"T.C. Phelps" wrote: > > --- Dan Devine wrote: > > > RECOMMENDATION: If you're just starting out, or > > want the definitive answer to all your questions, > > pony up and spend the cash. "All" is a bit strong. H & H is a good *introductory* book, but it is not the only resource you need, even though it covers a lot of esoteric stuff. I have had dozens of questions that were not answered by H & H, but it's a good place to start. Unfortunately there is no real substitute for experience AND THOUGHT! KISS (keep it simple stupid) is really good mantra. If the only solution seems complex, there is probably a simpler way to do it, if the problem is approached from a different viewpoint. > I'd be willing to shell out for this book, if it's > that good -- but I have a question (since you describe > it as a good introductory text). I recently finished > an EE degree and after designing a few PCBs have found > that a lot of PCB/circuit design relies on knowing > little tricks, simplifications, and circuit building > blocks that have already been designed and are well > understood. Since we tended to focus on device H & H isn't about PCB design. The ARRL handbook has a lot of good tips for circuit design, ham radio people being very creative, and cheap . > operation and circuit analysis, I wind up wasting time > designing complex circuits only to listen to my boss > chuckle as he shows me the "well-known three resistor > solution." So my question is, given that I still have > all of my engineering textbooks, is this book a > worthwhile resource for the practical hands-on stuff > or would I be better off just reviewing the books I > have and reading through circuit archives on the > Internet? You are best off looking at the many projects published in magazines like Circuit Cellar (#1 in my book), EPE (Everyday and Practical Electronics) and the like. Your texts are probably good for the theoretical stuff you'll rarely see in 'real life'. e.g. input 1 V, R2/R1=100 therefore Gain of 100, so I should see 100V on the output of this op-amp. Theory says yes, practical confederations say ~15 V at best. And R2 = milliohms or megaohms doesn't work either. Hence my point about THOUGHT being important. Robert -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The list server can filter out subtopics (like ads or off topics) for you. See http://www.piclist.com/#topics