The problem with electronics is that bar the simplest things, it's pretty maths heavy and is very abstract.
About the closest thing to something decent is the student guide for The Art of Electronics as that defers math until necessary. That and the NEETS modules: http://www.phy.davidson.edu/instrumentation/NEETS.htm
http://www.dspguide.com is pretty good if you want some signal processing knowledge. It's written in plain English.
[0]: http://www.makershed.com/Make_Electronics_book_by_Charles_Pl...
Just with Arduino.
You sir are not a geek, you are just a concerned parent.
Nice one.
I always wondered why many parallel AA battery holders have adjacent batteries facing in opposite directions. The little diagram and discussion here made me realize it's not just about shortening the wires on the outside, it's also a safety issue. Even in the revised design that he used, there is still one diagonal battery position that would short out the circuit.
Never discount the battery holder in any electronics project: it's one of the few mechanical parts that you are guaranteed to interact with every week or so. If they are always corroding or losing contact (or burning your fingers), it really takes the joy and polish out of the product.
I wish my 9-year-old had a parent that could pull this off.
