www.kenyanexams.

com

1920/103
BASIC ELECTRO
November 2018
Time: 3 hours

THE KENYA NATIONAL EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL

CRAFT CERTIFICATE IN INFORMATION COMMUNICATION

TECHNOLOGY

BASIC ELECTRONICS

3 hours

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES

This paper consists of TWO sections: A and B.

Answer ALL questions in section A and any FOUR questions.from section B.
Candidates should answer the questions in English.

This paper consists of 5 printed pages.

Candidates should check the question paper to ascertain that all the
pages are printed as indicated and that no questions are missing.

© 2018 The Kenya National Examinations Council Turn over

www.kenyanexams.com SECTION A (40 marks)

Answer ALL the questions in this section.

1. Outline four advantages of binary codes. (4 marks)

2. Convert the following numbers to Excess-3 code.
(i) 2710 (2 marks)
(ii) 35910 (2 marks)
3. Explain two functions of an electron in the outermost shell of an atom. (4 marks)

4. Determine the octal equivalent of the arithmetic operation 13516 + 43At6· (4 marks)
5. An electrician in a laboratory was charging a capacitor in a DC circuit and he noticed some

6.
current characteristics. Explain two such characteristics of the capacitor.
Explain two uses of a shottkey diode.
(4 marks)
(4 marks) -
7. (a) Figure 1 shows resistors in a circuit used for the experiment of conductance. Explain
the total conductance across the resistors. (2 marks)

Figure 1
(b) Flip chip technology has been used in semiconductor devices. Explain one advantage
of this technology. (2 marks)
8. A circuit has a voltage of 40V and conductance (G) of 1.6 x I 0-2 Siemens. Determine the:
(i) current (I); (2 marks)
(ii) resistance (R). (2 marks)
9. Figure 2 represents a simple logic diagram using a Karnaugh map, simplify the logic diagram.
(4 marks)

Figure 2

10. Explain two ways that intrinsic semiconductors conduct current. (4 marks)

1920/103 2
November 2018
www.kenyanexams.com
SECTION B (60 marks)
Answer any FOUR questions from this section.

11. (a) (i) Explain two characteristics of a magnetic disk that makes it suitable for use as a
computer secondary memory. (4 marks)
(ii) Distinguish between reversed biased PN junction and.forward biased PN
junction as applied in semiconductors. (4 marks)
(b) (i) A group of students were expected to write a term paper about binary codes.
List six classifications of binary codes that they could have mentioned.
(3 marks)
(ii) Figure 3 shows a diagram that observes Ohm's law, given that V (9.0 V),
R1 (100 Q), R2 and R3 (50 Q) and Ra (75 Q). Determine the total resistance in
the circuit. (4 marks)

Figure 3

12. (a) (i) Define each of the following terms applied in semiconductors:
(I) · depletion region; (1 mark)
(II) dopant; (1 mark)
(III) donor. (1 mark)

(ii) Write the Gray code equivalent of each of the following BCD numbers:
(I) 0001; (1 mark)
(II) 0011; (1 mark)
(III) 0101; (1 mark)
(IV) 0111. (1 mark)

1920/103. 3 Turn over

November 2018
www.kenyanexams.com

(b) (i) Table l represents a truth table of a logic gate. Outline the log'c gate of the
truth table. (3 marks)
A B A®B
0 1 1
0 0 0
l 0 0
1 I 1
Table l
(ii) (I) Convert ADBF 16 to its decimal equivalent. (3 marks)

(II) Figure 4 represents a number. Identify the parts labelled (i) and (ii).
(2 marks)

456.98
Yt (i) (ii)

Figure 4
13. (a) (i) Electronic experts realized that the resistors they were using had some unique
colour codes. Explain two colour code exceptions that they identified. (4 marks)
(ii) With the aid of a sketch, draw two electronic symbols of capacitors. (2 marks)
(b) (i) Explain three circumstances under which computer non-volatile memories
could be used. ( 6 marks)
(ii) The p.d across the terminal of a cell is 6.0 volts when it is not connected to a
circuit and no current is flowing. When the cell is connected to a circuit and a
current of 0.25 A is flowing, the terminal p.d falls to 5.8 volts. Determine the
internal resistance of the cell. (3 marks)

14. (a) (i) Define the term floating point as applied in computer operations. (2 marks)
(ii) Distinguish between peak value and average value as applied in AC circuits.
(4 marks)
(b) (i) A supermarket intends to install an alarm system with movement sensors A, B
and C. To prevent false alarms produced by a single activation, the alarm will
be triggered only when at least two sensors activate simultaneously. The sensors
are represented by a high. Draw a truth table to this effect. (4 marks)
(ii) Simplify the following Boolean expression using a Kamaugh map.

(5 marks)

1920/103 4
November 2018
www.kenyanexams.com

15. (a) (i) Outline the SI symbol of each of the following multiples for joule:
(I) microjoule ; ~l mark)
(II) terajoule; (1 mark) ;

(III) yottajoule. (1 mark)

(ii) Convert the following numbers systems to BCD.
(I) 110110012 (2 marks)
(II) AC02 16 (3 marks)
(b) (i) Using the Boolean expression given below, draw the logical gates used to get
the output. (4 marks)

Y =A(B+CD)
(ii) The following wave forms are produced by different devices. Identify the kind
of device that would produce each of the wave form. (3 marks)

I.

THIS IS THE LAST PRINTED PAGE.

1920/103 5
November 2018