Apparatus, Devices & Design Books

Electronics For Dummies

Gordon McComb, Earl Boysen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 35 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Want to hook up your home theater system?

Want to fix it so your garage band rocks the neighborhood?

Want to solder the faulty wire on your old phonograph so you can play those 60s albums you’ve kept all this time?

Whether you’re a do-it-yourselfer , hobbyist, or student , this book will turn you on to real-world electronics. It quickly covers the essentials, and then focuses on the how-to instead of theory. It covers:

• Fundamental concepts such as circuits, schematics, voltage, safety, and more
• Tools of the trade, including multimeters, oscilloscopes, logic probes, and more
• Common electronic components (e.g. resistors, capacitors, transistors)
• Making circuits using breadboards and printed circuit boards
• Microcontrollers (implementation and programming)

Author Gordon McComb has more than a million copies of his books in print, including his bestselling Robot Builder’s Bonanza and VCRs and Camcorders For Dummies. He really connects with readers! With lots of photos and step-by-step explanations, this book will have you connecting electronic components in no time! In fact, it includes fun ideas for great projects you can build in 30 minutes or less. You’ll be amazed! Then you can tackle cool robot projects that will amaze your friends! (The book gives you lots to choose from.)

Students will find this a great reference and supplement to the typical dry, dull textbook. So whether you just want to bone up on electronics or want to get things hooked up, souped up, or fixed up,…whether you’re interested in fixing old electronic equipment, understanding guitar fuzz amps, or tinkering with robots, Electronics For Dummies is your quick connection to the stuff you need to know.

Electronics Projects For Dummies (For Dummies (Math & Science))

Earl Boysen, Nancy C. Muir

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

These projects are fun to build and fun to use


Make lights dance to music, play with radio remote control, or build your own metal detector

Who says the Science Fair has to end? If you love building gadgets, this book belongs on your radar. Here are complete directions for building ten cool creations that involve light, sound, or vibrations -- a weird microphone, remote control gizmos, talking toys, and more, with full parts and tools lists, safety guidelines, and wiring schematics.

Check out ten cool electronics projects, including
* Chapter 8 -- Surfing the Radio Waves (how to make your own radio)
* Chapter 9 -- Scary Pumpkins (crazy Halloween decorations that have sound, light, and movement)
* Chapter 12 -- Hitting Paydirt with an Electronic Metal Detector (a project that can pay for itself)

Discover how to
* Handle electronic components safely
* Read a circuit diagram
* Troubleshoot circuits with a multimeter
* Build light-activated gadgets
* Set up a motion detector
* Transform electromagnetic waves into sound

Companion Web site
* Go to www.dummies.com/go/electronicsprojectsfd
* Explore new projects with other electronics hobbyists
* Find additional information and project opportunities

Xbox 360 For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))

Brian Johnson, Duncan Mackenzie

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Microsoft's Xbox now accounts for 37 percent of the game console market, and the new Xbox 360 is due out for the 2005 holiday season, months before Sony's PlayStation 3. When gamers take the new Xbox home, however, they'll soon discover that it's more than a just a game machine-it's a full-fledged home media hub with more power than most PCs. This friendly guide shows how to maximize both gaming and non-gaming features of this amazing machine.

• Topics covered include hooking up Xbox 360, taking advantage of HDTV and Dolby capabilities, using built-in digital video recording and wireless functions, storing media files, playing music, and displaying photos
• Shows how to have even more fun by taking an Xbox online for massively multiplayer gaming, instant messaging, and more
• Discusses the social potential of the Xbox, which people can use to make new friends, join groups and teams, and even throw fantastic parties
• Includes tips for securing the Xbox from online threats

The Tube Amp Book: Deluxe Revised Edition

Aspen Pittman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Slanted: too much an adverstisement for GT 2 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I've been fooling with tube guitar amps for decades. I more or less know what I am doing with them, and I've found most of the information that I want on line. But I thought it would be nice to have a book or two to consult when my wife or daughter was at the computer, when I was tinkering with an amp, or when I just didn't feel like sitting at a desk and looking at screen. Based on its appearance and description, I chose this book. Bad decision.

This book insulted me. I felt used and abused by the author, and that has perhaps tainted this review. I expected a comprehensive and useful guide. That is what this book should have been and what the format and price -and the use of "THE" in the title -- seemed to promise. Instead, I dropped $33 on a big, glossy advertisement for the author's "Groove Tube" tube-selling operation and, by extension, the manufacturers who buy tubes from him.

To make a happy customer, promise less and deliver more. This book went the other way.

Yes, some of the content is useful and interesting, written passages as well as photos. But the section describing amp brands and histories is rendered woefully incomplete as the author veers and swerves through it to make opportunities to refer to himself and his tubes and pimp for the manufacturers that buy from him. (Be wary of authors who never miss opportunities to tell you how important and knowledgeable they are. Quality of content should speak for itself.) Redundancies abound, further wasting the reader's time and valuable space that could have been used to at least mention other manufacturers or give some details about those that deserved more than a paragraph or two. But then, perhaps those manufacturers will yield to the pressure, become Groove Tube customers, and thus buy space in the next edition.

The technical section lacks depth and development, apparently a patchwork of reprinted magazine articles, disconnected one to the next, but with more shameless plugs for Groove Tubes inserted here and there. Many of the articles are reasonably well written and helpful in themselves and would be perhaps be a pleasure to find in a magazine. But overall, the technical section is less coherent and developed than one would expect in the sort of publication that this presents itself to be. Again, the book seems to promise more but delivers less.

Others have commented on many the schematics being illegible or inaccurate.

Perhaps the greatest disappointment is the section comparing tube types. Only tubes marketed by Groove Tubes are included, and they are all, of course, listed by their Groove Tube catalog name and are all shown photographed with the big GT logo prominently displayed. If you are looking for descriptions or comparisons of raved-about tubes by Tung-Sol or Svetlana or the like, you can do much better on the Internet, thank you. You won't find them here.

The book has its good points. It is big. It is glossy. The spiral binding is user-friendly. You will get some insights into the hows and whys of tube amp history and evolution - but then, the book is not unique in that. It has lots of great photos - but even here there are annoying redundancies and omissions: some things described in a way that makes them intriguing are not depicted while other things are shown again and again. Did I mention redundancies?

This book might be a good addition to the library of someone who already has lots of books about tube amps and has room on the shelves for more. But if you are looking for just one or two more or less comprehensive books on the subject, look elsewhere.

I was not happy with my purchase and returned the book.

Editorial Review:

Already known as the bible of tubes and tube amps, The Tube Amp Book is now even better. This deluxe revised edition features 40 percent new material, including two CDROMs of circuit diagrams plus a dramatically improved design and page layout. The book's technical tips, in-depth electronic specs and explanations, rare schematics, hundreds of full-color plates, illustrations, charts and tables make it a must-have for the legions of tube-tone fanatics.

Fundamentals of Power Electronics (Second Edition)

Robert W. Erickson, Dragan Maksimovic

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Fundamentals of Power Electronics, Second Edition, is an up-to-date and authoritative text and reference book on power electronics. This new edition retains the original objective and philosophy of focusing on the fundamental principles, models, and technical requirements needed for designing practical power electronic systems while adding a wealth of new material.

Improved features of this new edition include:

A new chapter on input filters, showing how to design single and multiple section filters;
Major revisions of material on averaged switch modeling, low-harmonic rectifiers, and the chapter on AC modeling of the discontinuous conduction mode;
New material on soft switching, active-clamp snubbers, zero-voltage transition full-bridge converter, and auxiliary resonant commutated pole. Also, new sections on design of multiple-winding magnetic and resonant inverter design;
Additional appendices on Computer Simulation of Converters using averaged switch modeling, and Middlebrook's Extra Element Theorem, including four tutorial examples; and
Expanded treatment of current programmed control with complete results for basic converters, and much more.

This edition includes many new examples, illustrations, and exercises to guide students and professionals through the intricacies of power electronics design. Fundamentals of Power Electronics, Second Edition, is intended for use in introductory power electronics courses and related fields for both senior undergraduates and first-year graduate students interested in converter circuits and electronics, control systems, and magnetic and power systems. It will also be an invaluable reference for professionals working in power electronics, power conversion, and analog and digital electronics.

Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Purchase and Watch Your Every Move

Katherine Albrecht, Liz McIntyre

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 49 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

The Road to 1984 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Like many people, I have tended to neglect the downside of new technologies. Even though we are bombarded with advertising these days, it never occurred to me that supposedly responsible corporations would stoop to the lengths described in this book, such as literally spying on my movements while I am shopping! Parts of the book were a bit repetitive, but it certainly made me realize how very easily all of us could be led onto the road to 1984 and away from the privacy and freedoms we have long enjoyed.

Editorial Review:

As you walk down the street, a tiny microchip implanted in your tennis shoe tracks your every move; chips woven into your clothing transmit the value of your outfit to nearby retailers; and a thief scans the chips hidden inside your money to decide if you’re worth robbing. This isn’t science fiction; in a few short years, it could be a fact of life.

Spychips takes readers into the frightening world of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).While manufacturers and the government want you to believe that they would never misuse the technology, the future looks like an Orwellian nightmare when you consider the possibilities of surveillance and tracking these chips embody. Combining in-depth research with firsthand reporting, Spychips reveals how RFID technology, if left unchecked, could soon destroy our privacy, radically alter the economy, and open the floodgates for civil liberty abuses.

Electronics Fundamentals: Circuits, Devices and Applications (7th Edition) (Floyd Electronics Fundamentals Series)

Thomas L. Floyd

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

You can learn the basic principles of electronics in class or on your own with this terrific text 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

What a terrific introduction to electronics! The author explains electricity, the relevant formulae, the basic physics of electricity, electromagnetism and a lot more. The text requires no more than algebra and right angle trigonometry. I find the text clear, engaging, and quite understandable even without an instructor to help me.

Each chapter begins with an outline of what is going to be discussed, chapter objectives, key terms, application assignment, web materials, and an introduction. The text uses color very well, is richly illustrated, and is mindful of the student learning process. I like the way the author introduces a point, poses a problem that he then solves, and then asks you a similar problem to work on your own (with the answer provided at the end of the chapter). At the end of each chapter there is a bullet point summary, key terms with definitions, a self-test to check your understanding, and a section by section set of basic problems.

The text has 21 chapters divided into three parts. Part 1 discusses DC circuits (quantities & units, voltage - current & resistance, Ohm's Law - Energy & Power, Series Circuits, Parallel Circuits, Series Parallel Circuits, Magnetism & Electromagnetism). Part 2 discusses AC Circuits (Introduction to Alternating Current & Voltage, Capacitors, RC Circuits, Inductors, RL Circuits, RCLS Circuits & Resonance, Transformers, Time Response & Reactive Circuits). Part 3 discusses Devices (Diodes & Applications, Transistors & Applications, the Operational Amplifier, Basic Op-Amp Circuits, Special Purpose Op-Amp Circuits, Measurement - Conversion & Control).

There are also 5 appendices having a table of standard values, capacitor color coding & marking, Norton's Theorem & Millman's Theorem, Devices Data Sheets, Field-Programmable Analog Arrays (FPAAs). A glossary, index and answers to odd number questions are provided as well.

This text is, of course, usable in college or high school introductory courses to electronics, but it is also usable by interested general readers who want to build or fill in their understanding of the basic principles and applications of electronics.

Recommended!

Reviewed by Craig Matteson - Ann Arbor, MI

Editorial Review:

This renowned book offers a comprehensive yet practical exploration of basic electrical and electronic concepts, hands-on applications, and troubleshooting. Written in a clear and accessible narrative, the 7th Edition focuses on fundamental principles and their applications to solving real circuit analysis problems, and devotes six chapters to examining electronic devices. With an eye-catching visual program and practical exercises, this book provides readers with the problem-solving experience they need in a style that makes complex material thoroughly understandable. For professionals with a career in electronics, engineering, technical sales, field service, industrial manufacturing, service shop repair, and/or technical writing.

Hardware Hacking Projects for Geeks

Scott Fullam

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Put a hacker in a room with a Furby for a weekend and you'll hear a conversation that's fairly one-sided in its originality. Toss in an 802.11b network card, a soldering iron, wire cutters, a logic probe, and a few other carefully selected tools and materials and you'll have potential. Add a copy of Hardware Hacking Projects for Geeks and by the end of the weekend that Furby will be saying things you never imagined.

From How to Hack a Toaster to building Cubicle Intrusion Detection Systems, Hardware Hacking Projects for Geeks offers an array of inventive customized electronics projects for the geek who can't help looking at a gadget and wondering how it might be "upgraded." Beginning with basic hacks, tools, and techniques for those who may not have a background in electronics, the book covers the tools of the hardware hacking trade and basic soldering techniques. Clear step-by-step instructions allow even those with no formal electronics- or hardware-engineering skills to hack real hardware in very clever ways.

Hacks in the book are rated on a scale of difficulty, cost, and duration. Projects range from those that are truly useful to some things you may have never thought to do, but which are really cool, such as:

Building your own arcade game

Making radio-controlled cars play laser tag

Building an automobile periscope

Hacking an 802.11b antenna

Building a building size display

Perhaps you're an electronics hobbyist who likes to learn by doing. Maybe you hack software and want to see how the other half lives. Or, maybe you've never hacked at all, but you'd like to get started quickly with some projects that do something interesting from the start. If you're any of these, then Hardware Hacking Projects for Geeks will indulge your inner mad scientist. Using the projects in this book as a jumping point for other new and clever hacks, it won't be long before you're looking around, asking, "I wonder what I can improve next?"

Return of Gonzo Gizmos: More Projects & Devices to Channel Your Inner Geek

Simon Field

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Editorial Review:

This fresh collection of more than 20 science projects—from hydrogen fuel cells to computer-controlled radio transmitters—is perfect for the tireless tinkerer. Innovative activities include taking detailed plant cell photographs through a microscope using a disposable camera; building a rocket engine out of aluminum foil, paper clips, and kitchen matches; and constructing a geodesic dome out of gumdrops and barbecue skewers. Organized by scientific topic, each chapter includes explanations of the physics, chemistry, biology, or mathematics behind the projects. Most of the devices can be built using common household products or components available at hardware or electronic stores, and each experiment contains illustrated step-by-step instructions with photographs and diagrams that make construction easy. No workbench warrior, science teacher, or grown-up geek should be without this idea-filled resource.

The Forrest Mims Circuit Scrapbook, Vol 1

Forrest Mims

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Not for the advanced 2 out of 5 stars.
6 of 8 people found this review helpful.

As an electronics engineer I bought this book because some people recommended it to me. Once I got it I was disappointed since I didn't find anything interesting in it. The quality of what's in it is not bad, but its just not for me. It might be good for people who want to tinker a bit with electronics. I don't think I will ever pick it up again.

Superb 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 6 people found this review helpful.

Like anything Forrest Mims has written, this is a treasure trove of interesting projects for both work and play.

Editorial Review:

Here it is--a collection of Forrest Mims's classic work from the original Popular Electronics magazine! Using commonly available components and remarkable ingenuity, Forrest shows you how to build and experiment with circuits like these:

analog computers
color organs
digital phase-locked loops
frequency-to-voltage and voltage-to-frequency converters
interval timers
LED oscilloscopes
light wave communicators
magnetic field sensors
optoelectronics
pseudorandom number generators
tone sequencers
and much, much, more!