Learning circuit design the fun way
Welcome to the world of electronics!
Getting started in electronics is not as difficult as you may think. Using this book, you will explore and learn the most important electrical and electronics engineering concepts in a fun way by doing various experiments and by simulating circuits. It will teach you electronics practically without getting into complex technical jargon and long calculations. As a result, you will be creating your own projects soon.
No prior knowledge of electronics is required, only some basic algebra is used in a few simple calculations. Many tested and working projects and simulations are presented to familiarise yourself with the construction of electronic circuits. Circuit simulation is introduced at an early stage to enable you to experiment with circuits easily without breaking anything.
You will learn:
The concepts of voltage, current, and power
AC and DC
Basic lamp circuits with switches
Passive components: resistors, capacitors & inductors
RC & RCL circuits
Electromagnetism
Loudspeakers, relays, buzzers, and transformers
Active components: diodes & LEDs, bipolar transistors & MOSFETs
Transistor-based switching circuits
Optocoupler circuits
Astable & monostable multivibrators
Using the 555 timer IC
The operational amplifier
Digital logic
Advanced examples: amplifiers, oscillators, filters, and sensors
Test and measurement tools
Microcontrollers: Arduino UNO, ESP32, Raspberry Pi Pico, and Raspberry Pi
Reading datasheets and best practices for selecting components
EMC & EMI and norms & regulations
Getting started in electronics is not as difficult as you may think. With this bundle (book + kit of parts), you can explore and learn the most important electrical and electronics engineering concepts in a fun way by doing various experiments. You will learn electronics practically without getting into complex technical jargon and long calculations. As a result, you will be creating your own projects soon.
This kit contains the components required to build most of the detailed examples of the book on a breadboard and try them out for real.
The kit can, of course, also be used without the book for building other circuits and doing your own experiments.
Kit contents
1x 39 Ω, 1 W resistor
1x 47 Ω resistor
1x 180 Ω resistor
1x 330 Ω resistor
3x 1 kΩ resistor
1x 2.2 kΩ resistor
1x 3.9 kΩ resistor
1x 6.8 kΩ resistor
1x 10 kΩ resistor
1x 15 kΩ resistor
1x 22 kΩ resistor
1x 33 kΩ resistor
1x 47 kΩ resistor
1x 56 kΩ resistor
1x 82 kΩ resistor
1x 120 kΩ resistor
1x 680 kΩ resistor
2x 100 kΩ resistor
1x 10 kΩ trimmer
1x 10 kΩ linear potentiometer
1x 100 kΩ linear potentiometer
1x LDR
1x 1 nF ceramic capacitor
2x 10 nF ceramic capacitor
1x 100 nF ceramic capacitor
1x 1 µF, 25 V aluminium electrolytic capacitor
2x 10 µF, 25 V aluminium electrolytic capacitor
1x 100 µF, 25 V aluminium electrolytic capacitor
1x 470 µF, 25 V aluminium electrolytic capacitor
1x 1000 µF, 25 V aluminium electrolytic capacitor
1x RGB LED, Common-Cathode (CC)
1x 1N4148 small signal diode
1x 1N4733A 5.1 V, 1 W Zener diode
3x LED, red
2x BC337 NPN transistor
1x IRFZ44N N-channel MOSFET
2x NE555 timer
1x LM393 comparator
1x 74HCT08 quad AND gate
3x Tactile switch
2x SPDT switch
1x Relay, SPDT, 9 VDC
1x Active buzzer
1x Passive buzzer
50 cm Solid wire, 16 AWG, unjacketed
2x PP3 9 V battery clip
1x Breadboard
20x Jumper wire
This bundle contains:
Practical Electronics Crash Course Kit (valued at: €45)
Book: Practical Electronics Crash Course (normal price: €45)
Learning circuit design the fun way
Welcome to the world of electronics!
Getting started in electronics is not as difficult as you may think. Using this book, you will explore and learn the most important electrical and electronics engineering concepts in a fun way by doing various experiments and by simulating circuits. It will teach you electronics practically without getting into complex technical jargon and long calculations. As a result, you will be creating your own projects soon.
No prior knowledge of electronics is required, only some basic algebra is used in a few simple calculations. Many tested and working projects and simulations are presented to familiarise yourself with the construction of electronic circuits. Circuit simulation is introduced at an early stage to enable you to experiment with circuits easily without breaking anything.
You will learn:
The concepts of voltage, current, and power
AC and DC
Basic lamp circuits with switches
Passive components: resistors, capacitors & inductors
RC & RCL circuits
Electromagnetism
Loudspeakers, relays, buzzers, and transformers
Active components: diodes & LEDs, bipolar transistors & MOSFETs
Transistor-based switching circuits
Optocoupler circuits
Astable & monostable multivibrators
Using the 555 timer IC
The operational amplifier
Digital logic
Advanced examples: amplifiers, oscillators, filters, and sensors
Test and measurement tools
Microcontrollers: Arduino UNO, ESP32, Raspberry Pi Pico, and Raspberry Pi
Reading datasheets and best practices for selecting components
EMC & EMI and norms & regulations
3rd Edition – Fully updated for Raspberry Pi 4
The Raspberry Pi is a very cheap but complete computer system that allows all sorts of electronics parts and extensions to be connected. This book addresses one of the strongest aspects of the Raspberry Pi: the ability to combine hands-on electronics and programming.
Combine hands-on electronics and programming
After a short introduction to the Raspberry Pi you proceed with installing the required software. The SD card that can be purchased in conjunction with this book contains everything to get started with the Raspberry Pi. At the side of the (optional) Windows PC, software is used which is free for downloading. The book continues with a concise introduction to the Linux operating system, after which you start programming in Bash, Python 3 and Javascript. Although the emphasis is on Python, the coverage is brief and to the point in all cases – just enabling you to grasp the essence of all projects and start adapting them to your requirements. All set, you can carry on with fun projects.
The book is ideal for self-study
No fewer than 45 exciting and compelling projects are discussed and elaborated in detail. From a flashing lights to driving an electromotor; from processing and generating analog signals to a lux meter and a temperature control. We also move to more complex projects like a motor speed controller, a web server with CGI, client-server applications and Xwindows programs.
Each project has details of the way it got designed that way
The process of reading, building, and programming not only provides insight into the Raspberry Pi, Python, and the electronic parts used, but also enables you to modify or extend the projects any way you like. Also, feel free to combine several projects into a larger design.
Analogue Electronics and Microcontrollers ProjectsHobbyist electronics can be a fun way to learn new skills that can be helpful to your career. Those who understand the basics of electronics can design their own circuits and projects. However, before you run, you need to learn to walk.It all starts with analogue electronics. You should be familiar with the simple components and circuits and understand their basic behaviors and the issues you may encounter. The best way to do this is through real experiments. Theory alone is not enough. This book offers a large number of practical entry-level circuits, with which everyone can gain the basic experience.Through the widespread introduction of microcontrollers, a new chapter in electronics has begun. Microcontrollers are now performing more and more tasks that were originally solved using discrete components and conventional ICs. Starting out has become easier and easier thanks to platforms including Bascom, Arduino, micro:bit. The book introduces numerous manageable microcontroller applications. It’s now a case of less soldering and more programming.
3rd Edition – Fully updated for Raspberry Pi 4
The Raspberry Pi is a very cheap but complete computer system that allows all sorts of electronics parts and extensions to be connected. This book addresses one of the strongest aspects of the Raspberry Pi: the ability to combine hands-on electronics and programming.
Combine hands-on electronics and programming
After a short introduction to the Raspberry Pi you proceed with installing the required software. The SD card that can be purchased in conjunction with this book contains everything to get started with the Raspberry Pi. At the side of the (optional) Windows PC, software is used which is free for downloading. The book continues with a concise introduction to the Linux operating system, after which you start programming in Bash, Python 3 and Javascript. Although the emphasis is on Python, the coverage is brief and to the point in all cases – just enabling you to grasp the essence of all projects and start adapting them to your requirements. All set, you can carry on with fun projects.
The book is ideal for self-study
No fewer than 45 exciting and compelling projects are discussed and elaborated in detail. From a flashing lights to driving an electromotor; from processing and generating analog signals to a lux meter and a temperature control. We also move to more complex projects like a motor speed controller, a web server with CGI, client-server applications and Xwindows programs.
Each project has details of the way it got designed that way
The process of reading, building, and programming not only provides insight into the Raspberry Pi, Python, and the electronic parts used, but also enables you to modify or extend the projects any way you like. Also, feel free to combine several projects into a larger design.
Space, the final frontier, will become more and more popular. The space industry is continually growing and new products and services will be required. Innovation is needed for the development of this industry. Today it is no longer possible to follow all the events in field of space. The space market is growing and activities are increasing, especially the market for small-satellites.
This book wants to help close the gap and encourage electronic engineers to enter into the fascinating field of space electronics. One of the main difficulties is finding people with knowledge of space electronics design. Nowadays companies have to invest a lot of time and resources to instruct electronic engineers with no experience of space. Only a brief and basic introduction of this topic is typically achieved at university in space engineering lectures. Professionals with practical experience and the necessary theoretical knowledge are scarce. Companies from the space sector are searching for staff with knowledge of space electronics.
This book will bring space closer aspiring to the space electronic hobbyists.
The full-color, spiral-bound SIK guidebook (included) contains step-by-step instructions with circuit diagrams and hookup tables for building each project and circuit with the included parts. Full example code is provided, new concepts and components are explained at the point of use, and troubleshooting tips offer assistance if something goes wrong.
The kit does not require any soldering and is recommended for beginners ages 10 and up looking for an Arduino starter kit. For SIK version 4.1, Sparkfun took an entirely different approach to teaching embedded electronics. In previous versions of the SIK, each circuit focused on introducing a new piece of technology. With SIK v4.1, components are introduced in the context of the circuit you are building. Each circuit builds upon the last, leading up to a project that incorporates all of the components and concepts introduced throughout the guide. With new parts and a completely new strategy, even if you've used the SIK before, you're in for a brand-new experience!
The SIK V4.1 includes the Redboard Qwiic, which allows you to expand into the SparkFun Qwiic ecosystem after becoming proficient with the SIK circuits. The SparkFun Qwiic Connect System is an ecosystem of I²C sensors, actuators, shields and cables that make prototyping faster and less prone to error. All Qwiic-enabled boards use a common 1mm pitch, 4-pin JST connector. This reduces the amount of required PCB space, and polarized connections mean you can’t hook it up wrong. With the addition of the SparkFun RedBoard Qwiic, you will need to download a new driver install that is different from the original SparkFun RedBoard.
Included
SparkFun RedBoard Qwiic
Arduino and Breadboard Holder
SparkFun Inventor's Kit Guidebook
White Solderless Breadboard
Carrying Case
SparkFun Mini Screwdriver
16 x 2 White-on-Black LCD (with headers)
SparkFun Motor Driver (with Headers)
Pair of Rubber Wheels
Pair of Hobby Gearmotors
Small Servo
Ultrasonic Distance Sensor
TMP36 Temp Sensor
6' USB Micro-B Cable
Jumper Wires
Photocell
Tricolour LED
Red, Blue, Yellow and Green LEDs
Red, Blue, Yellow and Green Tactile Buttons
10K Trimpot
Mini Power Switch
Piezo Speaker
AA Battery Holder
330 and 10K Resistors
Binder Clip
Dual-Lock Fastener
Practical Introduction to 3D Modeling from Enclosure to Front PanelEmbedding a vintage component, creating a professional looking home for a circuit board, or even designing a complex apparatus complete with a chassis – these and many other challenges turn into a stimulating pleasure with FreeCAD. Once you have internalized the basic processes, there are virtually no limits to your imagination.Starting to use a new software is never straightforward – especially with a tool as versatile as FreeCAD. Manageable, but at the same time easily usable individual components provide the starting point in this book. Putting these components together later results in assemblies.In the FreeCAD universe, a workable trajectory is demonstrated. The described procedure is illustrative so the examples are easily applied to custom tasks. The devices were made by the author and illustrated with photos.Creating a 3D design is requiring some effort but the initial investment pays off soon. Besides the impressive spatial representation of the projects, the extracted drawings yield a solid base for documentation and production. Extended FreeCAD capabilities like the unfolding of sheet metal parts enormously add to efficiency and pushes models forward into practical assembly.Soon you will definitely not want to do without FreeCAD!
Learn to 3D Model & 3D Print with Tinkercad
With this book and the complementary videos, you’ll be 3D printing in no time at all. This course is meant to have you make casings for electronic components but also goes into optimizing your print technique as well as adding a little flair to your 3D creations. The course is perfect for you if you just bought your (first) 3D printer and want to print your own designs as soon as possible while also being able to get more background information.
You’ll get to know the workings of a 3D printer and what software to use to model your object, not forgetting to make it print perfectly. We’ll even use the magic of 3D printing to create things that appear impossible to make (this fast and simple) with any other rapid-prototyping technique.
At the end of this course, it’ll be second nature for you to design an object for 3D printing and fine-tune your print-setting to get the perfect print!
The book includes the following 7 video tutorials:
Introduction
Basic 3D modeling for 3D printing
Modeling a casing
Post-processing
Pushing the limits
Movable parts
Snap fits
50+ Android Apps with Raspberry Pi, ESP32 and Arduino
This book is about developing apps for Android compatible mobile devices using the MIT App Inventor online development environment. MIT App Inventor projects can be in either standalone mode or use an external processor. In standalone mode, the developed application runs only on the mobile device (e.g. Android). In external processor-based applications, the mobile device communicates with an external microcontroller-based processor, such as Raspberry Pi, Arduino, ESP8266, ESP32, etc.
In this book, many tested and fully working projects are given both in standalone mode and using an external processor. Full design steps, block programs, circuit diagrams, QR codes and full program listings are given for all projects.
The projects developed in this book include:
Using the text-to-speech component
Intonating a received SMS message
Sending SMS messages
Making telephone calls using a contacts list
Using the GPS and Pin-pointing our location on a map
Speech recognition and speech translation to another language
Controlling multiple relays by speech commands
Projects for the Raspberry Pi, ESP32 and Arduino using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
MIT APP Inventor and Node-RED projects for the Raspberry Pi
The book is unique in that it is currently the only book that teaches how to develop projects using Wi-Fi and Node-RED with MIT App Inventor. The book is aimed at students, hobbyists, and anyone interested in developing apps for mobile devices.
All projects presented in this book have been developed using the MIT App Inventor visual programming language. There is no need to write any text-based programs. All projects are compatible with Android-based mobile devices. Full program listings for all projects as well as detailed program descriptions are given in the book. Users should be able to use the projects as they are presented, modifying them to suit their own needs.
A Handbook on DIY
Nowadays, security problems are rarely properly solved or correctly addressed. Electronic security is only part of the chain in making a system secure. Electronic security is usually addressed as network or software security, neglecting other aspects, but the chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
This book is about electronic hardware security, with an emphasis on problems that you can solve on a shoestring DIY budget. It deals mostly with secure communications, cryptosystems, and espionage. You will quickly appreciate that you can’t simply buy a trustworthy and reliable cryptosystem off the shelf. You will then realise that this applies equally to individuals, corporations, and governments.
If you want to increase your electronic security awareness in a world already overcrowded with networks of microphones and cameras, this is a book for you. Furthermore, if you want to do something DIY by designing and expanding upon simple electronic systems, please continue reading. Some of the devices described are already published as projects in the Elektor magazine. Some are still ideas yet to be worked out.
Complexity is the main enemy of security, so we'll try to keep to simple systems. Every chapter will analyse real-life espionage events or at least several hypothetical scenarios that will hopefully spark your imagination. The final goal is to build a security-conscious mindset (or “to get into a head of a spy”) which is necessary to recognise possible threats beforehand, to design a truly secure system.
Don’t bother reading if:
you think you and your secrets are 100% safe and secure
you think somebody else can effectively handle your security
you think conspiracy theories only exist in theory – Telefunken’s masterpiece the “FS-5000 Harpoon” was built on one!