Signals, Circuits, and Computers

John Athanasiou
Part B
Spring 2010

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 Electronic Circuits and Components
An “Electronic Circuit “ is a combination of electronic components
and conductive wires interconnected in a way as to achieve an
outcome: - Achieve a current /voltage of a certain value (signal)
- Amplify a signal
- Transfer data

Input CIRCUIT Output

The purpose of an electronic component is to allow the designer to

control the flow of current as to achieve a specified result/output.
(Resistors, Capacitors, Inductors, Diodes, Transistors )

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 Electronic Components

Active Components (have directionality) are those

who delivers or produce energy or power in
the form of a voltage or current ( Energy Donor)
Semiconductor devices-transistors

Passive Components (Have no directionality) Those

devices or components which store or maintain
Energy in the form of Voltage or Current
Resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes
(diodes and polarized capacitors must be
installed in a specified way) 3
 Electronic Components (cont.)

A. Resistors:

Resistors are passive elements that oppose/restrict

the flow of current.

A voltage is developed across its terminal,

proportional to the current through the resistor.
V = IR

Units: Ohms (Ω)

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Calculating Resistor Values

Digit, Digit, Multiplier = Colour, Colour x 10 colour in Ohm’s (Ω)

For example, a resistor has the following coloured markings; 5

Yellow Violet Red = 4 7 2 = 4 7 x 102 = 4700Ω or 4k7 Ohm.
 Electronic Components (cont.)
B. Capacitors
• behave like a tiny rechargeable battery.
(store energy and release it later. )
• are made of two parallel conductors separated by a
dielectric.
• are used for filtering, tuning, separating signals , etc.

• The ability of a capacitor to store charge is called

“Capacitance”

C = Q/V (amount of charge stored/applied voltage)

• The unit of capacitance is the Farad.

Commonly used capacitances are much smaller than 1
Farad, micro-Farads (10-6 Farad, μF),
nano-Farads (10-9 Farad, nF),
pico-Farads (10-12 Farad, pF). 6
 Electronic Components (cont.)

Transistors

Symbol for the NPN Transistor Transistors are commonly used for
signal amplification, switching,
collector
voltage regulation, etc. (it's a kind of
current booster.)
base
emitter Transistors were invented at Bell
Laboratories in New Jersey in 1947
Symbol for the PNP Transistor by three brilliant US
physicists: John Bardeen (1908–
1991), Walter Brattain (1902–
1987), and William
Shockley (1910–1989).

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 Electronic Components (cont.)

Diodes are semiconductor devices that allow

current in only one direction

Fuses are devices that protect the circuit

from overload.

Are made of a wire that melts when the

current through it exceeds a specified value

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 Electronic Components (cont.)

LEDs- Light Emitting Diodes:

• A special kind of diode: They allow current to
flow in one direction.

• The LED will light up when the proper amount of

1-3 current passes through.
4
5

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 Electronic Components (cont.)
Infrared Detectors

• The appearance of these infrared photo detectors and the

internal structure is similar to that of an LED.

• The infrared photo detector has a focal direction, and the

detection angle is about 15°. (8x15=120˚)

• This small detection angle allows the controller to tell the

direction where the infrared light comes from.
3 0
7

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 Integrated circuits are the building
blocks of most electronic devices and
Integrated Circuits
equipment. An integrated circuitis also
known as a chip or microchip.

Orientation

Selector
Amplifier
Counter
Tuning CKT

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Advantages
Miniaturization and hence increased equipment
density.
Cost reduction due to batch processing.
Increased system reliability due to the elimination
of soldered joints.
Improved functional performance.
Matched devices.
Increased operating speeds.
Reduction in power consumption

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Resistor: As you could probably guess from the name, a resistor increases the resistance
of a circuit. The main purpose of this is to reduce the flow of electricity in a circuit.
Resistors come in all different shapes and sizes.

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Capacitor: A capacitor is a component made from two (or two sets of) conductive
plates with an insulator between them.

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Inductor: An inductor is essentially a coil of wire. When current flows through an inductor,
a magnetic field is created, and the inductor will store this magnetic energy until it is
released. In some ways, an inductor is the opposite of a capacitor. While a capacitor stores
voltage as electrical energy, an inductor stores current as magnetic energy. Thus, a capacitor
opposes a change in the voltage of a circuit, while an inductor opposes a change in its
current. Therefore, capacitors block DC current and let AC current pass, while inductors do
the opposite. The strength of an inductor is called--take a wild guess--its inductance, and is
measured in henrys (H).

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Transformer: A transformer is an inductor, usually with an iron core, that has two lengths
of wire wrapped around it instead of one. The two coils of wire do not electrically connect,
and are normally attached to different circuits. One of the most important components in
the world of power, it is used to change one AC voltage into another.

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Diode / LED: A diode is a device, typically made from semiconductor material, that restricts
the flow of current in a circuit to only one direction; it will block the bulk of any current that
tries to go "against the flow" in a wire. Diodes have a multitude of uses. For example, they
are often used in circuits that convert alternating current to direct current, since they can
block half the alternating current from passing through. A variant of the common diode is
the light-emitting diode or LED; these are the most well-known and commonly-encountered
kind of diode, since they are used on everything from keyboards to hard disks to television
remote controls.

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Fuse: A fuse is a device designed to protect other components from accidental damage due to
excessive current flowing through them. Each type of fuse is designed for a specific amount
of current. As long as the current in the circuit is kept below this value, the fuse passes the
current with little opposition. If the current rises above the rating of the fuse--due to a
malfunction of some sort or an accidental short-circuit--the fuse will "blow" and disconnect
the circuit. Fuses are the "heroes" of the electronics world, literally burning up or melting
from the high current, causing a physical gap in the circuit and saving other devices from the
high current.

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