which to go with: free simulator or breadpart and parts?

[doctorm]

im starting out learning about electronics and im doing well so far but the book i read saida bout getting a simulator or breadboard and parts to better understand what is going on.

so what do ya'll suggest?

[Mechatrommer]

i suggest you follow what the book suggest.

[Time]

Get parts and start doing basic stuff like learning to use a mutimeter by building basic circuits and measuring.  If your simulator is free you might as well use both in tandem.

[dimlow]

design,experiment in the sim, then build, power and let the magic smoke out on the bread board.

[tyblu]

I'd say simulate the easy stuff, like RC/RL networks, but simulate and breadboard more complex circuits in order to appreciate how variations in values affect the output. For example, LC/RLC, op amp, or transistor circuits. I often simulate with SPICE to optimize values, then prototype & fix.

[Bored@Work]

Real parts.

Simulators require experience to interpret their results. They can easily produce rubbish output. How do you get experience? With real parts only.

Further, simulator armchair developers tend to optimize their simulations to the max, not taking into account that real parts have tolerances and maxing out parts in a simulation is a sure guarantee the thing won't work in the real world.

[Longhair]

Using a breadboard will force you to understand space limitations.

[Neilm]

I always like to simulate circuits before I build them. The simulation shows that you have gotten the basic circuit correct. Then you build the breadboard and find all the real world stuff that free simulators tend to ignore.

Neil

[Simon]

I'd use a breadboard, simulators are just that, they simulate and don't always take into account real life variables or they do so strictly that you can't figure out why a circuit is not working. I ran a simulation once on a circuit with a led output and got the resistor value a bit wrong. Because the led was modelled to light up only after a certain current where as in real life it will light up with less but not so bright my circuit appeared not to work. It took me some time to figure it out.

I say use the breadboard, unless you don't have the parts or need to have a strictly theorectical analysis of an idea. For example I'd knock up a quike simulation to demonstrate back EMF which would look far scarier in a simulation with perfect parts than in real life where real component carachteristics get in the way of that lovely 5KV soike and only make 400V