One of the more frustrating parts of helping people troubleshoot a circuit, is that at some point someone will say “but I can’t read a schematic”. This is usually the point that you can tell the people sincerely interested in DIY, from the people just looking for cheap gear. The reality is that reading a schematic is incredibly simple and intuitive. Once you understand the basic component symbols, you’re well on your way to having a better understanding of how to troubleshoot. You don’t need to know what each component is doing, simply knowing what should and shouldn’t be connected will go a long way in finding shorts and broken traces in your project. Understanding how to locate a voltage divider and what they do will take you even further.
Don’t believe me? Have a look at instructables.com’s schematic overview. Once you’ve read through it, you’ll have taken a major step towards finding problems in your builds. You’ll also officially be able to read a schematic!