Learning the Art of Electronics
The name of this project relates to a book called Learning The Art of Electronics: A Hands-On Lab Course. It's a university-level lab course developed and delivered at Stanford University. I am working through the coursework and recording videos of my progress as I do the lab exercises. I am also taking notes from the books referenced in the coursework and making those notes available on this wiki as a perk for my Patreon supporters.
I am releasing one video per month on the first Tuesday of the month on my YouTube channel @InTheLabWithJayJay. For each lab exercise in the book I record a video covering it. This isn't the only project I'm working on and you will find other electronics related material on my YouTube channel. The YouTube channel has its own website (which also hosts this wiki): www.inthelabwithjayjay.com
As we started in April 2025, and as there are 27 lab exercises, we will finish some time in the middle of 2027. In the meantime these notes are a work-in-progress. See the rest of this page for information about the books we reference and the lab exercises we have done or will do soon. If you're following along with this project the monthly pre-reading is given in the labs section below. Try to get your pre-reading done before the first Tuesday of the month!
If you're interested in this project you can follow on YouTube. If you're enjoying this material or would like access to the subscriber-only content you can sponsor development with a small monthly contribution: patreon.com/JohnElliotV
Links
Here are a few links which may come in handy:
| Facility | Link | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Project page | Learning the Art of Electronics | this page, which is your point of access for everything else |
| Show website | www.inthelabwithjayjay.com | the website for my video blog |
| YouTube channel | @InTheLabWithJayJay | my main YouTube channel on which these videos are released |
| YouTube playlist | Learning the Art of Electronics | the playlist to which these videos are added |
Book notes
Here are the links to my book notes. This is subscriber-only content.
| Book notes | Math level | Book details |
|---|---|---|
| Learning the Art of Electronics 2ed | hardly any | details |
| The Art of Electronics 3ed | low to moderate | details |
| The Art of Electronics: The x Chapters | low to moderate | details |
| Principles of Electronic Circuits 2ed | heaps | details |
| Electricity and Magnetism 3ed | heaps | details |
Labs
Here is a table of the lab exercises which we will fill out as we work through the course. Do the recommended pre-reading in advance of the following lab. Do the pre-reading in the order given, but skip pre-reading for books you don't have or don't have time for. The most important pre-reading is from right to left, the less important (and more foundational or mathematical) material is listed first. To be clear: you should do the reading left to right, and skip anything you aren't doing. This is a living document and the following table will grow as we get around to the newer material.
Note: the links in the Recommended Pre-Reading column are to my book notes which are subscriber-only content. If you have access you can click on these links to see my notes. If you don't have access and you want access you can either sign-up at patreon.com/JohnElliotV (preferred!) or send email to wiki@jjlab.net and convince me I should give you a free account. :)
Note: you don't need access to my book notes to follow along with this project! Get yourself any of the books that you're interested in and then do the pre-reading every month before the first Tuesday of the month. Of course I will be running over the notes in the videos so you don't have to do any reading to follow along, you can just watch the videos.
| Lab | Date | Video | Show Notes | Recommended Pre-Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Apr 2025 | Introducing Learning the Art of Electronics | blog.jj5.net | E&M ch. 1, 2; PoEC ch. 1; AoE app. A, ch. 1; LtAoE ch. 1N, 1L. | |
| 1 | 13 May 2025 | DC Circuits | ||
| 2 | Capacitors | |||
| 3 | Resonant and Diode Circuits | |||
| 4 | Transistors I | |||
| 5 | Transistors II | |||
| 6 | Op-Amps I | |||
| 7 | Op-Amps II | |||
| 8 | Op-Amps III | |||
| 9 | Op-Amps IV | |||
| 10 | Op-Amps V | |||
| 11 | Voltage Regulators | |||
| 12 | MOSFET Switches and a JFET AGC | |||
| 13 | Group Audio Project | |||
| 14 | Logic Gates | |||
| 15 | Programmable Logic | |||
| 16 | Flip-Flops | |||
| 17 | Counters | |||
| 18 | Memory | |||
| 19 | Finite State Machines | |||
| 20 | Analog ↔ Digital; PLL | |||
| 21 | Digital Project | |||
| 22 | Microcontrollers I | |||
| 23 | Microcontrollers II | |||
| 24 | Microcontrollers III | |||
| 25 | Microcontrollers IV | |||
| 26 | Microcontrollers V | |||
| 27 | Microcontrollers VI |
Books
The reference material includes the following books. The books are listed pretty much in order of importance. If you're planning to follow along with the labs and you want to do the reading you will want to get yourself a copy of Learning the Art of Electronics 2ed. The main textbook for the course is The Art of Electronics 3ed, and if you're interested in electronics you almost certainly want to have a copy of that one too. The Art of Electronics: The x Chapters covers various specialized topics and you can safely leave it out, at least until you find yourself interested in such specialized topics. Principles of Electronic Circuits 2ed is another electronics book referenced in the coursework, it covers semiconductor technology and integrated circuits. Electricity and Magnetism 3ed is the recommended E&M book, it covers some of the physics which underlies electronics.
The reverse order of the books is roughly from the most foundational (and mathematical) to the most derived (and descriptive). When we give recommended readings we will use this reverse order. You can simply skip recommended readings for books you didn't buy or don't have time for.
In the following table the moniker is the short name we use to refer to the book in these notes. If the book has a website (that I know about) it is provided in the table. As I do teardowns of these books the link to those videos will be included in the teardown column. I do intend to do teardowns for all of these books, but they're not all done yet. A "teardown" is a video where we flip through the book and "have a look at what's inside". If there's a copy of this book in a web library (like archive.org) I include that here. And last I provide various links to the book on Amazon where you can buy your own copy. And please do buy your own copy, money makes the world go 'round!
| Moniker | Book (click for details) | Website | Teardown | Library | Buy at Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LtAoE | Learning the Art of Electronics 2ed | learningtheartofelectronics.com | teardown | US, UK, CA, AU | |
| AoE | The Art of Electronics 3ed | artofelectronics.net | teardown | archive.org | US, UK, CA, AU |
| AoEx | The Art of Electronics: The x Chapters | x.artofelectronics.net | teardown | US, UK, CA, AU | |
| PoEC | Principles of Electronic Circuits 2ed | archive.org | US, UK, CA, AU | ||
| E&M | Electricity and Magnetism 3ed | archive.org | US, UK, CA, AU |
Learning the Art of Electronics 2ed
This course of 27 practical labs will teach you "all of electronics". Hardly any math.
| Moniker: | LtAoE |
| Title: | Learning The Art of Electronics: A Hands-On Lab Course 2nd Edition |
| Authors: | Thomas C. Hayes, David Abrams, Paul Horowitz |
| Published: | April 3, 2025 |
| Website: | learningtheartofelectronics.com |
| Teardown: | New Book Teardown #3: Learning The Art of Electronics: A Hands-On Lab Course (2016) |
| Library: | N/A |
| Buy at Amazon: | Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, Amazon AU |
| Book notes: | Learning the Art of Electronics 2ed (subscriber-only content) |
The Art of Electronics 3ed
This is the definitive electronics reference work and the textbook for the course. Low to moderate levels of math.
| Moniker: | AoE |
| Title: | The Art of Electronics 3rd Edition |
| Authors: | Paul Horowitz, Winfield Hill |
| Published: | March 30, 2015 |
| Website: | artofelectronics.net |
| Teardown: | New Book Teardown #1: The Art of Electronics 3rd Edition (2015) |
| Library: | archive.org |
| Buy at Amazon: | Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, Amazon AU |
| Book notes: | The Art of Electronics 3ed (subscriber-only content) |
The Art of Electronics: The x Chapters
This is extra specialized material that didn't fit in The Art of Electronics 3ed. Low to moderate levels of math.
| Moniker: | AoEx |
| Title: | The Art of Electronics: The x Chapters |
| Authors: | Paul Horowitz, Winfield Hill |
| Published: | January 30, 2020 |
| Website: | x.artofelectronics.net |
| Teardown: | New Book Teardown #2: The Art of Electronics: The x-Chapters (2020) |
| Library: | N/A |
| Buy at Amazon: | Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, Amazon AU |
| Book notes: | The Art of Electronics: The x Chapters (subscriber-only content) |
Principles of Electronic Circuits 2ed
This book covers semiconductor technology and integrated circuits. Heaps of math.
| Moniker: | PoEC |
| Title: | Principles of Electronic Circuits 2nd Edition |
| Authors: | Stanley G. Burns, Paul R. Bond |
| Published: | June 10, 1996 |
| Website: | N/A |
| Teardown: | N/A |
| Library: | archive.org |
| Buy at Amazon: | Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, Amazon AU |
| Book notes: | Principles of Electronic Circuits 2ed (subscriber-only content) |
Electricity and Magnetism 3ed
This book is about the physics of electricity and magnetism. Heaps of math.
| Moniker: | E&M |
| Title: | Electricity and Magnetism 3rd Edition |
| Authors: | Edward M. Purcell, David J. Morin |
| Published: | March 14, 2013 |
| Website: | N/A |
| Teardown: | N/A |
| Library: | archive.org |
| Buy at Amazon: | Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, Amazon AU |
| Book notes: | Electricity and Magnetism 3ed (subscriber-only content) |
Equipment
In each video I do one prac from the course on my electronics bench. On my bench I have various test equipment that I use to investigate each project. My bench equipment which you will see in the videos is listed in the following table. If you've spotted something in one of my videos and you can't find it in the following table let me know and I will dig up the details for you!
| Equipment | Function | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Rigol MSO5074 Mixed Signal Oscilloscope | Mixed Signal Oscilloscope | plots voltage over time, etc. |
| Rigol PLA2216 Logic Probe | Logic Probe | for Logic Analyzer function of Rigol MSO5074 |
| METCAL PS-900 Soldering Station | Soldering Iron | doesn't require temperature control; see SmartHeat |
| UNI-T UTi260B Thermal Imager | Thermal Camera | for investigating where circuits get hot |
| TOMLOV DM602 Pro Digital Microscope | Microscope | I use this microscope when I need to really zoom in |
| Pro'sKit SS-331H Desoldering Pump | Desoldering Tool | these are pretty handy |
| UNI-T UTG962E Signal Generator | Signal Generator | the Rigol MSO5074 is also a signal generator |
| Fluke 17B+ Digital Multimeter | Handheld Multimeter | ah, the venerable Fluke meter |
| EEVblog BM2257 Digital Multimeter | Handheld Multimeter | a solid meter; I am collecting the full set |
| Dremel 4300 Rotary Tool | Rotary Tool | ah, the venerable Dremel; everyone should have one! |
| Peak Electronic Design Atlas DCA75 Pro | Semiconductor Analyzer | can auto-detect semiconductor devices |
| Peak Electronic Design Atlas LCR45 | LCR Meter | measures complex; for inductors, capacitors, resistors |
| Peak Electronic Design Atlas ESR70 Gold | ESR Meter | measures equivalent series resistance of capacitors |
| OWON XDM1041 Bench Multimeter | Bench Multimeter | there's some fun software for this meter |
| ANENG AN-999S Bench Multimeter | Bench Multimeter | this can speak your reading to you! |
| Riden RD6006 Bench Power Supply | Bench Power Supply | DC power up to 18V; has over-{voltage,current} protection |
| Yizhan Digital Microscope | Microscope | this is my go-to bench microscope |
| ZKETECH EBD-A20H Electronic Load | Electronic Load | handy for testing power supplies |
| Miniware DT71 Digital Tweezers | Handheld Multimeter | mechanically responsive but readings aren't super accurate |
| Horusdy Soldering Station with Hot Air Gun | Soldering Iron and Hot Air Gun | only for hot air gun now that I have my METCAL PS-900 |
| FNIRSI DSO-TC3 Component Tester | Component Analyzer | can auto-detect what type of component is attached |
| Bosch IXO VI Electric Screwdriver | Electric Screwdriver | everyone should have one! |
| Jackcat Electric Scissors | Electric Scissors | these things are awesome, definitely recommend |
| Brother P-Touch D210 Label Maker | Label Maker | I use this all the time |
| YIHUA 938D Soldering Tweezers | Soldering Tweezers | handy particularly for desoldering surface mount devices |
| UNI-T UT116A Digital Tweezers | Handheld Multimeter | the Miniware DT71 is easier to handle |
| Scotch Titanium Scissors | Scissors | sharp and excellent, I have three pairs |
| Hakko CHP 3C-SA Precision Tweezers | Tweezers | excellent precision tweezers, I got a five-pack |