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Electronic Circuits for the Evil Genius
List price: $24.95
Sale price: $16.47
You save: $8.48 (34%)
Author(s): Dave Cutcher
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 621.3815
EAN: 9780071448819
Edition: 1
ISBN: 0071448810
Label: McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics
Language(s): English Original LanguageEnglish UnknownEnglish Published
List Price: $24.95
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 225
Package Dimensions:
Height: 0.47"
Width: 8.43"
Length: 0.47"
Weight: 1.1 lbs.
Product Group: Book
Address: 2004-11-24
Publisher: McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics
Studio: McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics
Editorial Reviews
Product Description:
There is truly a lack of good, basic hardwire electronic "how-to" books. The market seems interested in this type of fun project compilation. This is another book in our extremely successful "Evil Genius" series. So far, each of the books has sold about $50,000 in less than 3 months. With this book and another (Scrap Electronics for the Evil Genius), we should have a nice "cluster" for our next catalog. The perfect addition to our "Evil Genius" series, this book details everything an electronics hobbyist would want to know about circuits and circuit design through 57 Lessons. Readers work through 5 distinct, useful projects to reinforce their learning.
Customer Reviews Average rating - 3.5
Rating - 3 Date: 2008-06-04
Content: I just finished reading this book cover to cover. I also read most of the reviews here.
First off, let me say that the points made by the 1 and 2 star reviews are correct. The style of the book is a little disorganized, the format is borderline awful, and it does look like something printed 20 years ago. The title might be misleading in that this is a very basic introduction to electronics book, and certainly not for Genius level anything.
After the first couple of chapters, all of the above negative points had me rather angry. Why I kept reading, I don't know, but I did, and I ended up being pleasantly surprised. This is the first book I've encountered that presented electronic components and concepts in an applied, hands-on manner. My background is in physics, so I've learned something about the theory of electronics, and have studied transistors and op amps, but never knew what the darn things were used to do. For me, this book helped me connect the dots to actually understand the application of principles.
I want to point out this books strong suit - it walks the reader through the design of the circuits presented, not just the final schematic. You can see the thought process that goes into choosing components, and how you add stages to a circuit to produce the overall desired result. For the beginner, this is critical. For example, I've seen many schematic diagrams that don't call out ground connections, or explain why certain parts of the circuit are wired to ground. To be able to design you own circuits, this is a critical piece of understanding. Advanced books assume you know it, and beginning books seem to assume you don't care.
Am I qualified to design any functional circuit for myself now? No. But I do feel like I have the understanding to play with some ICs, and figure out what kinds of stages need to be added to produce the gizmos I want. (Incidentally, my desire to learn electronics stems from my hobby of building backyard haunted houses, and wanting to have some automation and animatronics)
I was going to give this book 4 stars (was going to ding one star for the format), but after reading the others' criticisms, I find myself agreeing with their knocks on the book. Still, I have to say, having read several other books on electronics (including some of Horowitz and Hill) this was the book that finally lifted the veil for me and helped me understand the hows and whys of electronics - I plan on giving the book a thorough reread. So as a supplement to a text that give a little more theory, or for a practical hands-on first time exposure to electronics, I recommend this book to the beginning student.
Summary: A fine hands-on supplement
Rating - 4 Date: 2008-02-19
Content: Coupled with the available parts kit, this book provides a nice starter for hobby electronics. A young person new to electronics would probably require some assistance, but an adult could work his way through fairly easily. I spent a few hours with my nephew and he really enjoyed seeing LED's and transistors work at close quarters. The photos of the circuits are not terribly clear and better printing or the use of illustrations would be a help.
Summary: A good enough starter for electronics
Rating - 3 Date: 2007-12-22
Content: You know, this book - Electronic Circuits for the Evil Genius was surprisingly very useful. I bought the book in order to supplement an electronics course that I was teaching at a local technical college and it turned out to be pretty much what I used for the introductory class.
The edition that I purchased had some typos and printing errors and was somewhat convoluted in its format but used as a "introduction" to electronics, it was more than adequate. And what made it really convenient was being able to order to "kit" to go along with the book and thereby save students from having to go to local shops and specialty supply houses to find pieces/parts.
It's pretty simplestic in its approach but that was exactly what I was looking for. The examples are good enough for beginners and even though the 2nd half of the book gets a little muddled and confused, I'd still recommend it for a first tutorial in electronics. There's enough there to peek the student's interest and make them want to delve into electronics a little more.
I can't say that I'm a fan of the title of the book and I'm not so sure that I understand the connection but if that was the author's preference, then, hey, let him call it whatever he wants (but not to be confused with another project book that's much more indepth with a similar title by R. Iannini).
Hal
Summary: Electronic Circuits for the Evil Genius
Rating - 5 Date: 2007-06-27
Content: I am in love with this book. I knew it would be good when i brought electronic projects for the evil genuis. I am an electronics engineering student and these books have been a great source of help and ideas.
I highly recommend this book for any one that is looking to learn about the fundamentals of electronics.
Summary: A Wonderful reference and study tool.
Rating - 5 Date: 2006-03-17
Content: This book is for a bright kid or an adult that wants to learn how to construct (and understand) some useful circuits. There is plenty of basic information and several important concepts are explained so that the beginner is not lost in the middle of a project (as is the case with many books).
While the book may not be perfect, anyone who wants to take the time to do a little thinking will be pleased with how the book is organized and the material is presented.
Best I have found.
Summary: Great Introductory Book
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