Designing Electronics That Work

Designing Electronics That Work

by Hunter Scott
Fall 2025, 280 pp.
ISBN-13: 
9781718503366
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Most electronics books answer questions like “What is a capacitor and how does it work?” Designing Electronics That Work answers questions like “How do I know which capacitor to buy out of the hundreds of thousands available that all look the same, and how do I use that capacitor in my schematic and layout so that it performs the way I expect?”

Full of hundreds of tips, tricks, and techniques that most people only learn through experience, this book is a concise, practical guide to designing and manufacturing electronics. It walks you through the entire process of developing a device, from conceiving an idea, to refining it through prototyping, to the final schematic and layout design, and on to fabrication and assembly. You’ll learn how to select components and work with suppliers, cost-engineer your designs, navigate regulatory testing, and efficiently troubleshoot when things go wrong.

Whether you’re a recent engineering graduate, a seasoned professional, or a hobbyist tinkering in your basement, Designing Electronics That Work is a valuable resource. Its battle-tested strategies will save you time and money by speeding up your workflow and heading off problems. Learn from someone else’s mistakes so you don’t have to make them yourself.

Author Bio 

Hunter Scott is the Director of Hardware Engineering at Reach Labs, a silicon valley startup working on long range wireless power. He has been designing hardware for over a decade for all kinds of products: from communications to healthcare to art installations.
He has an engineering degree from Georgia Tech, and has founded and taken two startups through Y Combinator. He has worked for Motorola Solutions and several other startups. He has spoken at conferences like DEFCON, Hackaday Supercon, and Altium Live. His projects have been seen by millions of people and have been featured in publications like NPR, The Guardian, and The Chicago Tribune.

Table of contents 

Introduction
Chapter 1: What to Build and How to Plan for It
Chapter 2: Selecting Components
Chapter 3: Prototyping

Chapter 4: Schematic Design
Chapter 5: Layout Design
Chapter 6: Cost Engineering
Chapter 7: Fabrication and Assembly
Chapter 8: Testing
Chapter 9: Building a Lab
Chapter 10: Troubleshooting
Appendix A: Rules of Thumb
Appendix B: How to Give a Demo
Appendix C: Companies That Can Help


The chapters in red are included in this Early Access PDF.