What are some resources for learning circuit design principles?

To preface, circuit design and analysis is not my main expertise. Regardless, it's something I've been tasked with more recently. My education focused more on the software side of things. While I did take a couple courses in circuit analysis and instrumentation, I'd be lying if I said they got through to me in undergrad.

What are some resources (video series, courses, or books) that are considered quintessential in your mind or the community's opinion for learning more about hardware electronics and circuit design? Again, not with specific relevance to Arduino, but in general (though circuit design resources with information on best practices for working with microcontrollers in general are also appreciated).

For example, I know what capacitors do, but I couldn't begin to tell you all the common scenarios of when one should use them, where to place them. Same for inductors. Or certain ICs like op-amps, or certain things like filters. Why are EM components wired differently? When do I know if a certain component or IC will be subject to ringing? My knowledge has a lot of gaps, which is because most of my learning thus far has been through brute force - make it and see if it breaks then figure out why after. Not the best or my preferred method of doing things (plus it's getting expensive).

To summarize, resources that not just focus on what a component does in isolation, but how they can be applied to different circuits or configurations and why - holistic resources.

I do prefer textual media for these things like books, but I understand that video series are probably more helpful for visual demonstrations.

Different hardware topics are discussed in these examples:


Maybe scan the others topics in the thread where the above are located.

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I think that you may find Elektor helpful, https://www.elektormagazine.com/

This is difficult to answer because, of course, there is a lot you CAN learn. If you were majoring in Electronics you probably wouldn't build anything "interesting" until at least your 3rd year.

On the other hand, lots of hobbyists are building interesting things with much less overall knowledge. Usually, you just have to dig-in and study and experiment with whatever you are interested in at the moment, or whatever project you are working on.

Digital electronics is generally easier than analog.

In digital electronics, almost all capacitors are essentially power supply filters. There is at least one "big one" built into the power supply and sometimes smaller ones around the circuit board to filter-out "switching noise". Most digital ICs require "bypass" capacitors near the chip on the power supply lines. This is to prevent switching noises from getting into the digital inputs through the power supply and fouling-up the digital logic. Oh, they are also usually used on the clock crystal, but I'm not sure exactly why.

Bypass caps also generally required with op-amps, again to prevent "feedback" from getting into the inputs (through the power supply) which can turn an op-amp into an oscillator. Intentional negative feedback ("corrective feedback") is used to control/adjust the gain of an op-amp based amplifier.

A series capacitor blocks DC and has high impedance (capacitive reactance) to low frequencies. (DC is zero Hz.) So a series capacitor can be used as a high-pass filter. Or in parallel (with the signal) it provides a "bypass" or "short circuit" current path so it can be used as a low-pass filter. This is how it filters out "fast" high-frequency noise and glitches on a power supply.

An inductor works the opposite way. It's a low-pass filter in series or a high-pass filter in parallel.

Inductors "try" to hold constant-current (not constant voltage). If you run current through an inductor and "charge up" the magnetic field and then suddenly disconnect it, it will generate a high-voltage as it tries to "push" current through an infinite resistance. This is how those prank gizmos can give you a high-voltage shock from a 1.5V battery. And it's why a motor needs a "flyback diode" to kill that high-voltage before the voltage kills the motor driver circuit.

An op-amp is a very-high gain "universal" amplifier. They are generally low-power... A regular op-amp can't power an audio speaker or a motor. It's usually way-easier to build an amplifier from an op-amp than from discrete transistors, FETs or MOSFETs and it's easier to get good results. There is a very famous-old op-amp circuit collection called Application Note 31

But other times if you just need a digital switch or a motor driver that doesn't require linear amplification a transistor or MOSFET is the best choice.

The CMOS Cookbook (second edition) by Don Lancaster may suit your needs, too. I think it is available on-line.

This book is considered the bible of circuit design. It is the only one you will need.

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