Hi

[jbarcia]

Hello everyone, I am new to electronics and I am looking to get started in the hobby. I am a computer scientist but I probably should have studied electrical engineering.
I started to read "Getting started in electronics" and I feel it is a good book. I have also purchased a few project kits to get started.
I am curious to see what everyone thinks are must have equipment and testers. Also, if anyone could recommend any good books on how to test components, I have already ran into some issues on the kits.
Thanks.

 

[(*steve*)]

If you're really serious about electronics, get a copy of "The art of electronics" (Horowitz & Hill). You may want to borrow a copy from a local library, or read a little in your local bookstore before you buy, as it's not a cheap book. It alsp may be a little advanced for where you are at the moment, but once you're ready for it, it's an absolutely *excellent* book.

The absolutely must-have equipment is a multimeter -- you can go for years and not need anything more. You can start with something cheap as you're bound to end up with several of them Look for reviews of multimeters and decide what suits you.

Here is a (very enthusiastic video) review of a number of multimeters at around the $50 mark.

Other test equipment -- well, multimeters now come with all sorts of extra test options and can often take the place of dedicated test equipment, especially when infrequently needed. What you might need depends on what you're doing.

When you ask about "testing components", what do you mean? You can test them to identify their "value" (essentially measuring them), to identify faults in them, to verify their operating characteristics, or to identify their function (identifying an unknown device). And what sort of components?

To put it another way, when you say "testing components", which sort of question are you asking?

a) Which of these resistors is 4.7k?
b) Is this diode still functional?
c) What are the voltage vs. current characteristics of this zener diode near the knee voltage?
d) What is this unidentified component?

 

[jbarcia]

To put it another way, when you say "testing components", which sort of question are you asking?

a) Which of these resistors is 4.7k?
b) Is this diode still functional?
c) What are the voltage vs. current characteristics of this zener diode near the knee voltage?
d) What is this unidentified component?

I know how to test resistors with a multimeter. I was more concerned with how to test functionality however the voltage vs current and identifying components are something I would be interested in. I have a cheap multimeter that measures voltage (DC &AC) and resistance.

The book that you recommended, I think I found it on amazon. Can you please just verify it with the isbn, thanks.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/05...ils?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1283430975&sr=8-1&seller=

I feel that knowledge and experience are the best tools.

 

[(*steve*)]

That's the one. Read a few pages on the net before you buy it. It may go well over your head at the moment.

Testing functionality requires that you know what to expect from a component and looking for discrepancies.

For diodes you generally look for conductivity in one direction but not the other,

For resistors you look for the "correct" resistance

For capacitors you (if you have the capability) check the capacitance and maybe ESR and/or leakage. If you don't have a multimeter or other equipment to test these you look for what appears to be an open circuit (for small value capacitors) or what appears to be a resistance that increases with time (for large capacitors).

These tests won't really confirm that a component is fully functional, but will generally detect the sorts of things you see in cases where a component has completely (or very nearly completely) failed.

 

[jbarcia]

Awesome, thank you so much.

 

[yuriart10]

Hello! I am Yuri. I came across this forum and surf with this forum. I like it much and looks informative. I would like to say hello to all the forum members. Hope have a good time with you all.