5 ms·

I took a physics class using the Art of Electronics in my senior year of undergrad (my major was nuclear eng. and my lab partner was another nuclear eng. friend

I took a physics class using the Art of Electronics in my senior year of undergrad (my major was nuclear eng. and my lab partner was another nuclear eng. friend). This class ranked right up there with my nuclear engineering labs in the following sense: 1) using an oscilloscope in a lab setting takes a lot of patience & hard work (similar to radiation detectors) 2) I wasn't prepared for how "fuzzy" (sorry, I know that is not the right word) electronic components behave when examined in a lab setting. I was used to resisters and capacitors, and in previous labs they behaved fairly well. This class showed me how complex it all is, and "Art" is not a bad word to describe it at all. I learned a lot and strongly 2nd the Horowitz recommendation if you want to really get down into the nitty gritty. Maybe it isn't the first book you pick up depending on your background, I dont' know. AND, I hope oscilloscopes and their user manuals have gotten a lot more friendly in the intervening years since 1991 :-)

cr0sh 8y ago
> "Art" is not a bad word to describe it at all. I consider analog electronics to be more akin to "dark magic" than anything else...
- hoosieree 8y ago
  Analog wizards say that about RF engineers.
  - smoyer 8y ago
    I spent quite a few years as an wide-band RF engineer and I still think it's black magic. If you're not being snobby, you can learn a lot from an experienced bench technician. If you want to get into RF electronics, you need specific features in your spectrum analyzer along with a very good return loss bridge at your target impedance. I'm another fan of Horowitz and Hill's _The Art of Electronics_ - it's my go-to reference after 35 years in the business.
    - madengr 8y ago
      Been doing RF/Microwave design for 24 years. It’s not black magic, though that’s what led me into it.
- filterfish 8y ago
  As a "dark magician" I think that about digital electronics. And it's really not that hard.

cr0sh 8y ago

> "Art" is not a bad word to describe it at all. I consider analog electronics to be more akin to "dark magic" than anything else...

hoosieree 8y ago
Analog wizards say that about RF engineers.
- smoyer 8y ago
  I spent quite a few years as an wide-band RF engineer and I still think it's black magic. If you're not being snobby, you can learn a lot from an experienced bench technician. If you want to get into RF electronics, you need specific features in your spectrum analyzer along with a very good return loss bridge at your target impedance. I'm another fan of Horowitz and Hill's _The Art of Electronics_ - it's my go-to reference after 35 years in the business.
  - madengr 8y ago
    Been doing RF/Microwave design for 24 years. It’s not black magic, though that’s what led me into it.
filterfish 8y ago
As a "dark magician" I think that about digital electronics. And it's really not that hard.