EEVblog #1270 - Electronics Textbook Shootout

What is the best electronics textbook?
A look at four very similar electronics device level texbooks:
Conclusion is at 40:35

Also:

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[adoman]

Hey Dave, just wanted to point out that Sedra/Smith does go into the basics of op-amps. It starts in Chapter 2 (in the textbook I have). You were going over Chapter 13, which dives deeper into op-amps, granted that the person reading has already reviewed Chapter 2. I think they start out much better than the other textbooks with the ideal op-amp, what happens when you add feedback, inverting/non-inverting amps, very similar to how you described it in your op-amp basics video.

Cheers!

[TravisTerrell]

You missed my personal favorite: Practical Electronics for Inventors, by Paul Scherz and Simon Monk. Easy to understand, good practical examples, starts at a beginner level and works up to fairly advanced topics. Highly recommended.

[EEVblog]

UPDATE: Turns out that Sedra/Smith does have an introductory OpAmps section which is out of place near the start which is why I missed it. It's still fairly maths oriented though.

[H-]

I think a lot of people would be surprised by just how good the ARRL handbook can be for a lot of this.

[bigfoottoo]

I've been working in electronics for 50 years and I am still learning the basics. 😄

[split]

I like "Practical Electronics for Inventors" by Paul Scherz and Simon Monk

[AdamHH]

Electronic Principles has by far been my favorite. Something about the way the information is communicated is so clear to me. I also wanted to point out that the stiff voltage and stiff current sections were really simple to understand and helped to deepen my understanding of electronics, so it's definitely a win for me.

[JonitoFischer]

The Art of Electronics by Horowitz-Hill is amazing for learning applied electronics, great book!

[kp]

To pass engineering exams, Sedra-Smith. To just learn, any other.

[laughingachilles]

The beginning of your video highlights something a lot of students miss regardless of the subject being learned. That is the importance of understanding how your own brain responds to the way information is presented. Some people are heavy visual learners, others are practical, some can consume vast tomes of text with minimal need for illustrations or practice. Learning your strengths and weaknesses in this way allows you to learn more quickly and effectively.

[X-OR_]

I was in JR. High School (In the mid 70's) when I caught the Electronics Bug. I used to carry around the National Semiconductor Analog Data Book and the Signetics TTL Book. The Signetics TTL White hard bound data Book was so beautifully illustrated, I still have it today.

[pocoapoco]

Dave, the best textbook out there is your back catalog of fundamentals friday videos.

[trickyrat]

I started my electrical education as a kid, using a completely metal screwdriver - including handle - and the mains electrical socket in my bedroom.


I can still smell the burned skin like it was yesterday. Those are the lessons you just can't find in books these days.. :)

[gzbd]

I'm a theoretical physicist who has spent plenty of time with Maxwell's equations and quantum electrodynamics already (including having had conversations with EEs that boil down to "if we could just reduce it to some trivial problem where we could Fourier-Laplace transform it"), but admittedly don't know much about practical electronic circuit design. So Sedra/Smith looks like a live option for me. The Art of Electronics is looking interesting too.



Math doesn't scare and I certainly don't want another damn cartoon picture of the atom! Admittedly that's a rather niche market...


By the way, I did like your op-amp videos too!

[stevefleeman]

Great video! I taught electronics engineering technology (EET) and engineering (for EE and ME students) in circuit analysis for 40 years at the university (Purdue) and at at community college (Rock Valley College) levels. I also worked (concurrently) as an EE at an aerospace company for 31 years. The dual experiences gave me a unique perspective. I taught from Floyd, Malvino, and Boylstadt at various times. I would rank them in that order from friendly to not so friendly. Sedra is in a totally different class (hostile). I believes this agrees with your assessment. You were spot on. The Art of Electronics is a popular reference book. If I were teaching an electronics class, it suitable only as a recommended reference.

[SamGallagher]

I was self-taught through high school, and I started with Forrest M. Mims book (Getting Started in Electronics), then Make: Electronics, then Practical Electronics for Inventors, then Art of Electronics. I started reading AoE in senior year of HS, but I'm still going through it five years later, there's just so much good stuff you can miss. I kept the Markus Sourcebook of Electronic Circuits around a lot through high school and college, and then one of my favorites, Grey and Meyer! I've actually had the 1st edition for years now, and still learn from it (though I keep the updated version as a PDF, old editions completely neglect CMOS and MOSFET circuits in analog). I have a copy of Sedra and Smith now, which I use often, though it certainly feels like a textbook rather than an electronics book. The material is thorough and solid. Then from coursework I have books like Streetman and Banerjee (Solid State Electronic Devices), and Weste and Harris (CMOS VLSI Design) which can be exceedingly dense (wall-of-text) but they are very valuable. Then there's the speciality books on RF and microwave (Bowick, Pozar, Jackson), high speed digital (Black Magic is a must), signal processing (Oppenheim), and communications (Lathi, Proakis). This is of course not to mention app notes and datasheets, which are how I learned much of what I know about embedded systems, as well as the number of great writers of notes and articles, like Jim Williams and Bob Pease. I could go on! Nothing like a good book on circuits, there's so much creativity.

[MsFireboy]

Well put Dave. I have found that you cannot limit yourself to one source. Over the years of post graduation. I found many excellent resources. Downloaded The Art of Electronics yesterday.

[srmofoable]

Bang for the buck, it's hard to beat practical electronics for inventors by Scherz and Monk.

It's a great intro into electronics that's written in easy to understand language. The newest edition is only $20.

[TheEmbeddedHobbyist]

It was the "the art of electronics " for me. Recomended by chief engineer in R&D lab, still got it and use it today, now the grey cells are getting on a bit.

[justinpratt]

I am both an Electrical Technologist and an Electrical Engineer. The Malvino text is primary for technology/technician students. The Sedra/Smith is for university students in electrical and computer engineering, designed to cover all the core electronic courses as well as additional 4th year topics. Both are amazing texts and will help you seriously excel and learn if you take the time to work through them.