If youve ever had a board fail on power-up, spent hours debugging a layout that should work, or run into a supplier problem just before a deadline – you already know this isnt just about theory. Its about judgment, decisions, and real-world constraints.

Designing Electronics that Work is a guide to all the practical things you wont find in a typical electronics textbook. Its written for people who already know a little – maybe a lot – about circuits, but want to move faster, make fewer mistakes, and ship working hardware with more confidence.

Youll learn how to:

• Define and prioritize requirements so youre building the right thing, not just the clever thing
• Design schematics and layouts to make debugging easier
• Plan for manufacturability, compliance, and cost from day one
• Build a lab that helps you work faster, without spending a fortune
• Troubleshoot problems methodically, even when nothings making sense

Hunter Scott has designed electronics for medical devices, RF systems, startups, and art installations. This book reflects what hes learned, not as theory, but as practice.

You wont find chapter-length explanations of what a capacitor is. You will find answers to questions like: Which capacitor should I actually buy? What if the one I specd is out of stock? How do I avoid wasting time and money?

Whether youre a hobbyist moving beyond Arduino, a new grad learning on the job, or an experienced engineer looking to streamline your processthis book will help you build smarter and avoid problems before they start.

Author Bio

Hunter Scott is a founding engineer at Reach Power, a startup working on long range power beaming. Hes been designing hardware for over a decade and holds an engineering degree from Georgia Tech. Scott has spoken at DEF CON, Hackaday Supercon, and Altium Live, and his projects have been featured on NPR and in The Guardian and The Chicago Tribune.

Table of contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction

PART I: PLANNING
Chapter 1: What to Build and How to Plan for It
Chapter 2: Component Specifications and Purchasing
Chapter 3: Selecting Passive Components
Chapter 4: Selecting Active Components

PART II: DESIGNING
Chapter 5: Schematic Design
Chapter 6: Layout Design
Chapter 7: Design For Excellence
Chapter 8: Electromagnetic Compatibility and Immunity
Chapter 9: Cost Engineering

PART III: BUILDING
Chapter 10: Prototyping
Chapter 11: Building a Lab
Chapter 12: Fabrication and Assembly
Chapter 13: Testing
Chapter 14: Troubleshooting

Appendix A: How to Give a Demo
Appendix B: Recommended Resources
Appendix C: Example Fabrication Notes

Resources

• Book resources
• View the Copyright page
• View the detailed Table of Contents
• View the Index
• ISBN-13: 9781718503366