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Learn Electronics With These 10 Simple Steps

June 13, 2016 By Øyvind Nydal Dahl 31 Comments

atari-punk-console.ohmifyDo you want to learn electronics, so that you can build your own gadgets?

There is a ton of resources on learning electronics – so where do you start?

And what do you actually need?

And in which order?

If you don’t know what you need to learn, you can easily waste a lot of time learning unnecessary things.

And if you skip some of the simple but crucial first steps, you’ll struggle with even the basic circuits for a long time.

If your goal is to be able to build your own ideas with electronics, then this checklist is for you.


adobe-pdf-iconDo you want this step-by-step checklist in PDF format to see the exact steps I recommend to learn electronics from scratch?
Click here to download the checklist now >>.

When you follow the checklist below, you will get up to speed fast – even if you have no experience from before.

While some of these steps might take you a weekend to tackle, others can be done in less than an hour – if you find the right teaching material.

Start by reading through all the steps all the way to the end to get an overview.

Next, decide what teaching material you will use to tackle each step.

Then start to learn electronics.

Step 1: Learn the Closed Loop

If you don’t know what is needed for a circuit to work, how can you build circuits?

The very first thing to learn is the closed loop.

It’s essential to make a circuit work.

battery-bulb

After finishing this step you should know how to make a simple circuit work. And you should be able to fix one of the most common mistakes in a circuit – a missing connection.

This is simple, but necessary knowledge to have when learning electronics.

Step 2: Get a Basic Understanding of Voltage, Current and Resistance

Current flows, resistance resists, voltage pushes.

And they all affect each other.

This is important to know to learn electronics properly.

Understand how they work in a circuit and you will have this step nailed.

But, there’s no need to dive deep into Ohm’s law – this step can be learned through simple cartoons.

Ohms law cartoon

After finishing this step, you should be able to look at a very simple circuit and understand how the current flows and how the voltage is divided among the components.

Step 3: Learn Electronics By Building Circuits From Circuit Diagrams

No need to wait no more – you should start building circuits now. Not just because it’s fun, but also because this is what you want to learn to do well.

If you want to learn to swim, you have to practice swimming. It’s the same with electronics.

learn electronics from circuit diagrams

After finishing this step you should know how circuit diagrams work and how to use a breadboard to build circuits from them.

You can find free circuit diagrams for almost anything online – radios, MP3 players, garage openers – and now you’ll be in a position to build them!

Step 4: Get a Basic Understanding of These Components

The most common components you’ll see in the beginning when learning electronics are:

  • The resistor
  • The LED
  • The capacitor
  • The transistor

You can get a basic understanding of each of these quickly, as long as you have good learning materials. 

But take note of that last statement “as long as you have good learning material” – because there is a lot of terrible learning material out there.

After completing this step you should know how these components work and what they do in a circuit.

You should be able to look at a simple circuit diagram and think:

“Aha, this circuit does this!”.

Step 5: Get Experience Using the Transistor as a Switch

The transistor is the most important single component in electronics.

In the previous step, you got an intro to how it works. Now it’s time to use it.

Two transistors in a circuit

Build several different circuits where the transistor acts as a switch. Like the LDR circuit.

After completing this step you should know how to control things like motors, buzzers or lights with the transistor.

And you should know how you can use the transistor to sense things like temperature or light.

Step 6: Learn How To Solder

Prototypes built on a breadboard are easy and quick to build. But they don’t look good and the connections can easily fall out.

If you want to build gadgets that look good and last for a long time, you need to solder.

solder-on-stripboard-2

Soldering is fun, and it’s easy to learn.

After completing this step you should know how to make a good solder joint – so that you can create your own devices that look good and will last for a long time.

Step 7: Learn How Diodes and Capacitors Behave in a Circuit

At this point, you will have a good foundation of the basics, and you can build circuits.

But your efforts to learn electronics should not stop here.

Now it’s time to learn to see how more complicated circuits work.

After completing this step – if you see a circuit diagram with a resistor, a capacitor and a diode connected in some way – you should be able to see what will happen with the voltages and currents when you connect the battery so that you can understand what the circuit does.

Note: If you can also understand how the Astable Multivibrator works, then you’ve come a long way. But don’t worry too much about it, most explanations of this circuit are terrible.

Step 8: Build Circuits Using Integrated Circuits

Up until now, you’ve been using single components to build some fun and simple circuits. But you’re still limited to the very basic functions.

How can you add cool functionality to your projects, like sound, memory, intelligence and more?

Then you need to learn to use Integrated Circuits (ICs).

These circuits can look very complex and difficult, but it’s not that hard once you learn the right way to use them. And it will open up a whole new world for you!

After completing this step you should know the steps for using any integrated circuit.

Step 9: Design Your Own Circuit Board

At this point, you should have built quite a few circuits.

And you may find yourself a bit limited because some of the circuits you want to build require a lot of connections.

To learn electronics properly, you should definitely do this step.

Now is the time to learn how to create your own circuit boards!

pcb

You can start with a simple program such as Fritzing to get started. If that is not sufficient for your needs, learn a more advanced PCB design software such as Eagle or KiCad.

After completing this step you should know how to design a PCB on a computer, and how to order cheap PCB prototypes of your design online.

Step 10: Learn To Use Microcontrollers In Your Projects

With integrated circuits and your own custom PCB design, you can do a lot.

But still, if you want to really be free to build whatever you want, you need to learn to use microcontrollers. It will really take your projects to the next level.

Learn to use a microcontroller, and you can create advanced functionality with a few lines of codes instead of using a huge circuit of components to do the same.

Microcontroller circuit board

After finishing this step you should know how to use a microcontroller in a project, and you will know where to find information to learn more.


adobe-pdf-iconDo you want this step-by-step checklist in PDF format to see the exact steps I recommend to learn electronics from scratch?
Click here to download the checklist now >>.

Need Help With Any of the Steps?

With this checklist, you can learn electronics on your own. You are free to find your own learning material from anywhere you want.

You can find information in books, articles and courses to help you on your journey.

I recommend finding someone who has a teaching style that you enjoy – and avoid those that teach in ways you don’t enjoy.

I like to teach in simple and practical ways. I try to explain things as simple as possible so that even a child can understand it. As a matter of fact, I’ve also written Electronics For Kids – an electronics book for children.

If you enjoy my teaching style, you can learn all of these steps plus a lot more – and be part of a community full of enthusiastic electronics learners by joining my membership site Ohmify.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Scott Marshall says

    June 13, 2016 at 8:00 pm

    I’ve paid for the course but I can not find access. Where am I to go for access to this course, will you be emailing a link to me?

    Reply
    • admin says

      June 13, 2016 at 9:25 pm

      Hey Scott,
      You’re supposed to get an email automatically. Maybe it went into your spam folder, or maybe there’s an error in my system. Anyway, I’ve emailed you the access link directly now.

      All the best,
      Oyvind

      Reply
  2. Scott Marshall says

    June 13, 2016 at 9:44 pm

    I got the email. thank you

    Reply
    • mudadi says

      February 7, 2017 at 7:21 pm

      i request for that email too mr scot

      Reply
      • admin says

        February 7, 2017 at 11:04 pm

        Mudadi,

        Please use this link to send me your order details and I will resend your link:
        http://www.build-electronic-circuits.com/contact/

        Best,
        Oyvind

        Reply
  3. Georgekid says

    October 12, 2016 at 8:34 am

    thank you very much!!!! this is very helpful!!!!

    Reply
  4. salim mulla says

    October 31, 2016 at 4:36 am

    thank you much’ this is very ”helpfull’

    Reply
  5. Ron Stradling says

    November 11, 2016 at 7:42 pm

    I’m 80 years young. In 1954 I learned some electronics but quit cuz I really didn’t like the vacuum tubes and the BS that went with them. Recently started quest again cuz I wanted to build my own Ham set and learn how to repair it. But one must learn to crawl before he walks and runs. So I hope you work out. Ron S

    Reply
    • admin says

      November 14, 2016 at 7:53 am

      Great to hear! Let me know if you have any questions along the way.

      Best,
      Oyvind

      Reply
  6. Zulu says

    November 23, 2016 at 11:51 am

    Hi Oyvind,am very intrested with the way you teach but, am a Zambian and would like to lear more.

    Reply
  7. okoro stanley says

    December 27, 2016 at 7:58 pm

    Hello mr yvind, I was trying to download the checklist you said it’s free but is reffering me to pay $7 to get it on my email. Olease help me out thanks

    Reply
    • admin says

      December 28, 2016 at 12:02 am

      Hi Okoro,

      The $7 product is a mini-course, it’s not the checklist.

      Look for the email with topic “Here’s your checklist” and you’ll find the link for the checklist.

      I’ll clean up the download process and make it easier soon.

      Best,
      Oyvind

      Reply
  8. Khashayar says

    January 7, 2017 at 12:32 am

    The Mini Course is so simple and great and also amazing!!!!!

    Thanks

    Reply
    • admin says

      January 9, 2017 at 5:28 am

      I’m glad you enjoyed it =)

      Oyvind

      Reply
  9. Abdoul says

    January 9, 2017 at 10:11 pm

    Please I need your help, I am doing research on reverse engineering.

    Reply
  10. Abdoul says

    January 9, 2017 at 10:25 pm

    Please I need your help, I am doing research on reverse engineering. Here is my whataapp phone number +2349024938717.

    Reply
  11. Prashanth says

    January 31, 2017 at 3:51 pm

    I very hungry to learn about Basics of Electronics, because i want to develop the Robots, Home base Applicances, Transportaions, ETC, things in day to day life
    So plze give me Detail Idea of the Electronics Practical plze plze plze plze plze plze plze plze
    plze plze plze i very for the electronicws Sir sir sir plze plze plze plze

    Regards
    pbd india Nasik

    Reply
  12. Praneeth says

    January 31, 2017 at 4:46 pm

    Interesting Bro! You got any similar courses? Which are little advanced? If so please don’t hesitate to mail. Thanks btw :)

    Reply
  13. Godfrey says

    February 13, 2017 at 5:45 am

    i need $7 course how do i apply

    Reply
  14. Gafar says

    March 18, 2017 at 12:56 am

    Hello, how do i get access to your video tutorials and your books in nigeria

    Reply
    • admin says

      March 20, 2017 at 11:30 am

      Hi Gafar,

      Most of my books are ebooks, so you’ll get immediate access to download it after you’ve purchased them.

      The free ebooks, just download and enjoy – no matter where in the world you are.

      Best,
      Oyvind

      Reply
  15. Danny says

    March 30, 2017 at 4:00 am

    I was in the struggle of where to start with electronics for a long time. I started with a Raspberry Pi, then moved on to buying simple components and building circuits from books, and then to buying simple Mircrochip PIC microcontrollers and programming them. Even with all this I never really understood what I was doing until I took MITS open course-ware “Circuits and Electronics 1: Basic Circuit Analysis “. Now I am starting to actually understand not just how to copy diagrams and read instructions but how to build things that I think of. I do not understand how you can have a checklist of how to learn electronics without including circuit analysis skills such as KVL, KCL and nodal analysis. These skills have been the biggest breakthrough in my pursuit to learning electronics.

    Reply
    • admin says

      April 7, 2017 at 1:04 pm

      That’s a very valid point. Thanks for your input!
      Best,
      Oyvind

      Reply
  16. shaban says

    April 11, 2017 at 9:54 pm

    thats great want more on solar technology

    Reply
  17. Arbaz says

    July 8, 2017 at 12:17 pm

    Dear Oyvind,
    can you please explain how to interface the CT i.e current transformer to pic microcontroller?
    how to convert voltage into current in c programming?

    Reply
  18. Thomas says

    July 24, 2017 at 9:45 pm

    I tried to Subscribe to Sour Newsletter below, bur I Keep getting an Error message saying: Oops! It looks like there was an error: No email service provider integration has been set for this campaign

    Reply
    • admin says

      July 26, 2017 at 9:29 am

      Oooops! But I fixed it now.

      Reply
  19. Aditya Kumar says

    April 9, 2019 at 6:43 pm

    I have learn electronic
    In hindhi my English is very showing
    Bat I am a electrishin with house wiring

    I read now electronics
    Places halp us

    Reply
  20. Leonel Colina says

    May 13, 2019 at 12:11 am

    hi, i’m interested. is this course still going on?

    I mean, would I still receive help? I just noticed the comments are from a couple of years ago

    Reply
    • admin says

      May 13, 2019 at 9:06 am

      Yes, it’s an on-going course that you can start any time and receive help. You can sign up here: https://ohmify.com/join/

      Best,
      Oyvind

      Reply
  21. Mike says

    October 7, 2019 at 4:33 am

    Thank you so much for your help in this matter and I will be there at all time

    Reply

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