Electronics for Absolute Beginners Electronics for Absolute Beginners Published by Philip Dixon Copyright © Philip Dixon All rights reserved. Apart from information that is available in the public domain, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except under the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, Saffron House, 6-10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS, UK, without the written permission of Philip Dixon. Publication Date and Edition: August 2018, 1st Edition Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty The author makes no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaims all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. Preface The history of electronics, which is the study and use of devices that control the flow of charged particles, can be traced back to 1874 when Irish scientist George Johnstone Stoney (1826-1911) suggested that electricity must be "built" out of tiny electrical charges. Twenty years later, he coined the name "electron". Interest in electronics gradually increased over the decades following Stoney's discovery. In 1947 the transistor was invented by William Shockley, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain at Bell Labs, which revolutionized the computer industry by replacing fragile, power hungry valves with much smaller and reliable devices. During the 1950s and 60s, computers became more powerful and smaller, eventually leading to the introduction of the home personal computer (PC) in the 1970s. Today, electronic devices are all around us ... computers, cell (mobile) phones, televisions, calculators, hearing aids, and cars are just a few examples of devices that form part of everyday life in the 21st century and which make use of electronics. In more recent years, however, electronics as a hobby has declined and is now primarily a subject that is studied at college or university. About this Book The purpose of this book is to introduce the subject of electronics to people who have no prior knowledge of the subject. If you don't know what a prototyping breadboard is, or have no idea what a resistor or diode do, then this book will help you to gain a basic understanding of what electronics components exist and what they are used for. You will also learn how to combine such components to build electronics circuits. We don't cover anything to do with mains voltage. How this Book is Organized Although there is a logical flow in the way that information is presented, you can pretty much jump around from chapter to chapter as it suits you, picking out the material that is of most interest. The book is split into two parts – the first introduces the subject of electronics, and the second contains a range of simple circuits to design and build. Part 1 – Getting Started with Electronics Chapter 1 - Electricity and Electric Circuits Chapter 2 - Equipment You Need in Your Electronics Laboratory Chapter 3 - Safety Chapter 4 - Resistors Chapter 5 - Capacitors Chapter 6 - Diodes Chapter 7 - Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) Chapter 8 - Transistors Chapter 9 - Integrated Circuits Chapter 10 - The 555 Timer Chapter 11 - Combining Electronics with Software Part 2 - Designing and Building Electronics Circuits Chapter 12 - Using and Electronics Prototyping Breadboard Chapter 13 - Illuminating a Single LED Chapter 14 - Using a Multimeter to Measure Voltage, Current and Resistance Chapter 15 - Connecting Multiple LEDs in Series Chapter 16 - Connecting Multiple LEDs in Parallel Chapter 17 - Using a Variable Resistor to Control the Speed of a Small DC Motor Chapter 18 - Using Wind Power Chapter 19 - Using a Transistor to Switch On an LED Chapter 20 - Charging and Discharging a Capacitor Chapter 21 - Building a Light Sensor - Night Light Quick Start Workbook Website The Quick Start Workbook website contains information about all the books available from the author. You can find the site here: http://www.quickstartworkbook.com/ YouTube Videos All the videos referenced in this book are available on the Quick Start Workbook YouTube channel. You can find the channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChoBHeUk6tc6Si2hrdOYJOw Table of Contents Preface About this Book How this Book is Organized Quick Start Workbook Website YouTube Videos Table of Contents Part 1 - Getting Started with Electronics Chapter 1 Electricity and Electric Circuits Atoms, Protons, Neutrons, and Electrons Electric Charge (Electromagnetism) Conducting and Insulating Elements Voltage and Current Measuring Voltage Voltage Sources Measuring Current Conventional Current Flow Resistance Measuring Resistance Ohm's Law Power A Basic Electric Circuit Adding a Switch Short Circuit The Battery Electronic Circuits Schematic Circuit Diagrams Chapter 2 Equipment You Need in Your Electronics Laboratory Chapter 3 Avoiding Injury General Guidelines Hidden High Voltages Things to Have to Hand Chapter 4 Resistors Why Resistors are Important Resistor Sizes Resistor Color Coding Resistor Tolerance Resistor Power Rating Identifying the Power Rating Potentiometers Using a Potentiometer as a Variable Resistor (Rheostat) Variable Resistor Ratings Photoresistor / Light Dependent Resistor (LDR) Thermistor Schematic Diagram Symbols Chapter 5 Capacitors Charging and Discharging a Capacitor A Bit More About How Capacitors Work Measuring Capacitance Types of Capacitor Capacitance Value, Voltage Rating and Tolerance Capacitance Values Voltage Rating Tolerance Schematic Diagram Symbols Chapter 6 Diodes Semiconductors How Diodes Work Types of Diode Regular Diode Zener Diode Photo Diode Schottky Diode Light-Emitting Diode (LED) Schematic Diagram Symbols Chapter 7 Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) Current and Resistance Forward Voltage Drop (VF) Voltage drop in direct-current circuits Types of LED Flashing LEDs RGB (Red-Green-Blue) LEDs How an LED is Constructed How an LED Works YouTube Video Chapter 8 Transistors History Basic Operation of a Transistor How a Transistor is Constructed NPN and PNP Transistors How NPN and PNP Transistors are Switched On and Off Identifying the Pins Pin Arrangement Guidance for Various Bipolar Transistors Pin Identification NPN PNP Schematic Diagram Symbols YouTube Video Chapter 9 Integrated Circuits How Integrated Circuits are Packaged Pin Identification Showing ICs in a Schematic Diagram Chapter 10 The 555 Timer 555 Timer Pins How the Pins on a 555 Timer are Normally Shown in a Schematic Diagram A Look Inside the 555 Timer Basic Operation Chapter 11 Combining Electronics with Software Adding Computing Power to Electronics Systems Programming Single Board Computers Open-Topped Single-Board Computers Are Nothing New Part 2 - Designing and Building Electronic Circuits Chapter 12 Using an Electronics Prototyping Breadboard Building Different Circuits Clipping Breadboards Together Supplying Power to the Breadboard Avoiding Short Circuits YouTube Video