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Domain: forrestmims.com
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Comments · 13
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Re:No...
and besides if you really want to study electronics then RadioShack has everything you need including the Forrest Mims set of books. http://www.forrestmims.com/
Wait to get this thing until after you know which way to put a polarized cap in a circuit and you can hold a soldering iron by the correct end.
Fun Fact the Mims project books were all HAND DRAWN by Mims himself (and then photocopied)
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Re:Mims
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Re:Forrest Mims
Gettng Started in Electronics . It takes you through everything from basic soldering to building logic circuits, oscillators, amplifiers. His "mini notebooks" are great too.
Once you have the basics down you will probably want to get into microcontrollers. There are a lot of ways to go here depending on how much time you want to spend wiring things up yourself, and your comfort level with software. You might start with the very popular PIC. Although the architecture is a bit long in the tooth and is a poor target for C, there loads of example projects for it so it's easy to learn. There are also many high-level building blocks (Basic stamp etc) that can get you up and running quickly. If you have sophisticated software needs, you'll want a more modern micro with better tools - check out Atmel or TI.
Eventually you will need a more formal treatment if you want to design your own circuits. I consider The Art of Electronics to be the bible here - it is thorough but also very practical and you will find it has specific solutions for many everyday engineering problems. It has been a great investment, and one of the better worn books on my shelf. Have fun!
----------------- Ya definitely, "The Art Of Electronics" is The Bible of Electronics for ALL enthusiasts.
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Re:Forrest Mims
If you're going with Forrest Mims, go all the way and get his Electronics Learning Lab. From there check out MakerShed's Intro Electronics. Also check out, and subscribe to, Make Zine. You mention micro-controllers, they have a number of projects that will let you learn them. One I liked and thought about trying was Garduino: Gardening + Arduino. This project uses an Arduino controller to control how much light and water plants get.
Now the OP asked about ham radio and CB, the best thing there is to find a local amateur radio group and ask them about learning. I don't know if things have changed much, but the local groups I knew or heard of were willing to help new people. They even had free classes.
Falcon
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Forrest MimsGettng Started in Electronics . It takes you through everything from basic soldering to building logic circuits, oscillators, amplifiers. His "mini notebooks" are great too.
Once you have the basics down you will probably want to get into microcontrollers. There are a lot of ways to go here depending on how much time you want to spend wiring things up yourself, and your comfort level with software. You might start with the very popular PIC. Although the architecture is a bit long in the tooth and is a poor target for C, there loads of example projects for it so it's easy to learn. There are also many high-level building blocks (Basic stamp etc) that can get you up and running quickly. If you have sophisticated software needs, you'll want a more modern micro with better tools - check out Atmel or TI.
Eventually you will need a more formal treatment if you want to design your own circuits. I consider The Art of Electronics to be the bible here - it is thorough but also very practical and you will find it has specific solutions for many everyday engineering problems. It has been a great investment, and one of the better worn books on my shelf. Have fun!
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Re:Digital Electronics.
Forrest Mims. http://www.forrestmims.com/
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Get the cook-books by a guy named Forrest Mims.
This guy writes and creates stuff that's simply great fun and really good, educationally.
I give him a 10 out of 10. When you graduate from his stuff, move on to the stuff by Steve Ciarcia.
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back in the day
radio shack would have been a convenient stop. The out of print book by Forest Mims... wait, this is the intarweb... http://www.forrestmims.com/
there ya go!
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Re:We're toast
I looked at the pictures and looks nearly identical to ECE331 when I was in college. I didn't wear the board (NE555 and a couple of caps and resistors), but rather fastened it to my door. I also had a similar shirt, and wore it all the time, except for ECE331, not course 6.
Oh great, now look what you did! You realize homeland security is watching this? Now Forrest Mims is gonna be getting a visit from the dudes in black!
You know Radio Shack used to sell plans for what looks like her 'bomb'.
Quick, download his site before it disappears!
Forrest Mims III -
No kit needed
I've always been a fan of the "Engineer's Mini-Notebook" series from Forrest Mims. You can get them at Radio Shack, most HAM radio shops or online here. (were originally like 10 books, they've now condensed them down to 4)
Entry-level electronics projects with detailed explanations and parts lists. You'll have to get the parts yourself, but with companies liker Mouser, Graybar and Fry's, that shouldn't be a problem. -
No kit needed
I've always been a fan of the "Engineer's Mini-Notebook" series from Forrest Mims. You can get them at Radio Shack, most HAM radio shops or online here. (were originally like 10 books, they've now condensed them down to 4)
Entry-level electronics projects with detailed explanations and parts lists. You'll have to get the parts yourself, but with companies liker Mouser, Graybar and Fry's, that shouldn't be a problem. -
Learning about software development.Except for the 1-in-a-1000 exceptional genius programmers, you are best off building the foundation for a career in software development by getting some formal post-secondary education.
Personally when hiring for a developer position, normally there are so many applicants that we throw out all the no (4 year) degree resumes or non related degrees (a degree in history doesn't help). That is simply a numbers game, we receive 200 resumes per day that a given position is advertised (online only at a single job web site). Last time we had about 400 potential applicants, and that is a small a pool of resumes. While we might be able to find an exceptional candidate without a degree, but the chances are so slim it isn't worth the time to look through every piece of garbage resume and interview the many very unlikely candidates to find a hidden gem.
A few things I expect a good candidate to learn from their education are:- At a very low level, how a computer works. What goes on inside the CPU, what a "bus" is, what memory paging is. Structured Computer Organization by Andrew Tanenbaum, Computer Architecture by Hennessy and Patterson.
- Programming Languages, should know enough about computers to be able to write a simple program in assembly, and then learn a couple "simple" high level languages e.g. Perl, Python, Ruby, followed by C, then Java (or C++), and then a not so common language (aka "languages that make you think") like Haskell, ML, Lisp, or Scheme. Plus a basic/general history of programming languages. Suggested reading: Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs
- Software engineering. From making sure programs work, correctly, to programming in the large (not everything can be written as a 1000 line Perl script), and software development as a profession (ethics, legalities, future). Two good references are Code Complete by Steven McConnell, and The Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brooks.
- Basic electronics. Getting Started in Electronics by Forrest Mims or Lessons In Electric Circuits - Just the basics, Ohms Law and some basic ideas such as logic gates and flip flops.
- Enough math to be dangerous
I also like employees who can work well with others, can communicate - both ask questions and answer them, and mature enough and socially well adjusted to realize there is more to life than just computers.
I would hesitate to hire someone right from high school, that does not plan to take their education further. There is too much to learn about in order to be a good, well-rounded software developer to get it all from reading a few books or simply contributing to an open source project (though that can be a big plus on someone's resume IMHO).
We do hire summer students who are in (or plan to enter, in one case) Computer Science (or related such as Computer Engineering) 4 year university degree programs. Often CS students can find part-time work on campus, from being computer lab assistances, to support and PC technician for the university's computing services, to programming for professors doing research (in CS and other fields).
If you cannot afford to go to school full-time, then go part-time and find a job as well. Education combined with experience is a great mix. -
Read Forrest Mimms books, get a ham radio licenseOk first of all, Forrest Mimms rules. He wrote those little "Engineer's Mini Notebooks" you used to be able to get at Radio Shack (maybe you still can, I'm not sure), they're small, easy to understand, chock full of GREAT electronics projects, and best of all cheap. Also his amazing book Getting Started in Electronics is probably the best introduction to electronics ever. You can find his stuff on his web site at http://www.forrestmims.com/
Second of all get your ham radio license! Buy a copy of Now You're Talking! from the ARRL and study up! Amateur radio is approximately 50% applied analog and digital electronics, and don't think all that communications theory stuff doesn't apply to computers because it does, RF knowledge is CRITICAL to engineering high speed digital circuits! Get involved with a local ham radio club and start building ham radio kits and projects. Other than working in an electronics lab, it's the best way to get applied electronics experience quickly.
I'm n1ywb and that's my two cents.