Make: More Electronics: Journey Deep Into the World of Logic Chips, Amplifiers, Sensors, and Randomicity

Helpful, practical H.N.C and above
* Physical
This book is printed on high-quality paper and improved with colour pics and diagrams. The text is of good size for those who require specs to read.
* Target audience
In my humble opinion, the quality of the work within this book by this author is broadly around H.N.C level and later then strays into initial degree level later on. This is a largely practical pitch, and still with its signature of reduced mathematical content, apart from BODMAS rules.
* What are the best bits?
The best bits are carried from what’s in the previous volume, ‘Make Electronics’. And this clarity continues and explains what you may be too shy to admit you may not already grasp? This book describes individual components in enlightening ways, such as differing comparators and op-amps configurations – the LM741 and quad op-amp LM339 -, the simple transistors- the 2n2222, 555 timers, phototransistors, decoders and encoders and multiplexers, logic gates AND OR NOT NAND NOR XOR. And a major section of differing sensors is again very clearly explained. The great thing it promotes good comprehension skills with very tidy prototyping on boards that’s is always a very handy skill and is a major help in debugging when faults occur.
The reason why i estimate this book to be ‘H.N.C’ level plus is the problem of ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’. This i experienced this type of problem in my H.N.D, and this book goes into great lengths showing the principles of this multi logic setup, even going into multiple boards carrying discrete components and not always with logic gates. The lack of logical mapping is an unusual oversight considering its pitch. A nice thing is that it applied a system approach, advising blocks in order to avoid ‘reinventing the wheel’ and then working down into the component level.
* Summary
I enjoyed this largely practical book very much and devoured it over a week. Its refreshed lots of my half-forgotten studies and gave me pleasure to read. The author explains on page 323 his background and this may surprise?

Good follow on book
A lot more projects of a different kind

Great book. If you have the first one, then buy this one.
It is a good book. I have the first one, and this follows on nicely. Not everyone will like it, but they are written in a fun style, his emphasis is on telling you how something works, then getting you to try a few actual examples to see the effect for yourself. He’s very light on maths (ok, personally I’d rather there were a little more), but heavy on actually doing projects to learn and see the effects. Even to the extent of intentionally breaking a few components to see what happens and why things happen, I really like these books and they cover the subject well.

Extremely recommended
This book is perfect for learners and hobbyists written in excellent easy to understand language.
I bought different books from other authors but found those rubbish then had to return coz not worth for the money that i spent to learn some electronics.
These books from MAKE or Makezine are worth to spend to learn something and also the author is too good. I recently bought their 4-5 books.
Extremely recommended.

Un livre d’une très grande clarté qui revient au début sur “La pratique de l’électronique”, mais en allant plus loin. A partir du chapitre 3 on apprend à utiliser de nouveaux composants (37 chapitres au total) et à réaliser des montages dont certains trouveront l’utilité dans leur vie de tous les jours. On appréciera les suggestions données au début de l’ouvrage pour le rangement des composants, le câblage, les vérifications à opérer dans un montage de circuit… Pour moi qui n’y connaissait rien en électronique au premier juin de cette année, ce livre et le précédent (“L’électronique par la pratique”) ont été à la fois une source précieuse d’enseignement et d’amusement. Encore un mot pour signaler les annexes importantes concernant les achats à réaliser. Je conseillerai néanmoins de lire d’abord les expériences proposées avant d’acheter. Peut-être le lecteur n’est-il pas intéressé par toutes les expériences et les achats qui en découlent.

Muito bem ilustrado,o livro explicita de modo claro e prático os princípios que embasam a eletrônica. Recomendo o livro a todos que desejam embrenhar-se no fantástico mundo eletrônico.

Every time I finish a chapter I have this profound sense of understanding, relief at finally getting it, and wanting to go off to try more things out…
One of the clearest, most articulate books on electronics I’ve ever come across. By filling in the gaps and missing ingredients from other’s explanations, Charles Platt’s detailed guidance has given me a key to finally understanding a lot of the other books, articles and electronics tutorials that I’ve come across.
My basic problem with a lot of other project-based electronics books has also been that the projects themselves aren’t at all what I care to know. It’s daunting to divert energy working through lame projects when I have specific problems to resolve.
This is quite different. The projects aren’t cute or overly-elaborate. They are all open-ended examples that clarify something I have struggled with in the past, or brings into sharper focus something I thought I already knew. Charles Platt puts together mini-lectures on various concepts accompanied not just by breadboarding projects, but also by simple experiments in fundamentals of measuring current with a multi-meter, habits of data-logging, examples of data-collecting and the skills for trouble-shooting. I appreciate details like clear schematics accompanied by close up photos of the breadboard connections, or, layouts where a basic experiment is breadboarded, and then expanded upon step by step as each stage is tested. In this way it becomes simple to build projects that might seem daunting at first. And it also makes me understand past mistakes I’ve made in trying to complicate my own work too much.