Ask HN: What are some nice electronics courses that blend theory and practice? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What are some nice electronics courses that blend theory and practice?

#11

Post by maho » Fri, Jan 02, 2015, 8:23 AM UTC

minthd wrote: post #2

A good book: http://www.amazon.com/Make-Electronics-Discovery-Charles-Pla...

I highly recommend this book. The first practical lesson, as I recall, has you short-circuit a battery and destroy an LED. It's great to learn the limits of typical components this way, and it takes away the fear of breaking stuff. It's written simple enough to be followed by a child, but I had a blast going through it as a physics grad student who knew electrodynamics and very little electronics.

The first two editions had quite a few errata, but there is an online page for them:

http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/errata.csp?isbn=9780596153748...

Re: Ask HN: What are some nice electronics courses that blend theory and practice?

#12

Post by maho » Fri, Jan 02, 2015, 8:31 AM UTC

Related question, sorry for hijacking this thread:

Are there any simulator-games out there? Like:

"Here are available components in your components box, now draw a circuit that lights an LED without distroying it, regardless how the 5V input voltage is connected. Max component count: 4"

Something in the spirit of Euler-project, but with electronics.

Re: Ask HN: What are some nice electronics courses that blend theory and practice?

#13

Post by smcl » Fri, Jan 02, 2015, 9:16 AM UTC

platz wrote: post #7

https://www.edx.org/course/circuits-electronics-mitx-6-002x

I actually started looking at this the other day on Open Courseware - as I'd set myself a resolution this year to put together a little embedded\SBC system and needed to understand electronics in more detail[0]. It's a little bit intimidating. For example in the first few sentences he started referring to Maxwell's equations in very familiar terms (something like "we all know about Maxwell's equations already...") which threw me slightly and made me wonder if there's probably a better introduction to electronics out there.

[0] = http://blog.mclemon.io/new-years-resolutions-2015

Re: Ask HN: What are some nice electronics courses that blend theory and practice?

#14

Post by nitrogen » Fri, Jan 02, 2015, 9:45 AM UTC

smcl wrote: post #13

platz wrote: post #7

https://www.edx.org/course/circuits-electronics-mitx-6-002x

I actually started looking at this the other day on Open Courseware - as I'd set myself a resolution this year to put together a little embedded\SBC system and needed to understand electronics in more detail[0]. It's a little bit intimidating. For example in the first few sentences he started referring to Maxwell's equations in very familiar terms (something like "we all know about Maxwell's equations already...") wh…

You don't have to know physics to benefit from 6.002x.

Re: Ask HN: What are some nice electronics courses that blend theory and practice?

#15

Post by v512 » Fri, Jan 02, 2015, 10:07 AM UTC

thro1237 wrote: post #4

A related question is -- Are there good simulators (preferably over the web) that one can use?

Check this out - http://123d.circuits.io/

Re: Ask HN: What are some nice electronics courses that blend theory and practice?

#16

Post by cpkpad » Fri, Jan 02, 2015, 10:22 AM UTC

smcl wrote: post #13

platz wrote: post #7

https://www.edx.org/course/circuits-electronics-mitx-6-002x

I actually started looking at this the other day on Open Courseware - as I'd set myself a resolution this year to put together a little embedded\SBC system and needed to understand electronics in more detail[0]. It's a little bit intimidating. For example in the first few sentences he started referring to Maxwell's equations in very familiar terms (something like "we all know about Maxwell's equations already...") wh…

edX is not OpenCourseware. Very different courses. Same material taught, but OCW is just lecture captures of MIT classes. edX is full courses designed for a global audience.

Re: Ask HN: What are some nice electronics courses that blend theory and practice?

#17

Post by smcl » Fri, Jan 02, 2015, 10:33 AM UTC

cpkpad wrote: post #16

smcl wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I actually started looking at this the other day on Open Courseware - as I'd set myself a resolution this year to put together a little embedded\SBC system and needed to understand electronics in more detail[0]. It's a little bit intimidating. For example in the first few sentences he started referring to Maxwell's equations in very familiar terms (something like "we all know about Maxwell's equations already...") wh…

edX is not OpenCourseware. Very different courses. Same material taught, but OCW is just lecture captures of MIT classes. edX is full courses designed for a global audience.

I figured that there may be differences, but they'd be covering the same materials for the most part. Also I can't see how to access the edX materials, so there's currently no way to follow this course other than checking out the OCW resources. I'll keep my eyes peeled for this opening up again on edX in future.

Re: Ask HN: What are some nice electronics courses that blend theory and practice?

#18

Post by arc_of_descent » Fri, Jan 02, 2015, 10:46 AM UTC

minthd wrote: post #2

A good book: http://www.amazon.com/Make-Electronics-Discovery-Charles-Pla...

Thanks for the recommendation. I just purchased the Kindle version. I'm not really an electronics guy, but have always been interested in how it works. Will do by best to put this book to use!

Re: Ask HN: What are some nice electronics courses that blend theory and practice?

#19

Post by maccard » Fri, Jan 02, 2015, 11:06 AM UTC

maho wrote: post #12

Related question, sorry for hijacking this thread: Are there any simulator-games out there? Like: "Here are available components in your components box, now draw a circuit that lights an LED without distroying it, regardless how the 5V input voltage is connected. Max component count: 4" Something in the spirit of Euler-project, but with electronics.

Nto directly what you're looking for, but an arduino starter kit would only set you back abouut 50 dollars, and has everything you could need to get started with that sort of assignment. It also teaches you to be careful :)

Re: Ask HN: What are some nice electronics courses that blend theory and practice?

#20

Post by gamache » Fri, Jan 02, 2015, 11:52 AM UTC

smcl wrote: post #13

platz wrote: post #7

https://www.edx.org/course/circuits-electronics-mitx-6-002x

I actually started looking at this the other day on Open Courseware - as I'd set myself a resolution this year to put together a little embedded\SBC system and needed to understand electronics in more detail[0]. It's a little bit intimidating. For example in the first few sentences he started referring to Maxwell's equations in very familiar terms (something like "we all know about Maxwell's equations already...") wh…

For example in the first few sentences he started referring to Maxwell's equations in very familiar terms (something like "we all know about Maxwell's equations already...")

This, incidentally, is exactly like going to MIT.