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I want to be a self-taught computer engineer ... massive goal, but it's what I want eventually.

I check out textbooks and online resources, but I feel like I need a prerequisite somewhat -- I still have trouble understanding voltage and amps and current and wattage and etc.

I feel like I need to really "get" that before I pursue practical engineering ... so can anyone here recommend a good starter-like tutorial on electronics, specifically one that can cover the basics?

Voltage, current, amps, wattage, power, etc. I know some physics will help as well. Not in just minor details though; in good coverage to help me understand and have the ability to continue learning from good books and resources I have. The problem I have is that a lot of resources don't explain well enough for me.

Null
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Hanley
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    I feel like this is likely a duplicate... but don't have a specific other question at which to point. – Adam Head Jun 12 '14 at 20:54
  • @AdamHead I guarantee it's not a duplicate. – Hanley Jun 12 '14 at 20:56
  • It is a duplicate - this question has been asked dozens of times and get's down voted every time because recommendations on books cannot possibly constitute an answer that could expect to collect votes or be "accepted as best answer" by the OP even, if in their ignorance they believe it isn't a duplicate (which it is). – Andy aka Jun 12 '14 at 21:08
  • @Andyaka I never asked for book recommendations; I said "starter-like tutorials". That does not have to cover a "book", which is a vague term these days. – Hanley Jun 12 '14 at 21:10
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    @Hanley you are such a joker LOL – Andy aka Jun 12 '14 at 21:12
  • @Andyaka I do not know how to respond to or interpret that. – Hanley Jun 12 '14 at 21:23
  • I disagree with the people saying you need to be taught; there's nothing magic about electronics. But I don't have time for a full answer now. Have you looked at Khan Academy? Have you tried one of the electronics for kids kits like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVE-_PiudSo ? It's perfectly possible to do "copy thing on internet" -> "work out theory afterwards"; some people learn better that way. – pjc50 Jun 12 '14 at 21:40
  • Skyler seemed to do pretty well at learning electronics off this site ... – pjc50 Jun 12 '14 at 21:41
  • http://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/4658/from-zero-to-almost-pro-newbie-trying-to-learn-good-quick-resources?rq=1 – pjc50 Jun 12 '14 at 21:44
  • If you want to be self-taught, you should not ask questions of others. That defeats your goal. Also, if you read books, that might not be considered self-taught. Self-taught is like when you learn to play the fiddle strictly by ear, without any lessons, sheet music or books on music theory. – Kaz Jun 12 '14 at 22:10

2 Answers2

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It's a very noble idea, trying to teach yourself everything, but sometimes it's just not possible. Most self-teaching resources, both online and in books, assume a certain level of starting knowledge. If you don't have that initial grain of knowledge then it can really be hard to get going, and that becomes really dispiriting.

You really can't beat having someone who knows explain it to you, and you just don't get that with books and online tutorials.

I did 2 years of EE at college for my grounding. I certainly couldn't have got that level of training from just books and tutorials. If you don't have the basics then it's really the only way to go. You can't ask a book "I'm sorry, I don't understand that bit - can you explain it again in more detail?" like you can with a college lecturer.

I would seriously suggest checking out the courses your local community college provides. Most will have a night school with a good introduction to electronics-style course.

Majenko
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  • It is possible for me ... I learn better myself. I do not need college to make my mind smarter and exceed in life. – Hanley Jun 12 '14 at 20:50
  • That may well be, but if you don't have the basic knowledge to start the learning process then you're stuck in a catch-22 situation. If you can find a local course that just gives you that basic information then you can take it the rest of the way yourself. It may only be a course that is a couple of weeks long - just a handful of lectures, but it's what you need to get that initial baseline of knowlege. – Majenko Jun 12 '14 at 20:52
  • So you are saying that online teaching resources assume a certain starting level of knowledge, but that starting level of knowledge is unattainable without paying someone? Makes no sense. It should be easier to find starting level basics than to actually learn hands-on application. – Hanley Jun 12 '14 at 20:54
  • You'll find that's often the case. They're written by people who know, and you can't usually interrogate them for clarification. If you insist on going it alone then I highly suggest spending time in the chat room on here asking questions about what parts of your learning materials you don't understand. – Majenko Jun 12 '14 at 20:58
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First thing you need to learn/know is atoms and atomic structure (very briefly), charges, electric and magnetic fields, potential etc. Best books for these topics are high school physics/electronics books. You need to find out these specific topics there.

After some high schools basics, books can be found here.

But if you haven't studied physics as a part of your high school studies, it is going to be extremely difficult (Physics is one subject you just can't learn by yourself). For that, I would recommend University Physics Volume 2 by Hugh Young, Roger Freedman, Francis Sears, Mark Zemansky. Study the section for Electricity and magnetism (around 10 chapters). This will build your base to understand other books mentioned in 1st link above.

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JuliandotNut
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  • What do you mean "Physics is one subject you can't learn by yourself"? – Hanley Jun 12 '14 at 21:09
  • It needs a lot of visualization in your head, and one needs a good teacher to make you do that. I have always found it difficult to learn it by myself, unlike programming or other subjects. But `University Physics` is made for self study so probably you will feel a bit less stressed. – JuliandotNut Jun 12 '14 at 21:12
  • Is it a free ebook or something? I'm really cheap when it comes to spending on books because I always regret it. – Hanley Jun 12 '14 at 21:24
  • Theoretically speaking, it's not. If you want to learn on your own it's a good investment though. – JuliandotNut Jun 13 '14 at 19:19
  • It's really not your call to say what constitutes as a "good investment" to me. Personally I don't consider spending the cost of that book to be a good investment at all ... it's almost $100.00 U.S.D. I would not buy any book that costs more than $5.00. – Hanley Jun 20 '14 at 20:17
  • Well, a self-learner is assumed to know how to get this book for less than that. (I mentioned "theoretically") – JuliandotNut Jun 21 '14 at 22:12