Instruments of Amplification Fun with Homemade Tubes, Transistors, and More Paperback – January 1, 2003

Great teaching and reference book. Make cool steampunk stuff using common things you'd find around the house or in the trash that really work! Fun experiments that will get you thinking and creating. Become your own Thomas Edison and relive the dawn of early radio and electronics experimentation. Such a great book!

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.

It's not everyday that you encounter a book like this, where you learn how to build your own vacuum tubes at home! You'll also learn how to build a point contact transistor! What's MOST IMPORTANT though about this book is no matter if you build a thing or not, you will learn the fundamentals of the ACTUAL workings AND THEORY behind these things, and understand them like no text or class will ever explain to you fully and correctly. It also gives you valuable insights as to what the original inventors of these devices had to overcome. The Truth is that many of these devices are done at the same level of "kitchen table" experimenting when they are first developed as you do at home, and you'll think DIFFERENTLY about your own avenues of experimentation, no matter where they lead you after you read this book.

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.

Suppose you have a crystal set. But is it too damn quiet. If only there was a home made component that could somehow expand the signal. Yep, this book covers the topic of "expanding" electrical signals with homemade components. If you have delved into home making electrical components then you probably have made a capacitor from tin foil, inductor from a pipe and wire or a resistor by drawing a trace of pencil on paper. Voice of the crystal talks about inductors and capacitors and even more. But Instruments of amplification talks about - the next level - how to enlarge these signals. I cant even express how much i love this book. 11/10 and even more. It covers the topic of DIY active components in the most detail of all sources i have had the pleasure to experience over the years.

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.

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.

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!