Book Review #7

Make: Electronics
Charles Platt

This is an excellent book to learn Electronic. By the first chapter, I have learned to lick a battery, blow up a led, and other destructive, yet fun thing to do. I never thought learning electronic circuits can be so much fun! Although the content of the book is nothing special, the presentation is fun, engaging, and clear. I mean, in all electronic books, there is a lesson on how resistors work, how capacitors work, how transistor work. The explanation may not be the most concise available, but they are clear and easy-to-follow. That is the most important thing.

Along the way, I learned not only what different pieces of electronics do, and what tools would be valuable, but also what tools are optional. Breadboard, for one, which I thought was indispensable for trying out electronic circuitry, is actually an optional equipment. You can get by with just using wires and clips all over the place. The book does not mention conductive ink, but it is something I should try sometime in the future.

For the first time in my life, I feel like I truly understand what's going on behind the scene. That is a worthwhile experience, easily worth more than the purchase of the book. Highly recommended.