Ask HN: Interested in electronics where to start

4 points·xstartup··2 comments

I've no knowledge of electronics other than some basic stuff like resistance, conductivity, capacitors, transistors etc... Where can I start? My end goal is to be able to build all electronics (home wiring/gadgets/robots etc...) if I am left in wild.

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I think a great place to start is on kits. There are TONS of great materials these days on:

https://learn.adafruit.com

https://learn.sparkfun.com

They basically trade you knowledge in the hope of you buying some of their kits, which I wholeheartedly endorse.

Past that, you should consider eventually diving into making your own PCBs. I think this is a transformative skill because it replaces breadboarding and wires. I created a couple of free low-investment tutorials using the open source layout program called KiCad:

https://contextualelectronics.com/courses/shine-on-you-crazy...

https://contextualelectronics.com/courses/getting-to-blinky/

There are lots of forums out there as well to start asking your questions. I hang out at the following:

https://eevblog.com/forum (ranges from beginner to advanced)

https://forum.contextualelectronics.com

https://forums.adafruit.com

I recommend "Make: Electronics: Learning Through Discovery" 2nd edition. It's fun and highly practical. There are also kits out there containing everything you need to do the lessons.

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