Basic Electronics

Basic Electronics
(Outline)
• The Elements of Electricity
• Volt-Ohm-Meter Basics (Measuring Electricity)
• Circuit Diagrams Basics (Electronic Roadmaps)
• The Resistor
• Ohm’s Law
• The Capacitor
• The Inductor
• The Diode
• The Transistor (Electronic Valve)
The Elements of Electricity
• Voltage
• Current
• Resistance
• Types of Current: AC and DC
• Circuits
– Closed
– Open
– Short
Voltage, Current, and Resistance
• Water flowing through a
hose is a good way to
imagine electricity
Water is like Electrons in a wire
(flowing electrons are called
Current)
Pressure is the force pushing
water through a hose –
Voltage is the force pushing
electrons through a wire
Friction against the holes walls
slows the flow of water –
Resistance is an impediment
that slows the flow of electrons
Forms of Current
• There are 2 types of current
– The form is determined by the directions the current flows
through a conductor
• Direct Current (DC)
– Flows in only one direction from negative toward positive
pole of source
• Alternating Current (AC)
– Flows back and forth because the poles of the source
alternate between positive and negative
AC Current Vocabulary

Time Period of One Cycle

Circuits
• A circuit is a path for current to flow
• Three basic kinds of circuits
– Open – the path is broken and interrupts current
flow
– Closed – the path is complete and current flows
were it is intended
– Short – an unintended low resistance path that
divers current
Circuits
Volt-Ohm-Meter (VOM) Basics
(Measuring Electricity)
• Common Functions
– Voltage – Semi-conductor
Performance
• AC/DC
• Transistors
• Ranges
• Diodes
– Current
– Capacitance
• AC/DC
• Ranges
– Resistance (DC only)
• Ranges
• Continuity
 Volt-Ohm-Meter Basics
Meter Reading Digits

DC Voltage Scales

AC Voltage Scales

Function Selection

Jacks
Volt-Ohm-Meter Basics
DC Current (low)

DC Current (high)

Resistance

Transistor Checker

Diode Checker
 Measuring Current

Negativ Positive
e Source
Source
Measuring Resistance
• When the VOM is used to measure resistance,
what actually is measured is a small current
applied to the component.
• There are 5 ranges. An out of resistance
reading will be indicated by a single “1” digit.
Remember k means multiply the reading by
1000.
• Operating voltages should be removed from the
component under test or you could damage the
VOM at worst, or the reading could be in error
at best.
Circuit Diagrams Basics
(Electronic Roadmaps)

• Component Representations
– Resistor
– Ground
– Capacitor
– Inductor
– Diode
– Transistor
– Integrated circuit
– Special
 Project T.V. Remote Decoder Circuit

Circuit Diagrams Basics 78L05

+9V

Gnd
Out
1N4001

In
SW6

.1uF 330
+5 Volts
to Relays

1 8
Vcc Gnd

12F675
2 7
4.7K GP5 GP0
3 6
GP4 GP1
4 5 Vcc
GP3 GP2
SW5 Gnd
N.O. Out

SW4 SW3 SW2 SW1

+5V +5V +5V +5V

K4 330 K3 330 330 K2 330 K1

LED LED LED LED

4.7K 4.7K 4.7K 4.7K

2N3904 2N3904 2N3904 2N3904

Note:
 Internal pull-up resistors are used on 12F265 pins
GP0, GP1, GP2, GP4, GP5
 External pull-up resistor required on GP3
 Protection diodes are internal to K1 - K4
 Switchs SW1 - SW4 are internal to K1 - K4
Resistor

Fixed Variable
Ground

Earth Chassis
Capacitor

Fixed Variable
Inductor

Air Core Iron Core Variable

Diode

General Light Emitting

Zener
Purpose (LED)
Transistor

NPN PNP FET

Integrated circuit
1 14

2 13

3 12

4 11

5 10

6 9

7 8
 Special
V
Battery Speaker
Voltmeter

Fuse Antenna
Ampmeter
The Resistor
• Resistance defined
• Resistance values
– Ohms – color code interpretation
– Power dissipation
• Resistors in circuits
– Series
– Parallel
– Combination
Resistance Defined
• Resistance is the impediment to the
flow of electrons through a conductor
– (friction to moving electrons)
– Where there’s friction, there is heat generated
– All materials exhibit some resistance, even the
best of conductors
• Unit measured in Ohm(s)
– From 1/10 of Ohms to millions of Ohms
Resistor Types
• Fixed Value
• Variable value
• Composite resistive material
• Wire-wound
• Two parameters associated with
resistors
– Resistance value in Ohms
– Power handling capabilities in watts
All 1000 Ohm Resistors

1/8 ¼ ½ 1 2 20
Resistor Types
Resistor Types
Inside a Resistor
Reading Resistor Color Codes

1. Turn resistor so gold, silver band, or space is at

right
2. Note the color of the two left hand color bands
3. The left most band is the left hand value digit
4. The next band to the right is the second value digit
5. Note the color of the third band from the left, this is
the multiplier
6. Multiply the 2 value digits by the multiplier
Reading Resistor Color Codes
Reading Resistor Color Codes
(Practice Problems)
1. Orange, orange, red?
2. Yellow, violet, orange?
3. Brown, black, brown?
4. Brown, black, green?
5. Red, red, red?
6. Blue, gray, orange?
7. Orange, white, orange?
Power dissipation
• Resistance generates heat and the
component must be able to dissipate this
heat to prevent damage.
• Physical size (the surface area available
to dissipate heat) is a good indicator of
how much heat (power) a resistor can
handle
• Measured in watts
• Common values ¼, ½, 1, 5, 10 etc.
Resistors in Circuits
Series
• Looking at the
current path, if there
is only one path, the
components are in
series.
Resistors in Circuits
Series

RE  R1  R2  Rn
Resistors in Circuits
Series
R1 R2 Calculate Measured
d RE RE
100 100

100K 10K

4.7K 4.7K

330 4.7K
Resistors in Circuits
Parallel

• If there is more than

one way for the
current to complete
its path, the circuit is
a parallel circuit.
Resistors in Circuits
Parallel

R1R2 1
RE  
R1  R2 1 1 1
 
R1 R2 Rn
Resistors in Circuits
Parallel
R1 R2 Calculate Measured
d RE RE
100 100

100K 10K

4.7K 10K

330 4.7K
Resistors in Circuits
Parallel Challenge

• Make a circuit with 3 resistors in

parallel, calculate the equivalent
resistance then measure it.
 R1 = 330 ohm
 R2 = 10 k-ohm
 R3 = 4.7 k-ohm
Resistors in Circuits
Mixed
• If the path for the
current in a portion of

Series
the circuit is a single

Series
path, and in another
portion of the circuit
has multiple routes, the
circuit is a mix of series
and parallel.

Parallel
Resistors in Circuits
Mixed
R1 330
• Take the parallel
segment of the
circuit and calculate
the equivalent R2 R3
resistance: 4.7K 2.2K
R2 R3
RE 
R2  R3
Resistors in Circuits
Mixed
R1 330
• We now can look at the
simplified circuit as
shown here. The
parallel resistors have
been replaced by a
single resistor with a
value of 1498 ohms.
• Calculate the resistance
of this series circuit: RE=1498

R1  RE
Resistors in Circuits
Mixed R1

• In this problem, divide

the problem into

Series
sections, solve each
section and then R2

Series
combine them all back

Parallel
into the whole. R4
• R1 = 330 R3
• R2 = 1K
• R3 = 2.2K
• R4 = 4.7K
Resistors in Circuits
Mixed
R2
• Looking at this
portion of the
circuit, the resistors
are in series.
 R2 = 1k-ohm
 R3 = 2.2 k-ohm
R3

RE  R2  R3
Resistors in Circuits
Mixed
R1
• Substituting the
equivalent resistance
just calculated, the
circuit is simplified to
this.
 R1 = 330 ohm RE R4
 R4 = 4.7 k-ohm
 RE = 3.2 k-ohm
• Now look at the parallel
resistors RE and R4.
Resistors in Circuits
Mixed

• Using the parallel

formula for:
 RE = 3.2 k-ohm RE R4
 R4 = 4.7 k-ohm

RE R4
RT 
RE  R4
Resistors in Circuits
Mixed
R1
• The final calculations
involve R1 and the
new RTotal from the
previous parallel
calculation.
 R1 = 330 RTotal
 RE = 1.9K
RTotal  R1  RE
 Resistors in Circuits
Mixed
R1 = 330 ohm
RTotal = 2,230

R2 = 1 k-ohm
=
R4 = 4.7 k-ohm

R3 = 2.2 k-ohm
Ohm’s Law
• The mathematical relationship
 E=I*R
• Doing the math
• Kirchhoff’s law
– A way to predict circuit behavior
• It all adds up
• Nothing is lost
Ohm’s Law
• There is a mathematical
E  I *R
relationship between
the three elements of E
electricity. That
relationship is Ohm’s
R
law.
 E = volts
I
E
 R = resistance in ohms
 I = current in amps

I
R
Ohm’s Law
Ohm’s Law
• This is the basic circuit
that you will use for the
following exercises.
• The VOM will be moved A
to measure
voltage,resistance and V
current.
Ohm’s Law Exercise 1
• Wire this circuit using a
100 ohm resistor.
• Without power applied
measure the resistance V
of the resistor.
• Connect the 9 volt
battery and measure
the voltage across the
resistor.
• Record your data.
Ohm’s Law Exercise 1
• Using the voltage
E
and resistance data
in Ohm’s law, I
calculate the
anticipated current.
R
• Example data results
in a current of .09 8.8volts
amps or 90 .09amps 
milliamps 98.1ohms
Ohm’s Law Exercise 1
• Insert the VOM into the
circuit as indicated in
this diagram.
A
• Using the appropriate
current range, measure
the actual current in the
circuit.
• How does the measured
current compare to your
prediction using Ohm’s
law?
Ohm’s Law In Practice
• The next series of exercises will put Ohm’s
Law to use to illustrate some principles of
basic electronics.
• As in the previous exercise you will build the
circuits and insert the VOM into the circuit in
the appropriate way to make current and
voltage measurements.
• Throughout the exercise record your data so
that you can compare it to calculations.
 + -
Ohm’s Law In Practice A

• Build up the
R1
illustrated circuit.
 R1 = 1 k-ohm
 R2 = 1 k-ohm
 R3 = 2.2 k-ohm
R2 R3
 R4 = 300 ohm

• Measure the current

flowing through the
circuit. R4
Ohm’s Law In Practice
• Now move the VOM
to the other side of
the circuit and
measure the
current.
• The current should
be the same as the
previous
measurement. A

+ -
Ohm’s Law In Practice
• Insert the VOM at
the indicated +
location and A

measure the -
current.
• There should be no
surprise that the
current is the same.
Ohm’s Law In Practice
V

• Measure the voltage

across R1.
• Using Ohm’s law,
calculate the voltage
drop across a 1K ohm
resistor at the current
you measured
• Compare the result.
Ohm’s Law In Practice
• In this next step, you will
insert the VOM in the #1 #2
circuit at two places
illustrated at the right as A A

#1 and #2.
• Record your current
readings for both places.
• Add the currents and
compare and contrast to
the current measured
entering the total circuit.
Ohm’s Law In Practice
• Using the current measured through #1 and
the resistance value of R2, 1k ohms, calculate
the voltage drop across the resistor.
• Likewise do the same with the current
measured through #2 and the resistance
value of R3, 2.2k ohms.
• Compare and contrast these two voltage
values
Ohm’s Law In Practice
• Measure the voltage
across the parallel
resistors and record
your answer.
• Compare and contrast V

the voltage measured to

the voltage drop
calculated.
Ohm’s Law In Practice
• In the next step, insert
the VOM into the circuit
as illustrated, measure
and record the current.
• Compare and contrast
the current measured to
the total current
measured in a previous A

step.
• Were there any
surprises?
Ohm’s Law In Practice
• Using the current you
just measured and the
resistance of R4 (330
ohms), calculate what
the voltage drop across
R4 should be.
• Insert the VOM into the
circuit as illustrated and
measure the voltage. V
• Compare and contrast
the measured and
calculated voltages.
Ohm’s Law In Practice
• There is one final
measurement to complete
this portion of the exercise.
Insert the VOM as indicated.
• Recall the 3 voltages
measured previously; across
R1, R2 and R3, and across R4. V

• Add these three voltages

together and then compare
and contrast the result with
the total voltage just
measured.
Ohm’s Law In Practice
• What you observed was:
– The sum of the individual currents entering a node
was equal to the total current leaving a node .
– The sum of the voltage drops was equal to the
total voltage across the circuit.
• This is Kirchhoff’s law and is very
useful in the study of electronic circuits.
• You also noted that Ohm’s law applied
throughout the circuit.
The Capacitor
• Capacitance defined • Capacitance values
• Physical construction – Numbering system

– Types • Capacitors in circuits

– How construction affects – Series
values – Parallel
– Power ratings – Mixed
• Capacitor
performance with AC
and DC currents
The Capacitor
The Capacitor
Defined
• A device that stores energy
in electric field.
• Two conductive plates
separated by a non
conductive material.
• Electrons accumulate on one
plate forcing electrons away
from the other plate leaving
a net positive charge.
• Think of a capacitor as very
small, temporary storage
battery.
The Capacitor
Physical Construction

• Capacitors are rated

by:
– Amount of charge that
can be held.
– The voltage handling
capabilities.
– Insulating material
between plates.
The Capacitor
Ability to Hold a Charge

• Ability to hold a
charge depends on:
– Conductive plate surface
area.
– Space between plates.
– Material between plates.
Charging a Capacitor
Charging a Capacitor
• In the following activity you
will charge a capacitor by
connecting a power source
(9 volt battery) to a
capacitor.
• You will be using an
electrolytic capacitor, a +
capacitor that uses polarity
sensitive insulating material
between the conductive
plates to increase charge
capability in a small physical
package.
• Notice the component has
polarity identification + or -.
Charging a Capacitor
• Touch the two leads of the capacitor
together.
• This short circuits the capacitor to make
sure there is no residual charge left in
the capacitor.
• Using your VOM, measure the voltage
across the leads of the capacitor
Charging a Capacitor
• Wire up the illustrated circuit
and charge the capacitor.
• Power will only have to be
applied for a moment to fully
charge the capacitor.
• Quickly remove the capacitor
+
from the circuit and touch
the VOM probes to the
capacitor leads to measure
the voltage.
• Carefully observe the voltage
reading over time until the
voltage is at a very low level
(down to zero volts).
Discharging a Capacitor
The Capacitor
Behavior in DC

• When connected to a DC source, the

capacitor charges and holds the charge
as long as the DC voltage is applied.
• The capacitor essentially blocks DC
current from passing through.
The Capacitor
Behavior in AC
• When AC voltage is applied, during one half
of the cycle the capacitor accepts a charge in
one direction.
• During the next half of the cycle, the
capacitor is discharged then recharged in the
reverse direction.
• During the next half cycle the pattern
reverses.
• It acts as if AC current passes through a
capacitor
The Capacitor
Behavior
• A capacitor blocks the passage of DC
current
• A capacitor passes AC current
The Capacitor
Capacitance Value
• The unit of capacitance is the farad.
– A single farad is a huge amount of capacitance.
– Most electronic devices use capacitors that are a very tiny
fraction of a farad.
• Common capacitance ranges are:
 Micro  10-6

 Nano n 10-9

 Pico p 10-12
The Capacitor
Capacitance Value
• Capacitor identification
depends on the
capacitor type.
• Could be color bands,
dots, or numbers.
• Wise to keep capacitors
organized and identified
to prevent a lot of work
trying to re-identify the
values.
Capacitors in Circuits
+
• Three physical
factors affect Charged plates
capacitance values. far apart
– Plate spacing
– Plate surface area -
– Dielectric material
• In series, plates are
far apart making C1C2
capacitance less CE 
C1  C2
Capacitors in Circuits
• In parallel, the
+
surface area of the
plates add up to be
greater.
• This makes the total
capacitance higher. -

CE  C1  C2
The Inductor
• Inductance defined
• Physical construction
– How construction affects
values
• Inductor
performance with
AC and DC currents
The Inductor
• There are two fundamental principles
of electromagnetics:
1. Moving electrons create a magnetic field.
2. Moving or changing magnetic fields cause
electrons to move.
• An inductor is a coil of wire through
which electrons move, and energy is
stored in the resulting magnetic field.
The Inductor
• Like capacitors,
inductors temporarily
store energy.
• Unlike capacitors:
– Inductors store energy in a
magnetic field, not an
electric field.
– When the source of
electrons is removed, the
magnetic field collapses
immediately.
The Inductor
• Inductors are simply
coils of wire.
– Can be air wound (just
air in the middle of the
coil)
– Can be wound around a
permeable material
(material that
concentrates magnetic
fields)
– Can be wound around a
circular form (toroid)
The Inductor
• Inductance is measured in Henry(s).
• A Henry is a measure of the intensity of
the magnetic field that is produced.
• Typical inductor values used in
electronics are in the range of millihenry
(1/1000 Henry) and microhenry
(1/1,000,000 Henry)
The Inductor
• The amount of
inductance is
influenced by a
number of factors:
– Number of coil turns.
– Diameter of coil.
– Spacing between turns.
– Size of the wire used.
– Type of material inside
the coil.
Inductor Performance With DC
Currents
• When a DC current is applied to an inductor,
the increasing magnetic field opposes the
current flow and the current flow is at a
minimum.
• Finally, the magnetic field is at its maximum
and the current flows to maintain the field.
• As soon as the current source is removed, the
magnetic field begins to collapse and creates
a rush of current in the other direction,
sometimes at very high voltage.
Inductor Performance With AC
Currents
• When AC current is applied to an inductor,
during the first half of the cycle, the magnetic
field builds as if it were a DC current.
• During the next half of the cycle, the current
is reversed and the magnetic field first has to
decrease the reverse polarity in step with the
changing current.
• These forces can work against each other
resulting in a lower current flow.
The Inductor
• Because the magnetic
field surrounding an
inductor can cut across
another inductor in
close proximity, the
changing magnetic field
in one can cause
current to flow in the
other … the basis of
transformers
The Diode
• The semi-conductor phenomena
• Diode performance with AC and DC
currents
• Diode types
– General purpose
– LED
– Zenier
The Diode
The semi-conductor phenomena
• Atoms in a metal allow a “sea” of electrons
that are relatively free to move about.
• Semiconducting materials like Silicon and
Germanium have fewer free electrons.
• Impurities added to semiconductor material
can either add free electrons or create an
absence of free electrons (holes).
The Diode
The semi-conductor phenomena

• Consider the bar of silicon at the right.

– One side of the bar is doped with negative material (excess
electrons). The cathode.
– The other side is doped with positive material (excess holes). The
anode
– In between is a no man’s land called the P-N Junction.
The Diode
The semi-conductor phenomena

• Consider now applying a negative voltage to the

anode and positive voltage to the cathode.
• The electrons are attracted away from the junction.
• This diode is reverse biased meaning no current will
flow.
The Diode
The semi-conductor phenomena

• Consider now applying a positive voltage to

the anode and a negative voltage to the
cathode.
• The electrons are forced to the junction.
• This diode is forward biased meaning current
will flow.
The Diode
with AC Current
• If AC is applied to a diode:
– During one half of the cycle the diode is forward biased and
current flows.
– During the other half of the cycle, the diode is reversed
biased and current stops.
• This is the process of rectification, allowing
current to flow in only one direction.
• This is used to convert AC into pulsating DC.
 The Diode
with AC Current
Output Pulsed DC Voltage

Diode
conducts
Diode off

Input AC
Voltage
The Light Emitting Diode
• In normal diodes, when electrons combine
with holes current flows and heat is
produced.
• With some materials, when electrons combine
with holes, photons of light are emitted, this
forms an LED.
• LEDs are generally used as indicators though
they have the same properties as a regular
diode.
The Light Emitting Diode
• Build the illustrated circuit on
the proto board.
• The longer LED lead is the
anode (positive end).
• Observe the diode response
330
• Reverse the LED and
observe what happens.
• The current limiting resistor
not only limits the current
but also controls LED
brightness.
Zener Diode
• A Zener diode is
designed through
appropriate doping so
that it conducts at a
predetermined reverse 9V 4.7V
voltage.
– The diode begins to conduct
and then maintains that
predetermined voltage
• The over-voltage and
associated current must
be dissipated by the
diode as heat
The Transistor
(Electronic Valves)
• How they works, an
inside look
• Basic types
– NPN
– PNP
• The basic transistor
circuits
– Switch
– Amplifier
The Transistor
collector

base

emitter
The Transistor
e-
conducting
collector emitter
N P N

base
forward bias
e- e-

The base-emitter current controls the collector-base current

The Transistor

non-conducting
collector emitter
N P N

base
reverse bias
e- e-
The Transistor
• There are two basic types of
transistors depending of the
arrangement of the material.
– PNP PNP
– NPN
• An easy phrase to help
remember the appropriate
symbol is to look at the
arrow.
– PNP – pointing in proudly.
– NPN – not pointing in.
• The only operational
difference is the source
polarity. NPN
Putting It All Together
• Simple construction project
Conclusion
• Not really - your journey to understand
basic electronics has just begun.
• This course was intended to introduce
you to some concepts and help you
become knowledgeable in others.