FairProspects Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 I'm not sure if I should ask this here or on the high school board, but can anyone recommend some good late high school/early college level electronics, robotics, or electrical engineering textbooks? I have no idea what I am looking at here, or who are the good professors writing these. I would prefer something with a lot of diagrams and schematics if possible. Thanks for the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 I can't help much personally, though I do have an excellent electronics manual I've never gotten 'round to tucked away somewhere, and will try to hunt it down in the next day or so. I assume you've done something like Snap Circuits, with the "Hands-on Program for Basic Electricity and Electronics"? That manual acts as an actual course, unlike the manuals that come with the kits and simply give diagrams & descriptions of particular circuits. I had a bit of a hard time getting the book I wanted; there's no ISBN on it, the Elenco Electronics number seems to be "753307". Have you checked out open courseware at MIT? Their intro to electrical engineering will be quite good, if it is there. I don't know if CalTech has anything online. Good professors would be happy to help you. If you Google a bit for professors of topics you are interested in who have won teaching or mentoring awards, then e-mail them with your specific question, I am sure most would respond with something useful. -- also, usually professors at smaller colleges/universities with good departments are interested in supporting all students and would be helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted March 4, 2012 Author Share Posted March 4, 2012 Yup, we've done all the Snap Circuits stuff already. Thanks for the MIT OpenCourseware suggestion though, their newest course is an intro to Electrical Engineering, so that would be perfect. It doesn't look like those classes have accompanying textbooks though, so I'm going to keep searching for some book options too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 (edited) Yup, we've done all the Snap Circuits stuff already. Thanks for the MIT OpenCourseware suggestion though, their newest course is an intro to Electrical Engineering, so that would be perfect. It doesn't look like those classes have accompanying textbooks though, so I'm going to keep searching for some book options too. What level of math and science has this student already covered? The MIT opencourseware is a college level course. I actually discussed this course w/Kathy in Richmond yesterday. (her ds has his bachelors and masters in computer science from MIT) This is from the MITx website: In order to succeed in this course, you must have taken an AP level physics course in electricity and magnetism. You must know basic calculus and linear algebra and have some background in differential equations. Since more advanced mathematics will not show up until the second half of the course, the first half of the course will include an optional remedial differential equations component for those who need it. ETA: Though it looks like the website has conflicting info......it does list this as a pre-req: http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/physics/8-01sc-physics-i-classical-mechanics-fall-2010/ Having an idea of level of ability will help clarify suggestions. Edited March 4, 2012 by 8FillTheHeart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted March 4, 2012 Author Share Posted March 4, 2012 (edited) Having an idea of level of ability will help clarify suggestions. Math is a problem area. I had previously not accelerated because I did not understand what we were dealing with so while ds has the ability he doesn't have the math exposure. After the neuropsych appt., I plan to radically accelerate, possibly with a tutor if I can find a good one. The suggestion by the neuropsych was to find good college engineering textbooks with diagrams and let ds figure them out on his own while listening to the audiobook (also dyslexic). As I'm thinking this through, a book would be probably better than the OpenCourse ware. Because of auditory issues, the neuropsych said lectures were probably not the best method of getting info to ds, but that he needs to get the vocabulary and diagrams. Is there some kind of text that goes along with the course that ds can just read on his own without taking the course? ETA: I do realize this sounds nuts but we are new to these challenges so please forgive me if I stumble around while trying to hit the right level of instruction. Edited March 4, 2012 by FairProspects Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAR120C Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 I'm not sure if I should ask this here or on the high school board, but can anyone recommend some good late high school/early college level electronics, robotics, or electrical engineering textbooks? Anything by Forrest Mims is going to be excellent, in my experience. They're available as little booklets or as compilations (same content, bound together) from Radio Shack. It's what DH learned on when he was a kid, and it's what we got for DS when he started soldering. I don't know if that's exactly the level you're looking for (I think "level" of electronics has a lot to do with experience, soldering ability, and math background... and not as much to do with age or grade level...) but if you've not done them already they're cheap, accessible, and well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in Richmond Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 (edited) Anything by Forrest Mims is going to be excellent, in my experience. They're available as little booklets or as compilations (same content, bound together) from Radio Shack. It's what DH learned on when he was a kid, and it's what we got for DS when he started soldering. I don't know if that's exactly the level you're looking for (I think "level" of electronics has a lot to do with experience, soldering ability, and math background... and not as much to do with age or grade level...) but if you've not done them already they're cheap, accessible, and well done. Oh my gosh, Erica! I just went upstairs to my son's bedroom to sort through his messy shelves in search of what he used in late elementary school when he first showed an interest in electrical circuits. All I remembered was that he was at Radio Shack with us when he spotted some little booklets for sale (they're marked $1.99, but that was years ago), and we purchased four of them, along with a basic make-your-own-projects sort of kit that they sold to kids. Well, ds was absolutely glued to those booklets for a long, long time. He learned a ton about circuits and spent hours devising and carrying out projects. Anyhow, I found the booklets just now at the bottom of a desk drawer, and they're authored by Forrest Mims!! So we must have really lucked out when we bought them (didn't really have a clue whether they'd be good or not...:tongue_smilie:). So I will heartily second Erica's recommendation. These booklets are full of diagrams that you son can puzzle over. Ours are titled: Engineer's Mini-Notebook: Science Projects; Cat.No. 276-5018A; 1994 Engineer's Mini-Notebook: Digital Logic Circuits; Cat. No. 62-5014; 1995 Engineer's Mini-Notebook: Formulas, Tables and Basic Circuits; Cat.No. 62-5016; 1997 Engineer's Mini-Notebook: Schematic symbols, Device Packages, design and Testing; Cat. No. 276-5017; 1990 (I'm guessing from Erica's post that these might have been republished since we purchased them.) Edited March 4, 2012 by Kathy in Richmond Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted March 4, 2012 Author Share Posted March 4, 2012 Thank you both!! I'm going to go look for these at RS today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAR120C Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Oh my gosh, Erica! I just went upstairs to my son's bedroom to sort through his messy shelves in search of what he used in late elementary school when he first showed an interest in electrical circuits. All I remembered was that he was at Radio Shack with us when he spotted some little booklets for sale (they're marked $1.99, but that was years ago), and we purchased four of them, along with a basic make-your-own-projects sort of kit that they sold to kids. We have some of the mini notebooks from when DH was a kid (even less than $1.99!), some from when he worked at Radio Shack when he was in college, and then the more recent printing in a whole book - Getting Started in Electronics or something like that. I think Forrest Mims has been a staple of the electronics hobbyist circuit (ha!) since our parents were kids... ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Temperance Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 I used the "The Art of Electronics" by Horowitz and Hill extensively as an undergrad, both for classes and to design instrumentation. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0521370957/ref=aw_cr_d_books?qid=1330898357&sr=8-1 It is not a textbook, it is a reference book and it minimizes the mathematics as much as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in SW WA Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Getting Started in Electronics or something like that. I think Forrest Mims has been a staple of the electronics hobbyist circuit (ha!) since our parents were kids... ;) I bought the Mims book at Radio Shack for ds last week for $20 along with an awesome pile of Arduino. He ordered more books and the Arduino microcontroller pack from Amazon last night. He's hooked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 I love Make: Electronics http://www.amazon.com/Make-Electronics-Discovery-Charles-Platt/dp/0596153740 It gets expensive to buy the components to do everything, but it is fantastic hand's on learning as well as a fantastic textbook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in SW WA Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 I love Make: Electronics http://www.amazon.com/Make-Electronics-Discovery-Charles-Platt/dp/0596153740 It gets expensive to buy the components to do everything, but it is fantastic hand's on learning as well as a fantastic textbook. Ds ordered this also. Well worth the expense. He loves this new hobby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 I second the MAKE: Electronics and the Getting Started in Electronics. Something that really jump started my dds ability was to NOT get the MAKE kit for the book. Instead, she has had to read up on each part, locate it, identify it in relation to other sizes/powers/etc. We were at Radio Shack yesterday, and they had expanded their hobbyist shelving. They had Arduino kits and components, more electronics kits and books, and more of the MAKE products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in SW WA Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 We were at Radio Shack yesterday, and they had expanded their hobbyist shelving. They had Arduino kits and components, more electronics kits and books, and more of the MAKE products. :iagree: Our RS has quite a bit also. They sent their employees to Arduino training. They seem fairly knowledgable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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