Republic of the Philippines

PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS

Piccio Garden, Villamor, Pasay City

AE 212
BASIC ELECTRONICS MODULE

I. Module 2 Different Electronic components and their functions

II. Learning Outcomes:

Course Learning Outcomes [CLO]

Module Learning Outcomes [MLO]

CLO 1. Identify the basic principle of
electronics;
Topic Learning Outcomes [TLO]
MLO 1. Identify the different electronic
CLO 2. Explain the concepts involving the components through its schematic
fundamentals laws and theories of symbol. TLO 3. In depth discussion on electronic
electronics; components and its operations.

CLO 3. Demonstrate mastery of MLO 2. To be able to classify an •TLO 4. Discuss the different passive and
identifying electronic components using electronic components whether it is active electronic components and how
its schematic symbols; passive or active components. they can be used in a circuit.

III. Table of Contents

Time Allotment
Title Page
(mins)
Wires, Cables, and 45
Connectors
2
Switches 6 45
Relays 9 30
Resistors 11 15
Capacitors 11 15
References 12
Activity 12 60

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 IV. Core Content

Wires, Cables, and Connectors

• Wires

A wire’s diameter is expressed in terms of a gauge number. The gauge system, as it turns out,
goes against common sense. In the gauge system, as a wire’s diameter increases, the gauge
number decreases. At the same time, the resistance of the wire decreases. When currents are
expected to be large, smaller-gauge wires (large-diameter wires) should be used. If too much
current is sent through a large- gauge wire (small-diameter wire), the wire could become hot
enough to melt. Table 3.1 shows various characteristics for B&S-gauged copper wire at 20°C.
For rubber-insulated wire, the allowable current should be reduced by 30 percent.

Wire comes in solid core, stranded, or braided forms.

Solid wire core

Jacket Solid wire core

This wire is useful for wiring breadboards; the solid-core ends

slip easily into breadboard sockets and will not fray in the
process. These wires have the tendency to snap after a number
of flexes.

Stranded Wire

Jacket Standard wire core

The main conductor is comprised of a number of

individual strands of copper. Stranded wire tends to be a
better conductor than solid-core wire because the
individual wires together comprise a greater surface area.
Stranded wire will not break easily when flexed.

Braided Wire

Jacket Braid

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 A braided wire is made up of a number of individual
strands of wire braided together. Like stranded wires,
these wires are better conductors than solid-core wires,
and they will not break easily when flexed. Braided
wires are frequently used as an electromagnetic shield
in noise-reduction cables and also may act as a wire conductor within the cable (e.g., coaxial
cable).

Copper Wire Specifications (Bare and Enamel-Coated Wire)

WIRE SIZE DIAMETER DIAMETER OHMS PER OHMS PER CURRENT CARRY- NEAREST BRIT-
(AWG) (MILS)* (MM) 1000 FT KM ING CAPACITY (A) ISH SWG NO.

1 289.3 7.35 0.1239 0.41 119.564 1

2 257.6 6.54 0.1563 0.51 94.797 2

3 229.4 5.83 0.1971 0.65 75.178 4

4 204.3 5.19 0.2485 0.82 59.626 5

5 181.9 4.62 0.3134 1.03 47.268 6

6 162.0 4.12 0.3952 1.30 37.491 7

7 144.3 3.67 0.4981 1.63 29.746 8

8 128.5 3.26 0.6281 2.06 23.589 9

9 114.4 2.91 0.7925 2.60 18.696 11

10 101.9 2.59 0.9987 3.28 14.834 12

11 90.7 2.31 1.2610 4.13 11.752 13

12 80.8 2.05 1.5880 5.21 9.327 13

13 72.0 1.83 2.0010 6.57 7.406 15

14 64.1 1.63 2.5240 8.29 5.870 15

15 57.1 1.45 3.1810 10.45 4.658 16

16 50.8 1.29 4.0180 13.17 3.687 17

17 45.3 1.15 5.0540 16.61 2.932 18

18 40.3 1.02 6.3860 20.95 2.320 19

19 35.9 0.91 8.0460 26.42 1.841 20

20 32.0 0.81 10.1280 33.31 1.463 21

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 • Cables
A cable consists of a multiple number of independent conductive wires. The wires within cables may be
solid core, stranded, braided, or some combination in between. Typical wire configurations within cables
include the following:

Connectors
The following is a list of common plug and jack combinations used to fasten wires and cables
to electrical devices. Connectors consist of plugs (male-ended) and jacks (female-ended). To
join dissimilar connectors together, an adapter can be used.

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5
A switch is a mechanical device that interrupts or diverts electric current flow within a
circuit.

How a Switch Works

Two slider-type switches are shown in Fig. 3.35. The switch in Fig. 3.35a acts as an
interrupter, whereas the switch in Fig. 3.35b acts as a diverter.
Other kinds of switches, such as push-button switches, rocker switches, magnetic-reed
switches, etc., work a bit differently than slider switches. For example, a magnetic-reed
switch uses two thin pieces of leaf like metal contacts that can be forced together by a
magnetic field. This switch, as well as a number of other unique switches, will be discussed
later on in this section.

FIGURE 3.35 (a) When the lever is
pushed to the right, the metal strip bridges
the gap between the two contacts of the
switch, thus allowing current to flow.
When the lever is pushed to the left, the
bridge is broken, and current will not flow.
(b) When the lever is pushed upward, a
conductive bridge is made between
contacts a and b. When the lever is pushed
downward, the conductive bridge is
relocated to a position where current can
flow between contact a and c.

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Describing a Switch

A switch is characterized by its number of poles and by its number of throws. A pole
represents, say, contact a in Fig. 3.35b. A throw, on the other hand, represents the particular
contact-to-contact connection, say, the connection between contact a and contact b or the
connection between contact a and contact c in Fig. 3.35b. In terms of describing a switch, the
following format is used: (number of poles) “P“ and (number of throws) “T.“ The letter P
symbolizes “pole,” and the letter T symbolizes “throw.” When specifying the number of
poles and the number of throws, a convention must be followed: When the number of poles
or number of throws equals 1, the letter S, which stands for “single,” is used. When the
number of poles or number of throws equals 2, the letter D, which stands for “double,” is
used. When the number of poles or number of throws exceeds 2, integers such as 3, 4, or 5
are used. Here are a few examples: SPST, SPDT, DPST, DPDT, DP3T, and 3P6T. The
switch shown in Fig. 3.35a represents a single-pole single-throw switch (SPST), whereas the
switch in Fig. 3.35b represents a single-pole double-throw switch (SPDT).
Two important features to note about switches include whether a switch has momentary
contact action and whether the switch has a center-off position. Momentary-contact switches,
which include mainly pushbutton switches, are used when it is necessary to only briefly open
or close a connection. Momentary-contact switches come in either normally closed (NC) or
normally open (NO) forms. A normally closed pushbutton switch acts as a closed circuit
(passes current) when left untouched. A normally open pushbutton switch acts as an open
circuit (broken circuit) when left untouched. Center- off position switches, which are seen in
diverter switches, have an additional “off” position located between the two “on” positions. It
is important to note that not all switches have center-off or momentary-contact features—
these features must be specified.

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Kinds of Switches

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Relays
Relays are electrically actuated switches. The three basic kinds of relays include mechanical
relays, reed relays, and solid-state relays. For a typical mechanical relay, a current sent
through a coil magnet acts to pull a flexible, spring-loaded conductive plate from one switch
contact to another. Reed relays consist of a pair of reeds (thin, flexible metal strips) that
spring together whenever a current is sent through an encapsulating wire coil. A solid-state
relay is a device that can be made to switch states by applying external voltages across n-type
and p-type semiconductive junctions (see Chap. 4). In general, mechanical relays are
designed for high currents (typically 2 to 15 A) and relatively slow switching (typically 10 to
100 ms). Reed relays are designed for moderate currents (typically 500 mA to 1 A) and
moderately fast switching (0.2 to 2 ms). Solid-state relays, on the other hand, come with a
wide range of current ratings (a few microamps for low- powered packages up to 100 A for
high-power packages) and have extremely fast switching speeds (typically 1 to 100 ns). Some
limitations of both reed relays and solid-state relays include limited switching arrangements
(type of switch section) and a tendency to become damaged by surges in power.

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Specific Kinds of Relay

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Resistors
There are various kinds of resistors available today. There are fixed resistors, variable
resistors, digitally adjustable resistors, fusible resistors, photoresistors, and various resistor
arrays (networks). Figure below shows schematic symbols and pictures of some of the most
common types.

Capacitors

Capacitors perform a number of functions in electronics. One major function is simple energy
storage, where charge from an applied current is stored within the capacitor and later released
back into the circuit as useful current. The rate of charging and discharging can be controlled
by placing a resistor in series with the capacitor. This effect is often used in high-current
discharge circuits (photoflashes, actuators, etc.), as well as small energy backup supplies for
low-power memory ICs. It is also used to smooth out power supply ripple, control timing in
ICs, and alter the shape of waveforms.
The second major function of a capacitor when placed in series with a signal path is to block
dc while allowing ac signal components to pass. A capacitor used in this way is referred to as
a dc-blocking or ac-coupling capacitor. At dc, a capacitor’s impedance is ideally infinite—no
current flows, no dc levels within a mixed signal are passed. However, if an ac signal is
applied, the capacitor’s impedance becomes a finite value, dependent on the frequency of the
signal. The higher the frequency, the lower the impedance—ideally. So, in essence, a series

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capacitor can be used to couple two circuits together without introducing unwanted dc shifts
into the next stage, and can control how much of a given frequency signal gets through—it
controls the attenuation.
Now, a capacitor placed in parallel with a signal path (i.e., to ground) has an effect opposite
that of the coupling capacitor. Instead, it acts as a decoupling capacitor, allowing dc to
continue along the path, while diverting high-frequency signal components to ground—the
capacitor acts as a low-impedance path to ground. A similar effect, known as bypassing, is
used when a capacitor is placed across a particular circuit element to divert unwanted
frequencies around it. Decoupling and bypassing become fundamental when removing
unwanted random high-frequency ripple and other undesired alterations within a supply
voltage (or voltage-critical location) caused by random noise, or sudden current demands
generated by accompanying circuit elements. Without decoupling and bypassing, many
sensitive circuits, especially those incorporating digital logic ICs, have a tendency to
misbehave.

Reference:
Scherz, P., & Monk, S. (2016). Practical electronics for inventors. New
York: McGraw Hill Education.

V. Enrichment/ In-text activities

Answer the following questions. Turn in your answers in google

classroom in PDF or Document format.

Activity: Take 10 photos of different electronic components discussed

that can be seen in your household. Name it and explain its functions.

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 Rubrics
Criteria Inadequate Adequate Above Exemplary Score
65%-74% 75%-84% Average 93%-100%
85%-92%
Organization Writing lacks Writing is Writing is Writing shows
logical coherent and coherent and high degree of
organization. Itlogically logically attention to
shows some organized. organized logic and
coherence but Some with reasoning of
ideas lack unity.
points remain transitions points. Unity
Serious errors. misplaced and used between clearly leads
stray from the ideas and the reader to
topic. paragraphs to the
Transitions create conclusion
evident but coherence. and stirs
not Overall unity thought
used of ideas is regarding the
throughout present. topic.
essay.
Level of Shows some Content Content Content
Content thinking and indicates indicates indicates
reasoning but thinking and original synthesis of
most ideas are reasoning thinking and ideas, indepth
underdeveloped applied with develops analysis and
and unoriginal. original ideas with evidences
thought on a sufficient and original
few ideas. firm evidence. thought and
support for
the topic.
Development Main points lack Main points Main points Main points
detailed are present well well
development. with limited developed developed
Ideas are vague detail and with quality with high
with little development. supporting quality and
evidence of Some critical details and quantity
critical thinking. thinking is quantity. support.
present. Critical Reveals high
thinking is degree of
weaved into critical
points thinking.
Format Fails to follow Meets format Meets format Meets all
format and and and formal and
assignment assignment assignment assignment
requirements; requirements; requirements; requirements
incorrect generally margins, and evidences
margins, correct spacing, and attention to
spacing and margins, indentations detail; all
indentation; spacing, and are correct; margins,
neatness of indentations; essay is neat spacing and
essay is neat indentations

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 essay needs but may have and correctly are correct;
attention. some assembled. essay is neat
assembly and correctly
errors. assembled
with
professional
look.
Grade:

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