Practical Electronics for Inventors (Fourth Edition) — Paul Scherz & Simon Monk
Practical Electronics for Inventors (Fourth Edition) — Paul Scherz & Simon Monk
The electronics reference that teaches you why circuits work — so you can design, build and fix your own.
What's inside
- Theory made practical — voltage, current, AC, filters and impedance
- Every component — passives, semiconductors, optoelectronics and sensors
- Design chapters — op amps, the 555, power supplies and digital logic
- Modern builds — microcontrollers and Arduino, FPGAs, motors and audio
Who it's for: makers, hobbyists, students and inventors ready to go beyond copying tutorials.
Specifications
- Edition: Fourth Edition
- Authors: Paul Scherz and Simon Monk
- Format: Paperback, 1,056 pages
- Interior: Thousands of schematics, line drawings and photos
- Contents: 17 chapters plus appendices
- Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education (TAB)
- ISBN: 978-1259587542
Just want the guides?
Instant PDF download · 250 pages across 3 guides
The Circuit Fault Finder
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The Component Decoder
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The Inventor's Bench Setup Guide
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Why makers buy it
Stop copying circuits you don't understand
Most tutorials tell you what to wire. Practical Electronics for Inventors explains why it works, so you can design your own circuits, fix the ones that fail and turn ideas into working prototypes.
- Theory explained with intuition first, maths where it matters
- Thousands of schematics, drawings and photos
- From first LED to op amps, microcontrollers and FPGAs
What's inside
17 chapters, from theory to finished design
- Theory — voltage, current, AC, filters, impedance, SPICE
- Devices — passives, semiconductors, optoelectronics, sensors
- Hands-on — safety, building circuits, multimeters, oscilloscopes
- Design — op amps, oscillators and the 555, power supplies, digital logic
- Modern builds — microcontrollers and Arduino, programmable logic, motors, audio, modules
Reviews
What makers say
The next step after Make: Electronics
If there is a successor to Make: Electronics, then I believe it would have to be Practical Electronics for Inventors.
Wired.com
Editorial review
Clear for newcomers
The book is written in a way for people who are unfamiliar with electronics will still be able to understand the content.
DigiKey TechForum
Reader review
Beautifully laid out
It's beautifully laid out with clear illustrations, summary tables and well-explained text.
On the Fourth Edition
Reader review
The chapter that pays for the book
Build it, measure it, debug it
The hands-on chapter covers bench safety, construction techniques, multimeters and oscilloscopes. Add our free Circuit Fault Finder and Inventor's Bench Setup Guide and you'll spend less time stuck and more time building.
The reference on the workbench
The book that stays open next to the soldering iron
Now in its Fourth Edition, co-written by Paul Scherz and maker favourite Simon Monk, it's the electronics reference inventors keep coming back to. Rated 4.7 out of 5 by over 2,300 Amazon readers.
FAQ
Questions, answered
I'm a beginner. Is this too advanced?
It starts from the basics and builds up. Some theory sections use algebra and a little calculus, and Appendix C reviews the maths you need, so you can read the practical chapters first and come back to the theory.
Does it cover Arduino and microcontrollers?
Yes. Chapter 13 covers microcontrollers, with a dedicated Arduino section, and Chapter 17 covers breakout boards, modules and open-source hardware.
What's new in the Fourth Edition?
A new chapter on programmable logic (FPGAs, Verilog and VHDL), plus updated material on semiconductors, op amps, voltage regulators, power supplies and digital electronics.
Is it a textbook or a reference?
Both. Readers work through it to learn, then keep it on the bench as a reference for formulas, component data and circuit ideas.
How big is it?
It's a large paperback of 1,056 pages, about 8.5 × 10.8 inches, so expect a heavy book.
What are the free companion guides?
Three Thornbury Books PDF guides that pair with the book: The Circuit Fault Finder, The Component Decoder and The Inventor's Bench Setup Guide. They're included free with every paperback tier and delivered instantly by email.