so I am not a newbie to computers or programming. I regularly program in C# and Java, know quite a bit about computer hardware and operating systems. But I am bored of writing stupid calculators or game bots. I want something exciting and something that involves physical hardware. So I want to get into electronics and micro-controllers. I was wondering how I should go about this? Any topics I should read first? How electrics work maybe? Any guides I should skim over? I plan to buy the Arduino starter kit and a load of components, along with a soldering iron etc soon; but want to get reading now. I do not need to go right into the advanced stuff but I like to know how things work before I use them; not just "plug this wire here to do this". Any help is much appreciated.
closed as too broad by BrettAM, LoganBlades, jdr5ca, Annonomus Penguin♦ Apr 21 at 23:02There are either too many possible answers, or good answers would be too long for this format. Please add details to narrow the answer set or to isolate an issue that can be answered in a few paragraphs.If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question. |
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A quick search on Amazon found a number of basic books on electronics. I'm not familiar with any of them to recommend one of them. But "plug this wire here to do this" isn't a bad way to start - you'll probably have some questions about what this component is for or why they had you connect it the way they did. That will give an immediate direction to your studying which in turn will bring in some more questions and more information. If you really want some basics ahead of time (noting that I don't know what will be basic for you), you might search for Ohm's Law (voltage and current through a resistor), and Kirchoff's Laws (voltage and current in electric circuits), and follow any leads that look interesting. Look up some common components that you'd find in a starter kit, like resistors, capacitors, and LEDs. But things will begin to get "real" for you once you have parts in hand and start using them to make some basic stuff like making lights blink or fade, motors turn, and buzzers buzz. |
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The best way to get started is surely by reading a book, I would recommend Besides, there are many tutorials on YouTube also to start with. But books are just one thing. Arduino or electronics is more about getting a hands on experience. Even if you have read a hundred times on how to blink a LED it is difficult to do it when doing it on hardware. So the best thing for you is to work with small small codes. Say initially just blinking a LED(thats like the HelloWorld of electronics) and then moving on two patterns with LED. As you get used to the IDE and the hardware move on to more challenging projects like simple DC motor control or servo control. Try and make your own projects with your imagination. The challenges which you face teaches you more than any book. Then move on to serial and wireless communication and try working with a few sensors on the ADC and start making small projects. |
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