Are you interested in electronics, but want to
take your hobby to the next level by learning how to build your own gadgets?
There are tons of resources to choose from when it comes to learning electronics,
so you’re probably wondering - where do you start? What do you actually need to
get started? If your ultimate goal is to turn your hobby into making an income
by creating your own electronics, or just want to take things up a notch, then
read on to find out how.
#1.
Learn the Closed Loop
If you don’t know what
is needed for a circuit to work, then you’re going to struggle to build one. So
the very first thing that you’ll need to do is learn the closed loop; it’s essential to ensure that a circuit
works. Once you’ve finished this step, you should be able to make a simple
circuit work and you can build on your knowledge from then. And, you will have
the knowledge and skills to fix a missing connection - one of the most common
mistakes in a circuit.
#2.
Understand Voltage, Currents and Resistance
Current flows,
resistance resists, and voltage pushes all affect one another, so it’s crucial
that you take the time to understand how they work in a circuit. The good news
is that there are several online tutorials that you can take advantage of in
order to learn more; many in the form of fun, informative cartoons - so there’s
no need to go exploring Ohm’s law too deeply, unless you want to, of course.
#3.
Build Circuits from Circuit Diagrams
You should start
building your own circuits as soon as possible - once you’ve got the basics
covered, you can use free circuit diagrams to start. You can find a range of
free diagrams online; start with something simple and get to grips with how
circuit diagrams work and how to use a breadboard to build circuits from them,
and then you can move onto something more advanced, like using this free Gerber editor.
#4.
Understand the Key Components
When learning
electronics, the most common components that you will see are the resistor, the
LED, the capacitor, and the transistor. With the right learning materials, you
can quickly get a basic understanding of them all. Take the time to learn about
how all these key components work, and what each one does in a circuit.
#5.
Learn How to Solder
To take things up a
notch, learning how to solder is key. Prototypes built on a breadboard can be
quick and easy to build, but if you want to build a gadget that looks great and
lasts for a while, soldering is an essential skill. Thankfully it is both fun
and easy to learn, and there are plenty of step-by-step guides and tutorials out there that you can use to teach yourself.
After completing this step, you should be able to make a good solder joint.
Electronics is a fun
hobby to have, but if you want to take your hobby to the next level, you’ll
need to be prepared to learn a lot more.