For courses in DC Circuits, AC Circuits, and Electronic Devices.
Electronic Technology Fundamentals, 3e was written to fulfill the need to address the constant development of new applications and technologies within a single text that presents the fundamentals of electronics (dc circuits, ac circuits, and devices). This unique text provides complete and concise coverage of the fundamentals of electronics without redundant examples and the equation derivations that take up so much space in traditional books. With an emphasis on component and circuit operation, analysis, applications, and testing, this text thoroughly explores the foundation of dc circuits, ac circuits, discrete electronic devices and op-amps in a narrative that students can understand. Many of today’s basic electronics textbooks provide in-depth coverage of dc and ac circuits, but little more than introductory-level coverage of electronic devices and circuits. Unlike these books, Electronics Technology Fundamentals, 3e covers electronic devices and circuits as thoroughly as it does dc and ac circuits, making it the most comprehensive electronics fundamentals textbook on the market.
The fundamentals of electronics (dc circuits, ac circuits, and devices) have traditionally been taught over the course of four semesters, trimesters, or quarters. With the constant development of new applications courses, however, many educators have expressed a need for a single text that presents these fundamentals in a more condensed format, allowing them to be covered in a shorter period of time. Electronics Technology Fundamentals was written to fulfill this need. The first 8 chapters cover do circuit fundamentals, the second 8 chapters cover ac circuit fundamentals, and the final 10 chapters cover discrete devices and circuits, op-amps, and op-amp circuits.
Those who have taught the fundamentals of circuits and devices may wonder how do circuits, ac circuits, and devices can be adequately introduced in a single volume. If you compare this text to the more "traditional" books, you'll see that we have included all the information your students need to continue with more advanced courses. At the same time, we have eliminated the equation derivations and redundant examples that take up so much space in traditional books. (Both, however, are available in supplements for those who wish to use them.) We also forego many sections on circuit applications and troubleshooting for several reasons: First, we discovered (through contact with a variety of instructors) that troubleshooting sections generally are reserved for assigned reading (to save precious class time). In addition, this book was designed to allow more time for future applications courses, so we felt that including the common applications for every principle was unnecessary. What remains is a text that is complete and concise.
Learning Aids
As always, our primary goal has been to produce an introductory book that students can really use in their studies. To this end, the most useful learning aids from Paynter's Introductory Electric Circuits and Introductory Electronic Devices and Circuits have been incorporated into this text:
- Performance-based objectives provide a handy overview of the chapter organization and a map to student learning.
- Objective identifiers in the margins cross-reference the objectives with the chapter material. This helps students to locate the material needed to fulfill a given objective.
- Margin notes highlight the differences between theory and practice and provide brief reminders of principles covered in earlier sections and chapters.
- In-chapter practice problems included in the examples provide students with an immediate opportunity to apply the principles and procedures being demonstrated.
- Summary illustrations provide a convenient description of circuit operating principles and applications. Many also provide comparisons between related circuits.
The following have also been incorporated into Electronics Technology Fundamentals to help reinforce student learning:
- Section Review Questions. Each section of the text ends with a series of questions that students can use to check their learning.
- Critical Thinking Questions. Most section reviews include critical thinking questions designed to encourage students to think beyond the scope of the topic discussions.
- Practice Problems. An extensive set of practice problems appears at the end of each chapter. In addition to standard practice problems, most of the problem sets include problems relating to previous chapters (Looking Back) and challengers (Pushing the Envelope)
Multisim Applications Problems
Multisim has been incorporated in a manner that allows instructors to choose (on an individual basis) whether to include it in their curriculum. The CD-ROM included with the text contains exercises that were developed and written by George Shaiffer (Pike's Peak Community College, Colorado Springs, CO).
Various figures throughout the text are marked with a Multisim icon. A list of Multisim Applications Problems at the end of each chapter provides the file numbers for the appropriate figures. (The directions for accessing the individual files are included with the disk.)
The CD-ROM contains over 120 applications files that are tied-in directly to figures in the text. While these files are provided by Prentice Hall at no cost, Multisim® software is not. The applications files can be accessed using your Multisim Version 6.21 software. They can be downloaded in Electronics Workbench® (EWB) Version 5 format from the companion website for this text (www.prenhall.com/paynter).
Supplements
A variety of supplements have been developed to help you and your students. The following are available at no cost:
- PH Test Manager. This resource contains a variety of text questions that can be used to develop your tests or as additional review materials for your students.
- PowerPoint® Presentation Files.
- Instructor's Resource Manual. This manual includes the equation derivations that have been omitted from the text, the results for the lab manual exercises, and a Test Item File.
The following supplements are available for purchase and may be ordered through your Prentice Hall representative:
- Lab Manual to accompany Electronics Technology Fundamentals. This manual includes more than 40 exercises to supplement the text material. Many labs include Multisim troubleshooting simulation exercises.
- Practice Problems Manual. This supplement includes a worked-out example and five (or more) practice problems for most of the numbered equations in the text. The answers to the practice problems are included in the supplement.
Acknowledgements
A project of this size could not have been completed without help from a variety of capable and concerned individuals. A special thanks goes out to the following professionals for their quality reviews of selected chapters:
Leonard Coates, Heald College
David G. Delker, Kansas State University-Salina
Norman Grossman, DeVry Institute of Technology
Philip Regalbuto, Trident Technical College
Michael Rodriguez, DeVry Institute of Technology
Suga Suganthan, DeVry Institute of Technology
Asad Yousuf, Savannah State University
We would also like to thank the staff at Prentice Hall for their "behind-the-scenes" efforts on this text. The following people deserve special recognition:
Kate Linsner, Associate Editor, for overseeing the review process and the initial stages of production.
Rex Davidson, Production Editor, for overseeing the production process and helping to keep things on track.
Scott Sambucci, Product Manager, for having enough faith in the project to go out on many limbs.
Steve Helba, Editor-in-Chief, for believing in the project and providing the support needed to make it a reality.
and
Lara Dugan, Editorial Assistant, for fording the answers to all our inquiries and handling a million details.
We would also like to thank the following individuals for their efforts, which went well beyond the call of duty:
Carolyn Greene, Production Coordinator, TECHBOOKS Production Services Denise Keller, Art Coordinator, TECHBOOKS Production Services
and
Wesley Morrison, Copy Editor, Morrison Communications
Their combined efforts transformed a rough manuscript into a quality book in near-record time.
Finally, a special thanks goes out to our families and friends for their constant support and patience.
To The Student
Why Am I Learning This?
Have you ever found yourself asking this question? If you have, then take a moment to read on.
Any subject is easier to learn if you understand why it is being taught and how it relates to your long-term goals. For this reason, we're going to take a moment to discuss a few things:
- How the material in this book relates to a career in electronics technology
- How you can get the most out of this course
Few developments have affected out lives during the past 30 years as profoundly as those in electronics technology. Most of the electronic "gizmos" we take for granted, such as cellular phones, laptop computers, home theaters, pagers, and personal audio systems, have been developed during this time. These items, and many others, have been made possible by advances in production technology. As a result of these advances, many electronic systems that once filled an entire room can now be held in the palm of your hand. Even so, these systems are extremely complex devices that contain a wide variety of components, and each of these components operates according to one or more fundamental principles. These components and their operating principles are the subjects of this book.
Learning how to work on various electronic systems begins with learning the components and principles that are common to all of them. These principles may not always have a direct bearing on how to repair a specific electronic system, but they must be learned if you are to understand why things work the way they do. Learning why things work allows you to grow beyond the scope of any book (or course).
The material in this book forms a foundation for the courses that are to follow. This means that learning this material is critical if your knowledge is to advance beyond the point where it is now.
How Can I Get the Most from This Course?
There are several steps you can take to ensure that you will successfully complete this course and advance to the next. The first is to accept the fact that learning electronics requires active participation on your part. If you are going to learn the material in this book, you must take an active role in your education. It's like learning to play a musical instrument. You need to practice on a regular basis. You can't learn how to play simply by "reading the book." The same can be said about learning electronics. You must be actively involved in the learning process.
How do you get involved in the learning process? Here are some habits that will take you a long way toward successfully completing your course of study:
- Attend class on a regular basis.
- Take part in classroom problem-solving sessions. This means getting out your calculator and solving problems along with the rest of the class.
- Do all the assigned homework. Circuit analysis is a skill. As with any skill, you gain competency only through practice.
- Take part in classroom discussions. More often that not, classroom discussions can clarify points that may be confusing otherwise.
- Read the material before it is discussed in class. When you know what is going to be discussed in class, read the related material before the discussion. That way, you'll know which parts (if any) are causing you problems before the class begins.
- Become an active reader.
Being an active reader means that you must do more than simply "read the book." When you are studying new material, there are several things that you should do:
- Learn the terminology. You are taught new terms because you need to know what they mean and both how and when to use them. When you come across a new term, take time to commit that term to memory. How do you know when a new term is being introduced? Throughout this text, new terms are identified using bold text. When you see a new term, stop and check its meaning before going on to the next section. (If you are unsure of its meaning, look it up in the glossary.)
- Use your calculator to work through the examples. When you come across an example, get out your calculator, and try the example for yourself. When you do this, you develop the skill necessary to solve problems on your own.
- Solve the example practice problems. Most examples in this book end with a practice problem that is identical in nature to the example. When you see these problems, solve them. Then, you can check your answer(s) by looking them up at the end of the chapter.
- Use the chapter objectives to measure your learning. Each chapter begins with an extensive list of performance-based objectives. These objectives tell you what you should be able to do as a result of learning the material.
Throughout this text, objective identifiers are included in the margins. For example, if you look on page 47, you'll see "Objective 4" printed in the margin. This identifier tells you that this is the point where you are taught the skill mentioned in Objective 4 at the opening page of the chapter (page 41). These identifiers can be used to help you with your studies. If you don't know how to perform the action called for in a specific objective, just flip through the chapter until you see the appropriate identifier. At that point, you'll find the information you need to successfully meet the objective.
One Final Note
Being an active learner involves a lot of work. However, the extra effort will pay off in the end. Your understanding of electronics will be better as a result of your efforts. We wish you the best of success.
Bob Paynter
Toby Boydell
