Basic Components

We use components in electronics in order to manipulate electricity, by manipulating electric current we are able to control how the electricity acts in a circuit- thus is the study of electronics. This page is devoted to 'basic' components; by this is mean: reistors, capacitors, transitors, FETs, Leds, thyristors, buzzers, etc. I will attempt to briefly explain all the components that will be used on my projects in several pages. ELECTRONIC GEEKS BEWARE: THIS IS VERY SIMPLE STUFF FOR BEGINNERS, AND THERE IS A RISK OF BOREDOM IF YOU READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION.

LED

An LED (Light Emmiting Diode) is a one way valve that acts in the same way as a diode, except it emmits light in one direction as current flows through it. The LED is a polarised component that has two legs the cathode (-) and the anode (+). A resistor is a component that runs on low voltages and thus a resistor must be used in conjunction with it. Three different voltages will be used in the circuits on this site: For 6V circuits use a 270 ohm reistor with the LED. For 9V circuits use a 330 ohm resitor with the LED. For 12V circuits use a 470 ohm resistor with the LED. Resistors are useful as output indicators, infrared LEDs can also be bought which emit IR light.

Resistor

A resitor is a component that makes use of the idea of resistance. A resistor is a component that uses a material with a high resistance to restrict the flow of electricity through a circuit. Carbon and carbon film are the most common materials used for resistors. Resistors are useful to protect components that are sensative to high voltages/currents and also form the main 'support' component in IC based circuits. The unit of resistance is the ohm.

Capacitor

A capacitor is a component that contains two conductors, seperated by an insulator. A capacitor will create charge between these two conductors creating a magnetic field, by doing this it is able to store electricity. Capacitors come in several forms i.e: Polyester, Ceramic and Electrolytic. The capacitor is measured in Farads, this will determin how much charge it can store and for how long. 1 Farad is too large a figuer for most capacitors and so many denominations of the Farad have appeared such as the micro Farad and Pico Farad.