Learning electronics tutorials for beginners is the primary goal of this site.

This page will mostly give a quick introduction to basic electronics topics followed by links to pages that cover that topic in more detail. I’m not going in depth with any topic though, so for more thorough explanations, make sure to do a google search of that topic.

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Learning electronics topics and pages:

The vast majority of the time, electronic circuits are taught with schematic diagrams using schematic symbols for components. Above is a quick sample of schematic symbols, and below is the typical appearance of some of the most common components.

Through hole means that there are metal wire leads (pronounced like “leeds”) that can be inserted in holes. Surface mount components have metal areas that can be soldered directly to a surface of something, and are not covered on this site.

Simple circuit: Power source and load.

The incandescent light bulb is a nice component to look at first. They are a specially made resistor that does something useful (emits light) when current is passed through it. You just have to apply the right voltage to it and it lights up. Too low of a voltage and it won’t like up much if at all, and too high of a voltage and the light bulb will burn out early.

Putting a voltage directly across a resistor is the easiest way to calculate how much current is flowing through the circuit. You can also measure the current with a multimeter as shown in the diagram above which is explained in more detail at https://electronzap.com/current-through-a-resistor-learning-electronics-lesson-0001/ .

Page covering the diagram above https://electronzap.com/current-through-an-led-circuit-learning-electronics-lesson-0002/ for those who want these topics covered more quickly.

Incandescent light bulbs are relatively rare now as LEDs have mostly taken their place. While studying basic electronics, you will make a lot of circuits with 3 – 5mm indicator LEDs which need to be protected by a resistor. Incandescent light bulbs are resistors that are specially made to get hot enough to emit light. So they don’t need another component to protect them as long as you don’t apply a voltage higher than what they are rated for.

Pay attention to how every component and connection in most simple circuits are connected end to end (series). The same amount of electric current flows has to flow through the entire series circuit at the same time. If you disconnect any part of a series circuit, there will be no current flow.

Voltage:

Voltage is the energy that moves electric charges (current) through a circuit. The load needs enough resistance/voltage drop to safely limit how much current flows.

Most electronics projects these days are powered with variable voltage and maximum current power supplies instead of batteries. You simply set the voltage to what you want for the circuit, and it is a good idea to set the power supply to only output no more current than could damage any of the components.





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You can’t see voltage or current, so it is important to know how to measure them. Measuring current is done differently than measuring voltage. I show how to measure current further down this list of topics.

Resistance (R) based components limit the current (I) that flows through them based on the voltage (V) across them and their resistance. This is calculated using the Ohms law for current I=V/R .

Series (connected end to end electrically) components all pass the same amount of current. So if you know the current through any of them, then you know the current through all of them.

LEDs are a type of diode (current flows through one direction but not the other). They light up when current flows through them while forward biased (anode more positive than cathode) , and are therefore a simple way to have a visual for when current is flowing.

Make sure to limit current through an LED with a resistor, as is covered in the LED circuit link below. Also, being a diode, if you connect them reverse biased (cathode more positive than anode), then they will block current and not light up.

Lots of beginner circuits include an LED. It is important to know how to protect the LED with a resistor.

While designing your own circuits, you will need to know how hot resistors (and other components) will get. The power (P), aka. heat generation, of a resistance based component is the voltage (V) across it times the current (I) flowing through it P =VI . Most resistors are 1/4Watt (0.25W) but should be kept under 1/8W (0.125W).

Voltage ramp Demonstrated using a capacitor.

555 timer is an integrated circuit (IC). Being an IC, it has complex circuitry combined in a single package with external pins/terminals to connect to other circuitry. You can easily make all kinds of fun circuits with just a 555 timer and the components covered above, so I think it’s a good component to learn next.

Transistors will probably be the most challenging components to learn. Understanding them will help you understand all of electronics much better, and help you the most in being creative while designing your own circuits.

Other topics:

These pages are still being compiled.

Always use datasheets to research components:

When you start using components with part numbers, make sure to do a google search for their datasheet. Information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Always verify any electronics information you get by checking the manufacturer’s datasheet.

Unfortunately datasheet aren’t the easiest documents to understand. I am working on explaining how to make reading them easier.

List of Electronics topics:

There’s an almost endless number of exciting electronics topics that can be studied. Below is many of them. I plan to make a page for as many of them as possible. You should always do google searches of any topics that sound exciting.

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