What things should EVERYBODY know about electronics?

RaggedOldMan

I'm terrible at the world of electronics. I have no idea how anything works, I don't know how to fix things, build things or whatever. I take stuff apart sometimes just to see what it's like under the hood, but that's about it.

What are some things that everyone should know about electronics?

Learning about basic components? Soldering? Etc etc etc.

angryonion

Start with Ohm's law.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohm%27s_law
Once you know that then everything else will make sense.

Unknown

I remember covering Ohms Law when I was in school, but that was many years ago now and I can barely remember it I'll check out that Wiki link though.

Where IS Katz anyway?

Daktologist

http://www.totse.info/bbs/showthread.php/18702-Daktologist-s-Beginners-Guide-to-the-World-of-Electronics-and-Electricity

Anything you don't understand, just ask.

Daktologist

Auschwitz Nazi Disneyland wrote: »

Soldering is an art.

This. It takes plenty of practice, it isn't something that can be learned in a day.

easy-e

Daktologist wrote: »

This. It takes plenty of practice, it isn't something that can be learned in a day.

It is kind of an art form. Not everyone can do it well.

RogueEagle91

easy-e wrote: »

Not everyone can do it well.

This, primarily.
I've lost track of the number of times I've had to completely rewire something due to a mass of cold/broken solder joints clearly done by someone who had no real concept of what the fuck they were doing.

I'm sure it's covered in the aforementioned guides, but definitely get a basic grasp of circuits. You'd be surprised how much you can save by knowing what a busted component looks like and how to replace it.

easy-e

RogueEagle91 wrote: »

I've lost track of the number of times I've had to completely rewire something due to a mass of cold/broken solder joints clearly done by someone who had no real concept of what the fuck they were doing.

I thought the IPC J-STD-001 soldering tests were easy. Some people I worked with had trouble. It's really annoying to have to touch up joints that have a bubble of solder that isn't even in contact with the pads on a through hole part. I don't think it takes a genius to see that it was fucked up.

ThirdRockFromTheSun

I used to solder back in school. I wasn't too bad at it, but I wasn't perfect either. If you gave me a soldering iron now, I'd probably fuck up pretty bad.

There isn't much you HAVE to know about electronics, but know how to change a bulb, and rewire a light switch could probably save you some in electronic repair bills

Unknown

^ Yeah, home repairs are something I'm quite interested in. Fixing anything myself instead of having to buy a new one or getting someone else to fix it is just so satisfying Just like fixing a computer.