Republic of the Philippines

City of Olongapo
GORDON COLLEGE
Olongapo City Sports Complex, Donor St., East Tapinac, Olongapo City
www.gordoncollege.edu.ph
TITLE: PC TROUBLESHOOTING WITH BASIC ELECTRONICS MODULE NO. 5
I. INTRODUCTION
This course takes you step by step through the typical hardware and operating system
problems encountered by technicians, and teaches you troubleshooting techniques to decipher
any problem and gives you the skills you need to solve them. Once you’ve mastered the
basics, the course launches into some of the more advanced and nasty problems that
sometimes crop up in the PC, teaching you how to diagnose and fix those problems. Finally,
to help you understand the technicalities in advanced troubleshooting this course also
involves the fundamental concepts of electronics that includes voltage, current, resistance,
power, series and parallel resistive circuits, inductance, capacitance, electronic components,
and various types of test equipment.

II. LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After studying this module, you should be able to:
 Learn basic information on the major parts of a PC, cables and connectors, basic PC
maintenance, and the care and feeding of printers.
 Discover the motherboard, CPU, RAM, hard drive, and other key pieces of PC
hardware.
 Introduce yourself to PC operating systems
 Identify, handle, and install system RAM, as well as how to access and navigate
CMOS setup, flash the BIOS, and troubleshoot various memory errors.
 Use meters and test equipment to measure electrical quantities
 Understand the functions of different electronic components
 Verify Ohm’s Law through experiments
 Assemble electronic circuit prototypes using breadboard
 Design PCB and assemble an electronic project

III. TOPICS AND KEY CONCEPTS

BASIC ELECTRONIC
Review of Basic Measurements
The standard units of electrical measurement used for the expression of voltage, current and
resistance are the Volt [ V ], Ampere [ A ] and Ohm [ Ω ] respectively.

These electrical units of measurement are based on the International (metric) System, also
known as the SI System with other commonly used electrical units being derived from SI
base units.
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Sometimes in electrical or electronic circuits and systems it is necessary to use multiples or
sub-multiples (fractions) of these standard electrical measuring units when the quantities
being measured are very large or very small.

The following table gives a list of some of the standard electrical units of measure used in
electrical formulas and component values.

Table 5.1 Standard Electrical Units of Measure

Multiples and Sub- multiples

There is a huge range of values encountered
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in electrical and electronic engineering between a maximum value and a minimum value of a
standard electrical unit. For example, resistance can be lower than 0.01Ω or higher than
1,000,000Ω. By using multiples and submultiple’s of the standard unit we can avoid having
to write too many zero’s to define the position of the decimal point. The table below gives
their names and abbreviations.
Table 5.2 Names and abbreviations of multiples

So to display
the units or multiples of units for either Resistance, Current or Voltage we would use as an
example:

1kV = 1 kilo-volt – which is equal to 1,000 Volts.

1mA = 1 milli-amp – which is equal to one thousandths (1/1000) of an Ampere.
47kΩ = 47 kilo-ohms – which is equal to 47 thousand Ohms.
100uF = 100 micro-farads – which is equal to 100 millionths (100/1,000,000) of a Farad.
1kW = 1 kilo-watt – which is equal to 1,000 Watts.
1MHz = 1 mega-hertz – which is equal to one million Hertz.

Brief History of Electronics and Its Development

Electronics’ actual history began with the invention of vacuum diode by J.A. Fleming, in
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1897; and, after that, a vacuum triode was implemented by Lee De Forest to amplify
electrical signals. This led to the introduction of tetrode and pentode tubes that dominated the
world until the World War II.

Subsequently, the transistor era began with the junction transistor invention in 1948. Even
though, this particular invention got a Nobel Prize, yet it was later replaced with a bulky
vacuum tube that would consume high power for its operation. The use of germanium and
silicon semiconductor materials made theses transistor gain the popularity and wide-
acceptance usage in different electronic circuits.

The subsequent years witnessed the invention of the integrated circuits (ICs) that drastically
changed the electronic circuits’ nature as the entire electronic circuit got integrated on a
single chip, which resulted in low: cost, size and weight electronic devices. The years 1958 to
1975 marked the introduction of IC with enlarged capabilities of over several thousand
components on a single chip such as small-scale integration, medium-large scale and very-
large scale integration ICs.

And the trend further carried forward with the JFETS and MOSFETs that were developed
during 1951 to 1958 by improving the device designing process and by making more reliable
and powerful transistors.

Digital integrated circuits were yet another robust IC development that changed the overall
architecture of computers. These ICs were developed with Transistor-transistor logic (TTL),
integrated injection logic (I2L) and emitter coupled logic (ECL) technologies. Later these
digital ICs employed PMOS, NMOS, and CMOS fabrication design technologies.

All these radical changes in all these components led to the introduction of microprocessor in
1969 by Intel. Soon after, the analog integrated circuits were developed that introduced an
operational amplifier for an analog signal processing. These analog circuits include analog
multipliers, ADC and DAC converters and analog filters.

This is all about the fundamental understanding of the electronics history. This history of
electronics technology costs greater investment of time, efforts and talent from the real
heroes, some of them are described below.

Luigi Galvani (1737-1798)

Luigi Galvani was a professor in the University of Bologna. He studied the effects of
electricity on animals, especially on frogs. With the help of experiments, he showed the
presence of electricity in frogs in the year 1791.

Charles Coulomb (1737-1806)

Charles coulomb was a great scientist of the 18th century. He experimented with the
mechanical resistance and developed coulomb’s law of electro-static charges in the year
1799.
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Allesandro Volta (1745-1827)

Allesandro Volta was an Italian scientist. He invented battery in the year 1799. He was the
first to develop a battery (Voltaic cell) that could produce electricity as a result of chemical
reaction.

Hans Christian Oersted (1777-1852)

Hans Christian Oersted showed that whenever a current flows through a conductor, a
magnetic field is associated with it. He initiated the study of electromagnetism and
discovered Aluminum in the year 1820.

George Simon Ohm (1789-1854)

George Simon Ohm was a German physicist. He experimented with the electrical circuits and
made his own part including the wire. He found that some conductors worked when
compared to others. He discovered Ohms law in the year 1827, which is a relation between
current, voltage& resistance. The unit for resistance is named after him.

Michael Faraday (1791-1867)

Michael Faraday was a British scientist and great pioneer experimenter in electricity and
magnetism. After the discovery by Oersted, he demonstrated electromagnetic induction in the
year 1831. This is the basic principle of the working of generators.

James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879)

James Clerk Maxwell was a British physicist, and he wrote treatise on magnetism and
electricity in the year 1873. He developed the electromagnetic field equations in the year
1864. The equations in it were explained and predicted by hertz’s work and faradays’ work.
James Clerk Maxwell formulated an important theory – that is, electromagnetic theory of
light.

Henrich Rudolph Hertz (1857-1894)

Henrich Rudolph Hertz was a German physicist born in 1857 in Hamburg. He demonstrated
the electromagnetic radiation predicted by Maxwell. By using experimental procedures, he
proved the theory by engineering instruments to transmit and receive radio pulses. He was the
first person to demonstrate the photo-electric effect. The unit of frequency was named Hertz
in his honorarium.

Andre Marie Ampere (1775-1836)

Andre Marie Ampere was a French mathematician and physicist. He studied the effects of
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electric current and invented solenoid. The SI unit of electric current (the Ampere) was
named after him.

Karl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855)

Karl Friedrich Gauss was a physical scientist and a greatest German mathematician. He
contributed to many fields like algebra, analysis, statistics, electrostatics and astronomy. The
CGS unit of magnetic field density was named after him.

Wilhelm Eduard Weber (1804-1891)

Wilhelm Eduard Weber was a German physicist. He investigated terrestrial magnetism with
his friend Carl fried rich. He devised an electromagnetic telegraph in the year 1833, and also
established a system of absolute electrical units, and the MKS unit of flux was named after
Weber.

Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1932)

Thomas Alva Edison was a businessman and an American inventor. He developed many
devices like, practical electric bulb, motion picture camera, photograph and other such things.
While inventing the electric lamp, he observed the Edison effect.

Nikola Tesla (1856-1943)

Nikola Tesla invented the Tesla coil; the Tesla induction motor; alternating current (AC);
electrical supply system that includes a transformer; 3-phase electricity and motor. In 1891,
Tesla coil was invented and used in electronic equipment, television and radio sets. The unit
of magnetic field density was named after him.

Gustav Robert Kirchhoff (1824-1887)

Gustav Robert Kirchhoff was a German physicist. He developed Kirchhoff’s law that allows
calculation of the voltages, currents and resistance of electrical networks.

James Prescott Joule (1818-1889)

James Prescott Joule was a brewer and an English physicist. He discovered the law of
conservation of energy. The unit of energy – Joule was named in his honor. To develop the
scale of temperature, he worked with Lord Kelvin.

Joseph Henry (1799-1878)

Joseph Henry was an American scientist, and independently discovered electromagnetic

induction in the year 1831 – a year before faraday’s discovery. The unit of induction was
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named after him.

Lee De Forest (1873-1961)

Lee de forest was an American inventor, and he invented the first triode vacuum tube:
Audion tube in 1906. He was honored as the father of radio.

Walter Schottky (1886-1997)

Walter Schottky was a German physicist. He defined shot noise-random electron noise in
thermionic tubes, and invented the multiple grid vacuum tube.

Edwin Howard Armstrong (1890-1954)

Edwin Howard Armstrong was an inventor and an American electrical engineer. He invented
electronic oscillator and regenerative feedback. In 1917, he invented super-heterodyne radio
and patented FM radio in the year 1933.

Types of Electronic Components

There are numerous basic electronic components that are used for building electronic circuits.
Without these components, circuit designs are never complete or didn’t function well. These
components include resistors, diodes, capacitors, integrated circuits, and so on. Some of these
components consists of two or more terminals which are soldered to circuit boards. Some
may be packaged type like integrated circuits in which different semiconductor devices are
integrated.

Basic Electronics Components

An electronic circuit comprises of various types of components, which are classified into two
types: active components like transistors, diodes, IC’s; and passive components like
capacitors, resistors, inductors, etc.

In designing of an electronic circuit following are taken into consideration:

 Basic electronic components: capacitors, resistors, diodes, transistors, etc.

 Power sources: Signal generators and DC power supplies.
 Measurement and analysis instruments: Cathode Ray Oscilloscope (CRO),
multimeters, etc.

Passive Electronic Components

These components can store or maintains energy either in the form of current or voltage.
Some of these components are discussed below.

Resistors
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A resistor is a two-terminal passive electronics component, used to oppose or limit the
current. Resistor works based on the principle of Ohm’s law which states that “voltage
applied across the terminals of a resistor is directly proportional to the current flowing
through it”
V=IR

The units of the resistance is ohms

Where R is the constant called resistance
Resistors are further classified based on the following specifications such as the power rating,
type of material used and resistance value. This resistor types are used for different
applications.

Fig. 5.1 Resistor and its Schematic Diagram Symbol

Fixed resistors
This type of resistor is used to set the right conditions in an electronic circuit. The values of
resistance in fixed resistors are determined during the design phase of the circuit, based on
this there is no need to adjust the circuit.
Variable resistors
A device that is used to change the resistance according to our requirements in an electronic
circuit is known as a variable resistor. These resistors comprise of a fixed resistor element
and a slider which taps on to the resistor element. Variable resistors are commonly used as a
three terminal device for calibration of the device.
Capacitors
A capacitor made from two conductive plates with an insulator between them and it stores
electrical energy in the form of an electric field. A capacitor blocks the DC signals and allows
the AC signals and also used with a resistor in a timing circuit.
The stored charge is Q=CV

Where
C is the capacitance of a capacitor and
V is the applied voltage.

Fig. 5.2 Capacitor and its Schematic

Diagram Symbol
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These capacitors are different types like film, ceramic, electrolytic and variable capacitors.
For finding its value number and color coding methods are used and it also possible to find
the capacitance value with LCR meters.

Active Electronic Components

These components rely on a source of energy and are able to control the electron flow
through them. Some of these components are semiconductors like diodes, transistors,
integrated circuits, various displays like LCD, LED, CRTs and power sources like batteries,
PV cells and other AC and DC supply sources.

Diodes
A diode is a device that allows current to flow in one direction and usually made with
semiconductor material. It has two terminals, anode and cathode terminals. These are mostly
used in converting circuits like AC to DC circuits. These are are of different types like PN
diodes, Zener diodes, LEDs, photo diodes, etc.

Fig. 5.3 LED and its Schematic Diagram Symbol

Transistors
A transistor is a three terminal semiconductor device. Mostly it is used as switching device
and also as an amplifier. This switching device can be a voltage or current controlled.By
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controlling the voltage applied to the one terminal controls the current flow through the other
two terminals. Transistors are of two types, namely bipolar junction transistor (BJT) and field
effect transistors (FET). And further these can be PNP and NPN transistors.

Figure 5.4 Transistor and its Schematic Diagram Symbol

Integrated Circuits
An Integrated circuit is a special component which is fabricated with thousands of transistors,
resistors, diodes and other electronic components on a tiny silicon chip. These are the
building blocks of current electronic devices like cell phones, computers, etc. These can be
analog or digital integrated circuits. Mostly used ICs in electronic circuits are Op-amps,
timers, comparators, switches ICs and so on. These can be classified as linear and nonlinear
ICs depending on its application.
Fig. 5.5 Integrated Circuits and its Schematic Diagram Symbol

Other Devices
LCD: A liquid crystal display (LCD) is a flat display technology, which is mostly used in
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applications like computer monitors, cell phone display, calculators, etc. This technology
uses two polarized filters and electrodes for selectively disable or enable the light to pass
from reflective backing to the eyes of the viewer.

Fig. 5.6 Liquid Crystal Display

Batteries
Batteries are most common power source for standalone industrial, domestic and handheld
device applications. It converts chemical energy into electrical energy through
electrochemical discharge reactions. These consist of one or more cells and each cell contains
an anode, cathode and the electrolyte. The battery cells are classified into two types namely
primary cells and secondary cells. The primary cells are not of rechargeable type but the
secondary cells can be rechargeable.

Fig. 5.6 Battery and its Schematic Diagram Symbol

IV. LEARNING TASK

ACTIVITY NO. 1
Matching Type. Write the letter of the correct answer on the space provided.
_______1. Ohm a. battery
_______3. micro b. I*R
_______4. Terra c. electric bulb
_______5. Andre Marie Ampere d. VL
_______6. Capacitors e.

_______7. Allesandro Volta f. T

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_______8. Inductance g. G
_______9. Thomas Alva Edison h. (1775-1836)
_______10. Voltage i. Ω
_______11. Charge j. 10-6
_______12. Nikola Tesla k. O
_______13. Resistors l.
_______14. Lee De Forest m. (1856-1943)
_______15. Power n.

o. C*V
p. 106
q. Hertz
r. Watts
s. Audion tube
t. (1737-1798)

Answered the
questions and
understood Outstanding Very Good 40 Good 30 No Work
Fair 20 points
the topic 50 points points points Output
based on the
given answer

ACITIVITY NO. 2
Self-Assessment
Answer the following questions
1. After reading the history of electronics, what is your opinion regarding its effect in today’s
technology?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
2. What is the primary role of a resistor in a circuit? How does it affect the electricity being
supplied in the circuit?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
3. What is the primary role of a capacitor in a circuit? How does it affect the electricity being
supplied in the circuit?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
4. How does the Integrated Circuits (IC) revolutionized the way circuits are being build?
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___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

V. REFERENCES

https://cpe.kennesaw.edu/courses/professional/pc-troubleshooting-introduction-online/
www.wikipedia.org
www.chtips.com
https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/dccircuits/dcp_3.html
https://www.elprocus.com/know-about-brief-history-of-electronics-and-their-
generations/#:~:text=history%20of%20electronics-,Brief%20History%20of%20Electronics
%20and%20Its%20Development,Forest%20to%20amplify%20electrical%20signals.
https://www.elprocus.com/major-electronic-components/