Source: https://mokxi.com/learn/path/datasheets-and-schematics Updated: 2026-11-11 All paths # Read datasheets and schematics The skill every hardware job asks for: schematic symbols, a first page, absolute maximum ratings, timing diagrams, register maps and pinouts, each checked on real parts. Ends with a sensor brought up from its datasheet alone. Arduino Uno R3 Free 7 lessons 6 h 4 chapters 2,363 XP Embedded engineering ยท Intermediate +150 XP 0 of 7 done Start the course free Schematic symbols Lesson plan for teachers What you will build ## 3 projects, built step by step 7 lessons in 4 chapters, about 6 hours on a simulated Arduino Uno R3. Free, in your browser, every step checked by the simulator. Chapter 1 project ### Reading a datasheet's first page The BMP180 barometer against the first page of its own datasheet: what the part is, the supply range, the interface and address, the block diagram and the modes, each checked on the bus. Open it in the simulator Chapter 2 project ### Timing diagrams A 74HC595 driven bit by bit from its timing diagram: data set up before each rising clock, a latch that moves eight bits at once, a byte in the order the diagram says, and a setup violation on purpose. Open it in the simulator Chapter 3 project ### Pinouts and footprints Pin 1 markers and counting round a DIP, package names from DIP to QFN, a 74HC595 pin table mapped to breadboard holes with two pins left to wire, and the ATmega328P under the Uno. Open it in the simulator The map ## Chapter by chapter Each lesson opens when the one before it is done, and each chapter ends in a project. Chapter 1 ## Read the drawings Schematic symbols, and what page one of a datasheet tells you. Open 267 XP ### Schematic symbols Resistor, capacitor, diode, LED, transistor, rails, ground, nets and junctions: read a real schematic, find every symbol on the breadboard, and probe each part to prove it. 0 of 7 steps Start What is in it Project Locked 400 XP ### Reading a datasheet's first page The BMP180 barometer against the first page of its own datasheet: what the part is, the supply range, the interface and address, the block diagram and the modes, each checked on the bus. 0 of 6 steps Chapter 2 ## Limits and timing The numbers that keep a part alive, and the diagrams that say when. Locked 267 XP ### Absolute maximum ratings Absolute maximum against recommended operating conditions: an LED and an ATmega328P pin, a resistor chosen from the numbers, a pin budget, and one LED burnt out on purpose. 0 of 7 steps Project Locked 472 XP ### Timing diagrams A 74HC595 driven bit by bit from its timing diagram: data set up before each rising clock, a latch that moves eight bits at once, a byte in the order the diagram says, and a setup violation on purpose. 0 of 6 steps Chapter 3 ## Registers and pins Register maps, pinouts and packages, mapped onto real hardware. Locked 236 XP ### Register maps An MPU-6050 by its register map: WHO_AM_I first, the reset value that leaves it asleep, a read-modify-write, a two-bit field, a signed 16-bit reading high byte first, and a read-only register. 0 of 6 steps Project Locked 472 XP ### Pinouts and footprints Pin 1 markers and counting round a DIP, package names from DIP to QFN, a 74HC595 pin table mapped to breadboard holes with two pins left to wire, and the ATmega328P under the Uno. 0 of 6 steps Chapter 4 ## Boss A new sensor brought up from nothing but its datasheet. Locked 249 XP ### Boss: bring up a new sensor A TMP117 temperature sensor with nothing but its datasheet: find the address, prove the identity, write a configuration word for 125 ms conversions, and turn counts into degrees. 0 of 7 steps Syllabus ## Every lesson in the course All 7 lessons, in order, each with what it covers. Any of them opens in the editor right away. Chapter 1 ### Read the drawings - Schematic symbols Resistor, capacitor, diode, LED, transistor, rails, ground, nets and junctions: read a real schematic, find every symbol on the breadboard, and probe each part to prove it. - Reading a datasheet's first page The BMP180 barometer against the first page of its own datasheet: what the part is, the supply range, the interface and address, the block diagram and the modes, each checked on the bus. Chapter 2 ### Limits and timing - Absolute maximum ratings Absolute maximum against recommended operating conditions: an LED and an ATmega328P pin, a resistor chosen from the numbers, a pin budget, and one LED burnt out on purpose. - Timing diagrams A 74HC595 driven bit by bit from its timing diagram: data set up before each rising clock, a latch that moves eight bits at once, a byte in the order the diagram says, and a setup violation on purpose. Chapter 3 ### Registers and pins - Register maps An MPU-6050 by its register map: WHO_AM_I first, the reset value that leaves it asleep, a read-modify-write, a two-bit field, a signed 16-bit reading high byte first, and a read-only register. - Pinouts and footprints Pin 1 markers and counting round a DIP, package names from DIP to QFN, a 74HC595 pin table mapped to breadboard holes with two pins left to wire, and the ATmega328P under the Uno. Chapter 4 ### Boss - Boss: bring up a new sensor A TMP117 temperature sensor with nothing but its datasheet: find the address, prove the identity, write a configuration word for 125 ms conversions, and turn counts into degrees. Keep going ## The next course on your track Read datasheets and schematics is part of the embedded track, a ladder of courses from zero to expert. Next course ### Control systems: PID Feedback control on real physics: open and closed loops, P, I and D one at a time, tuning by the numbers, encoders, a balancing robot, and a motor that holds its speed whatever you throw at it. Open the next course Track ### Embedded track Arduino, ESP32, Raspberry Pi Pico and STM32: pins, timing, buses, motors, WiFi, registers and debugging, every lesson checked on a simulated board. See every course on the track Kits ## Build it on your bench too Every lesson runs in the simulator with nothing to buy. When you want the real thing, these kits have the parts. Have a kit already? ### Find your kit Pick the starter kit you own and run every lesson in its manual with the same parts on the same pins. See every kit Questions ## About Read datasheets and schematics Is Read datasheets and schematics free? Yes. All 7 lessons of Read datasheets and schematics are free and run in your browser, with nothing to install and no parts to buy before you start. Do I need a real Arduino Uno R3? No. Every lesson runs on a simulated Arduino Uno R3 with its parts on the canvas, and the simulator checks each step as you go. When you want to build it for real, the same wiring and code work on a real board. How long does Read datasheets and schematics take? About 6 hours: 7 lessons in 4 chapters, each one a few short steps. Your progress is kept, so you can stop after any lesson and pick up where you left off. What will I build? Each chapter ends in a project that puts it together: Reading a datasheet's first page, Timing diagrams and Pinouts and footprints. Where do I start? With "Schematic symbols", and each lesson builds on the one before it. New to circuits? Electronics basics is the course that starts from zero.