Instruments of Amplification Fun with Homemade Tubes, Transistors, and More

This book is amazing. There, I said it; cat's out of the bag, I love this book. The 'conversational' writing style coupled with actual references to where the author gained his knowledge and insight would be worth the price alone. Then the book goes beyond these facets to provide a volume that guides the competent experimenter through a series of builds that generate working electronic devices. Amazingly fun.I picked it up specifically for the reference on how to make vacuum tubes (diodes, triodes, &c.). He provides plenty of information on how to select, set up and run the vacuum apparatus; how to select the components of your devices; and finally, how to make them work.Probably the best part about the information provided is that it isn't over-blown. Not once does the author claim to be instructing you on how to set up a production-level environment. It is clearly stated that these are experiments..for experimenters..and nothing more. But trust me - you'll be hooked.I would encourage anyone interested in this book to just make the plunge. Just buy it already. You're reading these reviews, so you know you want to. But if you're still on the fence visit the author's website to learn more about his credentials. Then come back and buy it.

This is a very interesting & unusual book that has an immense appeal to those like me that like to make something from scratch or out of ordinary stuff. I would have given it 5 stars, but some of the projects like the transistor and one or two others were a bit disappointing in that they really don't give the kind of amplification needed to drive a radio with any kind of strong volume and have short lifespans or are "fiddly"-- needing a lot of human intervention. I was really hoping to build one of the crystal sets from Voice of the Crystal, then amplify it with one of the gadgets shown here but it looks like that is unlikely based on results of the author's experimentation and own admission.

This book is very well written and easy to follow. It has a lot of good information on how to make different items of interest in the electronics world. A good source of information for the home experimenter as well as young adults that want to learn how simple it can be to do different things that lead up to our modern lifestyle. I highly recommend this book for the young experimenter and or inventor alike. One man's idea leads to another man's idea's and accomplishments. Thank you Mr. Friedrichs, for making this book available to us. I am attempting to duplicate some of the projects you wrote in this book. A lot of fun as well as knowledge has come into me that would otherwise have been lost.

This book is an outstanding historical reference! I've been in audio/radio electronics over 30 years, and have already learned much in just the few hours I've had to peruse his book. Peter Friedrichs' has clearly done thorough research in putting together this book. I am also impressed that he did his own illustrations, an art I thought lost to a bygone era. Bravo Mr. Friedrichs!

Interesting book on what you can do with very little equipment. A fairly good vacuum pump setup is needed for the tube devices.I would like to have seen a little information on glass blowing and sealing electrodes to make better tubes.

Resourceful, good read, not entirely for the novice. Does cover the outlining principle of amplification which is, there is no generation of power, but a smaller source, driving a larger source. IE a small battery driving a bigger battery.

If you liked Friedrichs crystal radio book you will want this one too. His writing style is very readable and the book is packed with practical experience. You just won't find information on this kind of electronics anywhere else.

This book is very inspirational. The author opens possibilities of homemade instruments I have not even imagined before. However, I do not now if I am courageous enough to try some of his projects myself.