Electronics All-In-One for Dummies.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lowe, Doug.

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource (866 pages)

Edition:

4th ed.

Place of Publication:

Newark : John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2026.

Summary:

A from-scratch guide to understanding, designing, and building basic electronics Electronics All-in-One For Dummies unlocks the fascinating world of analog and digital electronics with crystal-clear explanations that actually make sense.

Contents:

Intro

Title Page

Copyright Page

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Foolish Assumptions

Icons Used in This Book

Beyond the Book

Where to Go from Here

Book 1 Getting Started with Electronics

Chapter 1 Welcome to Electronics

What Is Electricity?

But Really, What Is Electricity?

What Is Electronics?

What Can You Do with Electronics?

Making noise

Making light

Transmitting to the world

Computing

Looking inside Electronic Devices

Chapter 2 Understanding Electricity

Pondering the Wonder of Electricity

Looking for Electricity

Peering Inside Atoms

Examining the Elements

Minding Your Charges

Conductors and Insulators

Understanding Current

Understanding Voltage

Comparing Direct and Alternating Current

Understanding Power

Chapter 3 Creating Your Mad-Scientist Lab

Setting Up Your Mad-Scientist Lab

Equipping Your Mad-Scientist Lab

Basic hand tools

Magnifying glasses

Third hands and hobby vises

Soldering iron

Multimeter

Solderless breadboard

Wire

Batteries

Other things to stock up on

Stocking up on Basic Electronic Components

Resistors

Capacitors

Diodes

Light-emitting diodes

Transistors

Integrated circuits

One Last Thing

Chapter 4 Staying Safe

Facing the Realities of Electrical Dangers

Household electrical current can kill you!

Even relatively small voltages can hurt you

Sometimes voltage hides in unexpected places

Other Ways to Stay Safe

Keeping Safety Equipment on Hand

Protecting Your Stuff from Static Discharges

Chapter 5 Reading Schematic Diagrams

Introducing a Simple Schematic Diagram

Laying Out a Circuit

To Connect or Not to Connect

Looking at Commonly Used Symbols

Simplifying Ground and Power Connections

Labeling Components in a Schematic Diagram.

Representing Integrated Circuits in a Schematic Diagram

Chapter 6 Building Projects

Looking at the Process of Building an Electronic Project

Envisioning Your Project

Designing Your Circuit

Prototyping Your Circuit on a Solderless Breadboard

Understanding how solderless breadboards work

Laying out your circuit

Assembling the coin-toss circuit on a solderless breadboard

What if it doesn't work?

Constructing Your Circuit on a Printed Circuit Board

Understanding how printed circuit boards work

Using a preprinted PCB

Building the coin-toss circuit on a PCB

Finding an Enclosure for Your Circuit

Working with a project box

Mounting the coin-toss circuit in a box

Chapter 7 The Secrets of Successful Soldering

Understanding How Solder Works

Procuring What You Need to Solder

Buying a soldering iron

Stocking up on solder

Other goodies you need

Preparing to Solder

Soldering a Solid Solder Joint

Checking Your Work

Desoldering

Chapter 8 Measuring Circuits with a Multimeter

Looking at Multimeters

What a Multimeter Measures

Ammeter

Voltmeter

Ohmmeter

Other measurements

Schematic symbols for meter functions

Using Your Multimeter

Measuring current

Measuring voltage

Measuring resistance

Chapter 9 Catching Waves with an Oscilloscope

Understanding Oscilloscopes

Examining Waveforms

Calibrating an Oscilloscope

Displaying Signals

Book 2 Working with Basic Electronic Components

Chapter 1 Working with Basic Circuits

What Is a Circuit?

Using Batteries

Building a Lamp Circuit

Project 1: A Simple Lamp Circuit

Parts

Steps

Working with Switches

The many ways to throw the switch

Making connections with poles and throws

Building a Switched Lamp Circuit

Project 2: A Lamp Controlled by a Switch

Steps.

Understand Series and Parallel Circuits

Building a Series Lamp Circuit

Project 3: A Series Lamp Circuit

Building a Parallel Lamp Circuit

Project 4: A Parallel Lamp Circuit

Using Switches in Series and Parallel

Building a Series Switch Circuit

Project 5: A Series Switch Circuit

Building a Parallel Switch Circuit

Project 6: A Parallel Switch Circuit

Switching between Two Lamps

Project 7: Controlling Two Lamps with One Switch

Building a Three-Way Lamp Switch

Project 8: A Three-Way Light Switch

Reversing Polarity

Project 9: A Polarity-Reversing Circuit

Chapter 2 Working with Resistors

What Is Resistance?

Measuring Resistance

Looking at Ohm's Law

Introducing Resistors

Reading Resistor Color Codes

Reading a resistor's value

Understanding resistor tolerance

Understanding Resistor Power Ratings

Limiting Current with a Resistor

Project 10: Using a Current-Limiting Resistor

Combining Resistors

Combining resistors in series

Combining resistors in parallel

Mixing series and parallel resistors

Combining resistors in series and parallel

Project 11: Resistors in Series and Parallel

Dividing Voltage

Dividing Voltage with Resistors

Project 12: A Voltage Divider Circuit

Varying Resistance with a Potentiometer

Chapter 3 Working with Capacitors

What Is a Capacitor?

Counting Capacitance

Reading Capacitor Values

The Many Sizes and Shapes of Capacitors

Calculating Time Constants for Resistor/Capacitor Networks

Combining Capacitors

Combining capacitors in parallel

Connecting capacitors in series

Putting Capacitors to Work

Charging and Discharging a Capacitor.

Project 13: Charging and Discharging a Capacitor

Blocking DC while Passing AC

Project 14: Blocking Direct Current

Chapter 4 Working with Inductors

What Is Magnetism?

The north and south of magnetism

Pondering permanent magnets

Examining Electromagnets

Inducing Current

Inductance and the art of resisting change

Regarding henry

Calculating RL Time Constants

Calculating Inductive Reactance

Combining Inductors

Putting Inductors to Work

Protecting Sensitive Circuits from Inductive Loads

Chapter 5 Working with Diodes and LEDs

What Is a Semiconductor?

Doping: It's not just for athletes

Understanding p-n junctions

Introducing Diodes

The Many Types of Diodes

Rectifier diodes

Signal diodes

Zener diodes

Using a Diode to Block Reverse Polarity

Project 15: Blocking Reverse Polarity

Putting Rectifiers to Work

Building Rectifier Circuits

Project 16: Rectifier Circuits

Introducing Light-Emitting Diodes

Using LEDs to Detect Polarity

Project 17: An LED Polarity Detector

Chapter 6 Working with Transistors

What's the Big Deal about Transistors?

Why were transistors invented?

Looking inside a transistor

Examining transistor specifications

Amplifying with a Transistor

Using a Transistor as a Switch

An LED Driver Circuit

Project 18: A Transistor LED Driver

Looking at a Simple NOT Gate Circuit

Building a NOT Gate

Project 19: A NOT Gate

Oscillating with a Transistor

Building an LED Flasher

Project 20: An LED Flasher

Wrapping Up Our Exploration of Discrete Components

Book 3 Working with Integrated Circuits

Chapter 1 Introducing Integrated Circuits.

What Exactly Is an Integrated Circuit?

Looking at How Integrated Circuits Are Made

Integrated Circuit Packages

Using ICs in Schematic Diagrams

Powering ICs

Avoiding Static and Heat Damage

Reading IC Data Sheets

Popular Integrated Circuits

555 timer

741 and LM324 op-amp

78xx voltage regulator

74xx logic family

Chapter 2 The Fabulous 555 Timer Chip

Looking at How the 555 Works

Understanding 555 Modes

Using the 555 in Monostable (One-Shot) Mode

Looking at a typical 555 monostable circuit

Looking at the resistor-capacitor circuit in a monostable timer

Calculating the time interval for a monostable circuit

Using the 555 in Astable (Oscillator) Mode

Looking at a typical astable circuit

Controlling the time intervals in an astable 555 circuit

Calculating the duty cycle

Using the 555 in Bistable (Flip-Flop) Mode

Using the 555 Timer Output

Doubling Up with the 556 Dual Timer

Making a One-Shot Timer

Project 21: A One-Shot 555 Timer Circuit

Making an LED Flasher

Project 22: An LED Flasher

Using a Set/Reset Switch

Project 23: An LED Flasher with a Set/Reset Switch

Making a Beeper

Project 24: An Audible Beeper

Chapter 3 Working with Op-Amps

Looking at Operational Amplifiers

Understanding Open Loop-Amplifiers

Looking at Closed Loop-Amplifiers

Using an Op-Amp as a Voltage Comparator

Working with the LM324 Op-Amp

Project 25: A Voltage Comparator

Chapter 4 Discovering Darlingtons

Reviewing Transistor Gain

Looking at Darlingtons

Examining the ULN2003 Darlington Array

Project 26: A High-Brightness LED Flasher

Book 4 Beyond Direct Current

Chapter 1 Getting into Alternating Current

What Is Alternating Current?.

Measuring Alternating Current.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

1-394-40088-8

9781394400881

OCLC:

1584458987