Practical Electronics Handbook

Preface

Component data books are often little more than collections of specifica-

tions with little or nothing in the way of explanation or application and,

in many cases, with so much information crammed into a small space that

the user has difficulty in selecting what is needed. The cost of publishing

paper data books, the rate that new products are being brought to market

and the ease with which electronic copies of data sheets can be distributed

by e-mail or downloaded from websites has begun to deter manufacturers

from printing data books at all. This book, now in its sixth edition, has

been extensively revised, with a large amount of new material added, to

serve the needs of both the professional and the enthusiast. It combines

data and explanations in a way that is not served by websites.

Although the book is not intended as a form of beginners’ guide to the

whole of electronics, the beginner will find much of interest in the early

chapters as a compact reminder of electronic principles and circuits. The

constructor of electronic circuits and the service engineer should both find

the data in this book of considerable assistance, and the professional design

engineer will also find that the items brought together here include many

that will be frequently useful and which would normally be available in

collected form in much larger volumes.

The book has been designed to include within a reasonable space most

of the information that is useful in day-to-day electronics together with

brief explanations which are intended to serve as reminders rather than

full descriptions. In addition, topics that go well beyond the scope of

simple practical electronics have been included so that the reader has access

to information on the advanced technology that permeates so much of

modern electronics.