Purchase suggestions for newbie just getting started

Moderators: adafruit_support_bill, adafruit

Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.
Locked
User avatar
timclymer
 
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2015 3:18 pm

Purchase suggestions for newbie just getting started

Post by timclymer »

I'm a software developer with a lot of Java, Javascript and web development experience looking to get started with a Beaglebone. I hope to eventually build a greenhouse control system with IoT interfacing for reporting and control. Unfortunately, I never quite understood the electronics portion of computers so I'd like to get a grasp on that before I begin interfacing with things like fans and other motors. I'm confident in my ability to write complex programs.

What would be a good series of components to start with to get a fundamental grasp of the electronics/wiring portion before jumping in to start my project? I'd like to learn the "Why?" behind things before proceeding with the "How?"

User avatar
adafruit_support_mike
 
Posts: 67454
Joined: Thu Feb 11, 2010 2:51 pm

Re: Purchase suggestions for newbie just getting started

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

Electronics is an applied science, so the three most important skills are (in order):

- Building circuits
- Measuring signals
- Research

The information you'll find in books (even the best ones) deals with idealized models of real circuits. You read the books and learn the theory to get a head-start in understanding what the actual components do, but an hour of building and measuring will teach you more than a week of reading. Odds are good that the build-and-measure session will motivate your next week of reading, too.

A good place to start is with the book "Getting Started in Electronics": https://www.adafruit.com/products/517 . It hits just the right blance of theory and "here, build this" to help you pick up the first few layers of foundation knowledge.

After that, try "Practical Electronics for Inventors": https://www.adafruit.com/products/1261 . It tells you more about the components and theory you'll need as you design your own circuits.

WRT hardware, you'll want a breadboard, some jumper wires to make connections, a multimeter, and some components to play with. A decent soldering iron isn't absolutely necessary, but goes on the "strongly suggested" list.

Of course we have all sorts of stuff in the shop:

https://www.adafruit.com/products/443 - breadboard (large)
https://www.adafruit.com/products/239 - breadboard (normal)
https://www.adafruit.com/products/64 - breadboard (half size)
https://www.adafruit.com/products/136 - Ladyada's Toolkit
https://www.adafruit.com/product/184 - Adjustable breadboard power supply kit (a good first project)

You might also consider the Arduino Starter Pack: https://www.adafruit.com/products/68 . Working with a microcontroller (running code on the bare metal) gives you a much better understanding of signals and protocols than just including a library and having a kernel module do the work.

If you're willing to spend a bit, the Bitscope is an amazing value: https://www.adafruit.com/products/2053 . In electronics, your tools are your senses, and an oscilloscope is the go-to device for seeing what signals are really doing. A full-scale scope is a healthy investment though, and a software scope like the Bitscope is a really good starting point. It also works as a basic signal generator and logic analyzer, so it can carry you through to the point where you know you need more.

It's also a good idea to get used to searching Digikey and Mouser:

http://www.digikey.com/
http://www.mouser.com/

They're general hardware distributors, and will be your go-to sources for specific parts.

A community and resource network has huge value. We think pretty highly of the regulars here in the Adafruit forums, but see if you can find a hackerspace near you.

User avatar
timclymer
 
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2015 3:18 pm

Re: Purchase suggestions for newbie just getting started

Post by timclymer »

Thanks so much! This is exactly what I was looking for. I agree, reading is important but doing reinforces the lessons. This'll be a very good start. I appreciate you taking the time for a thoughtful and helpful reply.

Locked
Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.

Return to “Beagle Bone & Adafruit Beagle Bone products”