Getting started in electronics

About the book

This is a beginner's guide to electronics: components, the symbols used to draw them, and the basic circuits a newcomer can assemble and test. Reading a schematic and handling parts are treated as skills to acquire early. Explanation stays close to the circuits being described, so a reader moves between a symbol, a physical part and a working build.

Mims writes as a working experimenter rather than a classroom lecturer. The emphasis falls on what a component does in a circuit and how to recognize it on a diagram. That orientation suits someone who wants to make something small and understand it, and who is content to leave a broad survey of the field for later.

The book dates from the early 1980s, and its component coverage and example circuits belong to that period. It works best as a foundation in the language and habits of electronics, with current sources consulted for parts and practices that have changed since.

How to read it

Approach the book with parts on the table. The explanations are most useful when a diagram is traced and a simple circuit is built alongside the text. Keep a notebook for sketches and measurements; the material rewards that habit.

Work through the early pages on symbols and component types before moving to circuits. The writing is plain and the examples are modest, but the density comes from unfamiliar notation. Readers who skip the symbol work will find later diagrams harder than they need to be.

Who it suits

This book suits adults and older students starting electronics as a hobby who want a patient, diagram-centered introduction and are willing to build as they read. It also helps readers returning to the subject who need the basic vocabulary and component recognition refreshed. Teachers looking for simple circuit examples to adapt may find the format useful. Readers seeking a modern treatment of microcontrollers, surface-mount parts or current design practice should treat this as a starting point and supplement it.

Reading considerations

The early 1980s origin matters. Component recommendations and circuits tied to the technology of the time may be dated, and some parts could be hard to source or superseded. Check that any edition you obtain is complete and legible, since diagram-heavy books suffer in poor reprints. Test the book's practical examples against current safety guidance and a modern beginner's reference before building.