Electronics for Absolute Beginners

Book Preface

The history of electronics, which is the study and use of devices that control the flow of charged particles, can be traced back to 1874 when Irish scientist George Johnstone Stoney (1826-1911) suggested that electricity must be
“built” out of tiny electrical charges. Twenty years later, he coined the name “electron”.
Interest in electronics gradually increased over the decades following Stoney’s discovery. In 1947 the transistor was invented by William Shockley, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain at Bell Labs, which revolutionized the computer industry by replacing fragile, power hungry valves with much smaller and reliable devices. During the 1950s and 60s, computers became more powerful and smaller, eventually leading to the introduction of the home personal computer (PC) in the 1970s.
Today, electronic devices are all around us … computers, cell (mobile) phones, televisions, calculators, hearing aids, and cars are just a few examples of devices that form part of everyday life in the 21st century and which make use of electronics.
In more recent years, however, electronics as a hobby has declined and is now primarily a subject that is studied at college or university.

About this Book
The purpose of this book is to introduce the subject of electronics to people who have no prior knowledge of the subject. If you don’t know what a prototyping breadboard is, or have no idea what a resistor or diode do, then this book will help you to gain a basic understanding of what electronics components exist and what they are used for. You will also learn how to combine such components to build electronics circuits.
We don’t cover anything to do with mains voltage.
How this Book is Organized
Although there is a logical flow in the way that information is presented, you can pretty much jump around from chapter to chapter as it suits you, picking out the material that is of most interest.
The book is split into two parts – the first introduces the subject of electronics, and the second contains a range of simple circuits to design and build.
Part 1 – Getting Started with Electronics

Chapter 1 – Electricity and Electric Circuits
Chapter 2 – Equipment You Need in Your Electronics Laboratory Chapter 3 – Safety
Chapter 4 – Resistors
Chapter 5 – Capacitors
Chapter 6 – Diodes
Chapter 7 – Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)
Chapter 8 – Transistors
Chapter 9 – Integrated Circuits
Chapter 10 – The 555 Timer
Chapter 11 – Combining Electronics with Software

Part 2 – Designing and Building Electronics Circuits

Chapter 12 – Using and Electronics Prototyping Breadboard

Chapter 13 – Illuminating a Single LED

Chapter 14 – Using a Multimeter to Measure Voltage, Current and Resistance
Chapter 15 – Connecting Multiple LEDs in Series
Chapter 16 – Connecting Multiple LEDs in Parallel
Chapter 17 – Using a Variable Resistor to Control the Speed of a Small DC Motor
Chapter 18 – Using Wind Power
Chapter 19 – Using a Transistor to Switch On an LED
Chapter 20 – Charging and Discharging a Capacitor
Chapter 21 – Building a Light Sensor – Night Light