About The Book
Learning the Art of Electronics
A Hands-On Lab Course
Please see the Errata page for updates and corrections to the 2nd Edition.
This introduction to circuit design is unusual in several respects. First, it offers not just explanations, but a full course. Each of the twenty-seven sessions begins with a discussion of a particular sort of circuit followed by the chance to try it out and see how it actually behaves.
Accordingly, students understand the circuit’s operation in a way that is deeper and much more satisfying than the manipulation of formulas. Second, it describes circuits that more traditional engineering introductions would postpone: in the third chapter, we build a radio receiver; on the fifth, we build an operational amplifier from an array of transistors. The digital half of the course starts with discrete digital gates, moves on to programmable logic configured in Verilog, a powerful Hardware Description Language, and concludes with developing applications using a modern ARM microcontroller and a Real Time Operating System (RTOS).
Third, it proceeds at a rapid pace but requires no prior knowledge of electronics. Students gain intuitive understanding through immersion in good circuit design.
- The course is intensive, teaching electronics in day-at-a-time practical doses so that students can learn in a hands-on way
- The integration of discussion of design with a chance to try the circuits means students learn quickly
- The course has been tried and tested, and proven successful through forty years of teaching
- The book is practical: it avoids mathematics and mathematical arguments and includes a complete list of parts needed in the laboratory exercises, including where and how to buy them, along with suggestions on the tools and equipment to outfit an electronics lab
- 1200 pages with 1530 B&W illustrations and 20 tables
If you would like to “Try Before You Buy,” we have available the full Chapter 6L Introduction to Op Amps lab exercise along with a set of video lessons covering the material.
For educators, we’ve included sample syllabi for the courses we teach at Harvard using the book.
Here is a demonstration of a lab project in the last of the set of six embedded systems chapters, a jukebox that plays children’s lullabies using an ARM Cortex M0+ microcontroller running a tiny RTOS:
Where to buy
Cambridge University Press – Learning the Art of Electronics
Companion to The Art of Electronics 3rd Edition
Amazon.com – Learning the Art of Electronics – Companion to The Art of Electronics 3rd Edition
Barnes & Noble – Learning the Art of Electronics – Companion to The Art of Electronics 3rd Edition
Books Inc. – Learning the Art of Electronics – Companion to The Art of Electronics 3rd Edition
Adafruit – Learning the Art of Electronics – Companion to The Art of Electronics 3rd Edition
Amazon.co.uk (UK) – Learning the Art of Electronics – Companion to The Art of Electronics 3rd Edition
Foyles (UK) – Learning the Art of Electronics – Companion to The Art of Electronics 3rd Edition