You are interested in Electronics?

You want to learn the basics of the fascinating field of electronics?

You want to improve your understanding of the high tech world that surrounds you?

You want to investigate new pathways of  possibilities?

You want to learn enough to play with electronics as a serious hobby? 

• You don't need  experience.  You do need to be interested. 

• This is for the complete beginner.  Do note the following considerations
• This is not a child's introduction to electronics. 
• A bright, interested and focused 13 year old can succeed. Please don't inflict this on anybody younger. 

•  Be clear that this is a book for beginners who enjoy the hands on experience.   
• It focuses on basic concepts in electronics.  You learn by doing. 
•    Basic Components  
•    Digital Circuitry, 
•    Resistor Capacitor timing circuit 
•    Digital Counting Circuits 
•    Basic Amplifiers 

• It does takes time and effort to learn anything new.   The material is not hard, but it is new.  
• This book  is designed to take 100 hours of focused work.  
• You can be very successful doing this in 3 months of independent work.
• In a classroom situation, One Term or Semester. 

• A list of components is provided in the components bundle link.
• A premade kit is available.  The kit as a whole provides more than 50% savings compared to purchasing components seperately.
• complete inventory of parts used in the book.  
• printed circuit boards - etched, tinned and drilled
• a professional size prototyping solderless bread board
• power supply
• hook up wire for prototyping
• All related software is Freeware.   
1. A Game for Learning Resistor Color Codes 
1. A Windows Based Oscilloscope  
2. Standard Frequencies used for testing
3. Frequency Counter 

1. an auto-ranging digital multimeter available from Abra-Electronics 
2. a good solder pen and solder for electronics from Abra-Electronics

• There is an online forum being developed, specifically dedicated to the book.
• Answers to most of the exercise sheets are provided in the online resources section of this site.
•  If you prefer a classroom environment, inquire about working through the book as part of a class offered through your local night school, community center or community college.
• If the class is not offered, do you know somebody capable/intersted in offering such a class?  Have them contact me.

• I am at this moment (winter 2005) seeking qualified people to teach Electronic Circuits for the Evil Genius at night schools, community centers and community colleges and distance education programs.
• Do you know somebody capable/intersted in offering such a class?  Have them  look at the Teaching Opportunities section of this site.

• Teaching has been my career. 
• I worked in special education, counseling and the science classroom for 10 years.  
• Then I took a year off and attended the British Columbia Institute of Technology for one year to become a certified Technology Education / Industrial Education Teacher. 
• I have taught Electronics from grades 9 through 12 since 1991  
• I was introduced to formal electronics at BCIT, but I am mostly self taught.  This is an advantage to you because Electronic circuits for the Evil Genius focuses on applied learning and doing real things, not theory. 
• When theory is necessary, I have designed the lessons that direct you with your hands on the equipment and components to experience the expected outcomes that support the theory.  

• Yes, you can.  You must be prepared to deal with the confusion and  difficulty that happens when you use different sources, as well as have lots of time to sort out all of the information.  Go ahead and try. 
• Electronic Circuits for the Evil Genius is streamlined, with an objective of smoothly introducing you to many of the concepts that always confuse the interested, but unguided learner.

• Yes, you need math skills.  You need to be able to
• count to 256 
• have an understanding of basic ratios and figure if a given ratio is bigger or smaller than 1/2.
• do a bit of multiplying and dividing. Mostly calculator work, but it helps if you can estimate the outcome.
•  multiply 10 million by .0001

Absolutely!  Too frequently, people are forced to make long term educational commitments before they understand even the basic tenents of the field to which they are committing themselves. 

The goal of this book is to give you a solid introduction to the fundamentals of electronics, including 

• hardwire components
• building prototypes 
• how to modify your circuits 
• basic design concepts 
• how to apply basic circuits 
• how to use standard electronics equipment. 

• Everything in Information Technology is dependent on software.  
• The software is dependent on the hardware.  
• The ability to program micro-controllers is important, but the software controls other hardware.  
• BUT if you do not understand the hardware of electronics, how can you  build a program to effectivly control that hardware!?