Electronics books

Books to do with electronics. For books specifically about Synth DIY electronics see Synth DIY books and synthesizer books for books about electronic musical instruments.

Active Filter Cookbook by Don Lancaster
Newnes, 1996, 240 pages, ISBN 075062986X

Analog Circuit Design: Art, Science and Personalities edited by Jim Williams
Newnes, 1987, 408 pages, ISBN 0-7506-9640-0

ANALOG SEEKrets (DC to daylight) by Leslie Green
Future Science Research Press, 2007, 578 pages, ISBN 978-0-9555064-0-6 - download from EEVblog

CMOS Cookbook by Don Lancaster and Howard M. Berlin
Butterworth Heinemann, 2nd edition, 1997, ISBN 0-7506-9943-4, 1994 print run of the 2nd Edition available at Archive.org

Design with Operational Amplifiers & Analog Integrated Circuits by Sergio Franco
ISBN 0-07-053044-0

It's got some stuff directly relevant to synth DIY but should be considered as geared more towards the mathematically inclined person in sharp contrast the The Art of Electronics

Electronic Circuits Fundamentals And Applications by Mike Tooley
Newnes, 2006, ISBN 0-75-066923-3, available at Archive.org

Electronics: A First Course by Owen Bishop
Routledge, 2010, ISBN 1-85617-695-9

Electronic Techniques: Shop Practices and Construction by Robert S. Villanucci, Alexander W. Artgis, William F. Megow
Pearson,1998, ISBN 013779455X

Elements of Electronics by F.A. Wilson
Bernard Babani, 1983, ISBN 0859340864, 304 pages

Encyclopedia of Electronic Components Volume 1 by Charles Platt
Maker Media Inc., 2012, ISBN 1-4493-3389-3, 296 pages

Resistors, Capacitors, Inductors, Switches, Encoders, Relays, Transistors

Encyclopedia of Electronic Components Volume 2 by Charles Platt
Maker Media Inc., 2014, ISBN 1-4493-3418-0, 334 pages

Diodes, Transistors, Chips, Light, Heat, and Sound Emitters

Handmade Electronic Music by Nicolas Collins
Routledge, 2nd edition, 2009, ISBN 0-415-99873-5, 360 pages

More an introduction to DIY electronics than a a synth book. Basics for beginners teaching parts, schematics, ICs, and breadboarding.

IC Op-Amp Cookbook by Walter G. Jung
3rd edition, Prentice Hall, 1997, ISBN 0-13-889601-1, xviii + 581 pages. 1st edition, Sams, 1977, ISBN 0-672-20969-1, 591 pages.

This book is frequently recommended as a good reference for op amps. Part 1 starts with the basic principles of ideal op amps, and then goes on to catalogue many of the non-idealities of real op amps, how they affect a circuit's operation, and how to deal with them. Part 2 is a large selection of application circuits, covering many of the standard op amp circuits seen in practice, both linear and non-linear. (Notably there is nothing about active filters in the book though.)

The first edition, (at Archive.org library) of the book is also worth checking out, as there is some material which is not present in later editions which may be of interest for synth DIY readers: chapter 6 (approx. 90 pages) covers op amp use in audio circuits (mainly amplifiers and pre-amplifiers etc., but also a small section on active filters); chapter 8 (approx. 100 pages) covers progammable op amps, including operational transconductance amplifiers (OTAs) such as the CA3080, and also current differencing amplifiers, such as the LM3900, both of which find wide application within synthesizer circuits.

(The Prentice Hall third edition appears to be little more than a photocopy of the Sams book, and some readers have noted that the print quality is not so good in some places in the book.)


 * Walt’s Blog (archived)
 * WaltJung.org

Make: Electronics by Charles Platt
Maker Media Inc., 2009, ISBN 1-4493-4522-0, ISBN 0-596-15374-0, 352 pages

Uses practical experiments to cover the theory.

Op Amps for Everyone by Bruce Carter and Ron Mancini
ISBN 1-85617-505-7 - download

is something more along the lines of practical applications.

Oscillators Simplified With 61 Projects by Delton T. Horn
Tab Books, 1987, 240 pages, ISBN 0830603751

Practical Electronics for Inventors by Paul Scherz and Simon Monk
ISBN 0-07-177133-6

Provides a thorough overview of all circuit analysis fundamentals of both digital and analog electronics. Most theory for passive and active components is also explained via water and valve analogies and can give beginners a good foothold on how to treat semiconductors in an intuitive circuit analysis. Many simple projects with full schematics, part numbers, and explanations are spread throughout the book to assist the fledgling electronic inventor.

RTL Cookbook by Don Lancaster
H.W. Sams, 1978, ISBN 067220715X

The Art of Electronics by Paul Horowitz and Winfield Hill
ISBN 0-521-37095-7

Praised all across the internet for being the absolute bible. Easy enough to be understood and enticing to a beginner but precise enough to be a reference for actually engineers.

Start with The Art of Electronics, at least the first few chapters, and then dig into Musical Applications of Microprocessors

The Art of Electronics Student Manual by Thomas C. Hayes and Paul Horowitz
ISBN 0-521-37709-9

The projects described in the first few chapters help to experience how transistors, FETs and op-amps actually in circuits.

Troubleshooting Analog Circuits by Robert A. Pease
Elsevier, 1991, ISBN 0-7506-9499-8

Entertaining pearls of wisdom and experience, right down to the passive component level.

TTL Cookbook by Don Lancaster
Pearson Education, 1974, ISBN 0672210355ISBN