[...]... editorial director at McGraw-Hill Professional, provided the spark for this book Special thanks to Joya Anthony, acquisitions coordinator, for her energetic, day-to-day support throughout the publishing process xxi This page intentionally left blank Introduction Teardowns: Learn How Electronics Work by Taking Them Apart takes a unique, fun approach to learning about electronics by first guiding you through... illustrated, and fun-to-read book While Teardowns is appropriately subtitled How Electronics Work by Taking Them Apart, the book is much more than this It begins with an introduction that summarizes the keys to working with basic electronic circuits in only 13 fast moving pages, each of which is packed with practical tips and advice based on the author’s extensive experience with hands-on electronics The... page intentionally left blank Foreword Most electronics books for novices and hobbyists either teach the basics or present a set of do-it-yourself projects This book breaks the rules by reverting back to what most of us did long before we even read an electronics magazine or book We took things apart to find out how they worked And that’s precisely what Bryan Bergeron, the editor of Nuts & Volts magazine,... Introduction xxxiii Establish a Good Work Environment For clarity, I photographed the majority of teardowns on a clean white tabletop However, when working off-camera, I use an indestructible, butcher-block workbench with a hefty vise and power tools that I can use to crack open just about anything For detailed circuit tracing and analysis, I have an illuminated, ventilated Formica work surface with most of my... affordable and lightweight, and the built-in magnifier is great for working with surface-mount components xxxii Introduction Cover Your Skin A long-sleeve shirt and full-length pants are a good idea if you plan to work with a soldering iron Solder can splash when you extract components from a circuit board It’s also a good idea to keep a pair of leather gloves handy and wear them when there’s a risk of being... other problems Look what lead poisoning did for the Roman Empire Beware of High-voltage and High-current Circuits With the advent of low-voltage wall transformers and low-voltage components, serious electrical shocks from consumer electronics are relatively rare Even so, I have seen a wedding band vaporized by a 12V, high-current circuit Fortunately, the wearer didn’t lose his finger, but he spent a... collector into the perfect basis for tutorials on learning the principles of electronics As such, you can follow the projects discussed in this book as the basis for your own teardowns, even if you are on a restricted budget Moreover, Teardowns is designed as a stand-alone reference, so that you can follow and learn from the photographs and descriptions of teardowns without having access to a shop, tools,... vise, such as one from PanaVise (www.panaviseonline.com), is great for working with small devices FIGURE 1 The author’s work environment xxxiv Introduction and reworking circuit boards Once you invest in a base, you can add a variety of heads, from circuit board holders to my favorite, the extra-wide opening head In the nice-but-not-necessary category are a variety of power tools Depending on the task... into, disassembles, and photographs one step at a time The text is written as if Dr Bergeron, who is a highly experienced electronics practitioner, is speaking directly to the reader with a point -by- point commentary about each teardown, complete with clear explanations of the operation and function of every component By the time the product is completely disassembled, the reader understands the design... surface-mount components and conventional parts equipped with pins and wire leads? Just browse through the crisp photos of exposed product circuit boards in the first section In the end, the author’s top-down approach to explaining electronics provides a unique learning experience and a user-friendly reference for both novices and experienced circuit builders The book is also a useful teaching tool for electronics . Toronto San Juan Seoul Singapore Sydney Toronto TEARDOWNS Learn How Electronics Work By Taking Them Apart Bryan Bergeron Copyright © 2010 by Bryan Bergeron. All rights reserved. Except as permitted. e-mail us at bulksales@mcgraw-hill.com. Information has been obtained by McGraw-Hill from sources believed to be reliable. However, because of the possibility of human or mechanical error by. remarkably interesting, nicely illustrated, and fun-to-read book. While Teardowns is appropriately subtitled How Electronics Work by Taking Them Apart, the book is much more than this. It begins