Great electronics resource: The ARRL Handbook

[Rosser]

I know that many of us into guitar amps struggle with the theory side -- I know I do. I discovered a resource at my local library that has been very helpful -- the ARRL Handbook. It is a fat resource guide for ham radio operators. Much of it is geared toward radio, obviously, but it has an enormous amount of general electronics information, including a pretty comprehensive overview of components, voltage/current etc, circuits, test equipment -- on and on.

I've read many introductory texts about electronics, but something about the descriptions in ARRL has made many lightbulbs go off. It seems to anticipate a lot of questions about why things do what they do, at least for me. I highly recommend it.

In my library's copy, it came with a CD with the entire resource as a pdf file. They want you to download it! Check it out (literally).

[Ritchie200]

Yeah, the older they are, the more tube stuff is in there.  Way back when, the only place I could get tube info was from my dad and the HAM guys in the area, the ARRL stuff, and the old RCA manuals.  Unfortunately, Doug wasn't around back then!
Jim

[Boots Deville]

Two editions are available for download here:
http://www.pmillett.com/tecnical_books_online.htm

[PRR]

> it came with a CD

Older (pre-pre-pre-CD) ARRLs were excellent, and often turn up in used-book shops and even rubbish sales. Apropos this forum, 1939-1964 would be golden. (Before that, tubes were still maturing; after, transistors invaded the field.) But the basics of electrons never changed, and much of the basic text got cribbed from one year to the next.

[G._Hoffman]

Ever since I built my first guitar amp, I've been trying to find books that would help me understand the theory and math side of things (I'm starting from nothing here, so something really basic was in order).  I've tried a bunch of different books, but THIS ONE is actually doing the job right now.  It is very much a transistor book, but it is teaching the math in a fashion that actually makes me feel like I understand it (which is impressive, since I haven't really done math in about 20 years!)


Gabriel

[billcreller]

I've seen those manuals on Ebay.  My younger brother has been a ham since he was old enough to get a license. I'll never know a fraction of what he knows. He did TV repair for years in Toledo.

[mackie2]

I have had maybe 20 of these manuals.

Most of them I gave away.  The one's I kept were  1956, 1964 and 1969.  The 1964 is the one I use most.

If you know everything in one of these manuals--It will be enough for about any type of  tube project.

I still have my old RADAR manual from  my AF school. 1950's.

NEVER GET RID OF ALL YOUR TUBE REFERENCE BOOKS--KEEP A FEW.

Mackie2