Good next step after Arduino: hands-on analog/digital electronics books (16 years old)

Community Education
1

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for a good electronics book as a birthday present for my 16-year-old son. He already solders well, programs ESP32 and Arduino, and works with various sensors. I want to help him to go deeper into analog/digital electronics (basics) and really understand how things work at a circuit level.

What I’m looking for:

  • Lots of practical circuits he can actually build, solder, and experiment with (not just theory).

  • Good balance of analog electronics (op-amps, transistors, filters, amplifiers, signal conditioning, etc.).

  • Not too dry or academic — I want something hands-on that will help turn him into a real electronics engineer through doing.

He reads English without problems.

Can you recommend the best books for this stage? So far I’m considering these four:

  1. Make: Electronics (3rd edition) – Charles Platt

  2. Practical Electronics for Inventors (4th edition) – Paul Scherz & Simon Monk

  3. The Art of Electronics (3rd edition) – Paul Horowitz & Winfield Hill

  4. Learning the Art of Electronics (Hands-on lab course) – Thomas C. Hayes

What do you think? Should he start with one of these, or is there something better for a hands-on teenager who already has microcontroller experience?

Thanks!

2

  • Congratulations to you for your involvement with your son’s education.

  • Sounds like you already have a good selection.

  • Encourage him to master as much hands on experience as possible.
    This includes reproducing projects, coming up with his own circuits, mastering so called tools of the trade, becoming proficient with test equipment, circuit board designing, electromechanical skills.

  • Your son might find this very long thread interesting, lots of simple but productive low cost DIY ideas discussed.

  • YouTube has a lot of good videos on electronics.

  • It is imperative he learn basic electronics.
    AI can explain concepts as he advances.
    A mentorship on WEB sites like this are invaluable too.

Google

PDF electronics training

3

Ideally I want to give a gift. So it can't be a weblink :). I prefer a book + some components.

4

#3 for sure, Electronics Cookbook Practical Electronic Recipes with Arduino and Raspberry Pi, and Troubleshooting Analog Circuits by Robert A Pease.

5

I cannot remember the name but there is a Arduino kit with a projects book , where you start at project / Lesson 1 and build it up.

Not sure if the "book" is a cd or real book.

6

If it’s of any help, I can say this much:
2 and 3 are heavy on theory and not so much hands-on.
1 is hands-on but lacks good coverage of analog.
I have not reviewed 4 but is seem like the most promising and it does say “Hands-on”

7

  • Suggest one of these electronic component testers as a gift.
    Checks most 2 and 3 lead components.

  • Identifies their leads, displays values.
    For: Diodes, LEDs, BJTs, MOSFETs, capacitors, inductors, resistors.

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I have both testers above, they work well.

  • Tried the version below, it had trouble identifying leads.

I sent it back to Amazon.

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8

At the bottom of this topic, you will see five links to similar subjects as yours. They all have good input.

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9

I like book #3 but it is mainly (heavy) theory, so maybe in a few years.

Simon Monk has written several books for the Arduino hobbyist with different projects.
E.g. "30 Arduino Projects for the Evil Genius, Second Edition"

There is a book "Arduino for musicians", from Brent Edstrom. It discusses how to communicate e.g. with a keyboard over MIDI (don't know if your son makes music).

Also a very useful tool to have is a logic analyzer to analyze the digital signals.
Working devices start at ~$20 for a 8 digital channel device.

10

I think it meant for a lab course to accompany The Art of Electronics (#3)

11

I think it meant for a lab course to accompany The Art of Electronics (#3)

Have you read the book?
Does it say you need "The Art of Electronics" as a reference?

12

Maybe: Arduino Cookbook - Michael Margolis

13

According to reviews it references "The Art of Electronics" but can be used as a stand alone text. The author is also at Harvard and taught an undergraduate electronics lab there.