Earl Boysen & Harry Kybett 
Complete Electronics Self-Teaching Guide with Projects 

An all-in-one resource on everything electronics-related!

For almost 30 years, this book has been a classic text for
electronics enthusiasts. Now completely updated for today’s
technology, this latest version combines concepts, self-tests, and
hands-on projects to offer you a completely repackaged and revised
resource. This unique self-teaching guide features
easy-to-understand explanations that are presented in a
user-friendly format to help you learn the essentials you need to
work with electronic circuits.

All you need is a general understanding of electronics concepts
such as Ohm’s law and current flow, and an acquaintance with
first-year algebra. The question-and-answer format, illustrative
experiments, and self-tests at the end of each chapter make it easy
for you to learn at your own speed.

* Boasts a companion website that includes more than twenty
full-color, step-by-step projects

* Shares hands-on practice opportunities and conceptual
background information to enhance your learning process

* Targets electronics enthusiasts who already have a basic
knowledge of electronics but are interested in learning more about
this fascinating topic on their own

* Features projects that work with the multimeter, breadboard,
function generator, oscilloscope, bandpass filter, transistor
amplifier, oscillator, rectifier, and more

You’re sure to get a charge out of the vast coverage included in
Complete Electronics Self-Teaching Guide with Projects!

Table of Content

Introduction xvii

Chapter 1 DC Review and Pre-Test 1

Current Flow 2

Ohm’s Law 5

Resistors in Series 10

Resistors in Parallel 10

Power 12

Small Currents 15

The Graph of Resistance 16

The Voltage Divider 18

The Current Divider 24

Switches 30

Capacitors in a DC Circuit 33

Summary 41

DC Pre-Test 43

Chapter 2 The Diode 47

Understanding Diodes 48

Diode Breakdown 70

The Zener Diode 75

Summary 86

Self-Test 87

Chapter 3 Introduction to the Transistor 91

Understanding Transistors 92

The Junction Field Effect Transistor (JFET) 123

Summary 129

Self-Test 129

Chapter 4 The Transistor Switch 135

Turning the Transistor On 136

Turning Off the Transistor 142

Why Transistors Are Used as Switches 146

The Three-Transistor Switch 161

Alternative Base Switching 166

Switching the JFET 172

Summary 181

Self-Test 182

Chapter 5 AC Pre-Test and Review 187

The Generator 188

Resistors in AC Circuits 193

Capacitors in AC Circuits 195

The Inductor in an AC Circuit 202

Resonance 204

Summary 207

Self-Test 207

Chapter 6 Filters 211

Capacitors in AC Circuits 212

Capacitors and Resistors in Series 214

Phase Shift of an RC Circuit 239

Resistor and Capacitor in Parallel 246

Inductors in AC Circuits 250

Phase Shift for an RL Circuit 258

Summary 260

Self-Test 260

Chapter 7 Resonant Circuits 267

The Capacitor and Inductor in Series 268

The Output Curve 286

Introduction to Oscillators 309

Summary 314

Self-Test 314

Chapter 8 Transistor Amplifiers 319

Working with Transistor Amplifiers 320

A Stable Amplifier 330

Biasing 334

The Emitter Follower 350

Analyzing an Amplifier 356

The JFET as an Amplifier 361

The Operational Amplifier 370

Summary 380

Self-Test 380

Chapter 9 Oscillators 385

Understanding Oscillators 386

Feedback 396

The Colpitts Oscillator 402

The Hartley Oscillator 414

The Armstrong Oscillator 421

Practical Oscillator Design 422

Simple Oscillator Design Procedure 423

Oscillator Troubleshooting Checklist 426

Summary and Applications 432

Self-Test 432

Chapter 10 The Transformer 435

Transformer Basics 436

Transformers in Communications Circuits 447

Summary and Applications 451

Self-Test 452

Chapter 11 Power Supply Circuits 455

Diodes in AC Circuits Produce Pulsating DC 456

Level DC (Smoothing Pulsating DC) 474

Summary 490

Self-Test 490

Chapter 12 Conclusion and Final Self-Test 493

Conclusion 493

Final Self-Test 495

Appendix A Glossary 509

Appendix B List of Symbols and Abbreviations 513

Appendix C Powers of Ten and Engineering Prefixes 517

Appendix D Standard Composition Resistor Values 519

Appendix E Supplemental Resources 521

Web Sites 521

Books 522

Magazines 522

Suppliers 523

Appendix F Equation Reference 525

Appendix G Schematic Symbols Used in This Book 529

Index 533

About the author

Earl Boysen is a veteran engineer who maintains two
technology-focused websites, www.buildinggadgets.com and
www.understandingnano.com. He is coauthor of the first edition of
Electronics For Dummies as well as Electronics Projects For Dummies
and Nanotechnology For Dummies, all published by Wiley.

The late Harry Kybett wrote the bestselling first and second
editions of Electronics Self-Teaching Guide. He was director
of engineering operations at Columbia Pictures Corporation. He
built many studios and video systems for the broadcasting industry,
and created training programs for Sony Corporation of America.