Review by obug:

Just to make this clear, I’m writing this as somebody who does NOT have a degree in Electrical Engineering. I’ve been trying to get into electronics for years and have tried many different books.

I’ll break this review into three sections as I think this book needs three different ratings.

1. 5 stars for teaching basic electronics theory and concepts. The majority of the theory is in the first two sections of the book. After wrestling with “The Art of Electronics” and the 1st edition of “Practical Electronics for Inventors” for years this was the book that finally made sense. The chapters are well paced and the tests are a good way to help think about what you’ve learned.

2. 3 stars for Section 3. This is an issue because section 3 is where the book starts with diodes, transistors, and electronics circuits. As far as helping us understand electronics, this section is not even near the level of the first two sections of the book. More importantly, the author does not adequately explain the circuits presented.

3. 1 or 2 stars for teaching “Practical” skills. After moving through almost 3 sections of this book, I understand a lot of theory but can’t understand what is going in a basic circuit when I look at one. This book is completely lacking in the practical aspect. I assumed all this would be explained in the third section but it isn’t.

I think this would be a great first book. You will, however, need other books to learn some practical skills, which is why you wanted to get into electronics in the first place.

Review by William Maloy:

I bought this text to help me bone up on electronics as part of my HAM Radio advocation. I did not expect such a complete work. As I said in the title you will use this as a reference for years to come. I feel like I got more than my monies worth!

Review by Charles Ashbacher:

This book is an excellent primer on the properties of electricity, the words used to describe it, how to work with it and compute the values of the descriptors. Using diagrams, formulas and worked examples, the reader is taken from the basics to the specifics of AC and DC electricity as well as the relationship between electricity and magnetism. A short set of questions is given at the end of each chapter and two major exams are included. Without question, this is the best beginning book on electricity that I have ever seen.

Review by Daniel J. Knight:

It’s concise, well ordered, the diagrams were good, and it didn’t bore me to read unlike another book on electricity which I am trying hard to read.

Review by Rebecca Johnson:

“Our lives have become so dependent on electricity it is hard to believe that people ever lived without it.” ~Steve Parker

Steve Parker introduces the reader to the world of electricity. This is the story of everything from how the brain processes electrical signals to what our life would be like without electricity. He also gives helpful tips about how to prepare for temporary power outages.

Topics include: Electric charge, electricity from chemicals, circuits and conductors, magnetism, electromagnets, magneto-electric machines, manipulating energy, electricity in the home, electrical appliances, communication, heat, pressure and light.

This book is filled with pictures and entertaining facts. You can see how to electroplate a silver spoon or see a 1918 food beater driven by an small electric motor. There is information on farms of windmills and useful URL’s for fun websites. A list of “Places to Visit” gives ideas for unique science and art museums.

~The Rebecca Review

Review by Tim Fredericksen Jr:

This book is a fantastic reference guide to those interested in the field of Electricity. I found it extremely useful, both as a guideline for choosing my rating in the Navy’s Nuclear Power Program, and as a basic reference guide in application. It is well thought out, and, laid out in a logical straight forward matter. This book, coupled with some basic knowledge of electricity, will give you a broad theoretical background in this fundamental subject.

Review by Dennis Cody:

I have been an Avionics Tech. for 30 years and bought this book for my son-in-law. I have had a copy and used it for years to brush up on sometimes forgoten electrical principals. This book is so good that the aircraft technical schools issue it to aviation mechanics for the AC and DC basics. If you want to understand electricity, motors, generators, AC/DC theory…This book is for you!!!!!

Review by D Robert Amthor:

I first read volumes 1-5 ten years ago when I started working as an elevator technician. My copies are third time hand-me-downs of the original 1954 publication. These are without a doubt the most helpful books I have ever read on basic electrical theory. Each topic is clearly and concisely explained and forms a building block for further topics in the series. These books form the foundation of knowledge I use in everyday real world applications. The authors explain each principle with reference to real world examples to allow the reader to relate what they have read to what they have seen.

Review by Tracy L. Carter:

Absolutely the best book I’ve found to explain electricity, in the most simplictic form. I’m a person who learns through visual diagrams and this book is chaulked full of easy to understand drawings. Each chapter ends with a review section to reiterate what you’ve learned and a self-test that follows. Excellent book!

Review by Rohit Priyadarshi:

The best point in favour of this product is that it is lego style toy that does not intimidate a child with intricate electronic components. My 6-1/2 year old daughter started playing with it and was very excited to have completed her first project to light a bulb with a switch. Theories of electricity followed naturally when initially the bulb did not lightup. I showed her the shiny metal strip beneath the connectors and explained conductivity a little.Another major advantage is that there are mostly no wires, and the components are hidden from view, giving it a very un-complicated look that a child can easily comprehend. This difference makes possible for my daughter to actually play with it. The only problem seems to be the quality of plastic used. It looks as if it might break if a component was bent while snapping in. Still, I highly recommend this product.

Review by Amanda Richards:

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R23LJQOT2CM4ED This is the ideal kit to get your child on the road to understanding electricity. Everything just snaps together like building blocks, and there’s no need for screwdrivers, soldering irons, electrical tape or testers.

The instruction manual is easy to read, and includes diagrams for 101 projects. With a little help for the first few, a child can easily work their way through the book with minimal adult supervision.

The video shows a few of the projects – a switch circuit with light bulb, running a DC motor and fan, a Space War alarm combo, and a flying saucer. There’s also a clip of a lamp and fan in series, showing that the fan takes a while to turn at full speed because of inertia.

There are also games, sirens, projects activated by clapping or light, and projects that introduce digital circuits. There are three kits that are more advanced, but you can also get upgrade kits to take each to the next level.

If you’re looking for an educational toy that your child will really enjoy, I recommend you put this one on your list.

Amanda Richards, December 30, 2007

Review by calvinnme:

This is a good book for electronics technicians who want to cover the basics of electricity that they would need in their assembly and test work. The table of contents is not shown for this book so I do that next. An asterisk indicates an entirely new chapter from the previous edition:

1. The Nature of Electricity

2. Electrical Standards and Conventions

3. Ohm’s Law and Power

4. Direct-Current Series Circuits

5. Direct-Current Parallel Circuits

6. Batteries

7. Kirchoff’s Laws

8. Determinant Solutions for DC Networks*

9. Network Calculations

10. Magnetism and Electromagnetism

11. Direct-Current Generators and Motors

12. Principles of Alternating Current

13. Inductance, Inductive Reactance, and Inductive Circuits

14. Capacitance, Capacitive Reactance, and Capacitive Circuits

15. Single-Phase Circuits

16. Alternating-Current Generators and Motors

17. Complex Numbers and Complex Impedence for Series AC Circuits*

18. AC Circuit Analysis with Complex Numbers*

19. Transformers

20. Three-Phase Systems

21. Series and Parallel Resonance

22. Waveforms and Time Constants

This second edition is 140 pages longer than the first, and emphasizes more circuit analysis and calculations than the previous edition, although it is still too simplistic for engineers. This new emphasis on mathematics is probably due to the fact that the electronics technician no longer just wires boards together as was done in 1983. There is much less hardware construction and more emphasis on design in the field today.

Review by MechTech:

This is once again another quailty Schaum’s Outline book. I used it as a suppliment learning tool in my circuits class. This book would be a great buy for anyone reviewing or wanted some extra help in a circuits/electronics class. The topics in this book includes: Ohm’s Law, Direct-Current Series & Parallel Circuits ,Kirchoff’s Laws, Generators and Motors, AC Circuit Analysis and much more. The 700 worked out problems with expliantions in this book are a must for any student reviewing for an exam. This book is a must have for anyone who wants more expirnce or a good review of the basics in circuits or electronics.