Re[2]: [EE:] How do you create and understand circuits? (i.e. why amisostoopid) by Dumitru Stama .

LM> Thank you _very_ much, Olin, for taking the time to explain this in your own way. I was actually hoping you would answer because I know you also teach electronics and I figured you'd have a good LM> insight on ways to help someone along. LM> I'll really give your circuit a good look. But so far no one has answered my question on how/where to start. Do I start at the + power supply and then make my way through all the components LM> imagining in what "state" the current is in as it passes through each piece? LM> Lindy I started learning electronics as a hobby two years ago. I was just like you and i am still a beginner. Also i used x86 assembly for a long long time and i came from programming world. I can tell you exactly what made the things easy for me : the resistor :-) Yes, you read correctly. Just like Olin said i just tried to understand the resistor in all possible ways and from that point on it was just easy. Let me put it this way : The current will follow the shortest path rather than the longest one. A resistor is in simple words a longer path than a straight wire. If you have a junction with two possibilities ahead : one 10k resistor and a 1k resistor the current will go to the 1k path since 1k "road" is shorter that the 10k "road". I hope you get it like i did, is really simple. This way you can quickly see how a pull-down or a pull-up resistor works. Try keeping the shortest-road in your head when looking at circuits and you will see really soon some improvments :) For me it was this simple...