Ask HN: DIY Electronic Resources

#1

Post by __all__ » Sun, Sep 10, 2023, 11:46 AM UTC

I studied ECE but since the beginning I've been working as a Software engineer, as almost everybody from my promotion.

Lately, I've been thinking about starting some hardware side projects. Despite my background I don't remember a thing about those years and would be great to start playing with smaller projects before jumping into something more complex.

Are there any good resources on electronics? I have been looking around and everything I've found is either too simple or too complex.

Re: Ask HN: DIY Electronic Resources

#2

Post by DamonHD » Sun, Sep 10, 2023, 11:59 AM UTC

You could do a lot worse than play around with Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and similar! Lots of levels of entry from beginner to ... well ... I have a 100kloc open source 'arduino' consumer product that I can point you at!

Re: Ask HN: DIY Electronic Resources

#3

Post by brudgers » Sun, Sep 10, 2023, 1:24 PM UTC

everything I've found is either too simple or too complex.

Neither matters.

Starting matters.

If it is simple, you will complete it. Completing electronics projects is a useful habit.

If it is too complex, you will fail.

Failing is a useful habit.

Failing is what learning looks like when there isn’t a curriculum with lowered hurdles.

Shopping for a Goldilocks’ porridge is easier than failing. It is easier than easy projects. Shopping feels like work, but it’s not.

Just work. It is the simplest thing that might work.

Good luck.

Re: Ask HN: DIY Electronic Resources

#4

Post by genter » Sun, Sep 10, 2023, 2:19 PM UTC

I know this is annoying, but you learn electronics by doing.

First, you need to know the basics. Ohms law (V=IR), the power law (P=VI) the two Kirchoffs laws, voltage divider, what a capcitor, inductor, mosfet, and diode do.

Most IC companies (Texas Instruments in particular) have very good technical documents that give you practical tips on how to use their products.

Find similar projects that you can base your own project on. It doesn't matter what the license is, you probably won't be releasing it, and copyright doesn't apply to electrical circuits anyways (but they do apply to the drawings of circuits).

If anyone recommends "The Art of Electronics", instantly stop listening to anything they have to say.

Re: Ask HN: DIY Electronic Resources

#5

Post by 20after4 » Sun, Sep 10, 2023, 2:44 PM UTC

https://lcamtuf.coredump.cx/electronics/

and Leo's bag of tricks on youtube:

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGvOmwZvhVk

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWRbSn4uDow

3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F_O1RPyrC8

A Raspberry Pi Pico running micro-python is a nice way to play with electronics without completely leaving the land of software.

Re: Ask HN: DIY Electronic Resources

#6

Post by bjacobt » Sun, Sep 10, 2023, 4:25 PM UTC

DamonHD wrote: post #2

You could do a lot worse than play around with Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and similar! Lots of levels of entry from beginner to ... well ... I have a 100kloc open source 'arduino' consumer product that I can point you at!

Not op, but I would be interested in seeing it.

Re: Ask HN: DIY Electronic Resources

#7

Post by chromoblob » Sun, Sep 10, 2023, 5:58 PM UTC

genter wrote: post #4

I know this is annoying, but you learn electronics by doing. First, you need to know the basics. Ohms law (V=IR), the power law (P=VI) the two Kirchoffs laws, voltage divider, what a capcitor, inductor, mosfet, and diode do. Most IC companies (Texas Instruments in particular) have very good technical documents that give you practical tips on how to use their products. Find similar projects that you can base your own…

> If anyone recommends "The Art of Electronics", instantly stop listening to anything they have to say.

Why? I tried it and liked it (at least some initial part).

Re: Ask HN: DIY Electronic Resources

#8

Post by __all__ » Sun, Sep 10, 2023, 7:30 PM UTC

DamonHD wrote: post #2

You could do a lot worse than play around with Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and similar! Lots of levels of entry from beginner to ... well ... I have a 100kloc open source 'arduino' consumer product that I can point you at!

Sounds interesting, mind sharing?

Re: Ask HN: DIY Electronic Resources

#9

Post by OJFord » Sun, Sep 10, 2023, 7:50 PM UTC

chromoblob wrote: post #7

genter wrote: post #4

I know this is annoying, but you learn electronics by doing. First, you need to know the basics. Ohms law (V=IR), the power law (P=VI) the two Kirchoffs laws, voltage divider, what a capcitor, inductor, mosfet, and diode do. Most IC companies (Texas Instruments in particular) have very good technical documents that give you practical tips on how to use their products. Find similar projects that you can base your own…

> If anyone recommends "The Art of Electronics", instantly stop listening to anything they have to say. Why? I tried it and liked it (at least some initial part).

Yeah that definitely needs some justification! Not saying there can't be one or that it's amazing or anything, I haven't read it, but it's so often recommended (and it's the first time I can remember seeing a recommendation actively against) that it really doesn't go without saying why.

Re: Ask HN: DIY Electronic Resources

#10

Post by OJFord » Sun, Sep 10, 2023, 7:57 PM UTC

I'm in an extremely similar position, so it's a bit rich me giving advice, but I would suggest just trying to make something, something that seems perhaps slightly too complex. Then look for the specific resources you need when you run into issues; not something general purpose that just happens to be at your level.

(Not least because it frankly probably doesn't exist? We'd need something graduate level but with a refresher of basics, who's writing that? And we're not necessarily interested in graduate level in the sense of the mathematical theory of it any more, depending what we're building, if the goal is just to make stuff. E.g. I can use a USB PD chip in a design without learning more about transmission line power loss.)