Electronics Lessons for the Bewildered, the Bothered & the Completely Lost
When studying for my ham radio test, I found that one of the things you need to learn is electronics. I had several books available, all of which assumed you either *liked* the topic or had a knack for it.
I also had two teachers who thought electronics were wonderful and easy. They'd say things like "Oh, you'll have no problem with pages one through thirty, that's so simple. It's after that you'll start getting into it." (Excuse me? I was lost on page one. I was in tears on page two.) And then they'd start talking about their level of electronics and it would sound like, "Well the golly-whiz number 567893234 would send an [obscene sounding name] down the whatsit number 9887656756 to the hiccup-noise..."
I managed barely enough in the way of electronics to get my ham license and then realized that learning about radios and how to use them was only beginning and I was going to need to know *something* about electronics to even talk to these guys.
After a bit of work, I managed to get my head around the very basic-most concepts of what was going on. I'm intending this lens as a way of getting across the general idea of what's going on without being so technical. In short, THIS is what I needed when I was learning electronics. Hopefully, it will help you have an easier time. Good luck.
What to Do When You Start Feeling Frustrated
Learning Skills
Learning any new topic is sometimes difficult. Here's some suggestions of what to do when you get stuck BESIDES throwing your book (or computer) out the window or bursting into tears. Those may be emotionally satisfying, but they don't get you further in learning what you need to know. Pick whichever item from the list that you feel would be MOST helpful, but come back and try another if you need to.
- Take a deep breath, re-read the material, try to visualize what's going on. Re-state what's you are learning in a different way. Ask someone who knows the topic if your re-statement is correct.
- People learn in different ways. Do you learn the best by looking at things, listening to things or by doing things? If you learn best by looking, then reading or looking at pictures would help. If you learn the best by listening, have a live person (or a video) to explain it. If you learn the best by doing, get a basic electronics kit and assemble it.
- Take a break. Sometimes your head just needs time to sort stuff out. I've frequently been totally bewildered by something one day and then the next day go "Ah! That's what they meant."
- Read a different book or talk to a different person. A different explanation, a different viewpoint, or different details may cross the gap between understanding and not understanding.
- Keep your learning sessions short. If this is a school class and you have limited time to work, then schedule your study time so you do a few minutes of the hard class and then work on an easy one for a few minutes, then go back to the hard one.
- Find someone willing to listen and explain the basics to them. The best way to learn is to teach, so I've heard. (That's partly why I'm writing this lens!) The reason is that you have be clear on what you know in order to explain it to someone else. Of course, the downside is that you both could end up totally confused, but considering the level of confusion I've occasionally gained from actual paid teachers, I doubt if this is a major consideration.
The Overview, the basic idea for electronics
Here's the basic idea of how electronics work. Electricity enters a maze made up of electronic components. (Components are those little knobby things on circuit boards.) The components, depending on which one it is, will stop, slow down, speed up, store, or redirect the electricity. By doing this, they make the electricity *do* something marvelous like play music or make a computer go. That's it. The rest is details.
One important note: the path from input to output has to be continuous. It's like a highway: if you have a spot where there's no roads, you can't expect the cars to get through.
One important note: the path from input to output has to be continuous. It's like a highway: if you have a spot where there's no roads, you can't expect the cars to get through.
Potentiometer, or Pot
Pots redirect the electricity in a choice of several routes.
If you were driving your car, it'd be like coming to an intersection with several other roads possible.
Or it's like a valve, or a water gate where they adjust it to let varying amounts of water through.
The knobs on electric guitars turn pots which redirect the electricity through other components so that the sound becomes louder/softer, or dirty/clean.
The volume knobs on TVs, VCRs, and other electronic items are frequently pots as well.
If you were driving your car, it'd be like coming to an intersection with several other roads possible.
Or it's like a valve, or a water gate where they adjust it to let varying amounts of water through.
The knobs on electric guitars turn pots which redirect the electricity through other components so that the sound becomes louder/softer, or dirty/clean.
The volume knobs on TVs, VCRs, and other electronic items are frequently pots as well.
Potentiometers -- More Information
- Wikipedia
- Pictures, diagrams, big words, math and everything.
Resistors
Resistors slow down the flow of electricity.
If you were driving your car, it'd be like encountering a flag man slowing traffic and having to wait while a few cars at a time are let through.
Resistors come in different sizes, different ratings. Each rating slows electricity down to a different level. Some let a lot of electricity through, some don't let much through at all.
If you were driving your car, it'd be like encountering a flag man slowing traffic and having to wait while a few cars at a time are let through.
Resistors come in different sizes, different ratings. Each rating slows electricity down to a different level. Some let a lot of electricity through, some don't let much through at all.
Resistors -- More Information
- Wikipedia
- Pictures, diagrams, lots of technical stuff.
Capacitors
Capacitors store electricity for later use. They are like batteries in that way. What is different is that power is also coming into them. Capactiors are like a battery that is being charged and being used at the same time.
Capacitors come in many shapes and sizes and have many jobs.
One very important job is smoothing out an electrical flow so that it isn't too thin at times and too fat at others. If you were driving your car, it would be like having regulated on-ramps so that the flow of rush hour traffic is steady instead of being thin at some times followed by having too many cars for the road at once. The "capacitor" would be the on-ramp, holding back the cars until it's time to release them into the roadway when the traffic is thinner.
Capacitors come in many shapes and sizes and have many jobs.
One very important job is smoothing out an electrical flow so that it isn't too thin at times and too fat at others. If you were driving your car, it would be like having regulated on-ramps so that the flow of rush hour traffic is steady instead of being thin at some times followed by having too many cars for the road at once. The "capacitor" would be the on-ramp, holding back the cars until it's time to release them into the roadway when the traffic is thinner.
Capacitors -- More Information
- Wikipedia
- Pictures, diagrams, even tells about pulsed weaponry.
Diodes
Diodes make electricity move in only one direction.
If you were driving your car, a similar situation would be a one way street.
If you were driving your car, a similar situation would be a one way street.
Diodes -- More Information
- Wikipedia
- Details, photos, diagrams, history and other stuff.
Relay
This is a switch that uses a small amount of electrical current to turn a larger electrical current on or off.
If you were driving, think of a traffic light using a small amount of power to control the flow of cars using a large amount of power.
There are several kinds of relays that control electrical power in different ways.
If you were driving, think of a traffic light using a small amount of power to control the flow of cars using a large amount of power.
There are several kinds of relays that control electrical power in different ways.
Relay -- More Information
- Wikipedia
- Photos of several kinds of relays, desciptions of the various kinds, as well.
Transistors
They use a little bit of power to control a lot of power. This doesn't seem like much, but this was invention that made computers possible.
Why does this sound like the same thing that the relay does? It is basically the same thing that a relay does. The difference between a relay and a transistor is that a relay is electro-mechanical (a machine) and a transistor is a semi-conductor (using materials that react differently with electricity).
Why does this sound like the same thing that the relay does? It is basically the same thing that a relay does. The difference between a relay and a transistor is that a relay is electro-mechanical (a machine) and a transistor is a semi-conductor (using materials that react differently with electricity).
Transistors -- More Information
- Wikipedia
- Pictures, history, why it's important. Lots of information.
Integrated Circuit
An Integrated Circuit is many transistors working together.
Integrated Circuits -- More Information
- Wikipedia
- Photos, information, diagrams, history.
Logic Gate
This uses diodes or transistors to direct power/information by using AND (both have to be true) or OR (only one has to be true) from one place to another.
Logic Gate -- More Information
- Wikipedia
- Diagrams and details.
Easier Electronics Books
Electronics For Dummies
Amazon Price: $14.95 (as of 11/21/2008) 
Electronics Projects For Dummies (For Dummies (Math & Science))
Amazon Price: $16.49 (as of 11/21/2008)
Videos about Electronics on YouTube
I'm still looking for *really* useful videos on this topic. I will post them when I find them. Meanwhile, I've posted what I did find that may be of use to those reading this lens.
