Hi,<p>I Hardware is not something which you can just decide to learn one thing after another. It is an intuitive and hands-on session requiring Labs in most case.<p>I can try to tell you how you can do it, but you need a lot more than a computer and just few components.<p>Also when you mean hardware, it covers a lot of subjects. So I think you want to understand difference between Hardware and Electronics (no, its not same)<p>I will start with Electronics. You need to start with electronics more or less in the following sequence
1. Basics of Electronics - Fundamentals like Voltage, Current, Power, Frequency
2. Electronics Components - Active and Passive components
3. Analog and Digital electronics
4. Electronic Circuit Analysis & Design - Transistors, MOSFET's etc)
5. Analog Circuits
6. Digital Design and Logic Circuits
7. Motors - Now this is tricky, as there are so many types of motors. But if you are interested only in digital, focud on DC , Servo and Stepper motors
8. Sensors - Types, working, usage etc
9. Microprocessors and Microcontroller
10. Computer Architecture and Organization<p>I can go on, but I think it will be a few years for you to get to these.<p>The above mentioned track will get you started in Digital Electronics, for analog electronics you need to dive deeper into Power Electronics, AC Machines, etc.<p>I have also left out signal processing and communication topics. Digital Signal Communication is something you might want to get familiarize with for wireless technology like ZigBee, Bluetooth, WiFi etc<p>With Digital circuits, you may or may not need a lab environment, but for any AC related stuff, Lab is a must. Do not even try it at home without guidance.<p>For skills you need to acquire:
1. Component Identification
2. Breadboarding
3. Electronic tools and devices - Wire cutting tools, stripping, soldering iron, de-soldering, heat gun, hotplate soldering.
4. Electronic Measurement devices - Oscilloscope, Multimeter, Logic Analyzer etc.
5. ELECTRICAL SAFETY TECHNIQUES. - A bad code won't kill you, but a bad circuit can