster. They're collecting for and helping distribute money to Pulse victims and their families.

http://www.eqfl.org/ https://www.gofundme.com/PulseVictimsFund

buy it anyway. it's for a good cause

Reply on news.ycombinator.com