You Don't Have to Be an Engineer to Design Your Own Electronic Circuits

摘要

You don't need an EE degree to design, but you do have to know something about electronics. Hopefully, you have had some basic education in electronic fundamentals in a college or tech school, the military, at company classes, or even self-study. At a bare minimum, you need to know Ohm's and Kirchhoff's laws; how transistors work; basic R, L, and C circuits including filters; and how to use a multimeter. It's also helpful to know about the basic circuit functions including amplifiers, oscillators, basic digital, and the like. Most of you reading this magazine fall into that category. Here are a few things you need if you're going to design: 1. A notebook is essential. Get a spiral or bound notebook to record your circuits, tests, and procedures. 2.You'll also need a scientific calculator. Some math is part of design, so get used to it. The math is not that bad, mainly just putting numbers in formulas and making the calculation. 3. Get some test equipment. You can't design successfully without building a prototype and testing it. You'll need a standard digital multimeter (DMM), an oscilloscope, and a signal generator. (This expense is probably the main reason for not designing.) If you're a serious experimenter, bite the bullet and make the investment. Once you get some real test gear, you'll know the excitement of building something you designed and seeing it work.