Basic Electronics

Samina Ahmad
Cell and cell types
 Primary Cell.
 In this cell, chemical reactions are
irreversible. During the generation of electric
energy, it consumes materials which cannot
be replenished by recharging. Hence, such
cells cannot be recharged back to their
original condition after being discharged.
 Primary Cells
 I. low cost
 2. small size
 3. short life
 4. useless when discharged
 5. light weight
Secondary Cell or Storage Cell or Accumulator.

 In these cells, chemical reactions are

reversible. After discharge, such a cell can be
restored to its original condition by passing
an electric current through it in a direction
opposite to that of the discharge current.
Secondary Cells

 Expensive
 Reasonably small
 Comparatively long life
 Rechargeable
 Heavier
Cell and Battery
 A battery consist, of two or more cells
connected either in series or parallel or both.
Often,
 Many people call a flashlight cell a flash light

battery which is technically incorrect.

Voltage and Current of a Cell
 The voltage rating of a cell is given by its
open-circuit voltage i.e. . voltage it can
produce when not connected to a load circuit.
This voltage depends on the types of
materials used and not on the physical size of
the cell.
 The capacity of a cell is given by the amount
of current it can supply to an external load
circuit.
 It depends on the condition and quantity of

electrolyte and physical size of the

electrodes.
 Everything else being the same a larger cell

can deliver more current for a longer period

of time than a smaller one.
Cell Life
 It is given by the period of time during which
the cell can be stored on a shelf without
losing more than approximately l0% of its
original capacity.
Different Types of Dry Cells
 We will consider the following prin1ary and
secondary cells
 (A) carbon-zinc cell
 (B) alkaline cell
Carbon Zinc Cell

 It is the oldest and most widely used

commercial dry cell.
 Construction
 l . The zinc can functions both as a container
to hold the electrolyte and as the negative
electrode.
 2. The positive electrode is a carbon rod down
the centre but not low enough to touch the
zinc bottom.
 3. The electrolyte is a paste of ammonium
chloride and manganese dioxide.
Size and Voltage
 Such cells are available in several sizes and
have open-circuit voltage from 1.4 lo 1.6 V,
regardless of size. Larger cells with more
zinc, electrolyte and depolarizer have a
higher current.
Alkaline Cells
 All those cells which use a caustic electrolyte
are called alkaline cells. '
 manganese-alkaline cell
 3. mercury cell and
 2. nickel-cadmium cell
 4 . silver-oxide cell.
Manganese Alkaline Cell
 It is a primiary cell having zinc as anode and
manganese dioxide as cathode in a leak-
proof steel can The electrolyte is potassium
hydroxide (KOH) or sodium hydroxide
(NaOH). Because of the high conductivity of
the electrolyte, this cell has higher current
rating than a carbon-zinc cell. It provides an
output voltage of 1.5 V.
Nickel Cadmium Cell
 It is a dry cell but is rechargeable. In present-
day electronics, it has superseded both lead-
acid cell and nickel-iron (NiFe) alkaline cell.
 The action material cadmium (a metal akin to
zinc), in powder form, is pressed (i.e., sintered)
into perforated steel plates which then form the
negative electrode of the cell. The positive
 anode is a steel mesh coated with solid nickel
hydroxide (NiOH). The electrolyte is potassium
hydroxide (caustic potash) usually in jelly form
Voltage and Current

 The open-circuit voltage of such cells is from

1.25 to 1.5 V. They have much longer life
when they are rapidly discharged at intervals.
Uses

 Since such cells can easily supply high

current, they are widely used as sources of
energy in radios, TV sets, tape recorders.
cameras and cordless type home appliance
such as electric toothbrush or electric carving
knife etc.
Mercury Cell
 lt is a primary cell and is widely used in
miniaturised electronic gadgetry.
Construction

 The cathode is made of compressed mercuric

oxide and graphite whereas anode is made of
highly purified zinc powder.
 The two are separated by a porous material.

The electrolyte is a paste mixture of

potassium hydroxide and zinc oxide.
 Such cells are available in wide range of
shapes and sizes-the smallest being about 3
mm thick and 12.5 mm in diameter. Open-
circuit voltage at room temprature varies
from 1.35 to 1.4 V depending on the
electrolyte mixture.
Uses

 Mercury cells enjoy a long shelf life without

deterioration and are extremely rugged.
 Since they can provide almost constant

voltage under varying load conditions.

Mercury cells and batteries are widely used in
electronic watches, hearing aids and test
instruments etc.
Silver Oxide Cell
 It is a primary cell with an open-circuit
 voltage of 1.5 V. It bas a cathode of silver

oxide and an anode of zinc in an alkaline

electrolyte. It is generally made in button size
for use in cameras, hearing aids and
electronic watches.
Lead Acid Cell

 It is a wet secondary cell mostly used for

making automobile batteries.
 Its anode plate (brown coloured) is a grid
made of a lead-antimony alloy into which is
pressed the active material lead peroxide.
 The cathode is a similar plate having pure

porous (sponge like) lead as active material.

The two plates are immersed in a solution of
dilute sulphuric acid of specific gravity 1.21
or so.
Voltage
 It has an open-circuit voltage of 2 to 2.2 V
when fresh. It should not be used after its
voltage has fallen to I .85 V when it should be
put on charge. It has much larger current
capacity as compared to dry cells, considered
earlier.
Use

 Principal use o f these cells is in the

manufacture of portable lead-acid batteries
used in automobiles (car and motor vehicles).
Photoelectric Devices
 As the name shows, these devices convert
light energy directly into electric energy. We
will consider following semiconductor devices
only because they are self-generating.
Photovoltaic Cell
 In this cell, light energy is used to create a
potential difference which is directly
proportional to the frequency and intensity of
the incident light.
Construction
 It consists of a piece of semiconductor
material such as selenium (Se), silicon (Si) or
germanium (Ge) which is bonded to a metal
plate.
uses
 These cells are used in devices like portable
exposure meters and direct-reading
illumination meters.
Solar Cell
 It is also called solar energy convertor and is
basically a P-N junction device which converts
solar energy into electric energy.
 It essentially consists of a silicon P-N
junction diode generally packaged in TO-type
can with a glass window on top. Surface layer
of P material is made extremely thin so that
incident light photons may easily reach the P-
N junction.
Uses
 Solar cells are being used on board satellites
to recharge their batteries. Since their sizes
are small, a large number of cells are
required to do the charging job for which
purpose series-parallel cell combinations are
employed.