LED’s, Resistors,

Schematics, and
Breadboards
Basic Building Blocks of Simple Arduino Circuits
Bread Boards
BreadBoard
s
Make Electrical Connections

They Make Wires Touch

You see how the wires are connected
Vertical Stripes - two on each side
by looking at the back
Horizontal
Stripes
don’t bridge
the gap -
connect
only 5 holes.
The Letters and Numbers Mean
Nothing
It’s a good idea to put +5V in the
+ stripe so you know it’s there.

It’s a good idea to put GND in the

- strip so you know it’s there.

As for the rest of the numbers

and letters - you don’t have to
follow the diagram EXACTLY -

you just need to make sure the

wires make the same
connections.
Demonstrating A Circuit With A
Breadboard
Diodes and
LED’s
LED - Light Emitting Diode
It gives off light

It’s a DIODE

What’s a Diode?
A component that allows electrical flow in only one direction.
Parts of LEDs
Diodes are like
waterfalls
There’s only one direction the water can
flow.

The long leg is the ANODE and connects

to the + Voltage,

the short leg is the CATHODE and

connects to the - or GND

Electrical Engineers typically describe

electrical current as moving from the positive
+ terminal to the negative - in a LED, in
through the anode and out through the
cathode
Demo of LED
Direction
 What is a
SCHEMATIC?
A visual plan - like a blueprint for a circuit. Each component including wires has its own
symbol. A schematic is meant to show connections, not physical layouts.
Schematic Wiring
Diagram Shows you exactly where to connect the wires

Uses symbols to show you what is connected to what

DIODE and
LED
SCHEMATIC

DIODE

LIGHT EMITTING DIODE

Resistors
They Resist Current - “slow” things
down
What’s up
with those
colory
stripes?
It’s Simple
Stripes identify:

1. Resistance
2. Tolerance

Read the bands from left to right.

Which side is right? It’s probably got a

silver or gold band.
Resistor Color Code Identification
Practice
1st stripe: Orange - 3

2nd stripe: Yellow - 4

3rd stripe: Red - x 100 (multiplier)

3400 Ω

4th stripe: Silver -

10% tolerance
Remember OHM’s Law?
V=IR (or I=V/R)

Therefore if you have +5V and a 330Ω resistor, the amount of current is: …?

.015A
Resistor
Schematic
It looks like a jagged line with the OHMs This is another way to draw resistors. (I don’t do it this
listed way)

if you name it

it’s a
resistor

that’s how much it resists in ohms

 Schematic
Wiring Diagram
Uses symbols and shows connections uses pictures and shows
physical layout

+
-
Series Circuits
Series circuits are in-line as the name suggests - one path of electricity.
Parallel Circuits
The electrical current path is split (though the voltage stays the same)
Multiple
Resistors Get
Interesting

100Ω

+5V
300Ω

1
R= _______ = 75Ω
1 + __
__ 1
100 300
for fun...