HN, what are your recommendations for strategies, books, projects, etc. to learn this stuff?
A year ago I enrolled in my local community college’s Electronics 101 course, which meant resistors, voltage, current, capacitors, and inductors. And voltmeters and power supplies.
Six months ago I took Elec 102, which are transformers, diodes, AC to DC rectification, transformers, and, voila, transistors.
Next step: microcontrollers, sensors, and relays.
Future: relearn imaginary exponents and Euler.
It’s a _big_ field!
But I would recommend as a next step is to find a component that is more complex than an LED or Switch and with relatively good Arduino libraries (e.g., a 2x16 LCD screen) and try to write your own driver for it (e.g., a library that does all of the handling of the IO pins), using the data sheet of the component to figure out how to use the IO pins. Feel free to look at the Arduino library source code (or libraries for other languages).
I have done the same, using Rust and a Feather M0[1] and am now finding it easier to look at the datasheet of the more complicated ATSAMD21[2] microprocessor.
https://www.reddit.com/r/PUBATTLEGROUNDS/comments/9q4rph/hea...
Other projects that are in the queue:
Similar to the first but with a sensor on the headset- https://www.hackster.io/news/easily-add-head-tracking-for-an...
Overhead Garage Door status indicator lights- https://www.instructables.com/id/Yet-Another-Garage-Door-Sta...
Roomba Virtual Wall- https://github.com/MKme/Roomba/blob/master/Arduino%20Code/Ro...
You don't need lots of parts and most are inexpensive, for the soldering gun and holder I got those at harbor freight, I order all the other parts off amazon. I did buy one of elecrontics part kits with lots of small components and a few breadboards.
https://www.adafruit.com/ is a good place to go for information, parts, and excellent service.
https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/teensy31.html https://www.amazon.com/s?k=basic+electronics+kit+for+breadbo...