Make:

Make: Easy Electronics - PDF

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This is the simplest, quickest, least technical, most affordable introduction to basic electronics EVER. No tools are necessary — not even a screwdriver. Easy Electronics should satisfy anyone who has felt frustrated by entry-level books that are not as clear and simple as they are supposed to be.

Brilliantly clear graphics will take you step by step through 12 basic projects, none of which should take more than half an hour. Using alligator clips to connect components, you see and hear immediate results. The hands-on approach is fun and intriguing, especially for family members exploring the projects together.

The 12 experiments will introduce you to switches, resistors, capacitors, transistors, phototransistors, LEDs, audio transducers, and a silicon chip. You'll even learn how to read schematics by comparing them with the circuits that you build.

No prior knowledge is required, and no math is involved. You learn by seeing, hearing, and touching. By the end of Experiment 12, you may be eager to move on to a more detailed book. Easy Electronics will function perfectly as a prequel to the same author's bestseller, Make: Electronics.

All the components listed in the book are inexpensive and readily available from online sellers. A very affordable kit has been developed in conjunction with the book to eliminate the chore of shopping for separate parts. A QR code inside the book will take you to the vendor's web site.

Concepts include:

  • Transistor as a switch or an amplifier
  • Phototransistor to function as an alarm
  • Capacitor to store and release electricity
  • Transducer to create sounds from a timer
  • Resistor codes
  • A miniature light bulb to display voltage
  • The inner workings of a switch
  • Using batteries and resistors in series and parallel
  • Creating sounds by the pressure of your finger
  • Making a matchbox that beeps when you touch it

    And more. Grab your copy and start experimenting! 

    About the Author
    Charles Platt is a contributing editor and regular columnist for Make: magazine, where he writes about electronics and tools. Platt was a senior writer for Wired magazine, has written various computer books, and has been fascinated by electronics since he put together a telephone answering machine from a tape recorder and military-surplus relays at age 15. He lives in a Northern Arizona wilderness area, where he has his own workshop for prototype fabrication and the projects that he writes about for Make: magazine.

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