Electronics curriculum
A major theme of this site is the exploration of foundational concepts in analog and digital electronics. I try to write for the inquiring minds: I develop concepts from first principles, but in a way that doesn’t require advanced knowledge of physics or math.
The discoverability of old content on Substack isn’t great, so if you want to give it a try, I put together the following starter list. It’s organized in the recommended reading order.
But good sir, what is electricity?
A recurring theme of this Substack are my attempts to build out an accessible curriculum for hobby electronics. The target audience are folks who want real answers, but who aren’t keen on academic textbooks brimming with obtuse jargon and advanced calculus. I’m particularly fond of the following foundational articles:
Setting up an electronics workshop
Over the years, I learned to stay clear of most gear advice on the internet. Between paid-for reviews, gatekeeping, and outright snobbery, there’s little one can learn by asking a random photographer or a woodworker for a list of their favorite toys.
Primer: core concepts in electronic circuits
I didn’t kick off this site with a specific set of topics in mind, but for one reason or another, electronics emerged as an audience favorite. At the same time, because we didn’t follow any specific curriculum, I left out an important stepping stone for some of the less seasoned hobbyists: a discussion of key concepts used to describe what’s going on in…
Core concepts #2: impedance is complex
In a recent introductory article on electronics, I talked about impedance (Z): the tendency for components and circuits to resist the flow of current. The phenomenon has three constituent parts: resistance, capacitive reactance, and inductive reactance. Superficially, all of these effects
How do transistors work, anyway?
The invention of the electronic circuit changed the world. In just over a century, electronic devices upended almost every aspect of our lives — from transportation, to medicine, to the way we interact with each other and have fun.
Signal reflections in electronic circuits
In some of the earlier articles on this blog, I talked about two important and hard-to-grasp phenomena that interfere with the design of high-speed digital circuits. The first one are signal distortions contributed by PCB parasitics; the other is the
Radios, how do they work?
Radio communications play a key role in modern electronics, but to a hobbyist, the underlying theory is hard to parse. We get the general idea, of course: we know about frequencies and can probably explain the difference between amplitude modulation and frequency modulation. Yet, most of us find it difficult to articulate what makes a good antenna, or h…
The basics of signal amplification
As a computer geek, I never had much trouble navigating the world of microcontrollers and logic gates. Analog circuitry proved to be a different story; for a good while, I resigned myself to copying other people’s designs and going on wild-goose chases to procure long-obsolete parts that cropped up on the schematics.
The 101 of analog signal filtering
Signal filters are ubiquitous in electronics; on this blog alone, they cropped up in articles on digital-to-analog converters, radio receivers, audio amplifiers, and probably more.
Analog filters, part 2: let it ring
In an earlier article on analog signal filtering, we talked about basic RC filters. My thesis was simple: that despite the efforts of Wikipedia editors, the behavior of these devices can be understood and modeled without resorting to obtuse jargon or advanced math.
Building a decent microphone amplifier
If you’re coming here from Google search, this article is a part of a loose series on electronics. If you have a hard time keeping up with the text, start with my earlier articles on core concepts in electronics and on signal amplification.
What's the deal with magnetic fields?
In a recent article, I brought up an important gotcha about electricity:
This is just a short sampling of articles; for a complete list, check out this page. If you have suggestions or other feedback, please let me know! You can always reach me at lcamtuf@coredump.cx.