Lecture 1

Introduction and basic circuit theory

Graphics used with permission from AspenCore (http://electronics-tutorials.ws)

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6.117 Pedagogy

• Objective: Introduce students to the fundamentals of

practical electrical engineering (EE) in a relaxed, project-
oriented environment

• Emphasis on practicality rather than theory

• Hands-on exposure to a variety of topics
• No tests/quizzes, no homework, no lab/lecture on Fridays

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Course mechanics

Lectures (4-231): MW 2:30 – 4:00pm

Labs (38-601):
• Section 1: MW 4:00 – 7:00pm
• Section 2: TR 1:00 – 4:00pm
• Section 3: TR 4:00 – 7:00pm

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Course staff

Sam Chinnery, lecturer

Savannah Inglin, TA Tim Magoun, TA Reed Foster, TA

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Agenda

1. Course overview and logistics

2. EE conventions, units and acronyms
3. DC circuits: Ohm’s law and resistors
4. AC circuits: capacitors and inductors
5. Lab overview and safety

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EE conventions, units and
acronyms

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Voltage and current

• Analogy: Water in pipes is “charge”

• Think of voltage as “pressure,” current as “flow rate”

Voltage Current Current

Equal More Less

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Common units

Quantity Unit Symbol

Voltage Volt V
Current Ampere (amp) A
Resistance Ohm Ω
Capacitance Farad F
Inductance Henry H
Frequency Hertz Hz

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Unit multipliers

Prefix Symbol Multiplier

tera- T 1012
giga- G 109
mega- M 106
kilo- K 103
(none) (none) 100
milli- m 10-3
micro- µ 10-6
nano- n 10-9
pico- p 10-12

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Common acronyms and abbreviations
Short Long
AC Alternating current
DC Direct current
BJT Bipolar junction transistor
MOSFET Metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor
SMD, SMT Surface-mount device, surface-mount technology
PTH Plated through-hole
DIP Dual inline package
PCB Printed circuit board
RF Radio frequency
RMS Root mean square
cap Capacitor
pot Potentiometer
op-amp Operational amplifier
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Schematic symbols
D

Wire Junction Ground Fixed Variable

Wiring Resistors

P-channel
MOSFET
D

Non-polarized Polarized Air core Magnetic core

Capacitors Inductors

N-channel
MOSFET
node Cathode node Cathode node Cathode

Standard LED Photodiode

Diodes
Voltage Battery
source (DC) NPN BJT

out

Voltage Current Toggle Push-

source (AC) source switch button Speaker PNP BJT
Op-amp
Sources Others Transistors

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DC circuits
Ohm’s law and resistors

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Circuits

• A circuit is any closed loop through which current flows.

• Circuits obey two basic laws:
• Kirchoff’s current law (KCL): Currents into a node sum to 0
• Kirchoff’s voltage law (KVL): Voltages around a loop sum to 0

An example circuit Kirchoff’s current law Kirchoff’s voltage law

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Resistors

• Water analogy: resistor is a “narrower pipe”

• Resists the flow of current, as the name suggests

Less resistance

More resistance

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Resistors

Through-hole (PTH) Surface-mount (SMD)

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Ohm’s Law

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Ohm’s Law

• Ohm’s Law: Relationship between voltage, current,

resistance and power
• All four can be determined from any two known values

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Resistor color code
Color Digit Multiplier Tolerance

Black 0 1

Brown 1 10 ± 1%

Red 2 100 ± 2%

Orange 3 1,000

Yellow 4 10,000

Green 5 100,000 ± 0.5%

Blue 6 1,000,000 ± 0.25%

Violet 7 10,000,000 ± 0.1%

Grey 8 ± 0.05%

White 9

Gold 0.1 ± 5%

Silver 0.01 ± 10%

None ± 20%

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Series and parallel combinations

• Resistances in series add

• Resistances in parallel add “inversely”

Series resistances Parallel resistances

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Voltage divider circuit

• Voltage divider: Two resistors in series

• Predictable voltage between the two resistors (Vo)

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Potentiometers

• A potentiometer is a variable resistor.

• Can be used as a voltage divider or a simple resistor (by
connecting the wiper to the resistive element)

Construction (left) and use (right) Potentiometer as a voltage divider

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AC circuits
Capacitors and inductors

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Alternating current

• Alternating current (AC): an electrical current that

periodically reverses direction
• Frequency: the length of one period of the signal

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RMS voltage
• Root-mean-square (RMS): “Effective value” of an C
waveform
• Calculated as the root of the average (mean) of the
square of the voltage or current

Convert From Multiply By Or By To Get Value

Peak 2 (√2)2 Peak-to-Peak

Peak-to-Peak 0.5 1/2 Peak

Peak 0.707 1/(√2) RMS

Peak 0.637 2/π Average

Average 1.570 π/2 Peak

Average 1.111 π/(2√2) RMS

RMS 1.414 √2 Peak

RMS 0.901 (2√2)/π Average

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Capacitors
• Capacitor: stores energy in the form of electrical charge
• Value measured in Farads (F)
• Typically drawn as two parallel plates
• Opposes changes in voltage across the capacitor

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Capacitors

Through-hole (PTH) Surface-mount (SMD)

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Capacitor markings
Picofarad Nanofarad Microfarad Picofarad Nanofarad Microfarad
Code Code
(pF) (nF) (µF) (pF) (nF) (µF)
First 2 digits
Multiplier 10 0.01 0.00001 100 4,700 4.7 0.0047 472
of value
15 0.015 0.000015 150 5,000 5 0.005 502
22 0.022 0.000022 220 5,600 5.6 0.0056 562
33 0.033 0.000033 330 6,800 6.8 0.0068 682
47 0.047 0.000047 470 10,000 10 0.01 103
100 0.1 0.0001 101 15,000 15 0.015 153
120 0.12 0.00012 121 22,000 22 0.022 223
130 0.13 0.00013 131 33,000 33 0.033 333
150 0.15 0.00015 151 47,000 47 0.047 473
180 0.18 0.00018 181 68,000 68 0.068 683
Tolerance: 220 0.22 0.00022 221 100,000 100 0.1 104
Letter Tolerance 330 0.33 0.00033 331 150,000 150 0.15 154

D ± 0.5% 470 0.47 0.00047 471 200,000 200 0.2 254

560 0.56 0.00056 561 220,000 220 0.22 224
F ± 1%
680 0.68 0.00068 681 330,000 330 0.33 334
G ± 2%
750 0.75 0.00075 751 470,000 470 0.47 474
J ± 5%
820 0.82 0.00082 821 680,000 680 0.68 684
K ± 10%
1,000 1 0.001 102 1,000,000 1000 1 105
M ± 20% 1,500 1.5 0.0015 152 1,500,000 1500 1.5 155
Z +80% / -20% 2,000 2 0.002 202 2,000,000 2000 2 205
2,200 2.2 0.0022 222 2,200,000 2200 2.2 225
3,300 3.3 0.0033 332 3,300,000 3300 3.3 335

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Inductors
• Inductor: Stores energy in the form of a magnetic field
• Value measured in Henries (H)
• Typically drawn as a coil of wire
• Opposes changes in current

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Inductors

Through-hole (PTH) Surface-mount (SMD)

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Lab overview and safety

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Lab space

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Instrumentation

• Digital multimeter (DMM)

• Oscilloscope
• Function generator

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Digital multimeter (DMM)

Measurement function keys Input terminals

Power switch Range selection keys Shift key

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Oscilloscope (type 1)
Multipurpose knobs Measure key Horizontal controls

Run/stop key

Trigger controls

Power switch Menu keys Analog inputs Vertical controls

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Oscilloscope (type 2)

Multipurpose knob Trigger controls Horizontal controls

Run/stop key

Measure key

Vertical controls

Menu keys Analog inputs

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Function generator

Numeric entry keys Navigation controls

Menu keys

Power switch

Waveform selection keys Output enable key Output terminal

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Tools

• Needle-nose pliers
• Wire cutters (diagonal pliers)
• Wire strippers
• Solderless breadboard
• Soldering iron

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Needle-nose pliers; wire cutters

Needle-nose pliers Wire cutters (“diagonal pliers”)

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Wire strippers

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Solderless breadboard

Large breadboard with power supply Small breadboard

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Solderless breadboard

• Breadboard: Convenient way to prototype circuits

• Terminal strips go top-to-bottom for signals, side-to-side
for power rails

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Soldering station

Temperature
adjustment Soldering
iron holder
Power switch

Tip cleaner

Soldering tip Heating element Handle

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Soldering technique
• Apply the soldering iron to the component first, then feed
the solder into the joint
• Some components take longer to heat than others

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Soldering technique

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Safety

Don’t do this! …or this …or this

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Electrical safety

• Currents as low as 5-10 mA can cause death

• Skin resistance ranges from 1k (wet) to 500k (dry)
• Death can result from as low as 50 volts
• Body can sense 9 volts under the right conditions

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Chemical safety

• Solder contains lead, a known neurotoxin

• Never bring food into the lab to avoid contamination
• Always wash hands with soap and water immediately
after leaving the lab

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