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I know some symbol basics but how do I know where to put what and why?
Do you know some tutorials/courses?
My goal is to create my own PCBs for multiple pet projects and being able to repair old ones.
My suggestion for beginners is to grab an Arduino and make a blinky project. Try to program some LEDs lighting up. This will help introduce you to the concept of current and resistance, and will have some direct feedback. Normally the biggest source of frustration is how long it takes to get from start to finish on a small project in electronics. I think Arduinos do well to shortcut this. Check out some of the adafruit tutorials and boards to start on the right foot.
After that if you're interested in PCBs, I do short courses on YouTube under my brand called Contextual Electronics. Search for things like "Shine on you crazy KiCad" and "Getting to blinky" on YouTube, or check out the link below. The former is the simplest version of a PCB plugged into a Raspberry Pi (controlled via Python), and the latter is using a 555 timer to do the same without any programming elements. These are both primarily LED focused again but only because it takes some time to get used to electronic components before moving on to more complicated things like inductors and op amps. If you end up being interested in that, I have entire courses on my site about how to use those in your designs, in increasing complexity. The most recent course shows how to design a board with bluetooth and cellular capabilities.
Good luck! Electronics to something I've been doing for 20 years and I still get excited about working on it every day.
https://contextualelectronics.com/courses/shine-on-you-crazy...
It's tough at the beginning, there are so many paths to go down, especially on the theoretical side of things. My suggestion for beginners is to grab an Arduino and make a blinky project. Try to program some LEDs lighting up. This will help introduce you to the concept of current and resistance, and will have some direct feedback. Normally the biggest source of frustration is how long it takes to get from start to fi…
It's people like you, Dave Jones, bunnie, and folks at adafruit that make this stuff accessible and feel approachable . YouTube University is real. Thanks man.
The feeling lost bit is probably common but when that's the case focus on your end goal. Here's my general approach so far.
- I got a personal project that I have no choice but to see through to the end. Having this as an end goal helps direct my focus.
- I avoid most rabbit holes - especially when it comes to learning theory. The rabbit holes are endless. I focus only on the rabbit holes that help me meet my end goal even if that means skipping fundamental stuff. This is really hard sometimes but if it's fundamental it'll come up again and again until ignoring it is not an option or maybe you just become curious enough to explore. My curiosity is dangerous here so I try to curb it the best I can. (maybe I should block time off specifically for exploring my curiosities and go deeper on concepts that may not be immediately relevant)
- I work on some aside prototypes to build an understanding of fundamental circuit components/concepts e.g. LEDs, resistors, voltage, current, resistance. Once I put something together I read a little bit of theory behind the components. Or sometimes it's the other way around - I read the theory then I put a simple circuit together using a breadboard and some wires.
- I bought tools based on advice I found in Books, YouTube, HN, and Reddit. For me this meant buying passive components, a breadboard, pre-cut wires, 22-gauge wire spools, soldering station (and various soldering equipment), hand-held tools (e.g. wire cutters, multimeter, tape measure), a power supply, safety equipment, and a 3d printer. I went on a spree. With that said I bought tools aligned with my goals.
- It also helps when I recognize that it takes time. Picking up and mastering a skill or at least becoming competent is a multi-year process. More importantly - I have that time. I have today, tomorrow, next week, next year to keep getting better. So there's no pressure. Man what a gift.
- I look to people that have the expertise and listen to what they have to say. That either means watching youtube lectures by people like bunnie, dave jones, authors of books. And just reading books like the Art of Electronics, Hacking the Xbox. Or finding material online and reading some more.
What an awesome time to be alive. Resource are endless - it's just a matter of paring stuff down based on your goal. Good luck on the projects.
It starts with fundamentals and includes in-browser circuit simulator to experiment with.
Once you have the fundamentals, something like "The Art of Electronics" by Horowitz and Hill is useful for rules of thumb and do's and don'ts of circuit design. Warning: this book by itself will not teach you enough fundamentals to be useful.
Take a look at https://ultimateelectronicsbook.com/ It starts with fundamentals and includes in-browser circuit simulator to experiment with. Once you have the fundamentals, something like "The Art of Electronics" by Horowitz and Hill is useful for rules of thumb and do's and don'ts of circuit design. Warning: this book by itself will not teach you enough fundamentals to be useful.
https://www.udemy.com/course/crash-course-electronics-and-pc...
It's tough at the beginning, there are so many paths to go down, especially on the theoretical side of things. My suggestion for beginners is to grab an Arduino and make a blinky project. Try to program some LEDs lighting up. This will help introduce you to the concept of current and resistance, and will have some direct feedback. Normally the biggest source of frustration is how long it takes to get from start to fi…
One project I want to definitely try is a weather rock like project. Like a LED that lights up when the sun hits a sensor and useless stuff like this.
There's actually a simple PCB from a tutorial I followed already on it's way to me. I hope it works out.