Basic Electronics

Name: Basic Electronics
Price: 54.99 USD
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ISBN: 9781683929581

Theory and Practice

by Sean Westcott, Jean Riescher Westcott

4th Edition

Publisher: Mercury Learning & Information

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Book Details

Print ISBN	9781683929581
eText ISBN	9781683929567
Publisher	Mercury Learning & Information
Publishing Year	2023
Edition	4th Edition
Language	English

Basic Electronics: Theory and Practice (4th Edition) by Sean Westcott and Jean Riescher Westcott is an introductory textbook published by Mercury Learning & Information in 2023. Designed for both academic students and self-directed hobbyists, this volume offers a structured framework connecting basic electronic principles directly to practical hardware application.

The thematic progression begins with electrical theory, how electricity works, currents, and circuits before addressing discrete electronic components. Updated coverage incorporates modern technical material on microcontrollers, sensors, and wireless communication, demonstrating how individual hardware elements operate within larger, integrated electronic systems.

To reinforce understanding through applied bench work, every chapter includes a brief laboratory exercise designed to demonstrate the immediate subject matter. These step-by-step practical projects systematically develop circuit assembly skills, leading to a sequence where learners construct a programmable robot, establish motor control, and integrate functional sensors.

Chapter 1: The Theory Behind Electricity
- • Atoms and Their Structure
- • Electrons
- • Conductors, Insulators, and Semiconductors
- • Conductors
- • Insulators
- • Semiconductors
- • Electron Flow Versus Hole Flow
- • The Least You Need to Know
- • Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 2: How Electricity Works
- • Circuits
- • Electromotive Force or Voltage
- • Current
- • Resistance
- • Ohm's Law
- • Power
- • Joule’s Law
- • Putting It All Together
- • The Least You Need to Know
- • Chapter Review Questions
- • Lab 2-1: Constructing a Simple Circuit
Chapter 3: Currents and Circuits
- • Direct Current
- • Alternating Current
- • The War of Currents
- • Waveforms
- • Sine Wave
- • Other Waveforms
- • Phase
- • Using Waves to Measure AC Voltage
- • Direct Current Waveforms
- • More About Circuits
- • Circuit Diagrams
- • Short Circuits
- • Fuses and Circuit Breakers
- • Serial and Parallel Circuits
- • Learning the Language of Electronics
- • The Least You Need to Know
- • Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 4: Tools of the Trade
- • Essential Hand Tools
- • Essential Instruments
- • Lab 4-1: Taking a DC Voltage Reading
- • Lab 4-2: Taking an AC Voltage Reading
- • Lab 4-3: Measuring Resistance
- • Lab 4-4: Measuring Current
- • Electronics Specialty Items
- • Essential Safety Items
- • The Least You Need to Know
- • Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 5: Shop Setup and Safety
- • A Clean, Well-Lit Workshop
- • Claim Your Space
- • Your Workbench
- • Adequate Power
- • Lighting
- • Ventilation
- • Storage
- • Safety Equipment
- • Good Work Habits Are Good Safety Habits
- • Come Ready to Work
- • Dress for the Job
- • Be Neat and Work Deliberately
- • Know How Electricity Flows
- • First Aid for Electrical Shock
- • The Least You Need to Know
- • Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 6: Switches
- • Switch Symbols
- • Mechanical Switches
- • Poles and Throws
- • Lab 6-1: SPDT Switch
- • Push-button Switches
- • Knife Switches
- • Bi-metal Switches
- • Mercury Switches
- • Other Mechanical Switches
- • DIP Switches
- • Electromagnetic Switches or Relays
- • The Least You Need to Know
- • Chapters Review Questions
Chapter 7: Resistors
- • The Mighty Resistor
- • Fixed-Value Resistors
- • Resistor Color Codes and Power Ratings
- • Reading the Code
- • Power Ratings
- • Surface Mount Resistors
- • Single in Line Resistors
- • Variable Reistors
- • Kirchhoff ’s Laws
- • Calculating Resistance
- • Lab 7-1: Using Ohm’s & Kirchhoff ’s Laws to Determine the Proper Resistor
- • Resistors in Series Circuits
- • Lab 7-2: Resistors in a Series Circuit
- • Resistors in Parallel Circuits
- • Lab 7-3: Resistors in a Parallel Circuit
- • Voltage Division Circuits
- • Lab 7-4: Voltage Division Using Fixed Value Resistors
- • Lab 7-5: Voltage Division Using a Variable Resistor
- • The Least You Need to Know
- • Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 8: Capacitors and Inductors
- • How a Capacitor Works
- • Farads
- • Relative Permittivity
- • Capacitor Ratings
- • Nominal Value and Tolerance
- • Temperature Coefficients
- • Breakdown Voltage or DC Working Voltage
- • Polarized Capacitor Types
- • Electrolytic Capacitors
- • Tantalum Capacitors
- • Non-polarized Capacitor Types
- • Variable Capacitors
- • Capacitors in a Circuit
- • Transient Time of Capacitors in a DC RC Circuit
- • Lab 8-1: Charging Capacitance
- • The Least You Need to Know
- • Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 9: Diodes
- • How Diodes Work
- • Types of Semiconductor Diodes
- • Common Silicon Diodes
- • Zener Diodes
- • Schottky Diodes
- • Power Rectifiers
- • Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs)
- • Photodiodes
- • Handling Diodes
- • The Least You Need to Know
- • Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 10: Transistors
- • Bipolar Junction Transistors (BJTs)
- • How Amplifiers Work
- • BJTs Under Varying Voltages
- • Gain
- • Darlington Pairs
- • Field Effect Transistors
- • Lab 10-1: Using a Transistor to Amplify Current
- • The Least You Need to Know
- • Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 11: Power Sources and Power Supplies
- • Batteries
- • How Batteries Produce Energy
- • Primary vs. Secondary Batteries
- • Voltages in Batteries
- • Lab 11-1: Making a Potato Battery
- • Batteries in Series and in Parallel
- • Amp-hours
- • AC-to-DC Power Supplies
- • Transformers
- • Variable DC Power Supplies
- • Uninterruptible Power Supplies
- • Switched-Mode Power Supplies
- • The Least You Need to Know
- • Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 12: Soldering
- • Solder
- • Lead-free Solder
- • Flux
- • Soldering Iron and Tips
- • Heat Sink
- • Circuit Boards
- • Printed Circuit Boards
- • Prepping for Soldering
- • Place the Items on the Board
- • Prepare Your Soldering Iron
- • Soldering Technique
- • Desoldering
- • The Least You Need to Know
- • Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 13: Constructing A Power Supply
- • Power Supply Kit and Construction
- • Safety First
- • Powering On
- • Getting Acquainted with Your Power Supply
- • Creating a Positive DC Wave
- • Seeing Caps and Voltage Regulators in Action
- • Using Your Variable DC Power Supply
- • The Least You Need to Know
- • Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 14: Digital Theory
- • The Idea Behind Digital Concepts
- • Analog vs. Digital
- • Truth Tables
- • Binary Numbers
- • Application to Electronics
- • Logic Gates
- • Lab 14-1: AND Gate
- • Lab 14-2: OR Gate
- • A Revolution Requiring Attention to Detail
- • The Least You Need to Know
- • Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 15: Integrated Circuits
- • Analog ICs
- • Digital ICs
- • Flip-flops
- • 555 and 556 Timers
- • Counters
- • Encoders and Decoders
- • Mixed Signal ICs
- • Lab 15-1: Building a Decoder Circuit, Part 1
- • Lab 15-2: Building a Decoder Circuit, Part 2
- • Lab 15-3: Guitar Amplifier
- • The Least You Need to Know
- • Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 16: Memory
- • Digital vs. Analog Memory Storage
- • Parity Bits and Other Error Detection
- • Hexadecimal
- • Data and Address
- • The Von Neumann Computer Model
- • Memory Registers
- • Writing and Reading
- • Volatile and Nonvolatile Memory
- • Storage Media
- • The Least You Need to Know
- • Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 17: Microcontrollers
- • What Are Microcontrollers?
- • Microcontroller Components
- • Inputs/Outputs
- • Programming Microcontrollers
- • Microcontrollers for Hobbyists
- • Open Source Hardware
- • The Arduino Microcontroller Platform
- • The Least You Need to Know
- • Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 18: Motors and Controllers
- • Brushed DC Motors
- • Brushless DC Motors
- • Stepper Motors
- • Servo Motors
- • Controllers
- • Pulse Width Modulation
- • H-bridge
- • The Least You Need to Know
- • Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 19: Sensors
- • What Is a Sensor?
- • Electronic Sensors
- • Accelerometers
- • Digital Compasses or Magnetometers
- • Light and Color Sensors
- • Microphones
- • Alcohol and Other Environmental Gas Sensors
- • GPS Sensors
- • The Least You Need to Know
- • Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 20: Electronic Communication
- • The Basics of Electronic Communication
- • The Electromagnetic Spectrum, Revisited
- • Radio Waves
- • Microwaves
- • Infrared
- • Visible Light
- • Ultraviolet, X-Rays, and Gamma Rays
- • Encoding and Decoding a Signal
- • Amplitude Modulation
- • Frequency Modulation
- • Phase Modulation
- • Rasterization
- • Lab 20-1: Building an FM Stereo Transmitter
- • The Least You Should Know
- • Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 21: Building Your Robot
- • Shopping for Your Robot
- • Get the Software You Need
- • Connecting Your Arduino and Getting to Work
Chapter 22: Getting Your Robot Moving
- • Get Your Motor on Board
- • Assembling the Motor Driver Shield
- • Power It Up
- • Programming Your Robot to Start and Stop
- • Identifying the I/O Pins
- • Assembling the Robot Platform
Chapter 23: Adding Sensors to Your Robot
- • Adding Collision Control
- • The Ultrasonic Range Finder
- • Lab 23: Sensing Distance
- • Adding the Sensor to Your Robot
- • Adding a Power Switch
- • Planning and Writing the Code
- • Arduino Code
- • Letting Your Robot Roam
Chapter 24: Using Raspberry Pi in Your Electronics Projects
- • Setting up Your Raspberry Pi with an OS
- • Adding Inputs and Outputs (I/O) to Your Pi
- • Using the Python Command Shell
- • Programming with Python on the Pi
- • Programming a Button in Python
- • Controlling an LED with the Button
Chapter 25: More Raspberry Pi Labs
- • Lab 25-1: Raspberry Pi DC Motor Lab
- • Lab 25-2: Raspberry Pi Temperature Sensor
- • Lab 25-3 Raspberry Pi DC Motor and Temperature Sensor Lab Combined
Chapter 26: Cybersecurity and the Internet of Things (IoT) for Electronics Projects
- • The Security Challenge
- • Controlling the Risk
- • Resources for Securing Your Device
- • Security Is All of Our Responsibility
- • Chapter Review Questions
Chapter Appendix A: Glossary
Chapter Appendix B: Timeline of Electronics
Chapter Appendix C: Mathematics for Electronics
Chapter Appendix D: Careers in Electronics
Chapter Appendix E: Resources
Chapter Appendix F: Answers for Odd-Numbered Questions
Chapter Appendix G: Lab Videos, Animations, and Supplementary Video Directory