5.0 out of 5 stars Easy read and lots of learning!

J. · 3 January 2023

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } I had the pleasure of reading the UK edition of Electronics for Dummies and I can say that it was educational and entertaining. This book does a great job of introducing electronics in a fun and easy to understand way, with clearly labeled diagrams and instructions that a novice could easily understand. It does a great job of providing an introduction to all the basics of electronics, from understanding circuit boards and components to discussing topics like power supply and sound. It also discusses more advanced topics like programming and digital circuits. This book is great for someone just beginning to learn about electronics and the many sub-topics within this field. I highly recommend this book, especially to beginners.

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Primer, excellent

D.E. · 12 February 2013

Decided to teach myself electronics and after reading many reveiws i purchased this book on the subject. So far it has been clear and concise in its explanations and diagrams. Gives a good solid basic grasp of electronics with lots of helpful information which I have found very useful and pretty good in being pretty loose in that you can jump around the book and start with different parts.Page 202 has a starter list of needed/recomended parts as pretty daunting trying to find a kit with the right selection of parts etc (found one on ebay £18)The theory can be heavy, and yes there are some scary equations but they ae nicely explained and you can always come back to those parts. Its been 20 years since i have used algebra but have found it well done if you take it a bite at a time, and as the book states you can skip some sections as you don't need to know some parts unless you are going to go in depth into that area of electronics.If you want to get into electronics then this is certainly worth the £10

4.0 out of 5 stars Good ish

D. · 27 January 2021

I have read a lot of For Dummies titles and they all seems to suffer with the same thing - the beginning is very step by step, easy to take in then it jumps to much MUCH more complex things. Also some subjects get a truly in-depth treatment while others get brushed over. Wiring diagrams for one, get brushed over while other topics far less applicable in my experience - like going into the very atomic properties of semiconductors - go into the very minutiae of the topic. On balance here, more treatment of reading and interpreting wiring diagrams would have been far more helpful.It is still a very accessible tome however even if the style of writing perhaps has too much fluff and bad joke in it for my tastes, I'm not 10 years old, I don't need punny humour to drive the point home every paragraph . . .

5.0 out of 5 stars Good for beginners or as a refresher

P.A.C. · 12 September 2012

Its many years since I last built anything from scratch and I found this a great refresher for getting beck into it. The layout is very clear, and builds on previous sections in a logical manner. The balance between theory and practice is about right, not holding you up with too much theory, but giving you enough to understand what you are doing. The maths isn't as daunting as some reviews suggest, If you can follow any of the GCSE maths textbooks out there you shouldn't have any problem with this book. This book will not make you an electronic engineer, but will make you a competent electronics hobbyist, and may well be a useful aid to someone studying a more academic syllebus.My one recommendation for this book would be to have a comprehensive parts list in an appendix so you can get a full kit together. I would like to see an Electronics 2 for dummies to go a little further into the use of microprocessors.Make sure you get the UK edition (if you're in the UK) as other reviews suggest there are considerable differences in the US version.

5.0 out of 5 stars Good clear explanations of a complicated subject

J. · 3 January 2012

After a working life which had occasionally involved me with electronics at a level which hadn't demanded too deep an understanding of the design principles, I was looking for a book that would let me now get involved as a hobbyist, allowing me to modify existing published circuits, or hopefully, to even design my own. I've usually found the Dummies series of books to be very well written and comprehensive enough, and this one hasn't disappointed me in any way.It's an excellent introduction to the subject, or as an aid to clarifying the details of what you already (nearly) know. Its style doesn't demand too much, unlike many other books on electronics that I have looked at, and one or two that I actually own. It's easy to read, and the explanations of what can be quite complex principles are as clear as they can be, I think. The book doesn't skim over too much of the detail, and when it needs to it warns that further detail exists, but is beyond its scope.Introductions to the principles for making design calculations may seem intrusive to some readers, but is necessary to know about if you want to design even the simplest circuits and have them work after you build them. If you just want to understand the principles, detailed understanding of the equations can be skipped unless/until you need them. Good value. Recommended.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for beginners, re-starters, and those who don't know much theory, but enjoy the practical.

N. · 9 August 2014

I work in electronics manufacturing as a non-design engineer/technician so its not required that I know much about electronics, that being said I want to move into electronic engineering and know next to nothing about electronics.I started with a few online tutorials and videos, but quickly found the lack of professional content unbearable, then I tried a few older (more expensive) books and quickly found them too professional!I'm about halfway through this book now and I will confidentially say it's the best book i've ever bought, hands down.It helps to understand the basics before you start to read it, but everything is explained in a lot of detail without being overwhelming, definitely a must for people like me who want to get back into electronics after forgetting everything I learned in school.Looking forward to trying more books from this series on other subjects!

Practical & Understandable

T. · 2 August 2005

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } This is the perfect book for gaining an understanding of the basics and the buzz words of today's electronic world. It covers everything from the how and why of electronic components (parts) and circuits (parts connected together to perform a desired result) to symbols, schematic reading, meter and oscilloscope use, tools, and more. Did you know that a choke, coil, and inductor are all the same physical component and why it's referred to with 3 different names? "Electronics for Dummies" is a book less on theory and more on practical. It includes breadboarding, creating projects and printed circuit boards--from 30-minute projects to a basic microcontrolled robot--all clearly explained and easily understood. After finishing this book, you won't be a rocket scientist, but you certainly will have a basic understanding of electronics--enough to gain a confidence for further study or enough to be an informed component in today's world of circuits.

Auch ein Laie kann Elektronik wirklich lernen.

H.F. · 23 December 2014

Das Buch ist Spaß pur! Es führt von "eigentlich keine Ahnung" zu "na also, es geht doch". Richtig guter Einstieg.

Great book for the beginner or intermediate electronics

J.R.C. · 1 August 2019

It's an excellent book, it's the best one of the books with this title (there are several, beware, this is the only good one!)It doesn't require any initial knowledge and explains everything greatly.If you want a book to begin doing electronics from scratch, and from zero level, this is your book!

Clear instructions

L. · 16 July 2021

Great beginners handbook and ready reference, easy to navigate

Not helpful

B. · 19 February 2014

Once you've finished this book you'll know what components do and lots of useless information about them but you still won't know how to put a circuit together beyond the battery/lamp stage.