Analogue electronics books recommendations
 

Good morning all
I've had a bit of a look across the various forums just to check, but can't quite find what I'm looking for. Can anyone please recommend a good book or two on the analogue circuits, basically covering how components work (some of which I know) and why they are used where they are used in analogue audio circuits. I have a couple of books (e.g. a 1992 reissue of Teach yourself electronics) but they miss out on some things (transformers, inductors, oscillators), but would like something more focussed on audio and amplification (radio and hi-fi). I need books I can work through, rather than just grapping stuff piecemeal off the internet, useful though this can be. I'm looking for something that will give me a sound grounding of principles, etc.
Many thanks for advice, etc...
cheers
Chris

Re: Analogue electronics books recommendations
 

Hi Chris

Everyone will have different ideas about this but in terms of my background I think its hard to beat Foundations of Wireless (and Electronics in later editions)

This is a fantastic source and M. G. Scroggie made it his own

Cheers

Mike T

Re: Analogue electronics books recommendations
 

"The Art of Electronics" is also a modern classic, and used in much course teaching. It also doesn't push the maths too heavily.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_Electronics

Mike

Re: Analogue electronics books recommendations
 

Art of electronics is missing a lot of information on inductors / transformers / oscillators to be fair, especially in later editions. Scroggie is light on details I found too. All of these things tend to either be cookbooks or theoretical with nothing to bridge the gaps particularly well. No one talks about composing systems unless it's RF stuff where the inter-module connections are 50 ohm referenced etc.

On the bucket list is to write a book which bridges those gaps.

If someone filled all the gaps up in this it'd be good: https://lcamtuf.coredump.cx/electronics/

Re: Analogue electronics books recommendations
 

For basic principles, and especially information of how components work, it might be worth taking a look at either the RSGB 'Radio Communication Handbook' or 'The ARRL Handbook'.

Let me justify this; these are books primarily intended for people interested in ham radio, but they start off from first principles and certainly cover AF amplifiers (and every other topic like PSU's etc) as a subject in their own right (you would just forget the sections on RF topics if you wished). They have been published in huge numbers, with new editions every year or two, since the start of time. For pre-digital stuff, you could certainly look at copies from the 60's and early 70's. Those can often be picked up for very little money (e.g. there's a 1968 RSGB copy for sale online for £5 +£4 P&P).

The size of them adds postage costs if you buy on line; I used to pick them up in those far off days when there were rallies :(.
Might be worth checking local book dealers.

B

Re: Analogue electronics books recommendations
 

You'll find no one book will do it for you, so looking for books, plural is a very good move.

If you're finding something difficult, then the opportunity to see it from multiple viewpoints is what often makes it click into place.

The RSGB and ARRL handbooks cover the same ground, but are written differently. They tend to cover a bit of each other's gaps. They're cheap second hand, so it's no bother to acquire one of each. They've both evolved over the years, so newish ones are useful for newish ideas. Ones from the 1930s and 1950s can be very interesting too. Some of these are must-haves.

Horowitz and Hill's "The Art of Electronics" is a must-have too. Any edition will do a lot for you.

These are not books to read a lot of at once. They are for dipping into as the mood or need takes you.

David

Disclaimer: I'm one of the authors of the ARRL handbook but I don't think suggesting a second hand one is too immoral.

Re: Analogue electronics books recommendations
 

I would like to add an idea here as well, not really sure if you are interested in semiconductors or the older valve tech? You could very well be aware of the articles on the valve museum web pages:-
http://www.r-type.org/articles/art-123.htm
There is also a great repository on line at the American site https://worldradiohistory.com
if you are interested in the older technology another consideration is as series of old magazines found here:-
https://worldradiohistory.com/Archiv...t_Magazine.htm The mag seems to have been around for only 3 years and had a few pages in each magazine on fundamentals as well as articles of circuits of the era.

The ARRL handbooks can also be downloaded from this site: - https://archive.org/search.php?query=ARRL+Handbook

Adrian

Re: Analogue electronics books recommendations
 

Yes, I should have added that in the late 1980's, the ARRL Handbook became the definitive source of information on certain types of RF oscillators, and is unlikely ever to be bettered ;D.

B

Re: Analogue electronics books recommendations
 

Thanks very much for the suggestions everyone - clearly two or three good textbooks...
I will follow these up...
Once again, the quick and helpful responses are appreciated...
Cheers
Chris

Re: Analogue electronics books recommendations
 

Just a further quick question while we're still on the topic. My copy of "The A of E" is the second edition, and I'm going to have to upgrade to the third. Can anyone tell me if the hardback version of the third ed. is "proper" hardback - i.e. stitch-bound and cased, or is it just the "fake" hardback type - glued together with hard covers? It makes a huge difference to life expectancy!

Mike

Re: Analogue electronics books recommendations
 

I've found T.L. Floyd's 'Electronics Fundamentals' quite useful - it's used as the basis of an online course at Oxford Univ. as well, just to give you an idea of level/content:
https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/courses/online-introduction-to-electronics . Focus is mostly analogue, and audio, but not radio.

It's an American book, so it's based on a 'working through it' approach, and being American, you can also buy the answer book (sorry - 'study guide'....), if you find you need it. I easily found the relevant books 2nd. hand, and very cheaply, at Abebooks.

Alan

Re: Analogue electronics books recommendations
 

The Art of Electronics is the clear winner for me.



Steve.

Re: Analogue electronics books recommendations
 

Sanctioned by the authors?

Back on topic, reading books can help but there 'aint no substitute for having a go. Getting a few of the late 20's early 30's "Radio for the common man" type of books and reading them is informative, they were trying to tell "mr Brown" how radio works to sell components etc. and have it work in the end.

Paul Stenning (our hoster, thanks Paul) has quite a few books on his website, the Ladybird "Making a Transistor Radio" is worth a go (somewhere here https://www.vintage-radio.info/books ) I would read all of them to get a grasp.

Re: Analogue electronics books recommendations
 

For that in a "bigger picture" way the Secret life of Machines TV series explains loads of things very well https://www.secretlifeofmachines.com/ It all rather depends upon what you know and are comfortable with now. Being comfortable with previous steps is vital to get to the next one.

Re: Analogue electronics books recommendations
 

Ah, yet more helpful suggestions! Thank you to everyone who has responded...
Cheers
Chris

Re: Analogue electronics books recommendations
 

Van Valkenburgh, Nooger & Neville's "Basic Electronics" books designed for basic training for either the Royal or US Navy are excellent. Lots of period cartoons, and cover the functions of circuits from first principles. Mainly valves, but transistors do sneak in on the last book (6?)

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-sear...ooger-neville/

Re: Analogue electronics books recommendations
 

Just an observation: inductors and transformers is a big topic in itself. It depends on the frequency range of interest, the application, the powers and currents involved. So you need to be a bit more specific about where your interests lie.

However, a browse of the Babani books here might be helpful https://worldradiohistory.com/Booksh...rds_Babani.htm

Craig

Re: Analogue electronics books recommendations
 

https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Ber...ion-Manual.pdf

https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Ber...ernards_60.pdf

But oscillators is also a big topic, again depending on frequency range. RF oscillators are based on historic classics - the Colpitts, Hartley and Clapp configurations. This is the original paper by Clapp, who worked for General Radio:

https://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GR_Appno...0Stability.pdf

But if you are interested in audio, you'll be interested in Wein Bridge and Phase Shift oscillators.

But they are all covered in Art of Electronics anyway.

Craig

Re: Analogue electronics books recommendations
 

My background is all digital, but became interested in electromagnetism many years ago, making wind turbines to start.

I quite literally bought any book with electromagnetism or similar words in the title from ebay and bookshops. I now have about 1000, and read them all. They are all different, there is no one book to recommend even on a small subject like electromagnetism. What I found was that books written after the mid-1960's were just full of maths, incomprehensible to me. Just go into every bookshop you see and ask for the technical section. Buy anything that looks useful.

I would suggest a hunt through anybook.biz website. They take in unwanted books from libraries and sell them one. I have bought possibly 150 from them. These are mostly ex-university books, and again, at £2-3 each buy a pile.

Re: Analogue electronics books recommendations
 

No. Win Hill, on his website says that the only legal electronic version is the Kindle one, which isn't free.

It's likely the file will get taken down from that site when the publishers notice it, so a link to it may not be enduring anyway.

Win Hill got steered my way when he was having trouble with some RF-ery and we had a pleasant conversation. I was left with the impression that he's definitely one of the good guys.

The Art of Electronics is a book written by physicists. People interested in using electronics rather than studying electronics. As a consequence it cuts out all the analysis and proofs and gets on with telling you how things work and how to design things. Light on maths, heavier on understanding.

It's worth paying real money for. The authors put in real work in writing it, so I would no more steer someone to a free download than I would steer them to a site telling them how to get their telly back from a repairer without paying.

Paper copies are available second-hand.

For hobby use, any edition will be good.

As far as Kindle goes, I had a discouraging incident where paid for electronic books could not be transferred after a computer died, so I treat electronic ones as not necessarily long lived. Books on paper, music on LP and CD for me!

The Art of Electronics covers very little in the RF technology area, and this is stated. But RF electronics still needs power supplies, controllers low frequency stages and audio. It's not perfect, but it's a very, very good fit for what people need when they decide to move onwards from component swapping.

David