Preface

Education is the most important factor in shaping any country’s future.  University teaching represents a pivotal role in preparing the future leaders and workforce of a nation.  Although different job disciplines must interact together in shaping such future, engineering is one of the most important ones, as it prepares engineers who build various infrastructures and continue to maintain them.  The engineers face ever changing environment in real life, and hence an engineering graduate should be able to adapt accordingly.   To be adaptable, students need to be well prepared during college studies.  This can be achieved not only if the students are provided with the right tools, but also with the ability to use them efficiently and creatively in a changing environment.

Teaching philosophy:

The teaching philosophy behind this book is that students should know the underlying principle and the logic behind the subject or a topic.  It should be made simple and easy to understand and utilize. If students know the logic involved, then they can apply it to any new problem or situation.  For example, in analyzing ‘Multistage amplifiers’ after finding the equivalent small signal model for each transistor, the students just connect stages together and apply basic circuit laws to get the required information such as voltage gain, regardless of the number of stages or how they are connected!  By mastering the fundamental concept (s), students will develop the confidence that will allow them to easily build on and develop it further during the course of their study.

Audience:

This book was developed while teaching ‘Electronics II’ for several years at the University of Bahrain for students in Electrical and Electronic engineering undergraduate programs.  This book is intended to be used for a course on Analog Electronic Circuits that is normally taken as part of an undergraduate program in Electrical, Electronic or other similar engineering programs.  It can be utilized for a second course on Electronics with first two chapters acting as a solid and complete review to help the students find relevant information in one place.  The book can be also adopted for programs that require a single course on electronics in their curriculum.

The book does not compete with established books but rather complement them by providing the students with an easy, short, and logical start. Students can then read their textbooks and references for extra information.  This is why no problems are provided here so students use their own text for exercises.

Prerequisite:

First year calculus and basic circuit theory

Book coverage:

This book deals with the theory and applications of BJT, MOSFET and Op amp, as active devices. It has nine chapters starting with bipolar junction transistors and ending with fundamentals of feedback and oscillators.  The detailed coverage the book is provided under the contents.

Key features of the book:

• Concentrate on underlying principle and the logic behind the topic studied.
• Present important and fundamental topics in a simple way.
• Theory and are presented in a compact form but with all necessary information needed for students understanding.
• Examples given show all steps.
• Theory is discussed through examples (most of the time).
• Many examples are provided (a total of 82).
• Several Mathcad examples are given.
• Students will be able to understand the operation of electronic circuits and small systems.
• They will also be able to design simple circuits.
• Inexpensive book that is affordable by students around the world.
• Mathcad programs are found on the website, available for download.

A companion website ‘electronic-circuits.org’ giving extra resources such as full listing of Mathcad programs for almost all examples in book which can be used by students to check their answers.  These programs are available for download.

As with any text, mistakes and typos are likely to be found, the author will be grateful readers who send such findings together with any other comments to the author at: correction@electronic-circuits.org.  For any other matter, please contact info@electronic-circuits.org.

Mathcad programs are found on the website, available for download.

Book summary – Not part of the book