I took it for fun a few years ago, enjoyed it so much that I later enrolled in an EE program (while already having another degree) and I am soon to graduate :)
Change the resistors R1 and R2 to different values (or use potentiometers) to see how they affect the flashing - you should see one changes the on time and the other changes the off time (the mark:space ratio). You need to see this because it helps understand "multiplexing" -- you strobe the LEDs because it saves power.
If you're the kind of person who can learn from books The Art of Electronics and the Student Manual are great. I haven't read the new editions. The editions I have are good but have some stuff that's out of date.
Do you have some good tutorials on pro setups? I've got clients asking for pretty complicated lighting setups and we typically have to hire an AV partner who do a great job, but it's like a whole second system next to ours instead of being tightly integrated. These hobbyist setups are nifty, but I've got clients willing pay for quality. We're slowing muddling our way through DMX and PWM.
I'm sure someone else on HN will know people who can do complex lighting setups with things like DMX and PWM, especially if there's reasonable money involved.
Thought of another book I used in the beginning, Make: Electronics. Very suited for beginners, experiment first and then they give the theory afterwards. (https://www.makershed.com/products/make-electronics-2ed, many other good resources here)
