Want to Design and Build Your Own Circuits? Any Book Suggestions?

[Curl]

I'm an M.E. and I want to learn about electronics to the point where I can design and build circuits that do what I want. Right now I have only a very basic background from undergrad EE courses, I know a bit about opamps and transistors and diodes and transformers and the E&M physics theory and that's about it.
I need to learn the tricks and details about circuits, so is there any book that is suitable for this? I also want to learn about the integrated circuits out there that are common and useful, and how to use them. Are Schaum's outline books a good bet?
Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[jim hardy]

You'll learn 100X faster by doing than by reading.

Look into some hobby sites.

Buy a "solderless breadboard" and build something for fun, or perhaps an electronic hobby kit.

"Big Ear" kit plus an old satellite dish makes a fun first project..

http://www.rainbowkits.com/kits/instructions/AA1.pdf

 

[Curl]

I have a breadboard and I made a few projects in the past, but what I feel I'm lacking is more knowledge about how the circuit elements and ICs work. Before I can build anything I have to draw it out first - so I need to learn more theory, e.g. such things as saturation, response delay, breakdown... I don't really know what I'm talking about but hopefully you understand what I'm asking.

 

[berkeman]

I'm an M.E. and I want to learn about electronics to the point where I can design and build circuits that do what I want. Right now I have only a very basic background from undergrad EE courses, I know a bit about opamps and transistors and diodes and transformers and the E&M physics theory and that's about it.
I need to learn the tricks and details about circuits, so is there any book that is suitable for this? I also want to learn about the integrated circuits out there that are common and useful, and how to use them. Are Schaum's outline books a good bet?
Thanks for the suggestions.

I like the book "The Art of Electronics" by Horowitz and Hill:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0521370957/?tag=pfamazon01-20

You can take a look at it at your local university library or technical bookstore. It's pretty good for self study, and if you read it cover to cover, you will have a good basic understanding about how to put circuits together.

 

[Curl]

I like the book "The Art of Electronics" by Horowitz and Hill:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0521370957/?tag=pfamazon01-20

You can take a look at it at your local university library or technical bookstore. It's pretty good for self study, and if you read it cover to cover, you will have a good basic understanding about how to put circuits together.

Got it, awesome book. Precisely what I was looking for. Thanks a lot.

 

[berkeman]

Got it, awesome book. Precisely what I was looking for. Thanks a lot.

Great!

BTW -- We had a fun thread here in the EE forum a while back that was based on one of the features of the AoE book:

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=178516

Check it out when you get a chance...