Analog Theory & Design reference books

[merlin]

Foundations of Wireless 4th ed. by M. G. Scroggie

 

[CurtZHP]

Stumbled across this little tidbit. I wonder how easy it would be to build one of these...

 

[Brian Roth]

Per a recent thread here regarding CMOS designs, Don Lancaster seems to kept his rights to publish his books online.

https://www.tinaja.com/ebooks/cmoscb.pdf
and more:

https://www.tinaja.com/ebksamp1.shtml
Bri

 

[porkyc]

I'm actually getting ready to teach myself how to build an EQ circuit. I gather you would recommend this?

The Walt Jung book you are after is:-
Audio IC Op-Amp Applications.
This DOES go into EQ much more, with a 3-band SVF fully parametric as an example and touches on the Twin-T bandpass filter as well.
The Don Lancaster book will not teach you how to design as EQ, only the individual tuned circuits necessary.
Combine the 2 books, and you will be able to make a complete EQ section.
PC

 

[CurtZHP]

The Walt Jung book you are after is:-
Audio IC Op-Amp Applications.
This DOES go into EQ much more, with a 3-band SVF fully parametric as an example and touches on the Twin-T bandpass filter as well.
The Don Lancaster book will not teach you how to design as EQ, only the individual tuned circuits necessary.
Combine the 2 books, and you will be able to make a complete EQ section.
PC

Thanks!
I was just getting ready to post something on the forum, because I'm scratching my head on something I was trying to breadboard based on some stuff from the Lancaster book. Managed a working bandpass filter, but couldn't seem to do anything with it!

 

[JAY X]

I would suggest you to start with Douglas self "small signal audio design" and build some circuits in seperate boards and then connect them to experiment...

 

[CurtZHP]

Just scored a copy on Ebay.

 

[rogs]

I know this one is a bit of an old chestnut, but I've found some really useful bits and pieces within its pages, over the years...

http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/...aBooks/1980_National_Audio_Radio_Handbook.pdf

 

[user 37518]

I know this one is a bit of an old chestnut, but I've found some really useful bits and pieces within its pages, over the years...

http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/...aBooks/1980_National_Audio_Radio_Handbook.pdf

Great book, I have it on my shelf.

 

[Newmarket]

Link below for a great book for guitar and bass stuff.
You can sign up and download.

Electronics for Guitarists

 

[Whoops]

Guitar_Electronics_for_Musicians

http://milas.spb.ru/~kmg/files/literature/Guitar_Electronics_for_Musicians_-_Donald_Brosnac.pdf

 

[Whoops]

Link below for a great book for guitar and bass stuff.
You can sign up and download.

Electronics for Guitarists

This is a direct link for the same book, no need to sign in or register for an account

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/bfm:978-1-4614-4087-1/1.pdf

 

[Rob Flinn]

This is a direct link for the same book, no need to sign in or register for an account

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/bfm:978-1-4614-4087-1/1.pdf

You sure ? When I look at this page the pdf only goes as far as the contents section at the front of the book ... i.e 22 pages in.

 

[Whoops]

You sure ? When I look at this page the pdf only goes as far as the contents section at the front of the book ... i.e 22 pages in.

I see what you mean, you re correct, not useful at all

 

[moamps]

When I look at this page the pdf only goes as far as the contents section at the front of the book ... i.e 22 pages in.

Try it here:

https://epdf.pub/electronics-for-guitarists.html

 

[Rob Flinn]

Try it here:

https://epdf.pub/electronics-for-guitarists.html

Thanks I already have it from one of the previous links.

 

[GussyLoveridge]

Hello dudelingers,

For my 100th time going way back to the basics I am digging into a new book (new to me anyway). I don't think it's been mentioned here yet.

Principles of Electronic Circuits, 9th Ed. - Thomas L. Floyd

I particularly like the well developed and worked out examples and loads and loads of what they call section check ups, summaries, key terms, formulas, and lots of quizzes and self-test questions for every chapter. The answers are as well at the back of each chapter. So far, I'm finding it really well organized and easy to understand. There are lots of great examples using pieces of test equipment that you will likely have or need on your bench which help to understand how they work. So far, so good. I'll keep you posted.

 

[user 37518]

Hello dudelingers,

For my 100th time going way back to the basics I am digging into a new book (new to me anyway). I don't think it's been mentioned here yet.

Principles of Electronic Circuits, 9th Ed. - Thomas L. Floyd

I particularly like the well developed and worked out examples and loads and loads of what they call section check ups, summaries, key terms, formulas, and lots of quizzes and self-test questions for every chapter. The answers are as well at the back of each chapter. So far, I'm finding it really well organized and easy to understand. There are lots of great examples using pieces of test equipment that you will likely have or need on your bench which help to understand how they work. So far, so good. I'll keep you posted.

Floyd's books are nice, but extremely basic, they make The Art of Electronics look like EM theory, I think his books are tailored towards technicians rather than engineers, Malvino's books are in a similar category, they are perhaps even better; some time ago, I used Floyd's book to teach an electronics course at an Audio School, still, it was too advanced for most students and I had to ditch it.

With the book you mention, it only uses middle school math, you'll never get to see complex numbers, a derivative or an integral, forget about a differential equation, you won't know what a Laplace or Fourier transform is, and their applications, all those things are extremely useful and I use them frequently. In my opinion, if you try to analyze AC circuits without complex numbers or phasors, like Floyd and Malvino teach in their books, its extremely limited and in fact, more difficult since you have to remember all these formulas for specific cases, also, you can't do transient analysis without diff equations or Laplace transforms, same thing for amplifier feedback analysis. I mean, some amplifier design books are basically Laplace transform treatises.

JR will tell you, and he is right, that you don't need to know all that to make audio electronics, still, you do need it if you want to go deeper into analog electronics or when you want to start reading more advanced books.
If you want a good mid level Electric Circuits book, which covers most of what you need to know, I highly recommend Fundamentals of Electric Circuits by Alexander & Sadiku.

 

[user 37518]

Some of the books here span from easy to hardcore level.

Electric Circuits Theory​

• Fundamentals of Electric Circuits - Alexander/Sadiku. I would say its a second year college level book on electric circuits, my personal favorite to learn most of what you need to analyze circuits. Calculus, diff equations, Laplace and Fourier transforms are required. These last two are given introductory chapters.
• Network Analysis, Second Ed. - Van Valkenburg. This one is a classic, its another second year college level book, a bit more advanced than the one above.
• Introductory Circuit Analysis - Boylestad. A very easy to follow, introductory book, only algebra is required, gives an introduction to complex numbers and phasors, wont cover the more advanced stuff.
• Principles of Electric Circuits - Floyd. A dumbed down version of the above, wont use complex numbers, if you finished middle school you are ready for this book.

Analog Electronics in General​

• The Art of Electronics - Horowitz/Hill. Not much to say about it, everyone knows this book.
• Electronic Principles - Malvino. Simple introductory book on electronic devices like the diode, transistors, amplifiers, opamps, oscillators, etc... only the simplest of algebra required.
• Electronic Devices - Floyd. Another one of Floyd's books in the same easy peasy line of teaching, covers mostly the same topics Malvino does.
• Microelectronic Circuits - Sedra/Smith. This one is the standard, covers similar topics as the one by Malvino and Floyd but with more depth and difficulty. I would say its a mid level book. Heavy emphasis on both discrete and integrated design, covers a wide array of topics. There are really not many real world applications in it. I really like this book. Buy the 4th edition, the later ones ditched the chapters on the JFET since its considered an obsolete part for most of today's modern electronics.
• Analysis and Design of Analog Integrated Circuits - Gray/Hurst/et. al. The big kahuna, its a mid-advanced level book. If you want to know how to design discrete circuitry, this is the one to get (I know that it has the words "Integrated Circuits" in the title, but it helps you understand discrete circuitry building blocks). No need to get the latest editions, the ones from the 70s will do just fine.
• Electronic Circuits, 2nd Edition - Tietze/Schenk. German engineering at its best! It is a thick book, covering a wide array of topics, starting with the diode, most analog electronics, some digital electronics, analog and digital filters, and even some RF and communication circuits. This book is a gem.
• The Art of Linear Electronics - Hood. A good book, kind of in the same line as the AoE, but quite less brilliant, profound and comprehensive.
• Analog Circuit Design: Art, Science, and Personalities - Williams. A series of articles written by analog gurus and compiled by analog giant Jim Williams. It has a little bit of everything, the style is informal but the content is by no means easy. Some articles are anecdotal and others are technical, very recommended.
• The Art and Science of Analog Circuit Design - Williams. The same as the previous one, different articles.
• Analog Circuits: World Class Designs - Pease. Another book in the same line as the two above, but this time its compiled by another giant, Bob Pease.

Transistors and Transistor Circuit Design​

• Practical Transistor Circuit Design and Analysis - Williams. This is a very nice book on the basic transistor amplifier configurations, but it really doesn't cover feedback. It exploits more the practical rather than the theoretical side, you don't need to know semiconductor physics to understand it, it really focuses more on the component level stuff rather than going deep inside the transistor operation.
• Design of Modern Transistor Circuits - Yunik. Similar to the above, less practical and a tad more advanced, also very light on the math but requires a good circuit theory foundation, barely touches on feedback.
• FET Technology and Application - Oxner. A relatively simple introductory book on FETs by a Siliconix engineer, it describes the different types of FETs from an engineering perspective, their parameters, and how to bias them, whilst presenting some applications in which they are to be found. Focuses more on the transistor itself rather than on circuits.
• Transistor Circuit Techniques: Discrete and Integrated - Ritchie. A good introductory book to transistors, it covers mostly the BJT but the FET has its own chapter. Discusses audio power amps and PSUs.
• Principles of Transistor Circuits - Amos/James. Another introductory book on transistors, barely mentions the FET, so its basically all BJT. Discusses the basic configurations, small and large signal audio amplifiers, DC and pulse amps, RF amps, oscillators and communications circuits.

Vacuum Tubes & Vacuum Tube Circuit Design​

• Radio Designer's Handbook, 4th edition (AKA RDH4)- Smith. Awesome book, not only about tubes but electronics in general (it even has a chapter on how to use the sliding ruler). An all time favorite for many of the forum members here. (Make sure you get the 4th ed.)
• Electronic and Radio Engineering - Terman. A similar book to RDH4 but perhaps less intimidating, very recommended. (Not to be confused with Radio Engineers' Handbook by the same author, which is also a great book BTW)
• The Radio Manual - Sterling. Perhaps the best book to start learning about tubes. Very simple.

Amplifiers in general​

• Amplifying Devices and Low-Pass Amplifier Design - Cherry/Hooper. Another classic, great book on amplifiers, covers single and multiple feedback, compensation, noise, both transistor and vacuum tube amps.
• Analog Circuit Design Series Vols. I-IV - Feucht. Amazing collection, Feucht used to work at Tektronix and knows his stuff, this is an advanced series of books. We have exchanged e-mails in the past, he is a great guy, he has already written a new edition of these books, but they are self published and you need to pay a monthly or yearly subscription to his webpage in order to get the pdf's, not really practical. You can buy the other ones on Amazon.
• Wideband Amplifiers - Staric/Margan. One of my favorites, this book is one of the best to design top notch discrete transistor amps, advanced book, heavy on math.
• Practical Circuit Analysis of Amplifiers - MacDonald. Nice book, straight to the point. Mostly covers JFET and BJT, but it also includes some MOSFET amps, aswell as OpAmps and an intro to Power Amps. It makes justice to the title, it is indeed very practical and has several worked out examples and Lab assignments. Highly recommended.
• Amplifier Handbook - Shea. This is a massive 1516 page book from 1966, covering all kinds of amplifiers you can imagine, including, but not limited to: transistor amplifiers, tube amplifiers, operational amplifiers, magnetic amplifiers, microwave amplifiers, audio amplifiers, etc..
• Electronic Amplifier Circuits: Theory and Design - Pettit/Myers. Another book from the 60s, covers both vacuum tube and solid state amps, quite advanced and not very extensive.
• Feedback Amplifiers: Theory and Design - Palumbo/Pennisi. A mid-advanced book on feedback amplifiers in general, and applications to both transistor and opamp based amplifiers. Covers all the feedback configurations (shunt-shunt, series-shunt, etc...), stability, frequency compensation, noise and distortion.
• Vacuum Tube Amplifiers - Valley/Wallman. This book is the result of the heroic efforts in R&D of the MIT Radiation Laboratory during WWII. A true gem.

Operational Amplifiers​

• Operational Amplifiers & Linear Integrated Circuits - Coughlin/Driscoll. Easy peasy, very simple introductory book on OpAmps and Analog ICs, you just need to know the absolute minimum about circuit theory, diodes and transistors.
• Operational Amplifiers with Linear Integrated Circuits - Stanley. If you want to up the game a bit from the previous book, this book is still simple and introductory, but not as dumbed down as the one by Coughlin et al.
• Design with Operational Amplifiers and Analog Integrated Circuits - Franco. If I could choose only one book to learn about OpAmps, this would be it. It is a mid level book with regards that it requires good knowledge of electric circuit theory (all books actually do), but there is really no much need for prior knowledge about transistors, aside from their basic operation. It starts from the basics and covers almost all configurations, including filters, comparators, oscillators, instrumentation amplifiers, log/antilog amps, integrators, etc... It also covers analog integrated circuits such as multipliers, the 555, etc....
• Operational Amplifiers - Roberge. Probably one of the best books about OpAmps. Unlike Franco's book which is focused more on OpAmp configurations and applications, this book is primarily focused on the OpAmp itself, analysis, stability, the components and internal design. This book is written by an MIT Professor for an MIT course, so you get the idea of what you are getting into.
• OpAmp Applications Handbook - Jung. A great and thick cookbook with many circuits for different applications, it even has a section on audio applications which is quite good. You can download it for free from Analog Devices' website, of course, all the applications use AD parts only.
• OpAmps for Everyone - Mancini. This is a free book edited by Texas Instruments on the OpAmp and its applications, its an excellent book, a 'must have' I would say. It is not "for everyone" thou, it does require some knowledge, its a mid level book and you can also download it for free. There is a book with the same title by Bruce Carter, never mind that one.
• Operational Amplifiers: Design & Applications - Tobey/Graeme/Huelsman. A book from the 60s edited by the staff of Burr-Brown, it is one great book, it starts with the design of the opamp stages, and then presents OpAmp applications, a true gem.

Passive and Active Filters​

• Design of Active Filters, with Experiments - Berlin. One of the easy ones, not much theory, just circuits and formulas to calculate the basic parameters. Includes lab assignments.
• Active Filter Cookbook, 2nd Edition - Lancaster. Another easy one, as the name implies, its a cookbook, don't expect to grasp the entirety of filters. Perhaps most of the stuff in it can be substituted with a filter wizard program such as the ones by TI and AD, make a Google search.
• Electronic Filter Design Handbook - Williams/Taylor. A cookbook style book with a bit more explanations and depth than the two from above, covers passive, active and digital filters.
• Handbook of Filter Synthesis - Zverev. THE book when it comes to passive filters, lots of tables and nomographs, not for beginners.
• Analog Filter Design - Van Valkenburg. One of the best and more complete books on filters, covers both passive and active filters, but its a bit tilted towards active filters. It is not one of the really difficult ones, but transfer functions and Laplace are a must. Still, it is a circuit-centered book, rather than a math-centered one.
• Design and Analysis of Analog Filters - Paarmann. An advanced book, its 431 pages long, out of which you will only see actual circuits in the last 66 pages before the apendix, the rest is pure theory and math. Great book but not for the faint hearted.

Noise & Grounding​

• Low Noise Electronic Design - Motchenbacher/Fitchen. This is THE book to read for low noise, specially with regards to resistors and semiconductors. I would say that if you had to read only one book to understand how to design Low Noise circuitry, this would be it. It is a very readable book, considering that an in-depth study on noise involves the use of quantum mechanics, probability and statistics, Planck's Black Body radiation equivalent equation and stuff like that. None of that is present here, still, you do need some good foundations in electronics.
• Low Noise Electronic System Design - Motchenbacher/Connelly. This is a newer book from the one above, but most of the first book is covered here, I don't know, I prefer the old one, and it is also cheaper. But the material is very similar.
• Noise - Van der Ziel. A treatize on Noise in general, and very useful if you want to know about noise in Vacuum Tube amps, lets say that this book is to tubes what Motchenbacher/Fitchen is to transistors, however, the book is much more advanced than Motchenbacher/Fitchen.
• Operational Amplifier Noise - Kay. This is a great book, easy to follow, straight to the point on how to calculate noise in the most common OpAmp configurations. Thin book, light on the math and with worked out examples, highly recommended.
• Electromagnetic Compatibility Engineering - Ott. This is one of my favorites, at first, I thought it would be full of Maxwell's equations and such, I was completely mistaken. This book is an awesome reference to reduce noise, but no so much noise as in electrical noise like the books I mentioned above, but rather induced or radiated noise. Covers cabling, grounding, ground loops, PCB layout, and of obviously, Electromagnetic Compatibility, something that will probably be useless for most DIYers, still, its an awesome reference, very easy to follow, with many rule of thumb formulas and easy on the math..
• Audio Systems Design and Installation - Giddings. A book like no other, the specialty of this book is grounding, electrical power systems, interconnections, cabling, hardware mounting, etc... This is the book that should be read before building any studio, or interconnecting equipment, or even building your own gear. I bought mine on Amazon years ago, and it now sells for a small fortune, however, I think that you can find an independent publisher who is now re-printing the book. Everyone who is into DIY should read this book.

Math​

If theres only one book I could recommend that is Mathematical Methods for Science and Engineering by Riley. If you need a no bull, straight to the point algebra and calculus express course, get Schaum's Outline of College Algebra by Spiegel and Schaum's Outline of Calculus by Mendelson.

The forum won't let me write more than 20,000 characters, so maybe I'll continue in a new post.

 

[hageir]

Strange that;

The Circuit Designer’s Companion​

By Tim Williams (the other-other Williams!)

hasn't been mentioned,
it's a very thorough and good book.

I've also been scouring this archive;
http://www.bitsavers.org/components/