Foreword

Acknowledgment

Introduction

Prepare For Blastoff: Fixing Is Fun!:

Repair: why do it?

Is it always worth it?

Setting Up Shop: Tools of The Trade:

Must-Haves:

Good place to work

Digital multimeter

ESR meter

Oscilloscope

Soldering tools

Desoldering tools

Hand tools

Magnifier

Clip leads

Swabs

Chemicals

Heatsink grease

Heat-shrink tubing

Electrical tape

Small cups

Internet access

Nice-To-Haves:

Digital camera

Power supply

Testers, signal generators and meters

Isolation transformer

Stereo microscope

Bench vise

Hot-air rework station

Hot-melt glue gun

Magnet on a stick

Cyanoacrylate glue

Component cooler spray

Data books

Parts assortment

Scrap boards for parts

Wish List:

Inductance meter

Logic analyzer

Spectrum analyzer

BGA rework station

Danger, Danger! Staying Safe:

Electric shock

Physical injury

Your Turn:

Electrical damage

Physical damage

You Fixed It! Is It Safe?:

ATE: always test everything!

I Fix, Therefore I am: The Philosophy Of Troubleshooting:

Why things work in the first place

Products as art

If it only had a brain

Good, the bad and the sloppy

Mistakes beginners make

That's how it goes

History lessons

Initial evaluation

Use your noodle: case histories

Naming Names: Important Terms, Concepts and Building Blocks:

Electrical concepts

Circuit concepts

Signal concepts

Building blocks

Working Your Weapons: Using Test Equipment:

Digital multimeter

ESR meter

Oscilloscope

Soldering iron

Desoldering tools

Power supply

Transistor tester

Capacitance meter

Signal generator

Frequency counter

Analog meter

Contact cleaner spray

Component cooler spray

What Little Gizmos Are Made Of: Components:

Capacitors

Crystals and resonators

Crystal clock oscillators

Diodes and rectifiers

Fuses

Inductors and transformers

Integrated circuits

Op amps

Resistors

Potentiometers

Relays

Switches

Transistors

Voltage regulators

Zener diodes

Road Maps And Street Signs: Diagrams:

Hooked On Tronics:

Call numbers

Good, not bad and miserable schematics

Once Upon A Time:

Amplifier stage

Switching power supply

Push-pull audio amplifier

Mega maps

Give It A Try:

Radios

CD and DVD players

Keep reading

But I ain't got one!

Your wish is not my command: case history

Entering Without Breaking: Getting Inside:

Removing outside screws

Separating snaps

Removing ribbons

Pulling wire connectors

Layers and photos

Opening A Shut Case:

Receivers and amplifiers

VCRs, CD and DVD players

TVs and LCD monitors

Turntables

Video projectors

Portable DVD players with LCD screens

MP3 players

PDAs

Smartphones and tablets

Camcorders

Digital cameras

Laptop computers

AC adapters

What The Heck Is That? Recognizing Major Features:

Power to the circuit: power supplies

Follow the copper-lined road: input

Shake, bake, slice and dice: signal processing

Out you go: output stages

Moving tale: mechanisms

Danger points

A-Hunting We Will Go: Signal Tracing And Diagnosis:

Dead

Comatose or crazy

Alive and awake but not quite kicking

Sometimes yes, sometimes no

To and fro

All the world's a stage

Check, please

When all else fails: desperate measures

Presto Change-O: Circuit Boards And Replacing Components:

Through-hole parts

Surface-mount components

Choosing Components:

Parts machines

Substitutes:

Capacitors

Diodes

Relays

Resistors

Transistors

Zeners

Installing The New Parts:

Through-hole

SMT

Finding parts

Saving damaged boards

LSI and other dirty words

That's A Wrap: Reverse-Order Reassembly:

Common errors

Getting started

Reconnecting ribbons

Oops! Broken latch

Layers and cups and screws, oh my!

Oh snap!

Screwing it up without screwing it up

When you had to break in

Done!

Pesky Parts And Persnickety Problems:

Automotive-related problems

Condenser microphones

Push my buttons

LCDs: liquid-crystal disasters

Lithium batteries

Aces Up Your Sleeve: Tips And Tricks For Specific Circuits And Products:

Linear power supplies

Switching power supplies

Audio amplifiers and receivers

Digital still cameras

Disc players and recorders

Earbuds and headsets

Flat-panel displays and TVs

Hard drives

Laptop computers

MP3 players

Remote controls

Smartphones and tablets

VCRs and tape-based camcorders

Video projectors

Have at it!

Glossary:

Common circuits

Index.

ch. 1. Prepare for blastoff: fixing is fun!

ch. 2. Setting up shop: tools of the trade

ch. 3. Danger, danger! Staying safe

ch. 4. I fix, therefore I am: the philosophy of troubleshooting

ch. 5. Naming names: important terms, concepts and building blocks

ch. 6. Working your weapons: using test equipment

ch. 7. What little gizmos are made of: components

ch. 8. Roadmaps and street signs: diagrams

ch. 9. Entering without breaking: getting inside

ch. 10. What the heck is that? Recognizing major features

ch. 11. A-hunting we will go: signal tracing and diagnosis

ch. 12. Presto change-O: circuit boards and replacing components

ch. 13. That's a wrap: reverse-order reassembly

ch. 14. Aces up your sleeve: tips and tricks for specific products.