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31 October 2003

Learning Electronics to a New Beat

Clive "Max" Maxfield. Bebop to the Boolean Boogie. An Unconventional Guide to Electronics. 2nd Edition. Newnes, 2003. 483 pages, includes CD-ROM. ISBN 0-7506-7543-8

Reviewed by Sheldon Greaves

Call me Ishmael. I borrow Melville's classic opening line from Moby Dick because in my halting and humble career as an amateur scientist, learning electronics has been my proverbial white whale. Maybe you should call me Ahab. Dr. Ahab, if you please.

So it was with genuine interest that I obtained a review copy of the book under review after a short conversation with its author, Clive (Call me "Max") Maxfield who writes on hobby electronics, among other things.

The first thing you will notice about this book is its tone. Maxfield is one of those rare birds in scientific writing; he is well-read not only in his own field, but has spent time in English literature. His British education, like his accent, is unmistakable. This is a good thing.

Back in the days when I wrote technical manuals for various now-defunct Silicon Valley computer companies, I came to loathe the entire genre of books I was sweating to write. The accepted conventions of technical writing leave no latitude for an author to be quirky, funny, dour, sarcastic, make literary allusions, or descant on the human condition. It is the most impersonal, souless writing that exists, with the possible exception of legalese. These conventions are imposed in the name of clarity and "being serious", whatever that means. Sadly, far too many "popular" books on scientific subjects share this mind-numbing style, especially books that purport to teach electronics.

Maxfield's book gleefully flouts these conventions. The tone of this book is witty, and hints of erudition yet is utterly un-bookish. One has the feeling of listening to a genteel continental lecturer who, grinning, occasionally pokes you in the ribs to see if you're paying attention.

But the real test of a book is how much you learn as you read. On this point, Bebop scores well. Maxfield moves through his topics at a reasonable pace, but is careful not to leave the novice reader behind. My own experience is that this all too often happens in regular electronics books by about page fifteen, twenty if you're lucky. Maxfield, by contrast, explains concepts of electrical theory and basic components coherently, unburdened by jargon because Maxfield takes care to explain new terms as they appear. I particularly enjoyed (note the verb) his introduction to primitive logic functions in chapter 5, a point at which I anticipated a return to obscurity. His explanation of logic functions is made much clearer by some rather cunning charts he uses alongside the usual truth tables to show how these functions work. This is not to say he makes the subject easy, but he makes it much more comprehensible than most other electronics books of comparable size.

The general thrust of this book is theoretical. While this book communicates a lot of practical information, it is decidedly not hands-on. You will not learn how to set up a breadboard or get tips on soldering. For the autodidact who wants to learn electronics, it can form an excellent theoretical foundation to use in concert with more practical books.

Maxfield, along with his publisher, has also paid some attention to the layout and format of the book. Illustrations and drawings are spare yet clear. Footnotes are actually at the bottom of the pages, where God intended them to be, and not hidden at the back of each chapter. I was also impressed by the index. Yes, I pay attention to such things. The index is truly comprehensive; it not only covers the book proper but the included CD-ROM full of additinal goodies that is now de rigeur for trade technial books. The index also indicates whether the entry is a footnote, sidebar, or pronounciation note. Maxfield tells me that he compiled the index himself, which means it was actually done by someone who knows the content of the book. This, plus a well-written glossary and a recepie in Appendix H for a "No-Holds Barred Seafood Gumbo" makes Bebob a book that is both informative and great fun.

If I were to propose an electronics paidea for self study, I would recommend using this book in concert with Forrest Mims' Getting Started in Electronics, alongside one of his Electronics Learning Laboratories, plus a copy of The Art of Electronics. Between those resources, you have a very good chance of learning enough to go out and do some interesting stuff.