IT ISN’T LIKE IT USED TO BE
It used to be that you learned electronics by playing around with resistors, capacitors, transistors, and other devices. You wired up simple circuits, built a one- or two-transistor radio, or even built a kit. But today electronics is so different that it is hard to do that anymore. Oh yes, you can still build little circuits and radios and other gadgets, but that is not how electronic products are made today. Electronic equipment today is made with integrated circuits or ICs that we also call chips. These chips are tightly packed on printed circuit boards with resistors and capacitors that you can barely see. It is more difficult than ever to experiment with these devices, much less troubleshoot and repair them. We are in that age of electronics where unless it is a big pricey piece of equipment, you throw a defective electronic product away and simply buy a newer and better one at a lower price.
But despite the complexity of today’s electronic products, there is some- thing just fascinating about them. Many of you actually want to know how they work. And despite their complexity, these products are actually understandable. It is possible to learn how these devices work without a whole lot of trouble. And you don’t have to learn all the math and physics required by engineers to do so. This book takes the basic ideas of electronics and reduces them down to the lowest common denominator and shows you how to use those fundamentals and apply them to all of the fabulous electronic gadgets you have today.