Absolute beginner hobbyist wondering where to start

[Opus_723]

So I'm going into a physics major next year, but lately I've been interested in electronics. Not enough to switch majors, but I'd like to take it up as a hobby at least. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no experience. I have the Circuit Analysis book that EE majors at my school use for the very first Circuit Analysis class, and I've read and understood the first several chapters. Basically just simple series and parallel DC circuits. Ohm's Law, Kirchoff's, etc. I have a soldering kit that I'm learning how to use, and that's basically it. I can buy a multimeter and breadboard and stuff, so long as it's not prohibitively expensive.

But I want to do something with my hands, no matter how excruciatingly basic. I want to tinker. I'm just wondering how I should start. Should I go further in the book first before doing anything? Or can I go ahead and put together a simple LED circuit or something? Should I just get a multimeter and take measurements? Is there any resource that has interesting projects at my level? How do you start this?

 

[vk6kro]

So I'm going into a physics major next year, but lately I've been interested in electronics. Not enough to switch majors, but I'd like to take it up as a hobby at least. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no experience. I have the Circuit Analysis book that EE majors at my school use for the very first Circuit Analysis class, and I've read and understood the first several chapters. Basically just simple series and parallel DC circuits. Ohm's Law, Kirchoff's, etc. I have a soldering kit that I'm learning how to use, and that's basically it. I can buy a multimeter and breadboard and stuff, so long as it's not prohibitively expensive.

But I want to do something with my hands, no matter how excruciatingly basic. I want to tinker. I'm just wondering how I should start. Should I go further in the book first before doing anything? Or can I go ahead and put together a simple LED circuit or something? Should I just get a multimeter and take measurements? Is there any resource that has interesting projects at my level? How do you start this?

Yes, you should get a multimeter. It should be a digital one, under $20 and not auto-ranging.
So, it should have a lot of switch positions.
Get one with big numbers, so you can read it at a distance.

If you want soldering experience, find a defunct VCR or DVD player and try to remove as many components as possible, but measure them on your multimeter. Most multimeters have a transistor tester and you can probably salvage a few from defunct equipment.

You are starting a bit late, but you should have a good theoretical background and the practical stuff will come easily.

A LED would be a good first project, but you will need 220 ohm resistor and a source of power. Maybe a 9 V battery or you can get holders that hold 4 AA cells and this would give a reasonable 6 Volt supply.
Eventually, a simple regulated power supply would be a good project.

You may be able to find other projects here:
http://www.sentex.ca/~mec1995/gadgets/gadgets.htm
but find something that will actually be useful for you. Otherwise, it will just sit on a shelf and annoy you.

Get a pair of sidecutters and a solder sucker.
Here are some more suggestions:
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=351351