Introduction To Basic Electronics

Learning about basic electronics and creating your own projects is a lot easier than
you may think. In this tutorial, we’re going to give you a brief overview of common
electronic components and explain what their functions are. You will then learn about
schematic diagrams and how they are used to design and build circuits. And finally,
you will put this information to use by creating your first basic circuit.

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Electronic Workbench
Before you get started, make sure your electronic workbench is properly set up. The
work area doesn’t need to be fancy and you could even build your own electronic
workbench.
Storage
Electronic components can be small and it’s a good idea to keep everything
organized. The most popular option is to use clear plastic storage boxes for storing
parts. In addition, you could use plastic storage bins that hang from a rack or fit on a
shelf.
Tools
Now that you have a good workspace set up, it’s time to stock it with the proper tools
and equipment. This isn’t a complete list but it does highlight the most common items
used in electronics.

Breadboard
Breadboards are an essential tool for prototyping and building temporary
circuits. These boards contain holes for inserting wire and components. Because of
their temporary nature, they allow you to create circuits without soldering. The holes
in a breadboard are connected in rows both horizontally and vertically as shown
below.

Digital Multimeter
A multimeter is a device that’s used to measure electric current (amps), voltage (volts)
and resistance (ohms). It’s a great for troubleshooting circuits and is capable of
measuring both AC and DC voltage. Check out this post for more info on how to use
a multimeter.

Battery Holders
A battery holder is a plastic case that holds batteries from 9V to AA. Some holders
are enclosed and may have an on/off switch built in.

Test Leads (Alligator Clips)

Test leads are great for connecting components together to test a circuit without the
need for soldering.
Wire Cutter
Wire cutters are essential for stripping stranded and solid copper wire.

Precision Screwdriver Set

Precision screwdrivers are also known as jeweler’s screwdrivers and usually come as
a set. The advantage of these over normal screwdrivers is the precision tips of each
driver. These are very handy when working with electronics that contain tiny screws.
Helping 3rd Hand
When working with electronics, it seems you never have enough hands to hold
everything. This is where the helping hand (3rd hand) comes in. Great for holding
circuit boards or wire when soldering or tinning.

Heat Gun
A heat gun is used to shrink plastic tubing known as heat shrink to help protect
exposed wire. Heat shrink has been called the duct tape of electronics and comes in
handy in a wide variety of applications.
Jumper Wire
These wires are used with breadboard and development boards and are generally 22-
28 AWG solid core wire. Jumper wires can have male or female ends depending on
how they need to be used.

Soldering Iron
When it time to create a permanent circuit, you’ll want to solder the parts
together. To do this, a soldering iron is the tool you would use. Of course a soldering
iron isn’t any good unless you have solder to go with it. You can choose leaded or
lead-free solder in a few diameters.
Electronic Components
Now its time to talk about the different components that make your electronic projects
come to life. Below is a quick breakdown of the most common components and
functions they perform.

Switch
Switches can come in many forms such as pushbutton, rocker, momentary and
others. Their basic function is to interrupt electric current by turning a circuit on or
off.
Resistor
Resistors are used to resist the flow of current or to control the voltage in a
circuit. The amount of resistance that a resistor offers is measured in Ohms. Most
resistors have colored stripes on the outside and this code will tell you it’s value of
resistance. You can use a multimeter or Digikey’s resistor color code calculator to
determine the value of a resistor.

Variable Resistor (Potentiometer)

A variable resistor is also known as a potentiometer. These components can be found
in devices such as a light dimmer or volume control for a radio. When you turn the
shaft of a potentiometer the resistance changes in the circuit.
Light-Dependent Resistor (LDR)
A light-dependent resistor is also a variable resistor but is controlled by the light
versus turning a knob. The resistance in the circuit changes with the intensity of the
light. These are often found in exterior lights that automatically turn on at dusk and
off at dawn.
Capacitor
Capacitors store electricity and then discharges it back into the circuit when there is a
drop in voltage. A capacitor is like a rechargeable battery and can be charged and
then discharged. The value is measured in F (Farad), nano Farad (nF) or pico Farad
(pF) range.

Diode
A diode allows electricity to flow in one direction and blocks it from flowing the
opposite way. The diode’s primary role is to route electricity from taking an
unwanted path within the circuit.
Light-Emitting Diode (LED)
A light-emitting diode is like a standard diode in the fact that electrical current only
flows in one direction. The main difference is an LED will emit light when electricity
flows through it. Inside an LED there is an anode and cathode. Current always flows
from the anode (+) to the cathode (-) and never in the opposite direction. The longer
leg of the LED is the positive (anode) side.

Transistor
Transistor are tiny switches that turn a current on or off when triggered by an electric
signal. In addition to being a switch, it can also be used to amplify electronic
signals. A transistor is similar to a relay except with no moving parts.

Relay
A relay is an electrically operated switch that opens or closes when power is
applied. Inside a relay is an electromagnet which controls a mechanical switch.
Integrated Circuit (IC)
An integrated circuit is a circuit that’s been reduced in size to fit inside a tiny
chip. This circuit contains electronic components like resistors and capacitors but on
a much smaller scale. Integrated circuits come in different variations such as 555
timers, voltage regulators, microcontrollers and many more. Each pin on an IC is
unique in terms of it’s function.
What Is A Circuit?
Before you design an electronic project, you need to know what a circuit is and how
to create one properly.

An electronic circuit is a circular path of conductors by which electric current can

flow. A closed circuit is like a circle because it starts and ends at the same point
forming a complete loop. Furthermore, a closed circuit allows electricity to flow from
the (+) power to the (-) ground uninterrupted.

In contrast, if there is any break in the flow of electricity, this is known as an open
circuit. As shown below, a switch in a circuit can cause it to be open or closed
depending on it’s position.

All circuits need to have three basic elements. These elements are a voltage source,
conductive path and a load.
The voltage source, such as a battery, is needed in order to cause the current to flow
through the circuit. In addition, there needs to be a conductive path that provides a
route for the electricity to flow. Finally, a proper circuit needs a load that consumes
the power. The load in the above circuit is the light bulb.

Schematic Diagram
When working with circuits, you will often find something called a schematic
diagram. These diagrams use symbols to illustrate what electronic components are
used and where they’re placed in the circuit. These symbols are graphic
representations of the actual electronic components.

Below is an example of a schematic that depicts an LED circuit that is controlled by a

switch. It contains symbols for an LED, resistor, battery and a switch. By following
a schematic diagram, you are able to know which components to use and where to put
them. These schematics are extremely helpful for beginners when first learning
circuits.
 Schematic Diagram For LED Circuit

There are many types of electronic symbols and they vary slightly between
countries. Below are a few of the most commonly used electronic symbols in the US.
How To Determine A Resistor Size
Resistors are commonly used in electronics projects and it’s important to know which
size to use. To find the resistor value, you need to know the voltage and the amps for
your LED and battery.

A standard LED generally needs a voltage of around 2V and a current of 20mA or

.02A to operate correctly. Next, you need to find out what voltage your battery is. In
this example, we will be using a 9V battery. In order to determine the resistor size,
we need to use a formula known as Ohm’s law as shown below.

Ohm’s Law – Resistance (R) = Voltage (V) / Current (I)

 Resistance is measured in Ohms (Ω)
 Voltage is measured in volts (V)
 Current is measured in amps (A)

Using Ohm’s law, you need to subtract the LED voltage from the battery
voltage. This will give you a voltage of 7 which needs to be divided by .02 amps
from the LED. This formula shows that you will need a 350 Ω resistor.

As a note, standard resistors don’t come in 350 Ω but are available in 330 Ω which
will work fine.
Electronics Project #1
Now it’s time to combine everything you’ve learned and create a basic circuit. This
project is a great starter project for beginners. We will be using test leads to create a
temporary circuit without having to solder it together.

Parts Needed:
 9V Battery
 Battery Snap-on Connector
 Test Leads w/ Alligator Clips
 330 Ohm Resistor
 LED – Basic Red 5mm

Schematic Diagram
Project Steps
1. Attach the battery clip to the top of the 9V battery.
2. Red wire from the battery clip is connected to one alligator clip on the red test
lead.
3. The other end of the red test lead is connected to the long leg (+) of the LED.
4. Connect one alligator clip from black test lead to the short leg (-) of the LED.
5. The other end of the black test lead is clipped to one leg of the 330 Ω resistor.
6. Clip one side of the other black test lead to the other leg of the 330 Ω resistor.
7. The opposite end of the black test lead is connected to the black battery wire.
IMPORTANT – Never connect an LED directly to a 9V battery without a resistor in
the circuit. Doing so with damage/destroy the LED. You can however connect an
LED to a 3V or smaller battery without a resistor.

How To Use A Breadboard

Another way to create and test a circuit is to build it on a breadboard. These boards
are essential for testing and prototyping circuits because no soldering is
needed. Components and wires are pushed into the holes to form a temporary
circuit. Because it’s not permanent, you can experiment and make changes until the
desired outcome is reached.

Below the holes of each row are metal clips that connect the holes to each other. The
middle rows run vertically as shown while the exterior columns are connected
horizontally. These exterior columns are called power rails and are used to receive
and provide power to the board.
Breadboards will need to have power supplied to them and this can be done in a few
ways. One of the easiest way is to plug the wires from a battery holder into the power
rails. This will supply voltage to the rail it’s plugged into only.

To power both rails, you will need to use a jumper wire from the (+) and (-) to the rail
on the opposite side.

Electronics Project #2
Now we’re going to learn how to create a circuit on a breadboard. This circuit is the
exact same one we did earlier but we won’t be using the test leads.
Parts Needed:
 9V Battery
 Battery Snap-on Connector
 330 Ohm Resistor
 LED – Basic Red 5mm
 Breadboard- Half Size
Schematic Diagram
Project Steps
1. Attach the battery clip to the top of the 9V battery.
2. Place the red wire from the battery clip into F9 of the breadboard.
3. Insert the black wire from the battery clip into J21 of the breadboard.
4. Bend the legs of the 330 Ω resistor and place one leg into F21.
5. Place the other leg of the resistor into F15.
6. Insert the short leg of the LED into J15 and the long leg into J9.
The red arrows in the image below help to show how electricity is flowing in this
circuit. All components are connected to each other in a circle just like when we used
the test leads.
IMPORTANT – Never connect an LED directly to a 9V battery without a resistor in
the circuit. Doing so with damage/destroy the LED.
The Most Common Basic Electronic Components
These are the most common components:

 Resistors
 Capacitors
 LEDs
 Transistors
 Inductors
 Integrated Circuits
Resistor
Find the resistor symbol in the schematic symbols overview.

I didn’t understand the resistor in the beginning.

It didn’t seem to do anything! It was just there, consuming power. But

with time, I learned that the resistor is actually extremely useful.
You’ll see resistors everywhere. And as the name suggests,
they resist the current.

But you are probably wondering: What do I use it for?

You use the resistor to control the voltages and the currents in
your circuit.

How?

By using Ohm’s law.

Let’s say you have a 9V battery and you want to turn on a Light-
Emitting Diode (LED).

If you connect the battery directly to the LED, LOTS of current will flow
through the LED!

Much more that the LED can handle. So the LED will become very hot
and burn out after a short amount of time.

But – if you put a resistor in series with the LED, you can control how
much current is going through the LED.
In this case we call it a current limiting resistor.

Capacitor

Find the capacitor symbol in the schematic symbols overview.

You can think of a capacitor as a battery with very low capacity.

You can charge and discharge it just like a battery.

The capacitor is often used to introduce a time-delay in a circuit.

For example to blink a light.

It’s commonly used for removing noise, or making the supply voltage
of a circuit more stable.

Read more about the capacitor in this article: How Does A Capacitor
Work?

There are many capacitor types. Most commonly, we divide them into
polarized and non-polarized capacitors.

Light Emitting Diode (LED)

Find the LED symbol in the schematic symbols overview.

A Light Emitting Diode – or LED for short – is a component that

can give light.

We use LEDs to give a visual feedback from our circuit.

For example to show that the circuit has power. But, you can also
used them to make cool light-show circuits.

You see these components everywhere:

In your laptop, on your mobile phone, on your camera, in your car +++

And you can find many different types of LEDs.

A very common circuit to build as a beginner is the blinking light

circuit.

Transistor

Find the transistor symbol in the schematic symbols overview.

This is probably the hardest of the basic electronic components to

understand.
But don’t worry, it’s not that hard.

A simple way is to look at the transistor as a switch controlled by

an electrical signal.

If you put about 0.7 volts between the base and the emitter, you turn it
on.

Note that this is true for NPN transistors. There are also other types,
but worry about these later.

But, instead of having just two states (ON or OFF), it can also be “a bit
on” by controlling the current that goes through its base.

A bit of current on the base produces a current of maybe 100 times

more (depending on the transistor) through the Collector and Emitter.
We can use this effect to build amplifiers.
I’ve previously made a video on how transistors work.

Inductor

Find the inductor symbol in the schematic symbols overview.

Inductors are a bit weird.

It’s just a coil of wire – and you can make one yourself by making
some loops out of a wire.

Sometimes they’re wound around a metal core of some sort.

They are often used in filters.

I rarely use one actually, but when I wrote that in my article “What is
an inductor?” a friend of mine reacted. See his response at the end of
that article.

Integrated Circuit
Find the integrated circuit symbol in the schematic symbols overview.

An Integrated Circuit (IC) consists of many basic electronic

components.

It’s nothing mysterious or magical.