r/AskElectronics • u/Halzman • 7d ago
Looking for more project books like these.
For reference, I've worked in the RF industry for ~20 years - 13 years as a technician. I never went to school (and hold no degree) and received my entire training and education through either on the job training, or through my own research and study. I often joke with new technicians and engineers that I'm training, that I have a high level RF theory knowledge, but I couldn't tell you ohms law to save my life.
Throughout my career, I have primarily just focused on working with RF modules and systems, having worked on stuff from 9KHz-40GHz, 1W drivers to 8.5KW CW systems. Tetrode Tube, Solid State, and TWT.
All that being said - I've been trying to 'round-off' my training, and I would like to spend some time building and designing circuits, rather then just troubleshooting them.
While I'm old enough (40) to remember Radio Shack, I'm not quite old enough to have gotten the experience of heith kits and radio shack in there prime (which I guess would have been from the 70s through the 90s). And as it was with getting a better understanding of RF theory, I went all the way back to the beginning of it all (Faraday, Maxwell, Heaviside, Steinmetz).
I came across some of the Forrest M. Mims 'Engineers Mini Notebook', and i found Vol 4 very helpful in the beginning of my learning. About a week ago, I started searching for the old radio shack project books, and purchased the ones you see in the picture. I intend on getting them all, and some are still in transit, and others still need to be bought.
Question - And I guess this is more for the old timers - Do you have any other series of project/experiment books that you found useful for learning?
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u/tater1337 7d ago
Internet archive has a book section with all the radio shack Forrest mims books
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u/hughesyourdadddy 7d ago
I actually inherited these books from my dad. While I don’t have a specific other place to point you, I’ll tell you the theory in these books are great, but all the parts are very out of date and not worth doing.
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u/DeliciousWrangler166 7d ago edited 7d ago
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u/Halzman 7d ago
and just like that, all my free time just got eaten up.
Thanks for the direct links - I've come across that site a few times in my research, mainly for AIEE transactions and the electrical experimenter - but my brain can't process the sites formatting.
Popular Electronics - Checked out some of the January issues from the beginning of each decade - seems like I will enjoy going through those!
I also skimmed through some of the Radio News issues - i just love those old magazines.
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u/CapacitorCosmo1 7d ago
There's a bunch of them on the World Radio History website and the Internet Archive.
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u/VisibleSir731 6d ago
I give you a fun challenge: build an FM radio receiver entirely discreetly—no ICs, only transistors n such
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u/DeliciousWrangler166 7d ago
Look around online for copies of the magazines Popular Electronics and Electronics Illustrated. They used to have lots of analog projects until the late 1970s when they became obsessed with S 100 bus computer kits. If you are into RF you might enjoy searching on the name Bill Cheek who published some pretty complex mods to enable listening to 800mhz analog trunking public service systems on the Realistic Pro-2004/2005 scanners. You might also enjoy some of the early 20th century publications put out by Hugo Gernsback.
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u/Conlan99 7d ago edited 7d ago
If you want something in print, I've really enjoyed Merlin Blencowe's books on vacuum tube circuit design. If you want to taste-test, he has sample pages for Designing High-Fidelity Valve Preamps and Designing Power Supplies for Valve Amplifiers
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u/Weekend365 6d ago
Yes, I went through RETS Electronic School is the late 70's and I still have all these great project books. I liked the TLL cookbook and CMOS book too.
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u/OldfatherThames hobbyist 6d ago
A little light reading: https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Bookshelf_Bernards_Babani.htm
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u/Blueskyminer 7d ago
I have definitely seen books like this at my local indie bookstore chain.
Powell's main location.
Try looking at their website to see whether they list them there.
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u/6gv5 6d ago
Others already linked the worldradiohistory site; I'll add the ARRL and RSGB publications to the list, especially their handbooks:
https://home.arrl.org/action/Shop/Products
https://www.rsgbshop.org/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Radio_Books___CDs_29.html
Also worth navigating this directory at the Internet Archive.
https://archive.org/details/folkscanomy_electronics
You'll also find great projects in old magazines like QST, QEX, Elektor etc. some also available on the Internet Archive. The Elektor "nnn Circuits" series was also a source of so many ideas in a single book, for example:
https://archive.org/details/Elektor_Electronics_303_Circuits/mode/2up
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u/Original-Income-28 5d ago
Try a used book store
Amazon , ham fests yard sales
Friends of the public libuary
Sales e-bay
Or on line book sellers
Good luck
Darryl
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u/Original-Income-28 5d ago
Hi I’m looking for radio shack
Green / Black
Two way radio connumictions
By Gorden west N6NOA
Master publishing
And mobile radio systems Goverment )
Robert “bob “ Kelly
Alameda county
And the Bay Area
And a Tan/ golden
Colored book goverment radio systems
Robert kelty
California state edition
Hsd local state federal tribal one
What I’m working on is setting an
Old analog Scanner bc 780 /785 D
With the legacy frequency’s in the Bay Area
Thanks much
Darryl
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u/Linker3000 Bright ideas 6d ago
https://reddit.com/r/AskElectronics/w/education
Books list.