Quoted from caligirl:One other tip for folks on this subject.....if you seriously want to learn, you can always check with your local community college for an intro electronics course. Sure it might end up costing a few hundred when you are said and done (tuiton, books, lab fees, etc) but $400 on a course could also end up saving you from messing up a $400 board in the future.
uh, that's not always the case. I took a college electronic course and it was 95% book work. Oh, we did learn to build a circuit on a bread board, and how to use a multi-meter, BFD, I learn more here on pinside and youtube then that class.