Electronics All-in-One For Dummies, UK Edition

Your one-stop UK shop for clear, concise explanations to all the important concepts in electronics and tons of direction for building simple, fun electronic projects.

The 8 mini-books in this 1 volume include:

• Getting Started with Electronics
• Working with Basic Components
• Working with Integrated Circuits
• Getting into Alternating Current
• Working with Radio and Infrared
• Doing Digital Electronics
• Working with Basic Stamp Processors
• Building Special Effects

With nearly 900 pages of instruction, Electronics All-in-One For Dummies, UK Edition covers all the bases and provides a fascinating hands-on exploration of electronics.

Doug Lowe is a life-long tinkerer and a computer programming book author. He's written books on COBOL, Fortran, Visual Basic, IBM mainframe computers, mid-range systems, PCs and Web programming. He's the best-selling author of more than 30 For Dummies books. Dickon Ross is the Editor-in-Chief of E&T Magazine, published by the Institute of Electronics and Technology, and the Editor-in-Chief of Flipside, a science, engineering and technology magazine for young teenagers. He is the author of the UK edition of Electronics For Dummies.

Introduction 1

Book I: Getting Started with Electronics 7

Chapter 1: Entering the Exciting World of Electronics 9

Chapter 2: Understanding Electricity 21

Chapter 3: Creating Your Own Mad-Scientist Lab 37

Chapter 4: Staying Safe 59

Chapter 5: Reading Schematic Diagrams 69

Chapter 6: Building Your Own Electronic Projects 83

Chapter 7: Uncovering the Secrets of Successful Soldering 115

Chapter 8: Measuring Circuits with a Multimeter 127

Chapter 9: Catching Waves with an Oscilloscope 141

Book II: Working with Basic Electronic Components 153

Chapter 1: Working with Basic Circuits 155

Chapter 2: Working with Resistors 197

Chapter 3: Working with Capacitors 227

Chapter 4: Working with Inductors 249

Chapter 5: Working with Diodes and LEDs 261

Chapter 6: Working with Transistors 287

Book III: Working with Integrated Circuits 313

Chapter 1: Introducing Integrated Circuits 315

Chapter 2: The Fabulous 555 Timer Chip 327

Chapter 3: Working with Op Amps 363

Book IV: Getting into Alternating Current 383

Chapter 1: Understanding Alternating Current 385

Chapter 2: Working with Mains Voltage 397

Chapter 3: Supplying Power for Your Electronics Projects 4109

Book V: Working with Radio and Infrared 421

Chapter 1: Tuning in to Radio 423

Chapter 2: Building a Crystal Radio 437

Chapter 3: Working with Infrared 449

Book VI: Doing Digital Electronics 467

Chapter 1: Understanding Digital Electronics 469

Chapter 2: Getting Logical 483

Chapter 3: Putting Logic Circuits to Work 505

Chapter 4: Interfacing to Your Computer’s Parallel Port 535

Chapter 5: Getting the Hang of Flip-Flops 567

Book VII: Working with BASIC Stamp Processors 591

Chapter 1: Introducing Microcontrollers and the BASIC Stamp 593

Chapter 2: Programming in PBASIC 615

Chapter 3: Discovering More PBASIC Programming Tricks 641

Chapter 4: Adding Sound and Motion to Your BASIC Stamp Projects 661

Book VIII: Having Fun with Special Effects 679

Chapter 1: Synchronising Sight and Sound with a Colour-Organ Circuit 681

Chapter 2: Unearthing Hidden Treasure with a Handy Metal Detector 693

Chapter 3: Making Light Dance to the Music 713

Chapter 4: Hacking a Toy to Make a Talking Puppet 741

Index 767

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.