Resources for the Beginner Hardware Hacker?

StandardDeviant asks: "What would be good resources for a programmer looking to start a hobby in hardware hacking? By that I mean circuits, microcontrollers, computer controlled hacks, and such...sort of like a hobby-level EE education. It's just this itch I've had recently to dig down to the other extreme of the 'tower of abstraction' they bleat about so much in CS, also I find it ironic that I know more about the math (Maxwell's laws, and so on) behind electric widgets than I do about using them to build things. I'd be interested in pointers to good websites, books, magazines, parts sources, you name it! As an example: I've been looking recently at the microcontroller/circuit stuff from Iguana Labs, and of course browsing through Radio Shack. Thanks!"

Comments

Fundamentals first.

[AntipodesTroll]

I wont paste a bunch of URLs, google can give you those.

But as an ex EE student (concentrating on digital electronics) i'd have to say that you will be best served if you understand the very basic fundamentals first.

It might sound boring, working out how/why a simple multivibrator (ooer!) cct works, or in just which direction current flow occurs when looking at the cct symbol for a diode. But you wont regret it, when you wonder whats up with your registered digital interface, or pondering what the deal is with open-collector outputs.

Besides, if youre really interested in electronics, this stuff IS interesting. Software writing starts to feel kinda like an arbitary exercise, after you have designed and built a few simple electronics circuits.