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Polaritylearn.sparkfun.com

Polarity
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WhatisPolarity?
Intherealmofelectronics,polarityindicateswhetheracircuitcomponentissymmetricornot.Anon
polarizedcomponentapartwithoutpolaritycanbeconnectedinanydirectionandstillfunctionthe
wayitssupposedtofunction.Asymmetriccomponentrarelyhasmorethantwoterminals,andevery
terminalonthecomponentisequivalent.Youcanconnectanonpolarizedcomponentinanydirection,
anditllfunctionjustthesame.
Apolarizedcomponentapartwithpolaritycanonlybeconnectedtoacircuitinonedirection.A
polarizedcomponentmighthavetwo,twenty,oreventwohundredpins,andeachonehasaunique
functionand/orposition.Ifapolarizedcomponentwasconnectedtoacircuitincorrectly,atbestitwont
workasintended.Atworst,anincorrectlyconnectedpolarizedcomponentwillsmoke,spark,andbeone
verydeadpart.

Anassortmentofpolarizedcomponents:batteries,integratedcircuits,transistors,voltageregulators,
electrolyticcapacitors,anddiodes,amongothers.
Polarityisaveryimportantconcept,especiallywhenitcomestophysicallybuildingcircuits.Whether
yourepluggingpartsintoabreadboard,solderingthemtoaPCB,orsewingthemintoanetextile
project,itscriticaltobeabletoidentifypolarizedcomponentsandtoconnecttheminthecorrect
direction.Sothatswhatwereherefor!Inthistutorialwelldiscusswhichcomponentsdoanddonthave
polarity,howtoidentifycomponentpolarity,andhowtotestsomecomponentsforpolarity.

ConsiderReading
Ifyourheadsnotswimmingyet,itsprobablysafetoreadthroughtherestofthistutorial.Polarityisa
conceptwhichbuildsonsomelowerlevelelectronicsconceptsandreinforcesafewothers.Ifyou
haventalready,considercheckingoutsomeofthebelowtutorials,beforeyoureadthroughthisone.
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HowtoUseaMultimeter
WhatisaCircuit
Voltage,Current,Resistance,andOhmsLaw
HowtoUseaBreadboard

DiodeandLEDPolarity
Diodesonlyallowcurrenttoflowinonedirection,andtheyrealwayspolarized.Adiodehastwo
terminals.Thepositivesideiscalledtheanode,andthenegativeoneiscalledthecathode.

Thediodecircuitsymbol,withtheanodeandcathodemarked.
Currentthroughadiodecanonlyflowfromtheanodetothecathode,whichwouldexplainwhyits
importantforadiodetobeconnectedinthecorrectdirection.Physically,everydiodeshouldhavesome
sortofindicationforeithertheanodeorcathodepin.Usuallythediodewillhavealinenearthe
cathodepin,whichmatchestheverticallineinthediodecircuitsymbol.
Belowareafewexamplesofdiodes.Thetopdiode,a1N40001rectifier,hasagreyringnearthe
cathode.Belowthat,a1N4148signaldiodeusesablackringtomarkthecathode.Atthebottomarea
couplesurfacemountdiodes,eachofwhichusealinetomarkwhichpinisthecathode.

LEDs
LEDstandsforlightemittingdiode,whichmeansthatmuchliketheirdiodecousins,theyrepolarized.
ThereareahandfulofidentifiersforfindingthepositiveandnegativepinsonanLED.Youcantrytofind
thelongerleg,whichshouldindicatethepositive,anodepin.
Or,ifsomeonestrimmedthelegs,tryfindingtheflatedgeontheLEDsoutercasing.Thepinnearest
theflatedgewillbethenegative,cathodepin.

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Theremightbeotherindicatorsaswell.SMDdiodeshavearangeofanode/cathodeidentifiers.
Sometimesitseasiesttojustuseamultimetertotestforpolarity.Turnthemultimetertothediode
setting(usuallyindicatedbyadiodesymbol),andtoucheachprobetooneoftheLEDterminals.Ifthe
LEDlightsup,thepositiveprobeistouchingtheanode,andthenegativeprobeistouchingthecathode.
Ifitdoesntlightup,tryswappingtheprobesaround.

Thepolarityofatiny,yellow,surfacemountLEDistestedwithamultimeter.Ifthepositiveleadtouches
theanodeandnegativetouchesthecathode,theLEDshouldlightup.

Diodescertainlyarenttheonlypolarizedcomponent.Therearetonsofpartsouttherethatwontworkif
connectedincorrectly.Nextwelldiscusssomeoftheothercommonpolarizedcomponents,beginning
withintegratedcircuits.

IntegratedCircuitPolarity
Integratedcircuits(ICs)mighthaveeightpinsoreightypins,andeachpinonanIChasaunique
functionandposition.ItsveryimportanttokeeppolaritystraightwithICs.Theresagoodchancetheyll
smoke,melt,andberuinedifconnectedincorrectly.
ThroughholeICsusuallycomeinadualinlinepackage(DIP)tworowsofpins,eachspacedby0.1"
wideenoughtostraddlethecenterofabreadboard.DIPICsusuallyhaveanotchtoindicatewhichof
themanypinsisthefirst.Ifnotanotch,theICmighthaveanetcheddotinthecasingnearpin1.

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AnICwithbothadotandanotchtoindicatepolarity.Sometimesyougetboth,sometimesyouonlyget
oneortheother.
ForallICpackages,pinnumbersincreasesequentiallyasyoumovecounterclockwiseawayfrompin1.

SurfacemountICsmightcomeinQFN,SOIC,SSOP,oranumberofotherformfactors.TheseICswill
usuallyhaveadotnearpin1.

AnATmega32U4inaTQFPpackage,nexttothedatasheetpinout.

ElectrolyticCapacitors
Notallcapacitorsarepolarized,butwhentheyare,itsveryimportantnottomixtheirpolarityup.
Ceramiccapacitorsthesmall(1Fandless),commonlyyellowguysarenotpolarized.Youcanstick
thoseineitherway.

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ThroughholeandSMD0.1Fceramiccapacitors.TheseareNOTpolarized.
Electrolyticcaps(theyvegotelectrolytes),whichlooklikelittletincans,arepolarized.Thenegativepin
ofthecapisusuallyindicatedbyamarking,and/oracoloredstripalongthecan.Theymightalso
havealongerpositiveleg.
Beloware10F(left)anda1mFelectrolyticcapacitors,eachofwhichhasadashsymboltomarkthe
negativeleg,aswellasalongerpositiveleg.

Applyinganegativevoltageforanextendedperiodtoanelectrolyticcapacitorresultsinabrieflyexciting,
butcatastrophic,failure.Theyllmakeapop,andthetopofthecapwilleitherswellorburstopen.From
thenonthecapwillbeasgoodasdead,actinglikeashortcircuit.

OtherPolarizedComponents
BatteriesandPowerSupplies
Gettingpolarityrightinyourcircuitallstartsandendswithgettingthepowersupplyconnectedcorrectly.
WhetheryoureprojectsgettingpowerfromawallwartoraLiPobattery,itscriticaltomakesureyou
dontaccidentlyconnectthembackwardsandapply9Vor4.2Vtoyourprojectaccidently.
Anyonethatseverreplacedbatteriesknowshowtofindtheirpolarity.Mostbatterieswillindicatethe
positiveandnegativeterminalswitha+orsymbol.Othertimesitmightberedwireforpositiveand
ablackwirefornegative.

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Anassortmentofbatteries.Lithiumpolymer,coincell,9Valkaline,AAalkaline,andAANiMH.Eachhas
somewaytorepresentpositiveornegativeterminals.
Powersuppliesusuallyhaveastandardizedconnector,whichshouldusuallyhavepolarityitself.Abarrel
jack,forexample,hastwoconductors:outerandinnertheinner/centerconductorisusuallythepositive
terminal.Otherconnectors,likeaJST,arekeyedsoyoujustcantconnectthembackwards.

Forextraprotectionagainstreversingpowersupplypolarity,youcanaddreversepolarityprotection
usingadiode,oraMOSFET.

Transistors,MOSFETs,andVoltageRegulators
These(traditionally)threeterminal,polarizedcomponentsarelumpedtogetherbecausetheyshare
similarpackagetypes.Throughholetransistors,MOSFETs,andvoltageregulatorscommonlycomeina
TO92orTO220package,seenbelow.Tofindwhichpiniswhich,lookfortheflatedgeontheTO92
packageorthemetalheatsinkontheTO220,andmatchthatuptothepinoutinthedatasheet.

Above,a2N3904transistorinaTO92package,notethecurvedandstraightedges.A3.3Vregulatorin
aTO220package,notethemetalheatsinkontheback.

Etc.
Thisisjustthetipofthepolarizedcomponenticeberg.Evennonpolarizedcomponents,likeresistors,
cancomeinpolarizedpackages.Aresistorpackagroupingoffiveorsoprearrangedresistorsis
onesuchexample.

Apolarizedresistorpack.Anarrayoffive330resistors,alltiedtogetheratoneend.Thedot
representsthefirst,commonpin.
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Fortunately,everypolarizedcomponentshouldhavesomewaytoinformyouwhichpiniswhich.Besure
toalwaysreadthedatasheets,andcheckthecasefordotsorothermarkers.

ResourcesandGoingFurther
Nowthatyouknowwhatpolarityis,andhowtoidentifyit,whynotcheckoutsomeoftheserelated
tutorials:
ConnectorBasicsThereareanumberofconnectorswhichhavepolarityoftheirown.Usually
thisisagreatwaytomakesureyoudontapplypowerorsomeothersignalbackwards.
DiodesOurshiningexampleofcomponentpolarity.Thistutorialgoesfurtherindepthonhow
diodeswork,andwhattypesofdiodesareoutthere.
LilyPadDesignKitExperiment1Circuitsdontjustexistonbreadboardsandcircuitboards,you
cansewthemintoshirtsandothertextilestoo!CheckouttheLilyPadDesignKittutorialstosee
howtogetstarted.KnowingpolaritywillbehugeinwiringupthoseLEDscorrectly.

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