Electronics

This major new textbook addresses the needs of first year degree and diploma students in electrical and electronic engineering. Its presentation emphasizes system design rather than the traditional component-based approach found in many introductory texts. The complexities of device physics are delayed until a full understanding of basic principles has been established. Such an approach recognizes changes in teaching, both in school curricula and in modern degree courses. The first four chapters examine the basic principles of AC and DC circuit analysis and design, considering amplifiers as black-box devices. The following four chapters uncover the basic principles of digital electronics, from initial combinational logic ideas to the implementation of microcontrollers and microprocessors in electronic equipment. These initial eight chapters equip the students with a basic understanding of the principles of analogue and digital electronics. This understanding is developed without recourse to complex mathematical models and without an overwhelming emphasis on the underlying physical processes involved.
The book then moves on, in its next four chapters, to introduce the underlying physics of semi-conductor devices and show how transistor circuits are used in analogue and digital circuit design. One chapter is devoted to aspects of integrated circuit technology, with emphasis on ASIC and semi-custom design. The final five chapters are devoted to the more advanced topics of power amplifiers, power supplies, waveform generators and high-frequency transistor circuits. The last chapter discusses electrical interconnections, a topic common in the laboratory but rarely encountered in textbooks. Each chapter is introduced with a list of primary and secondary objectives, and features a summary at the end to act as a revision reference. Worked examples and self-assessment questions are included throughout. Where appropriate, useful working circuits are highlighted to encourage practical design and experimentation.