How to Learn Electronics: Start Here

In this video we explore the process of learning Electronics from the perspective of self-education. I share the tips and techniques I developed along my personal journey of learning Electronics.
Update: The first actual teaching video is up:
• Electronics: Lesson 1 ...

[@guatagel2454]

One more thing: in the book "The Art of Unix Programming" there is a 3 rules set that say: -Make it work -Then make it right -Then, and just then make it fast. I changed this rules to work in electronics, and I have since my best results: -Prototype and iterate versions as soon as possible and make it work -Then make it precise/accurate -Then, and just then make it efficient/cost effective/low energy.

[@herrgerd1684]

That is genuinely good advice! Especially making it work in the first place before attempting any low energy modifications is the key to get stuff done when programming microcontrollers. I've lost interest in many side projects because I left that track for complexity early in...

[@Skibidi_Male_X]

What about understanding what your doing ?

[@analoghardwaretops3976]

Design & appl. engineers of any category..have learnt how to use it....but few apply their minds or give time to it... The P.D.C.A. cycle.... that repeats till one gets it right... Plan Do Check Act

[@tourdesource]

Absolutely a rule to be applied in all arenas of life. Thank you for reminding me of it.

[@mtz5582]

Thank you.What books would you recommend for a completely beginner.I have to deal with a lot of investor circuits for motors ,compressors and sorts in HVAC .I thought it's a good idea to learn electronics and programming as well.I think I should start with simple stuffs before jumping onto Arduino

[@harishanganeshan9938]

I love how he's wearing a different shirt in each scene

[@lafamillecarrington]

... but the lack of pattern-matching on the yellow and brown shirt drove me crazy!

[@johnpro2847]

he does not employ a continuity director

[@MrDoneboy]

Oh okay. For a minute, I thought I was having a flashback!

[@1fashionsouls]

thats the key to learning electronics

[@RexR256]

I scrolled through the comments just to see if this was mentioned. LOL, I knew someone had to have said something about it.

[@paulc9139]

When I started to learn, it was my Grandfather who was a radio Amateur who taught me the joy of Electronics , later on I took and passed my Amateur Radio licence along with Morse code, followed by a TV repair shop, after I kept looking through the back door as the engineers fixing TV's, I remember the owner saying don't stand outside son, come in and learn something, that was me hooked for life , like a sponge soaking everything up, on leaving school 1970 ,he took me on as an apprentice happy days & a very Happy life, and I'm still learning at 68 years old, I like your video's very helpful & informative, so I'll hang around if you don't mind.

[@helifynoe9930]

At my first job attempt at the age of 17, I failed the test and was emotionally upset. But they hired me anyways. I was now repairing TV converters. Typically, other techs were repairing 20 a day, but I was repairing about 60. So I soon was promoted to the Quality Control department. I had gone to the machine shop and made a repair tool that sped repairs up dramatically. Plus they only had a channel 2 test signal, so you didn't really know if other channels of a unit to be repaired were actually working. Thus some techs got repaired units sent back to them by the final unit testers. So I took a converter and reversed the RF amps such that it now worked in reverse and converted channel 2 into any other test channels selected. Thus I could test all channels of a unit that was to be repaired. That sped things up as well. Later on I was promoted to engineering department and was responsible for all production line test equipment. My boss eventually quit the company and moved on to another company. He hired me, and gave me a 57% pay increase. I was now earning more than some of the engineers in the old company. Not bad for a grade 10 dropout who also failed a previous grade, and whose school teachers thought I was one step away from being mentally challenged. LOL

[@edgeeffect]

Comparing really really slowly learning electronics in 1980-2010 compared to how much I've learned more recently, KZbin channels like this are an amazing source of what you could call "virtual mentorship".

[@seekyunbounded9273]

What are your top five

[@JulianStokesIt]

Great thoughts. I did the college route and got a degree in this stuff. But that was nearly 40 years ago and my life took a different path. Now the interest is re-awakening and your channel is helping me rediscover what I lost as well as learning new things... like how small surface mount components can be!

[@helifynoe9930]

Ah, the good old days. I was a self educated Technician. At one point I started my own business building assembled PCB test equipment. The first company that had a job for me, eventually liked my work so much that they hired me full time. They manufactured high voltage power supplies for neon signs. One time, at the Eatons Center in Toronto, Old Navy had a problem with their sign. Each letter had its own power supply, but when tuned on in the morning, the first power supply to turn on tripped the GFI circuit in the other power supplies. So I came up with an answer. I set it up such that the first power supplies 120 Vac was also connected to a relay. The relay when activated would provide 120 Vac to the the next letters power supply. Thus there was a time delay, which prevented any GFI tripping due to current surge being reduced dramatically. So with multiple relays added, the problem was solved. Another time, back at the factory, the floor manager was upset with me. She came into the front office and started to give me a hard time. After speaking with her, she said, "Don't give that kind of shit.". So I responded by saying, "Well what kind of shit do you want ?". Everyone in the front office started laughing.

[@LockDots84]

Leo, I love you man. I've got my associates in electrical engineering and after some years in the field I decided to go back and get my bachelor's (which I'm still working on while working full time and raising a family.... apparently I hate free time). I'm so glad I found your channel. Not only is what you say spot on, it's so inspiring. Please never stop making videos or putting out content in one way or another.

[@1beejay1]

Thank you so much for addressing the thousands of people who have gotten discouraged with electronics! You have strengthened my interest even more to learn more about it.

[@YouTube4Rudy]

My journey started in the 8th grade learning Morse code in an amateur radio class. Later I took high school electronics. For Christmas, my parents bought me Radio Shack's 75-in-1 Electronic Kit and I was hooked. Back in the 1980s, I purchased a dozen or so electronic books from a mail-in book club (that went into collections since I couldn't afford these books at 16 years old). I remember building a "Librarian Disturber" and "TV Jammer". During my senior year in electronics (1982), the professor assembled a computer and I got to program on it. That started my software engineering career. Now going into my 60s, I want to get back to electronics as a hobby. Specifically to restore vintage audio equipment such as tape decks, boomboxes, turntables, etc. I still have that passion to do this. Aside from the equipment you suggested, I'm thinking of a in-circuit capactor checker and a thermal tester to add to my equipment. Any other suggestions for this kind of pursue? Great video btw, really good!

[@michaelwhite9254]

If you had time to create an instructional series on how to build each and every function block and then have circuits that you tie the function blocks together to make an overall circuit I would definitely buy that from you. Not only would I buy it for myself, I would also buy many many kits for the college that I work at. I would also want to teach your method of the construction of electronic circuits. Many colleges are now getting away from component level troubleshooting because local industry does not want it or require it any longer. When I teach PLC classes I tried to teach the student to learn how to read a paragraph put it into basic logic and then write it as a program. Once they do that they can easily read a program and understand everything about the machine. So I like your methods.

[@user-bo9fl8dj3i]

"Art of electronics" Horowitz and Hill the greatest book about analog electronics.

[@scholasticdeth]

I like your philosophical outlook. With all the content existing now solely on youtube it is so easy to learn. Thank you

[@mattdorsey2244]

I just discovered you today. Your mind and methods remind me of myself. What a great day, I feel much less alone. Thank you.

[@philippeschjelderup9644]

This is my new favorite channel, Leo! And your shirts, man! Love it!

[@Pootycat8359]

A comment regarding "simple" vs "complicated" circuits. In the early 1970s, I worked as a service tech for home audio equipment. Later, I was a Radio/TV Engineer," and repaired broadcast equipment. I was surprised at how SIMPLE the circuitry was, in the professional gear, as compared to that of the home-entertainment devices. I received the impression that the designers of the home equipment felt they had to "show off" their engineering skills, while those who designed the (expensive!) broadcast equipment, knew they had "made the grade," and felt no need to prove it.

[@simonlauer9379]

I am just getting starting in the world of electronics. I often see people suggest don’t overemphasise mathematics. I get it why, but for me it’s actually something I enjoy to some extent. Like you can derive how resistance ‚adds‘ up if connected in parallel

[@carlgradolph9676]

Thanks so much for the thoughts expressed in this video, which clearly are based on rich lived experience, not on grad-school technobabble. You just earned a new subscriber, but I think you deserve a few hundred thousand more!

[@tgirard123]

Wow, this really helped a lot. I'm 59 years old and was in software most of my career. I'm just now getting started with electronics, something I've always wanted to learn. This video really helped me set some priorities and just keep me inspired to move forward. Now I just got to get through all your other videos. Thank you again

[@GrinseKater]

Hey Mr. Leo, just wanted to tahnk you for this video, it really gave me anothe push in inspiration. Ive started building Drones 3 years ago and did not know anything bout electronics till then, a lot of experimenting and trial and error later, i find myself digging deeper and deeper into all kinds of elecronics. keep up the nice videos! i really think youre motivating way more people than just me!

[@ernestberry5226]

Excellent. Mirrors many of my own experiences. Thank you for taking the time .

[@wheelersounds]

Great video! I'm happy to see your box of Existential Crises appears empty, or at least well-organized. And great shirts!

[@ynnebbenny]

Such a beautifully presented video. Such a beautiful presenter. One of the best videos I have seen on KZbin for a very long time. Thank you !!

[@korrige1]

Thank you so much for this video.. I needed to see it. I am a Jamaican who just want to learn as much as possible in electronics.

[@Umgijus]

I find this video very insightful and helps me form some philosophies to how I might one day teach my students about electronics. I recognize electronics to be a skill that is under-developed and under-supported, and I find it is often what my students "want" to learn but don't have the resources to start. I just started teaching a class that is more suited to help high school students become "IT support professionals", but I personally believe that they could go so much farther than that with foundational electronics experience, that goes on to support their learning of how computers/networks work, and ultimately be able to help people(and themselves) in far more ways than anyone could expect out of whatever professional career they go for.

[@greenrocket23]

I like how you approach learning, thank you for the video!

[@azurehydra]

Very helpful mindset to go by. Thanks for making this video. I've been trying to get into electronics, this gave me a boost of motivation. :)

[@vaitgabalhag]

Uau! What an amazingly motivational video for someone starting out in electronics. It can get confusing sometimesss. Thank you so much Leo! Please keep producing stuff like this!

[@ianactually]

Very useful and sound advice thanks! Electronics has only ever been a hooby for me since a kid, but it's reassuring to know that my basic approach closely mirrors your own journey of self-education, and in the past 10 years my skills have really started to gel. I was fiddling with some components while listening and each time I looked up you seemed to be wearing a different shirt! Had to rewind a bit to make sure my mind wasn't playing tricks on me :-D

[@mutherofexiles1948]

Well done! I think you are right on the mark. I admire your keen sense of fashion.

[@MarkHopewell]

I can't speak for the US, but here in the UK this field of interest as a learning process, whether for preamble to formal study or just a super hobby, has been marginalised. In my youth, apart from my Dad's workshop, the High St had Tandy and other independents selling components, books and so forth. Now, we have nothing left like that in the UK. Perhaps HAM radio stalls at meet ups but on the whole no High St presence anymore - even Maplin gone. All that's left is Ebay, Google, China and a lot of patience. Thank you for your excellent inspirational presentation. However, one word that was missing from your list was "creativity". Having "time" is another missing word. Now that I no longer work in this area, I have never enjoyed electronics and designing systems as enjoyable as I do today. Once the drudgery of work is taken out the equation (sorry about the pun!), I find it much more fun and therapeutic pursuing this as a rewarding hobby these days.

[@vancewilliamon605]

I needed this video in my life for many different reasons. Thank you so much.

[@p1366]

Thanks Leo, you a natural teacher. Love the shirts to. My advise is; don't be discouraged by failure, learn to laugh at the magic smoke!

[@tjzajdel]

I teach an electronics elective to university students who are trying to improve their technical literacy (non-engineering students), and your advice in this video is spot on! I'm a big fan of this concept of electronics as physical poetry. Captures the feeling that I get when manipulating a circuit board. Thanks for sharing your perspectives with the world. :)

[@sg0_o]

You're a GOAT man, even ungraduated, love your way of looking at this subjet, elevating philosophy, thank you 🙏

[@yagosantiago10]

Thanks for the advices Leo, i'm studying mech engineering but i've been always curious about electronics ans the possibilities so i hope i can learn it even a little. Also love your shirts

[@jstro-hobbytech]

I'm so glad you're back

[@nektoxyz1013]

Thank You So much! I really needed to hear those words. Thank you!

[@lumotroph]

555 views! Great timing

[@andreromelleyoung1752]

Love your simplicity. Great work. You inspired me to start building some stuffs... Greetings from Croatia 🙂

[@electronicrepairservice2020]

Informative, Articulate & Inspiring. Thanks for taking the time to make this video, it's a good one!!

[@Dpradenas5622]

Since watching this video Leo I went ahead a ordered Graf’s Encycl. of Electronic Circuits vol. 1&2 One from e-bay and One from thrift books; they are so very cool, thank you so much for that info Young Man !

[@batica81]

Thank you for the great advice!

[@MrGanganagar]

Hats off to you Sir and hats off to your approach. Love it 🙏

[@traditionaltools5080]

Wow. Cool channel. Glad I found it. I have a technical background as an electrician and have been working part time with my mentor who has 40 years of experience and I still struggle.

[@ilyamanyakin8241]

Great information, thank you for sharing!

[@Pootycat8359]

The big problem with schematics, is that the ones in service manuals rarely look anything like what you see in the textbooks. That's where block diagrams become very useful. They show you signal paths, so you can home in on a particular circuit right away, for troubleshooting, without trying to follow all those conductor "lines," all over, to figure out what goes where.

[@alchemy1]

Surreal. I could swear I was listening to myself. That sums up my take on this.

[@robstorms]

You are a great teacher!!! Thanks !!

[@VincentGroenewold]

Some really excellent advice right at the start, this rings so much to me having a kid that dropped out and we traveling and learning to take care of things ourselves. :) Also, I'd love to know what's in the "existential crisis" box.

[@hanswurst9972]

Hey Leo, super nice videos! Would you mind to do a tour of your workshop? Looks inspiring.

[@norm1124]

Happy you are back here 😍

[@bvds2007]

Very inspirational video… and love the shirts.

[@fo76]

Great series of introductory videos, I hope there will be more coming... My favourite quote: "Reject Absolutism" - I think that can (and should) be applied to all areas of life, art, philosophy, technology and science...

[@robertmejia4554]

Love your video and spot on.

[@hoopyscorner5495]

Thank you so much for taking the time to make these videos :')

[@alasdairbarclay21]

Leo, great advice for anyone looking to get started in the fascinating field of electronics. I was concerned that you seemed to be out of existential crises, but then I realised you were wearing them 😄

[@aware2action]

Totally agree with everything. Curiosity to understand how everyday things work is a must. I started off disassembling and reassembling toys,appliances etc., broke a few, but it gave the needed appreciation to proceed further. Look forward to more physical content in this hooked on virtual generation 👍

[@pere_gt__stgtsport5467]

Great content. Thank you.

[@hossamsaab4964]

I do agree with you.

[@user-wj9uh7zv3z]

What's in the box labeled existential crisis?

[@eddyexpo]

Awesome advice! Thx for the vid…

[@megaravanger]

Thank you for this video.

[@helifynoe9930]

Teachers thought I was as dumb as dumb can be, due to me having a nasty head injury at the age of 10. That left me with difficulty in retaining long term memories, and a ceramic plate on the left side of my head. NEVER EVER give up, I what I say. My brother is a smart fellow. He skipped a grade. But I was even smarter, I skipped grades 11 and 12, and the entire university. LOL

[@mktwatcher]

I like the point you made about not getting too uptight about the numbers being perfect bc as you said the U.S. made it successfully to the Moon and Back using Slider Rules for the Engineering which put accuracy at about 3 decimal places. Electronics is more forgiving and you shouldn't be afraid to experiment in order to learn something more deeply. Thank you for sharing your "BOTs" (Bag of Tricks)

[@onlyeyeno]

Thanks for this great video, I just wish I had gotten to see it 35 Years ago ;) Jokes aside the "statement/sentiment": "Remember that when You don't understand something (that You are studying) that is when You are learning (something new)" is SUCH a "pearl". As I feel that it's all to common in "teaching situations" that the "understanding" is the "total focus" of the activity. Which inevitably leads to many people, when not instantly grasping/understanding what they are studying(""being taught"") feel desperation and loose their belief that they will ever learn. And with that goes the joyous inspiration if You had any. So I wished that more ""teachers""(and mentors/parents....) instead tried to emphasised the "process of learning to learn" when "teaching" something. And when doing so pointed out exactly what You said. Or to paraphrase, "To learn anything You HAVE to do something You do not already know how to do" // Or: "If You don't fail You are not learning anything..." Best regards.

[@JairoHicks]

Really great video. I'm 42 and am interested in learning electronics because I'm fascinated by how electricity works! By the way, I love your shirts!

[@angelofeffektd6462]

I learned it all by my own...by have others who gave me tons of knowledge.

[@abdulsami4607]

I was not sure to watch this video. But after completing the video i was amused and thanks for providing the spark i needed to get started

[@olleinsulander]

an amazing collection of shirts!

[@fawlen_eynjuhl]

sir thank you for this video, I'm taking Bachelors on Electronics Communications Engineering today, I got real interested on how beautiful electronics is! I will use these tips so I can be better in Electronics.

[@shinjokagama7521]

You are right. I learn electronics much better when I change my shirt each time I learn a new topic.

[@solaokusanya955]

Thank you....

[@mrdigitized]

You re an inspiration for some people

[@RCook-iy4xk]

What a great video!!

[@N4HAY]

Excellent!

[@davidgrey943]

Hi,Leo can I ask where can I pickup the copper coated Vero boards style and you have inspired me to go further in electronics. I hope you have been able to sell the water tank monitor. The scratch and sniff techniques have encouraged me to prototyping SMD. Best of luck with your channel looking forward to more content.

[@olleinsulander]

Amazing video!

[@jimglover6448]

Good advice!

[@beastlybombers]

thank you so much

[@jamesmandas639]

You had more wardrobe changes than Madonna. 😄Very good info. Thank you!

[@cartycartyamplifiersalesrepair]

Amazing video Sir very very Educational keep up the good work 👍 👍 🙏

[@KaitlinGaspar]

WOW this video is going to be exactly what i need

[@frunkfrankly]

Great advice, great shirts.

[@md.alamgirhossain1450]

Salute to you sir.

[@sylwesterirla9246]

thank you

[@tdumnxy]

Very good advice. Particularly about "absolutism", totally second that. But don't completely rule out in-the-air construction, it has its uses in some areas, like vintage radios. Keep growing the channel man.

[@plainedgedsaw1694]

In the air (indian youtube scene kind) is something different than a point to point done right. Mechanically fixing everything with serious weight is important. And also to not make a long string of components unsupported.

[@sal7777777]

great video, what was the purses of wearing different shirts though?

[@johnhorvath6797]

Thank you. Very good. I am working on quartz watches. Should i learn more about electronics? I do like your teaching just not sure if i am on the right track. Thank you again

[@amra.haleem5175]

شكرا جزيلا. تحياتي من مصر!

[@MILC0M]

Excellent video

[@scratchbuilder5952]

Great video

[@guatagel2454]

Hey, Leo, do you know something about Audio Induction Loops? Would you make a video about that? Thank you!

[@t.w.experiments2122]

100% true all of this great video thanks 👍⚡️

[@markopecnik8123]

Thank you :)

[@galimirnund6543]

You have a nice collection of shirts...thanks for the video..

[@TropicalExclusiveDR]

Good video Sr

[@windify2712]

What's in the "Existential Crises" box?

[@leosbagoftricks3732]

This is by itself an existential question I cannot answer.

[@MangoTV9040]

Amazing

[@Dukey8668]

Great video Leo. My early electronics experiences seem pretty closely to mirror yours (I started about age 10, mainly assembling kits I didn't understand). That was 10 years ago, and I'm now halfway into an electrical engineering degree. I'm learning some cool stuff at university, but it is of a fundamentally different nature than the self-taught experience. So far its most valuable offering is probably the astonishingly good university library (1.8 million books!).