I'm just starting to get into electronics as a hobby, mainly to support my Halloween prop projects, but I do know there are quite a few users here who use them rather extensively in their props. Any recommendations on some books I'd find useful or interesting, especially with regards to projects that have applications in magic?

Good Post, I am also interesed in the responces.

MuleePete

I'm interested in broken light beam technology for use in magic props. Is there a source for this application?

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

Bob, that's one of the things I'm interested in as well- would be really helpful for my Halloween props (especially with a short delay timer.)

-Erik

I'm in the same boat - trying to learn electronics. So far, the best resources I've found are Jon Thompson's Electronics for Magicians and, for more hands-on learning, http://www.nerdkits.com .

First look on the net, there are many free copies of the Navy basic electronics course. About 90% of the books and courses you could buy online are actually nothing but this course. Gives good basics in electronics. From there, depending upon your interests you can go off to other texts. It is pretty much the most common and best basic text around. I've been a ham radio operator for decades and took my exams for license back long before they are like they are now where you can just memorize a question pool. You had to learn basic electricity and electronics. That course gave me my start and it has since been upgraded to include microprocessors etc. All U.S. Gov. type programs like this are in the public domain, and many a person and company prints or offers them on DVD at a fee, when you can download them for free.

Thanks for the info on the Navy (NEETS) courses. I just downloaded Module 1. Here is the link if anyone else is interested

http://www.hnsa.org/doc/index.htm#neets

I think that Anverdi "50 years" are a very good.

I would recommend the books from a great author for the electronic hobbyist by the name of Forrest Mims III. Here is his website; http://www.forrestmims.com/ He has some great material for circuits along with parts list for the circuits. I used to build and fly high powered rockets and needed custom electronic circuits to fire ejection charges, countdown timers, etc. Mr. Mims material is right up our alley.

Depening on the effect you are interested heathkits used to have some great delay timer kits as well as remote control devises that are in kit form. you might need to contact a local tech school to get access to the catalogs but they shouldnt have an issue as long as you talk to the electronics teacher

The Forest Mims books are great for practical circuits. The Amateur Radio Handbook is a classic similar to the Navy manual.

Also, consider getting yourself a prototyping board because, as I learned in my first project, you can do all the math exactly and the real world will still intervene.

I was trying to build a simpel dual 555 timer circuit that waited for a set period of time, then beeped at a set interval. The Timing just wasn't working. I
took it to a friend of mine who was an excellent *practical* electrical engineer. First hing he does is take my parts and put them on a prototyping board. he got the
same results I did. Then he pulled two resistors OUT of the circuit and replaced them with potentiometers from a drawer. He twiddled the pots til timing WAS right,
measured them, and fished out resistors to match.

Also, if you are like me, then soldering can be a frustrating exercise in burning parts. Consider a wire wrap tool for connecting discrete components.

Finally, be aware of a few things that are true today:
(1) Unlike when I was in college, a lot of parts are coming now in packages without leads, for "flow soldering." This makes it a LOT harder to build discrete circuits. Often you have to pay
for prototyping units that come already flow soldered to a small board

(2) Today there are available al ot of what I believe Ustaad called "screwdriver electronics" kits. These ar complete circuits for things like radio control where you can just hook them up to the motor or lights you want to control with a screwdriver. So don't assume you actually have to do circuit building.