Electrical Engineering 101, Third Edition
K**D
great book for the layperson
This is a great book for the layperson. I've been doing hobby electronics for the better part of my life, but I've always just cobbled together my understanding of what I needed to know when I needed to know it, but this lays it all out for you as a body of knowledge. The concepts are still a little complex because the subject matter is complex, but this books makes is easier to understand, it seems modern in the approach the author takes to illustrate concepts. Still trying to make my way through it, but if you really want to understand electronics, other than going to a college and taking courses, this is probably on of the best ways to learn, and you always have a handy reference manual.
C**E
I wish I had this book when I was a student
...getting a passing grade (or rather, an A) in electronics and control theory would have been so much easier...It's an awesome book, built from the ground up, to help you understand - and apply - electrical engineering concepts. The author is a top notch teacher. It's an equally useful read for hobbyists and makers who want to become better at designing circuits, and students who need to absolve their classes.I'm really glad I bought it, and my only regret is that I didn't have it when I was a student. ;)EDIT: I do need to add two small problems I noticed. One is that it was obviously aimed at engineers trying to polish up their skills. It's a revisiting the basics book, however it omits too much to be a good basics book for non-engineers in my view.Also, the part about software is somewhat confused and contains some factual errors. An average electrical engineer's view of operating systems is similar to an average software engineer's view of op amps - that is, dodgy to say the best. ;) Thankfully that doesn't distract anything from the actual technical information provided, which is really good.Still, it's a great book, the five stars stay.
C**S
Not for beginners
I bought this book, thinking that because it had "101" in the title that it was suitable for those just getting started in electronics. I was dead wrong. This book clearly assumes you've already been through an electrical engineering program. I probably should have looked closer at the cover, as the subtitle says "everything you should have learned in school, but probably didn't." Now when I first read this subtitle, I thought "great -- everything you should have learned in school!" After getting through the first chapter, I then thought "Ohhh, everything you should have learned in SCHOOL." As in EE school! Whoops.I don't want to post a horrible review and people look at the lack of stars and think "whoa, this book must be terrible." Because, that's obviously not true. This book seems VERY well laid out and Darren does such a great job explaining the concepts, it's just that this material was WAY over my head, as, again, this book presupposes that you're already well on your way to becoming an EE.I do want to add that somewhere down the line on my electronics journey I will definitely revisit this book and probably get much more out of it then. Until then, I just cannot give this book 5 stars unfortunately. If I was Darren, I would have changed the title of this book and definitely scrapped the "101" on the cover, because I feel as though that attracts the wrong crowd, like me thinking that it's a book for beginners.
R**.
A good review of essential information
I always like to hear how a knowledgeable person goes over what I learned over 40 years ago. This author has a very discernible sense of humor, which makes for very good reading. It felt like he was right here teaching me himself. A very good review book.
J**E
Well worth the money
I bought the first edition, and was impressed. As a US Marine Radar Technician and engineering student, I find that so many of us in the electronics fields either never built a solid foundation in the basics of electronics, or have forgotten a lot of the fundamentals. This is a great book for correcting either of those issues.The first edition did have some minor errors. The author, Darren Ashby, makes himself available both here and on his website, and replied to my comments and suggestions. When the second edition came out, I bought it, and gave my 1st edition to a coworker. Now that the third edition is out, I'm going to buy a couple copies and make it required reading for my young Marines. The book is full of good insights and reminders about the important fundamentals and practical aspects of working with electronics.I'm looking forward to seeing the latest updates in version 3, and I would highly recommend this book to anyone who works with electronics.
K**E
Not for beginners
This book was recommended as a great book to learn about basic electronics. I have a computer science background but have never had a course in electronics. I am disappointed in the book. It assumes knowledge of basic concepts in some cases but laboriously describes other basic concepts. For instance "when both voltage and current are in synch, they are in phase." What does it mean for voltage and current to be "in synch"? I think perhaps it is more a basic theoretical book for engineers than a practical book for a person wanting to learn how electricity and circuits work. Also, I concur with another reviewer that the equations in the kindle are impossible to read. I wish I could return the book and find another.
Trustpilot
3 weeks ago
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