Electronics for Kids

Play with Simple Circuits and Experiment with Electricity!

by Øyvind Nydal Dahl

July 2016, 328 pp.

ISBN-13:

9781593277253

Full Color

“Don’t be fooled by the title. This collection of 23 hands-on projects for tinkering with (and learning about) simple electronics is substantive enough to engross even gadget-loving adults.”
—The Wall Street Journal

“I learned and retained more in this single book than I can recall learning from my own science teacher. Most importantly, I loved reading it. I often took it to work with me in my bag.”
—The Huffington Post

“There’s no better way to learn than by doing. So go ahead, turn the page and begin your adventure into all that electronics has to offer!”
—Joe Grand, from the Foreword

Look Inside!

Why do the lights in a house turn on when you flip a switch? How does a remote-controlled car move? And what makes lights on TVs and microwaves blink? The technology around you may seem like magic, but most of it wouldn’t run without electricity.

Electronics for Kids demystifies electricity with a collection of awesome hands-on projects. In Part 1, you’ll learn how current, voltage, and circuits work by making a battery out of a lemon, turning a metal bolt into an electromagnet, and transforming a paper cup and some magnets into a spinning motor. In Part 2, you’ll make even more cool stuff as you:

Solder a blinking LED circuit with resistors, capacitors, and relays
Turn a circuit into a touch sensor using your finger as a resistor
Build an alarm clock triggered by the sunrise
Create a musical instrument that makes sci-fi sounds

Then, in Part 3, you’ll learn about digital electronics—things like logic gates and memory circuits—as you make a secret code checker and an electronic coin flipper. Finally, you’ll use everything you’ve learned to make the LED Reaction Game—test your reaction time as you try to catch a blinking light!

With its clear explanations and assortment of hands-on projects, Electronics for Kids will have you building your own circuits in no time.

Author Bio

Øyvind Nydal Dahl built his first circuit at 14 and has been passionate about electronics ever since. He has a master’s degree in electronics from the University of Oslo, helps companies develop new products, and travels the world while teaching electronics workshops. He also writes beginner-friendly tutorials at http://www.build-electronic-circuits.com/.

Table of contents

PART 1: Playing with Electricity
Chapter 1: What Is Electricity?
Chapter 2: Making Things Move with Electricity and Magnets
Chapter 3: How to Generate Electricity

PART 2: Building Circuits
Chapter 4: Creating Light with LEDs
Chapter 5: Blinking a Light for the First Time
Chapter 6: Let's Solder!
Chapter 7: Controlling Things with Circuits
Chapter 8: Building a Musical Instrument

PART 3: Digital Electronics
Chapter 9: How Circuits Understand Ones and Zeros
Chapter 10: Circuits That Make Choices
Chapter 11: Circuits That Remember Information
Chapter 12: Let's Make a Game!

Appendix: Handy Resources

View the detailed Table of Contents
View the Index

Reviews

“Beautifully designed.”
—Boing Boing (Read More)

“Enlightening and fun.”
—The MagPi (Read More)

“Chock-full of photographs to help guide young learners along, this book is a great jumping off point for those who are interested in learning about simple circuits and electricity.”
—School Library Connection

“Electronics for Kids continues the No Starch Press tradition of publishing smart books that make STEM topics accessible and encourage kids to think.”
—Homeschool.com (Read More)

One of Opensource.com's "Hot open source books" of 2016!

“Electronics for Kids is a fantastic tool for diving into the world of electronics and circuitry.”
—Vivify STEM (Read More)

“There’s just the right mix of reading and hands-on projects that I’m confident the kids won’t get bored. Even better, the projects won’t insult their intelligence… they feature real components, a real breadboard, and actual schematics. I have no doubt that young readers will finish this book with a solid understanding of the basics of electronics and maybe even a desire to go further and learn more… a win for a parent or a teacher!”
—GeekDad (Read More)

“This kind of book is the cure for the sense of depression you feel when you go to the toy store and look at the “science” section and everything you see is crap. Just get this book.”
—ScienceBlogs (Read More)

“The author has pulled off a tremendous balancing act by creating a book that is fun and interesting, that has the reader building things and making stuff happen right from the get-go, and that manages to explain the underlying theory without talking down to the audience.”
—EE Times (Read More)

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Updates

View the latest errata.