
Ask HN: Where did you learn modular electronics? - BrandoElFollito
I like to build simple IoT devices and code around them. While I am comfortable with the dev part, I have problems to understand the electronics.<p>This is why I started with modules (arduino, nodemcu, sensors, audio amplificators) but there are issues the weird resistor, capacitor and whatnot which is plugged beyween, say, the arduino and the sensor.<p>Is there a place I could learn this &quot;modular&quot; electronics, where I could find &quot;cookbook&quot; advices on these elements needed for the modules to work correctly?<p>Since this is the way I lend to develop (take a problem, look at the solution and understand the details on the go) I would love to get into electronics via this path, if possible.
======
lovelearning
Hobbyist here. I recommend...

Books:

\- Simon Monk's Electronics Cookbook [1]

\- Michael Margolis' Arduino Cookbook [2]

Youtube:

\- GreatScott's Basics Playlist [3]

The concepts in those two books are useful for interfacing with any
microcontroller, including NodeMCU and STM32s.

[1]: [https://www.amazon.com/Electronics-Cookbook-Practical-
Electr...](https://www.amazon.com/Electronics-Cookbook-Practical-Electronic-
Raspberry/dp/1491953403#reader_1491953403)

[2]: [https://www.amazon.com/Arduino-Cookbook-2nd-Michael-
Margolis...](https://www.amazon.com/Arduino-Cookbook-2nd-Michael-
Margolis/dp/1449313876#reader_1449313876)

[3]:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woTiKij76cA&list=PLAROrg3NQn...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woTiKij76cA&list=PLAROrg3NQn7cyu01HpOv5BWo217XWBZu0)

------
pjc50
In practice, you'll find that the "discrete components" (official term for the
miscellaneous things that aren't ICs) are _also_ making up modules - that is,
they're used as parts of standard recognisable sub-systems to perform a
particular function. Such as "decoupling capacitor", "termination resistor",
"common emitter amplifier", "pi filter" and so on.

I don't think you can really "cookbook" without knowing any theory, but the
amount of theory you need is fairly small and you don't necessarily need all
the maths.

"The Art Of Electronics" is the standard book to refer people to.

~~~
jackhack
Respectfully, Art Of Electronics is not a great choice for OP. AOE is a deep
dive with a fast, steep learning curve and while appropriate for a serious
student (EE?) I would argue it's not appropriate for someone who has no
fundamentals and wants to learn to glue major components together. OP needs to
learn practical fundamentals in a hands-on fashion -- debouncing a switch or a
purpose of a pull-down/up resistor (and how to calculate values), converting
signal levels, etc.

We forget how steep the learning curve can be and how likely it is to turn
students away when every page is a baffling struggle focused on topics with
purposes which are not germane / not clearly related to the learner's wants.
AOE is the equivalent of a music theory book for someone who wants to play
"happy birthday." Or Knuth's series for a beginning coder.

~~~
jschwartzi
Try instead Practical Electronics for Inventors, which is approachable if you
remember Pre-Calculus. It covers a lot of basic stuff, explains how all the
different parts work, and is a wonderful reference for someone who just wants
to build some basic stuff. We had a copy of it in our Physics electronics lab
next to AOE and as undergraduates we were more likely to reach for it than for
AOE.

[https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Electronics-Inventors-
Fourt...](https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Electronics-Inventors-Fourth-
Paperback/dp/B014S3YIKM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1524669118&sr=8-4&keywords=practical+electronics+for+inventors%2C+fourth+edition)

------
leoedin
There's not a huge difference between modular electronics and plain old
electronics. When you dig into it a bit you still need to understand the same
sort of stuff.

Practical Electronics for Inventors is a really good book to get started with
this sort of stuff: [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Practical-Electronics-Inventors-
Fou...](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Practical-Electronics-Inventors-Fourth-
Scherz/dp/1259587541/ref=pd_sim_14_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1259587541&pd_rd_r=0c1a7524-4889-11e8-89a6-bf30581d21b3&pd_rd_w=gY6yk&pd_rd_wg=cODwT&pf_rd_i=desktop-
dp-
sims&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_p=3274180622111699416&pf_rd_r=D7VJ87FDRAW36D1P181E&pf_rd_s=desktop-
dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=D7VJ87FDRAW36D1P181E)

Once you realise that under the modules there's the same MOSFET input stages,
MOSFET output stages, diodes and voltages that you get in discrete
electronics, it all becomes pretty clear how to make things talk and interact.

~~~
Posibyte
Did a search just to make sure this book is mentioned. It's a treasure of
just-enough-of-everything to help you understand basic electronics and
protocols, as well as little gotchas and things to look out for. I highly
recommend it.

~~~
mrspeaker
It's really a great book, but as a warning that got me if you're more of a
paperback fan: it's GIGANTIC. I bought it planning to read it on the train to
work. It never even occurred to me that the thumbnail might be hiding its true
size ;)

------
gh02t
In addition to what others have suggested, Adafruit and Sparkfun both have
loads of tutorials. Even if you're not using their parts their documentation
is still some of the best if you're using a similar part.

Good way to get started is to pick up one of their beginner kits and follow
through, they are meticulously documented.

[https://learn.adafruit.com](https://learn.adafruit.com)

[https://learn.sparkfun.com](https://learn.sparkfun.com)

There's also some really high quality material on YouTube for a variety of
skill levels, I'd especially recommend these two channels:

[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6mIxFTvXkWQVEHPsEdflzQ](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6mIxFTvXkWQVEHPsEdflzQ)

[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu7_D0o48KbfhpEohoP7YSQ](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu7_D0o48KbfhpEohoP7YSQ)

Scroll through their videos and you will find a lot on the sort of things you
are asking about.

~~~
fenwick67
I particularly recommend Adafruit for dev boards, because their tutorials are
just so good, and they have one for pretty much everything they make.

~~~
gh02t
I have mixed feelings. Their tutorials and selection are great, but their
markup is pretty obscene on some parts and their libraries are often over-
complicated/take up a ton of space. I try and support them and buy parts from
them occasionally because I love what they do, but it's hard to justify
getting more stuff from them price wise and I don't generally like using their
code.

But for someone just getting started? Absolutely, you'll have a pretty
seamless experience.

------
kasbah
I think what you are asking is about just learning basic electronics and the
digital protocols that connect different "modules" (and what kind of extra
circuitry they need). For most consumer stuff (i.e. if you are not working on
cars or industrial robots) you can get a lot done with just knowing about
these three protocols:

\- UART:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uart](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uart)

\- SPI:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_Peripheral_Interface_Bu...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_Peripheral_Interface_Bus)

\- I2C (sometimes called TWI - two wire interface):
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%C2%B2C](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%C2%B2C)

For more links for learning electronics check out my list of resources:
[https://github.com/monostable/awesome-
electronics](https://github.com/monostable/awesome-electronics).

------
dylan604
As a kid, I had a "toy" from Radio Shack called "101 Electronic Kit" or
something-or-other-name that had different electronic components (resistors,
lights, caps, etc) that were mounted onto a surface with spring like mounts
for attaching supplied wired leads to connect to the circuits. Very similar to
something I just found on RobotShop.com [0] Glad to see someone is still
making something similar. I made my first transistor radio on one of these. It
came with a manual with different projects that could be made, and as a 10
year old, I would just follow along. Eventually, things start to make sense,
and I started to deviate from the manual to make my own circuits. By the time
I got old enough in school to take classes that taught electronic principles,
I was surprised by how much I knew from just tinkering even if I didn't really
understand the principles until these classes.

My favorite recommendation is to find a project that you want to make that can
be found online. If someone else makes it and it works, but it doesn't work
when you make it then something in the build went wrong, not the design. If
you start from scratch with a design and a build, when something doesn't work,
you're not sure if it's just the build or in the design itself. Once you see
how other people are building things, it will help guide in your future
designs. I've learned quite a few "tricks" from other dev's projects. How to
put multiple analog buttons onto a single pin is one of my favorite low-tech
solves.

[0]:[https://www.robotshop.com/en/elenco-
mx-907-200-in-1-electron...](https://www.robotshop.com/en/elenco-
mx-907-200-in-1-electronic-project-lab-
kit.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIz8qpmNzV2gIVFZ7ACh22mAQTEAQYASABEgIjJvD_BwE)

~~~
octorian
I had one of those too, and kinda hated the things. Oh sure, I loved having
one and thought it was really cool. But the manual was just pages and pages of
"To do this simple circuit, connect these 200 wires to these terminal pairs"
(followed by an endless list of numbers). Kinda just a frustrating for a kid
as those old programming books that expected you to type in, verbatim, an
opaque code listing in something like BASIC.

~~~
dylan604
I guess this is another example of how weird I am, or at least an example of
how different people learn differently. Since the kits "worked" when wired
correctly, it allowed me to question/learn what was going on to make it work.
I doubt I even made it through through all of the projects in the manual.
Instead, it showed me it was pretty safe to just start playing/experimenting.
That's what I loved about it. The main thing I learned with it is that 3.3v,
5v, 6v, 9v is not going to hurt me. I even learned that when you do send to
much current through something and it broke, I could replace the damaged
component with something else from Radio Shack. On my own with out having to
take it to be repaired. This was huge for me. This kit properly started me
down the path of a hacker/tinkerer.

As for the programming in BASIC the long chunks of DATA hex was confusing, but
also made me very curious about what was hidden in that hex (even though I had
no idea of the word hex). It might have bee frustrating, but it was a crucial
learning step in efficient ways to debug typos.

Going down memory lane, in the back of I think Byte magazine, they would have
a program's BASIC code printed out in the back (usually a game or Turkey In
The Straw type of things). A friend of mine had a C64, and we would buddy
program the code. As a kid, we would make all sorts of typos, and it would
become mindnumbing debugging all of that hex in the DATA sections. One of us
would hunt-and-peck type the code in while the other would compare the page to
the screen. We were finding typos in realtime. When we got to the DATA
sections, one would read the hex while the other typed. Doing this, we brought
our errors down significantly. Which meant we were playing the game much
faster.

------
compumike
Still in progress, but I'm writing
[https://www.circuitlab.com/textbook/](https://www.circuitlab.com/textbook/)
(an electronics book with schematics & simulations built in) which will get
into some the details mentioned.

It's still harder than programming because electronics doesn't have any
comments or variable names and runs all at once like a massively parallel
piece of software. In many cases it takes a lot of experience and pattern
matching to engineer or reverse-engineer why that capacitor is that size and
goes there.

On the other hand, if you learn a handful of concepts really well, that'll
probably get you 50% of the way there: Thevenin equivalents, input/output
impedance, low-pass/high-pass filters, voltage dividers, level shifting, how
to use MOSFETs and BJTs as switches...

I'd also recommend
[https://electronics.stackexchange.com/](https://electronics.stackexchange.com/)
\-- a double-digit share of questions are of the type OP describes.

------
wmeitzler
You might appreciate a deep dive approach. Rheingoldheavy did a tremendous
exploration into the underlying circuitry of an Arduino Uno [1]

I would also check out Chris Gammel's Contextual Electronics [2] as a semi-
formal training course. It's also an opportunity to make connections with
other EE's you can ping when you get "stuck"

Finally, invest in your tools! Get yourself a decent multimeter- if you aren't
sure where to start, Dave Jones' EEVBlog [3] will provide more commentary than
you expected. Having a good oscilloscope and logic analyzer also makes worlds
of difference when you're troubleshooting a circuit. Digilent's Analog
Discovery 2 [4] is a great get-you-started instrument.

[1]: [https://rheingoldheavy.com/build-an-arduino-uno-from-
scratch...](https://rheingoldheavy.com/build-an-arduino-uno-from-scratch-
part-1/)

[2]: [https://contextualelectronics.com/](https://contextualelectronics.com/)

[3]:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdGQEVdxmQQ&t=414s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdGQEVdxmQQ&t=414s)

[4]: [https://store.digilentinc.com/analog-discovery-2-100msps-
usb...](https://store.digilentinc.com/analog-discovery-2-100msps-usb-
oscilloscope-logic-analyzer-and-variable-power-supply/)

------
char_pointer
There was quite a good thread about self learning electronics recently:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16775744](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16775744)

~~~
amatic
Great thread, lots of good links!

------
analogwzrd
If the modules are made by good manufacturers, then they'll have datasheets
that have ample explanation of how to use the module. The easier the
manufacturer makes it to use their device, the more likely someone's going to
buy it afterall.

Look through the datasheet and there should be several example application
circuits. The datasheet will usually include descriptions about each pin of
the module. If you need to use external components to "set" the pins of the
module in some way, the datasheet will usually have some equations about how
to calculate the correct value and maybe an explanation of where that equation
came from. It'll also list maximum, minimum, and typical drive(voltage or
current) levels for the pins. When you see the datasheet mention a term you
don't know, spend a few minutes looking it up. A few used to describe module
pins that jump to mind are "open drain" and "open collector" \- those terms
tell you a lot about what components you might want to add externally to the
pin.

Make sure you understand Ohm's law and the concept of a pull-up or pull-down
resistor and when to use them. Also, what a decoupling capacitor does. When
you see a capacitor tied to a module pin, can you tell if it's acting like a
filter or a charge reservoir.

Keep playing around with it and you'll eventually build up a lot of knowledge
and intuition about how to connect everything. And other people have mentioned
a lot of great books to use as resources as well.

~~~
weavie
I recently bought an stm32 board to start learning and found the datasheet to
be complete gobble-de-gook. I have a feeling there is a lot fundamentals I
need to learn before the sheet starts to make sense.

~~~
analogwzrd
True. There are several companies that are infamous for how terrible their
datasheets are. Especially as a hobbyist it can be important to pick companies
that provide good documentation because you don't have the leverage of saying
you work for a large company that's going to buy 1000s of their parts.

Asking questions on the manufacturer's forum is useful to because you can
typically get an application engineer to respond.

------
jackhack
It is unavoidable, you must learn some basic theory. A gentle introduction is
found in this book: "Make: Electronics: Learning Through Discovery, 2nd
Edition" by Charles Platt

------
molteanu
While "The Art of Electronics" is often refered to, you won't need the deep
analysis that's in there for simple toy projects. What I've used in the past
(and even translated into Romanian) is "Lessons In Electric Circuits" by Tony
R. Kuphaldt [1] (completely free). The nice thing about it is that it's
practical. You have a lot of nice examples that you can try out with a
breadboard and a couple of basic components. The content is not math-intensive
but rather focused on understanding the basic principles. If you understand
what's in there, then sure, go on and read "The Art of Electronics" and build
all the electronics that you can think of.

[1]
[https://www.ibiblio.org/kuphaldt/electricCircuits/](https://www.ibiblio.org/kuphaldt/electricCircuits/)

------
hospadar
Personally, I think the Forrest Mims books are THE best place to learn about
circuits from zero. I read them when I was a kid, and still refer to them
regularly. I especially like the combination of metaphors & drawings he uses
to explain some of the concepts. He explains what's actually happening at the
electron level, and provides helpful mental abstractions on top of that.

[http://www.forrestmims.com/](http://www.forrestmims.com/)

All of his books are great, but "Getting Started with Electronics" is the best
IMO.

------
52-6F-62
I learned electrical and electronic fundamentals on the job working for a film
industry supplier in Toronto. I'm kind of in the opposite spot— I'm just
getting into modular electronics as part of my path to learning embedded
engineering.

I highly recommend gaining an understanding of the fundamentals of
electricity, then something about how those various parts play a role in a
given circuit.

If you want a bit of a playground, you should try out Tinkercad. Just sign up,
set up a new Circuit and you have all of those parts at your disposal. It
might help to toy around with parts there while you follow along any tutorials
or reading some basics.

For instance, try changing the resistor value in this circuit and watch what
happens to the LED when it's on:

[https://www.tinkercad.com/things/hmBoHhmong2-bodacious-
krunk...](https://www.tinkercad.com/things/hmBoHhmong2-bodacious-krunk-
lahdi/editel?tenant=circuits?sharecode=g_Oc2rPko9ur_RhaAOl-
_PlMx5mUSt8G3JCofm28xMM=)

 _(hint: Try setting it lower, to say 1Ω from the default 440Ω. Then try
setting it much higher like 10kΩ and see what happens.)_

Also this gives a really brief breakdown of some essential knowledge:

[http://www.ia470.com/primer/electric.htm](http://www.ia470.com/primer/electric.htm)

------
linker3000
Lifted from my comment in the earlier discussion...

[https://www.reddit.com/r/AskElectronics/wiki/beginners](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskElectronics/wiki/beginners)

------
rm_-rf_slash
I work at a university and am working towards an M-Eng part time. I somewhat
stumbled into a rapid prototyping class this semester after discovering that I
needed to spend this semester and summer studying the advanced maths I never
learned as an undergrad in order to take the ML/AI classes that my degree will
mostly consist of.

I would recommend getting an M-Eng part time if your employer allows it. Yes,
this suggestion punctures the idealistic narrative of the self-taught hacker
that we are all supposed to romanticize on HN, but nobody can argue that I am
receiving anything less than a world class education.

In addition - and this is the part that is supposed to make HN snarl and gnash
it’s teeth - when a hiring decision comes down to the self-taught hobbyist and
the graduate of a prestigious university, CYA protocol dictates that you hire
the graduate. If the hire fails, it’s better to shrug your shoulders and say
“They have a masters degree from a major university, how was I supposed to
know it wouldn’t work out?” Rather than “I know I took a risk hiring the self-
taught developer. The company has suffered because of my risky decision.”

Office politics make the world go round.

(Keep in mind, I am not trying to discourage self-education. In the tech
industry we all have to continually teach ourselves. But sometimes it is best
to be taught by professionals. It is their job after all.)

~~~
madengr
There are people with MS who are not the sharpest tools in the shed. Though
yes, I agree it is CYA.

------
argorain
Try look for local FabLab or Maker/Hacker Space. People in there are usually
willing to share their knowledge or they are even organizing some courses on
that topic.

Either way, it's mandatory to understand electronics essentials (Ohm's law,
Kirhoff's laws etc.) Try to find some electronics schoolbooks (I can provide
something in czech only). After understanding basics, you can start with buses
and digital communications (because digital is actually two level analog,
right?)

Anyway, good luck.

------
Serow225
Any book by Forrest Mims:
[http://www.forrestmims.org/publications.html](http://www.forrestmims.org/publications.html)
[https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-
alias%3Da...](https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-
alias%3Daps&field-keywords=forrest+mims)

~~~
Yhippa
Seconded. Used to get these from Radio Shack back in the day.

------
alex_hitchins
I recommend getting into Ham Radio. Certainly in the UK the three exams will
give you a great introduction to electronics with a practical way to
understand the principles. Even if you don't fancy getting on the bands, it
would be a inexpensive way to get some standing.

~~~
setquk
As an ex EE who just did my intermediate, I’m not sure that it’s a good start.
I’d suggest approaching The Art if Electronics and go from there. Even the
full license material is quite basic.

Honestly I’m not a fan of the modular approach to learning using Arduino blobs
stuck together. There are many gotchas. A bottom up understanding is far more
valuable and satisfying to boot.

~~~
kaennar
The issue with the AoE is the lack of practice problems and references when
questions arise. For instance it's MOS and BJT parts glaze over how multi-
stage amplifiers chain together and how the choice of one can effect the later
(e.g. how your buffer effects source-follower).

Theory is good, but seeing how the implementation works is just as important
and the AoE can glance over that because it's a sort of book of everything.

In short, it's a great reference manual and I have to sasy it's my favourite
thing to start any question I have with, but for a beginner they need
something that allows them to practice not just read about it.

~~~
setquk
That is in there. See p79/80 in 3e for example of impedance relationships.
Also lots of practical examples in the companion book "Learning the Art of
Electronics"

I've had all editions of this including the first and it's definitely in
there!

------
ngvrnd
Someone mentioned The Art of Electronics, can't recommend this highly enough,
it's accessible and teaches you what you need to know to glue modules together
and even build some of your own. A classic.

------
xkcd-sucks
Assuming your "modules" are discrete components and some op amp ICs, audio
circuits (things that generate or modify waveforms) are really good for
building intuition:

\- Relevant frequencies are low enough so you can breadboard circuits, use
cheap components etc.

\- You can hear what everything is doing, so it's intuitive and you don't need
test equipment

\- There are plenty of tutorials, because musicians have been doing this crap
for decades

For example, you can build a simple "wah-wah pedal" or low pass/high pass
filters, swap in different components, and hear what happens.

------
baldfat
I learned when my stereo broke as a teenager and my dad worked with me to
rebuild it. Radio Shack was my best friend back then and I would order in
different parts. Took 2 months to get it working and it sounded awesome.

If I had access to YouTube and the DIY community today it would have been so
much easier.

------
srikz
The simplest modules I’ve seen are from Grove. The grove compatible modules
don’t need you to dabble with any resistors and capacitors.

Once you go beyond the pieces provided by them and you try adding your own,
you’ll inevitably have to deal with the electronics bit. Learning the basics
is easy and shouldn’t take more than a month. I’m afraid I don’t have a ready
resource to recommend for that. I believe there is a good MOOC course on edX
to learn the basics. I’ll see if I can find the link and update this comment.

------
ultrasounder
Considering that the OP wants to abstract the details away from the connection
between the sensor and the Fill_In_The_Blank module the single most
comprehensive resource that I have been using to teach myself embedded linux
are the books by Derek Molloy.Look them up on Amazon.they are cheap and get
you going in no time. His companion book sites are treasure trove of
information too. He has a book on RPi and Beaglebone black.

------
dsabanin
I really loved this one:

Paul Scherz & Dr. Simon Monk's "Practical Electronics for Inventors, Fourth
Edition" [1]

[1]: [https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Electronics-Inventors-
Fourt...](https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Electronics-Inventors-Fourth-
Scherz/dp/1259587541/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524683157&sr=8-1&keywords=electronic+for+inventors)

------
beamatronic
It’s not as “modular” as you might expect if you come from software like me,
you might think of each component as a “consumer” and a “producer”. You
mentioned a capacitor, check out LRC circuits. When you put certain components
together they act in non-linear ways that can be described using differential
equations.

------
phyllostachys
I learned by working at a contract manufacturer who also does engineering
design of small device electronics (as an embedded engineer). I also have a
copy of The Art of Electronics but I can't say that I've looked at it much.

------
pm7
When you need to connect something specific, I can recommend checking
[http://www.pighixxx.net/](http://www.pighixxx.net/) It helped me quite a bit
in the past.

------
baking
"the weird resistor, capacitor and whatnot which is plugged beyween, say, the
arduino and the sensor" have to do with device termination and impedance
matching so maybe that is a place to start.

------
lbriner
I am about to launch a site called Electronics Club, which is exactly designed
for this with videos and examples. It is pitched at children but will suit
anyone learning electronics.

------
emh68
I recommend Teach Yourself Electricity and Electronics [Stan Gibilisco]

------
shadycuz
I recommend Youtube, look for AvE and GreatScott

------
shadycuz
I recommend Youtube, look up AvE and GreatScott

------
blihp
tl;dr version: Trying to learn electronics at the module level will give you
about as much knowledge about electronics as someone who points to their
monitor and says 'this CPU doesn't work!' has about computers. As long as the
instructions/tutorials get everything working, you're good. But as soon as
things go even slightly off-script, you'll be lost and have no idea how to
troubleshoot things.

The issue is not the modules, but the underlying electronic components
themselves. I started back as a wee lad with one of those 150-in-one kits and
it was a _great_ way to learn as a kid. From there I moved on to the various
'cookbooks'. Then I was able to follow projects in magazines etc. All doable
over the course of a year or two depending on how motivated you are.

If I were starting from scratch today, I'd probably use an Arduino and follow
some basic circuit tutorials online. (i.e. wire up breadboard circuits to the
Arduino using it for power, digital input/output, ADC etc) If you only want to
do digital electronics (i.e. true/false logic input/output), you can get by
without too much analog knowledge (i.e. reservoir and noise filtering
capacitors, using resistors to tie lines high/low etc.) but as soon as you
want to interact with the real world (i.e. driving banks of LEDs, temperature
and other sensors, motor control, etc) you really, REALLY, need to learn about
analog circuits. No need to become an expert, but you want to get the basics
down so you have an idea what's going on when things go wrong (and they will!)

It shouldn't take too long but you need to get _below_ the modules and focus
on the individual components (i.e. the basics of voltage/current, resistors,
capacitors, inductors, diodes, transistors, amplifiers and then move on to ICs
and modules etc. and not just what they are/do but get some basic knowledge
about how to measure and troubleshoot issues with them) to understand at least
conceptually what things are doing at the component level. Then those modules
won't seem like such a mystery when problems arise.

------
samwhiteUK
Take a look at The Art of Electronics if you were after a textbook. It is a
little expensive, but is written beautifully

~~~
dboreham
Reading this thread I realized that somewhere in the past few decades people
stopped referring to books by their authors*. I'd never heard of "The Art of
Electronics" but of course I am very familiar with "Horowitz & Hill"!

Or sometimes the picture on the cover or the color ("The Dragon Book" or "The
Yellow Book").

