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• About the Authors
• Contents at a Glance
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Why Buy This Book?
• Why Electronics?
• Foolish Assumptions
• Safety Is Number 1
• How This Book Is Organised
• Icons Used in This Book
• Part I: Understanding the Fundamentals of Electronics
• Chapter 1: What Is Electronics and What Can It Do for You?
• Just What Is Electronics?
• Understanding Electric Current
• Harnessing Electricity to Do Work
• Where Electrical Energy Comes From
• Oh, the Things Electrons Can Do!
• Chapter 2: Manipulating Electricity to Make Something Happen
• Supplying Electrical Energy
• Understanding Directions: Real Electron Flow versus Conventional Current Flow
• Examining a Simple Light Bulb Circuit
• Controlling Electrical Current with Basic Components
• Making Connections: Series and Parallel
• Creating Electronic Systems
• Chapter 3: Meeting Up with Resistance
• Resisting the Flow of Current
• Resistors: Passive Yet Powerful
• Combining Resistors
• Obeying Ohm’s Law
• Using Ohm’s Law to Analyse Circuits
• What is Ohm’s Law Really Good For?
• The Power of Joule’s Law
• Trying Your Hand at Circuits with Resistors
• Chapter 4: Getting a Charge Out of Capacitors
• Reservoirs for Electrical Energy
• Characterising Capacitors
• Combining Capacitors
• Understanding Capacitive Reactance
• So What Have Capacitors Ever Done for Us?
• Teaming Up with Resistors
• Selecting Frequencies with Simple RC Filters
• Trying Out Simple Capacitive Circuits
• Chapter 5: Curling Up with Coils and Crystals
• Working Both Ways: Magnetism and Electricity
• Introducing the Inductor: A Coil with a Magnetic Personality
• Understanding Inductive Reactance
• Using Inductors in Circuits
• Now Introducing Impedance!
• Tuning in to Radio Broadcasts
• Calling on the Coil Next Door: Transformers
• Chapter 6: The Wide World of Semiconductors
• Are We Conducting, or Aren’t We?
• Forming a Junction Diode
• Using Diodes in Circuits
• Trillions of Transistors
• How Transistors Really Work
• Using a Model to Understand Transistors
• Amplifying Signals with a Transistor
• Switching Signals with a Transistor
• Choosing Transistors
• Integrating Components
• Chapter 7: Cramming Components into Chips
• Discovering Integrated Circuits
• Linear, Digital or Both?
• Making Decisions with Logic
• Understanding How to Use ICs
• Meeting Some Top Chips
• Expanding Your IC Horizons
• Chapter 8: Rounding Out Your Parts List
• Making Connections
• Powering Up
• Switching Electricity On and Off
• Using Your Sensors
• Sensing Something’s Going On
• Part II: Getting Your Hands Dirty
• Chapter 9: Setting Up Shop and Staying Safe
• Picking a Place to Practise Electronics
• Tooling Up
• Picking up Parts
• Protecting You and Your Electronics
• Staying Safe: Safety Checklist
• Chapter 10: Sussing out Schematics
• Approaching Schematics
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Recognising Symbols of Power
• Labelling Circuit Components
• Exploring a Schematic
• Alternative Schematic Drawing Styles
• Chapter 11: Constructing Circuits
• Taking a Look at Solderless Breadboards
• Building Circuits on Solderless Breadboards
• Soldering On
• Committing to a Permanent Circuit
• Chapter 12: Measuring and Analysing Circuits
• Multitasking with a Multimeter
• Meeting Your First Multimeter
• Setting Up Your Multimeter
• Operating Your Multimeter
• Using a Multimeter to Check Your Circuits
• Introducing Logic Probes and Oscilloscopes
• Part III: Putting Theory into Practice
• Chapter 13: Exploring Some Simple Circuits
• Getting Equipped
• Seeing Is Believing: Ohm’s Law Really Works!
• Charging and Discharging a Capacitor
• Dropping Voltages across Diodes
• Gaining Experience with Transistors
• Using Your Logic
• Chapter 14: Great Projects You Can Build in 30 Minutes or Less
• What to Get and Where to Get It
• Building Brilliant, Blinking, Bright Lights
• Putting the Squeeze on with Piezoelectricity
• Assembling the Amazing See-in-the-Dark Infrared Detector
• Keeping People Away with a Siren!
• Lighting the Way with an Electronic Compass
• Alarming Way to Sense the Light
• ’Lil but Loud Amp
• Making Music with a Melody Maker
• Building the Pocket Water Tester
• Generating Cool Lighting Effects
• Making an Electronic Die
• Part IV: The Part of Tens
• Chapter 15: Ten Exciting Electronics Extras
• Trying Out Ready-Made Electronics Kits
• Varying Your Voltage
• Counting Up Those Megahertz
• Generating All Kinds of Signals
• Sweeping Frequencies Up and Down
• Taking the Pulse
• Analysing Your Logic
• Simulating with Software
• Buying Testing Tool Deals
• Boxing Your Tricks – With Knobs On
• Chapter 16: Ten Great Sources for Electronics Parts
• Buying British: Suppliers within the UK
• Ordering from across the Pond
• Appendix: Internet Resources
• Finding Guides and Advice
• Working Things Out with Calculators
• Surfing for Circuits
• Asking Questions in Discussion Forums
• Getting Things Surplus
• Index