Paul Horowitz
Oh man, this book is so good. You really just need to buy it now. I put it in the Amazon link to the right.
OVER HERE >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The Imsai guy reminded me of this book, and pointed out that earlier editions are more reasonably priced, so I got the second edition (looks like 1980, reprinted many times through 1988). Dean KK4DAS got one too (I think he also got the second edition).
Lest there be any doubt that this book is for us, first let me point to the pictures of Paul Horowitz and Winfield Hill. https://artofelectronics.net/about/
Winfield Hill
Just from the pictures, you can tell that these guys have THE KNACK. And -- get this -- THEY ARE BOTH PROFESSORS AT HARVARD. Wow.
Their web page explains where the book came from:
Dean KK4DAS and I have already started sharing quotes from the book:
Referring to other books, H and H write: "Much of the favorite pedagogy of beginning textbooks is quite unnecessary, and, in fact, is not used by practicing engineers, while useful circuitry and analysis lies hidden in application notes, engineering journals, and hard-to-get data books."
"Thus, the treatment of this book reflect our philosophy that electronics, as currently practiced, is basically a simple art, a combination of some basic laws, rules of thumb, and a large bag of tricks. For these reasons we have omitted entirely the usual discussion of solid state physics, the h-parameter model of transistors, and complicated network theory, and reduced to the bare minimum the mention of load lines and the s-plane. The treatment is largely non-mathematical, with strong encouragement of circuit brainstorming, with mental (or, at most, back-of-the-envelope) calculation of circuit values and performance."
Stay tuned. There is a lot more coming about this wonderful book.
Posts
Oh yeah this is a very good book. I have two editions of it plus the X Chapters myself. However, it is not a textbook of any kind so don't expect any in-depth treatment of any subject.
ReplyDeleteIt is more an encyclopedia/cookbook when you need to get started on some design quickly.
The techniques of circuit design are explained in enough detail that the reader can grasp the concepts. This is done without getting stuck in the weeds, but enough to get the point across. This book is used as part of EE undergrad courses. Need more detail? Textbooks!
ReplyDeleteThis is a masterpiece!
I have the 1980 edition in hardback. It's a little beat up (the spine is loose) because it kicks around in the back seat of my car for emergency reading material. A few years ago (2019?), Lady Ada interviewed Horowitz. Here's the video:
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/iCI3B5eT9NA?si=-amvnXRsxkg_Vkw6
Contrary to other comments, the book was intended as and is still used as a textbook at both Harvard and MIT. It's just one that dispenses with the esoteric physics and mathematics that litter most texts and that function more as obfuscation and distraction (as as weeding-out devices) than usable knowledge.
H&H's approach reminds me of my father's favorite "dad" joke: A physicist and an engineer were brought into a room in which an alluring woman stood at one end (I think she was nude in my Dad's version), and they were told they could only approach her *asymptotically*. The physicist complained bitterly: "That means I can never actually get to her." The engineer just smiled and said, "that's okay . . . I can get close enough." My Dad *was* an engineer, and I'm living proof that "close enough" does the trick.
I met Paul Horowitz several times through the Harvard Wireless Club. Genuinely a nice guy with an interest in promoting ham radio to the younger undergrads there and also big in the early SETI field.
ReplyDeleteScott (K6AUS)