Have you ever asked yourself:
"Why is that component placed there in the circuit?"
At least that's something I've asked myself many times throughout the years.
Would you like to just intuitively know?
And I don't mean having just memorized the answer.
But on a much deeper, intuitive level where you just know because you understand it.
How do you get to a place where you intuitively understand a circuit?
It comes down to practice.
With theory, you learn how things "should" work.
It's a lot of memorization.
And unless you can see the practical application of it, it often feels boring.
But the way to understand circuits on a deeper level in such a way that you can build your own - and fix broken ones - is through practice (and selective theory).
This is actually fun! And it works like this:
You build a circuit, and it doesn't work...
Next, you go through the "But it should work according to the theory!" phase.
Then, you blame the manufacturer of the components.
But after a while, you start thinking constructively.
You visualize in your mind how you think it "should" be.
And you start thinking about why it's not like that.
"Did I misunderstand that part?"
"Could it be that X, Y, Z depends on something else?"
You start thinking about it.
You start investigating.
You read up on this topic.
You ask people.
Maybe you simulate just that tiny part of the circuit.
And finally, you get it.
"Aha!"
Either it was like you originally thought, and the problem lies somewhere else.
...or you had a misconception about that part, and now you know how it really works.
No matter what it was, you've been through an important thought process.
Now you know this from experience.
You don't need to memorize it. Because you've experienced it. So you automatically remember.
And it was fun!
Going through this process many times is what it takes to understand circuits on an "intuitive" level.
And the only way is to practice.
Build lots of circuits.
And when they don't work (this will happen many times, believe me) - figure out why it doesn't work.
Keep On Soldering!
Oyvind @ build-electronic-circuits.com
PS! Are you into electronics and need some guidance to get to the level you want to be - here are two ways I can help you get better at electronics:
- Getting Started With Electronics is the first eBook I wrote to help people get started. It's a step-by-step guide with simple instructions to get started building electronics. Perfect for complete beginners.
- Ohmify is for people interested in learning electronics properly. You'll get access to project plans that you can practice with, courses where you learn the basics plus practical skills like soldering and programming. You'll also have access to support through our friendly member-only forum.
Comments
Post a Comment