Absolute beginner DIY electronics resources
February 19, 2023 11:39 AM   Subscribe

For a while now I've been interested in trying out some simple DIY electronics projects. Stuff like building an little guitar amps out of stuff or adding Bluetooth to an old radio. There's lots of tutorials for these projects but I'm having a hard time getting started as an absolute total n00b to any kind of electronics.

I've never dabbled in any electronics before. I'm looking for *very basic beginner level* resources to help me learn enough to get started with some of these simple projects in a very step by step way with lots of explanation. I'm getting stuck on even just basic vocabulary with the tutorials linked. Like, when they say wire what kind of wire do I need to get?

I strongly prefer resources that have built-in structure with clear step-by-step instructions or lessons rather than a textbook or searching through website forums. Ideally I'd like to find some resources that explain a basic concept accompanied by some sort of project or hands-on activity to help you really master/get it.
posted by forkisbetter to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (9 answers total) 18 users marked this as a favorite
 
When I was first starting out, I picked up a copy of "Practical Electronics for Inventors" for reference. Read what you can and feel free to skip around. It really is a great book for learning all the symbols, basic tools, and concepts.

Other than that I would suggest getting an Arduino to play with. You won't kill yourself or be able to break much at such low voltages. I think it is easier for a n00b to get some blinking lights going digitally rather than with analog circuitry, and it's a good intro to simple programming if you don't already have that knowledge.

Maybe one of those starter kits from Amazon with some LEDs, resistors of different values, some push buttons, small potentiometers, and a breadboard would help you put together a quick circuit. You can use an old phone charger to get a safe and stable 5VDC source. You can definitely still burn yourself on incorrectly connected parts, so be careful. 24AWG is typical wire for messing around, but just get an assortment of jumpers with different ends, male-male, male-female, female-female. They will connect with a breadboard and Arduino among other things.

A cheap multimeter ($50?) will provide insight into working with DC circuits, since you have to understand how the circuit works in order to use the multimeter properly. You can also use it to check your outlets, car battery, and other batteries around the house. It's a nice tool to have in general.
posted by Reuben Klopek at 12:10 PM on February 19, 2023


Best answer: I’ve had it bookmarked for months but haven’t bought it yet, so this is not first hand advice, but I asked around for recommendations with similar parameters to yours and was pointed to the Make Electronics book and bundle. Looks good to me.
posted by caek at 12:13 PM on February 19, 2023 [2 favorites]


Maybe Adafruit.

Back when I started, before internet era, it was also endlessly confusing for me. I had a few Forrest Mims books, which were available at Radio Shack, which while squarely aimed at beginners, left me full of questions. Which is to say the quest for instructions never ends. In all these years, I have yet to find a resource that is easy to understand and comprehensive. But we all have to start someplace. And there are plenty of internet sources of information. The Art of Electronics is pretty textbook-y, and pricey, but was probably the best resource for me.

You can get some basic component assortments on ebay for, like, $15 that have a solderless breadboard and some rudimentary parts... and absolutely no instructions. They're an inexpensive way to get a feel for the hands on aspect of the hobby.
posted by 2N2222 at 12:19 PM on February 19, 2023 [2 favorites]


Best answer: When I was just starting to monkey with various electronics projects, I found Forest Mims' book Getting Started in Electronics an invaluable resource for general "what is this thing and what does it do?" purposes.

If you're interested in musical stuff there are a ton of guitar effects pedal kits out there of varying complexity and completeness and level of instruction, depending somewhat on how much you want to spend. For example - Build Your Own Clone (BYOC), General Guitar Gadgets, Stewart Macdonald pedal kits, Pedalpartsandkits.com, MODkitsDIY.

I myself just built one of the StewMac kits and found the instructions clear and concise and definitely geared towards beginners.

At a slightly more advanced level - you'll have to source the parts yourself, mostly - there's Craig Anderton's book Electronic Projects for Musicians. The website I linked to there is PAIA Electronics, which does offer some of Anderton's projects in kit form (minus the boxes to mount them in), and offers up some of their own kits, including some synth and audio gear and some beginner "does a thing when I push a button" projects.
posted by soundguy99 at 12:41 PM on February 19, 2023 [3 favorites]


Best answer: This is what you want: Make: Electronics

PDF version

PDF of an even easier-sounding version: Make: Easy Electronics
posted by amtho at 12:53 PM on February 19, 2023 [2 favorites]


Best answer: Third for the Forrest Mims Getting Started in Electronics book it was a staple of my childhood and I'm just going to put this right here.

The above $15 basic component kit looks great. For the solderless breadboards, the bendy wires included are much better than straight ones with bent ends. For trying things out, a few potentiometers (variable resistors) can help if you don't have just the right resistor in the kit. Use your multimeter across the pins of the potentiometer to dial in the resistance you need.

Arduinos are great if you know how to code and like computers - but for basic stuff I don't think you need them.

A multimeter is a must - you can start with an inexpensive one. Get something to prop it up so you can read it clearly while you use both hands to manipulate the probes. Also getting multimeter cables with alligator clips can be helpful.

You mentioned audio as two possible projects. If you get into audio signal projects you will quickly find projects that need a dual-rail power supply. Instead of supplying just one voltage (say, ground and +5v) these circuits need both a positive and a negative supply. ground plus +15v and -15v are common. To save time you may want to purchase a kit ready to plug into 120v wall power, or a rail-splitter that takes a single + DC input voltage and provides two + and - DC outputs.

If you like audio projects but don't like soldering and starting from scratch - Parts Express has a variety of components that are already assembled and that can combine to add functionality. Their customer service is good.

And if you start to get the hang of it and can be patient and wait for shipping from Asia, aliexpress will have lots of modules for very low prices and nonexistent customer service.
posted by sol at 2:50 PM on February 19, 2023


A cheap multimeter ($50?)

Find an Aneng AN8009 or similar, about $30 on Amazon or $20 on AliExpress. Rivals some of the best meters (except not guaranteed accurate... but mine has impressed!)

Seconding "Make: Electronics" and anything by Forrest M. Mims.

Banggood.com has some super-cheap kits (and no customer service) also.
posted by mmoncur at 3:20 PM on February 19, 2023


The HAM/amateur radio community has been teaching electronics for 100 years, maybe pick up the ARRL handbook? You could probably find a used one somewhere, too.
posted by Harald74 at 1:09 AM on February 20, 2023 [1 favorite]


If you have any interest in Arduinos, the Sparkfun Inventor's Kit is designed for beginners ages 10 and up who have no prior coding experience. The kit includes everything that you will need to complete the projects, and it does not require any soldering skills.

The kit contains instructions for five separate projects. Even though the kit costs a little over $100, I think that it is a worthwhile investment if you are strongly interested in learning about electronics.
posted by carnival_night_zone at 8:13 AM on February 21, 2023 [1 favorite]


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