Electronics Foundations: Basic Circuits

Discover how to build basic circuits using resistors, capacitors, and inductors. Learn how each component works, how they affect voltage and current, and why they're used.

Introduction

• Principles of basic electronic circuits
• What you should know
• Using the exercise files
• Safety warnings

1. Building Circuits

• Read electrical schematics
• Build circuits on breadboards

2. Resistors

• Types of resistors
• Resistor characteristics
• Read resistor color codes
• Measure resistance

3. Resistive Circuits

• Resistors in series
• Voltage dividers
• Shift voltage levels
• Measure resistive sensors
• Potentiometers
• Resistors in parallel
• Kirchhoff's circuit laws
• Wheatstone Bridge
• Challenge: Light activated switch
• Solution: Challenge: Light activated switch

4. Oscilloscope Measurements

• What is an oscilloscope?
• Measure a signal
• Oscilloscope display settings
• Oscilloscope trigger settings

5. Capacitors

• What is a capacitor?
• Types of capacitors
• Read capacitor values
• Capacitor characteristics
• Capacitors in parallel
• Capacitors in series
• RC circuits
• Challenge: Camera flash
• Solution: Camera flash

6. Alternating Current

• Alternating current vs. direct current
• Sine wave characteristics
• Measure AC voltage

7. Electrical Signals

• Frequency domain
• Bandwidth and square waves
• Signal sources

8. Reactive Circuits

• Impedance
• Filter frequency response
• Logarithmic scale
• Decibels
• RC low pass filter
• Decoupling capacitors
• RC high pass filter
• Impedance matching and bridging
• Challenge: Filter audio
• Solution: Filter audio

9. Inductors

• Inductance
• What is an inductor?
• Types of inductors
• L/R response
• Capacitors vs. inductors

Conclusion

• Continue to learn more on electronics