Basic Electronics Interview

Questions and Answers

Q1. What is Electronics?
The study and use of electrical devices that operate by controlling the flow of electrons or
other electrically charged particles.

Q2. What is the difference between Electronics and Electrical?

Electronics work on DC and with a voltage range of -48vDC to +48vDC. If the electronic device is
plugged into a standard wall outlet, there will be a transformer inside which will convert the AC
voltage you are supplying to the required DC voltage needed by the device. Examples: Computer,
radio, T.V, etc…
Electric devices use line voltage (120vAC, 240vAC, etc…). Electric devices can also be designed
to operate on DC sources, but will be at DC voltages above 48v. Examples: are incandescent
lights, heaters, fridge, stove, etc…

Q3. What is communication?

Communication means transferring a signal from the transmitter which passes through a medium
then the output is obtained at the receiver. (or)communication says as transferring of message from
one place to another place called communication.

Q4. Different types of communications? Explain.

Analog and digital communication.
As a technology, analog is the process of taking an audio or video signal (the human voice) and
translating it into electronic pulses. Digital on the other hand is breaking the signal into a binary format
where the audio or video data is represented by a series of “1”s and “0”s.
Digital signals are immune to noise, quality of transmission and reception is good, components
used in digital communication can be produced with high precision and power consumption is
also very less when compared with analog signals.

Q5. What is latch up?

Latch-up pertains to a failure mechanism wherein a parasitic thyristor (such as a parasitic silicon
controlled rectifier, or SCR) is inadvertently created within a circuit, causing a high amount of
current to continuously flow through it once it is accidentally triggered or turned on. Depending on
the circuits involved, the amount of current flow produced by this mechanism can be large
enough to result
in permanent destruction of the device due to electrical overstress (EOS) .

Q6. What is diode?

In electronics, a diode is a two-terminal device. Diodes have two active electrodes between
which the signal of interest may flow, and most are used for their unidirectional current property.
Q7. What is transistor?
In electronics, a transistor is a semiconductor device commonly used to amplify or switch electronic
signals. The transistor is the fundamental building block of computers, and all other modern
electronic devices. Some transistors are packaged individually but most are found in integrated
circuits

Q8. What is sampling?

The process of obtaining a set of samples from a continuous function of time x(t) is referred to as
sampling.

Q9. State sampling theorem.

It states that, while taking the samples of a continuous signal, it has to be taken care that the
sampling rate is equal to or greater than twice the cut off frequency and the minimum sampling
rate is known as the Nyquist rate.

Q10. What are the advantages of resistors?

Resistors are very small in size.

It is very easy to carry resistors from one place to another

place. Resistors are very cheap.

Q11. What is the principle of microwave?

Microwave essentially means very short wave. The microwave frequency spectrum is usually
taken to extend from 1GHZ to 30GHZ. The main reason why we have to go in for microwave
frequency for communication is that lower frequency band are congested and demand for point
to point communication continue to increase. The propagation of the microwave takes place in
spacewave in v

Q12. What is cut-off frequency?

The frequency at which the response is -3dB with respect to the maximum response.

Q13. What is pass band?

Passband is the range of frequencies or wavelengths that can pass through a filter without being
attenuated.

Q14. What is stop band?

A stopband is a band of frequencies, between specified limits, in which a circuit, such as a filter
or telephone circuit, does not let signals through, or the attenuation is above the required
stopband attenuation level.

Q15. Define Power Rating?

The power rating of a diode is defined as the maximum value of power that can be dissipated without
failure if V f is the forward biased voltage and I f is the forward biased current.
Pd= V f x I f.
Q16. What is rheostat.
Rheostat is a type of variable resistor which is used to control the flow of electric current by manually
increasing or decreasing its resistance.

Q16. What is demodulation?

Demodulation is the act of removing the modulation from an analog signal to get the original baseband
signal back. Demodulating is necessary because the receiver system receives a modulated signal with
specific characteristics and it needs to turn it to base-band.

Q17. Explain radio environment in building.

Building penetration: Building penetration depends on the material used for construction and
architecture used. This varies building to building and is based on building construction.

Building Height Effect: The signal strength is always higher at top floor and generally floor gain
height is about 2.7dB/floor which is not dependent on building construction.
Building Floor Reception: The signal isolation between floors in a multi floor building is on the average
about 20dB. Within a floor of 150 * 150 feet, the propagation loss due to interior walls, depending on the
wall materials is about 20 dB between the strong and the weak areas.

Q18. What is resistor?

A resistor is a two-terminal electronic component that opposes an electric current by producing a
voltage drop between its terminals in proportion to the current, that is, in accordance with Ohm’s
law: V = IR.

Q19. What is inductor?

An inductor is a passive electrical device employed in electrical circuits for its property of
inductance. An inductor can take many forms.

Q20. What is conductor?

A substance, body, or device that readily conducts heat, electricity, sound, etc. Copper is a
good conductor of electricity.

Q21. What is a semi conductor?

A semiconductor is a solid material that has electrical conductivity in between that of a conductor and
that of an insulator(An Insulator is a material that resists the flow of electric current. It is an object
intended to support or separate electrical conductors without passing current through itself); it can
vary over that wide range either permanently or dynamically.

Q22. Name the modulation techniques.

For Analog modulation–AM, SSB, FM, PM and SM
Digital modulation–OOK, FSK, ASK, Psk, QAM, MSK, CPM, PPM, TCM, OFDM
Q23. Explain AM and FM.
AM-Amplitude modulation is a type of modulation where the amplitude of the carrier signal is
varied in accordance with the information bearing signal.
FM-Frequency modulation is a type of modulation where the frequency of the carrier signal is varied in
accordance with the information bearing signal.

Q24. Explain RF?

Radio frequency (RF) is a frequency or rate of oscillation within the range of about 3 Hz to 300
GHz. This range corresponds to frequency of alternating current electrical signals used to
produce and detect radio waves. Since most of this range is beyond the vibration rate that most
mechanical systems can respond to, RF usually refers to oscillations in electrical circuits or
electromagnetic radiation.

Q25. What is modulation? And where it is utilized?

Modulation is the process of varying some characteristic of a periodic wave with an external
signals. Radio communication superimposes this information bearing signal onto a carrier
signal.
These high frequency carrier signals can be transmitted over the air easily and are capable of
travelling long distances.
The characteristics (amplitude, frequency, or phase) of the carrier signal are varied in accordance
with the information bearing signal.
Modulation is utilized to send an information bearing signal over long distances.

Q26. Where do we use AM and FM?

AM is used for video signals for example TV. Ranges from 535 to 1705
kHz. FM is used for audio signals for example Radio. Ranges from 88 to
108 MHz.

Q27. What is a base station?

Base station is a radio receiver/transmitter that serves as the hub of the local wireless network, and
may also be the gateway between a wired network and the wireless network.

Q28. What are the parts of Network Management System (NMS)?

Following are the parts of network management system:

OMC: Operation and maintenance center – Computerized monitoring center.

NMC: Network Management Center – Centralized control of a network is done here.

OSS: Operation and support system – Used for supporting activities performed in an OMC and/or NMC.

Q29. How many satellites are required to cover the earth?

3 satellites are required to cover the entire earth, which is placed at 120 degree to each other. The
life span of the satellite is about 15 years.

Q29. What are GPRS services?

GPRS services are defined to fall in one of the two categories:
PTP (Point to point)

PTM (Point to Multi point)

Some of the GPRS services are not likely to be provided by network operators during early
deployment of GPRS due in part to the phased development of standard. Market demand is another
factor affecting the decision of operators regarding which services to offer first.

Q30. What is a repeater?

A repeater is an electronic device that receives a signal and retransmits it at a higher level and/or
higher power, or onto the other side of an obstruction, so that the signal can cover longer
distances without degradation.

Q31. What is an Amplifier?

An electronic device or electrical circuit that is used to boost (amplify) the power, voltage or
current of an applied signal.

Q32. Example for negative feedback and positive feedback?

Example for □ve feedback is —Amplifiers And for +ve feedback is □ Oscillators

Q33. How can a Pseudo Random Noise Code be usable?

To be usable for direct sequence spreading, a PN code must meet the following conditions:

Sequence must be built from 2 leveled numbers.

The codes must have sharp auto correlation peak to enable code synchronization.

Codes must have a low cross-correlation value, the lower it is, more are the number of users which
can be allowed in the system.

The codes should be “balanced” i.e. the difference between ones and zeros in code may only be one.

Q34. What is Oscillator?

An oscillator is a circuit that creates a waveform output from a direct current input. The two main
types of oscillator are harmonic and relaxation. The harmonic oscillators have smooth curved
waveforms, while relaxation oscillators have waveforms with sharp changes.

Q35. What is an Integrated Circuit?

An integrated circuit (IC), also called a microchip, is an electronic circuit etched onto a silicon chip.
Their main advantages are low cost, low power, high performance, and very small size.

Q36. What is handover and what are its types?

Handover in mobile communication refers to the process of transferring a call from one network
cell to another without breaking the call. There are two types of handover which are as follows:

Hard Handoff: hard handoff is the process in which the cell connection is disconnected from the
previous cell before it is made with the new one.
Soft Handoff: It is the process in which a new connection is established first before disconnecting the
old one. It is thus more eÆcient and smart.
Q37. What is crosstalk?
Crosstalk is a form of interference caused by signals in nearby conductors. The most common
example is hearing an unwanted conversation on the telephone. Crosstalk can also occur in radios,
televisions, networking equipment, and even electric guitars.

Q38. What is op-amp?

An operational amplifier, often called an op-amp , is a DC-coupled high-gain electronic voltage amplifier
with differential inputs[1] and, usually, a single output. Typically the output of the op-amp is controlled
either by negative feedback, which largely determines the magnitude of its output voltage gain, or by
positive feedback, which facilitates regenerative gain and oscillation.

Q39. Explain Bluetooth.

Bluetooth is designed to be a personal area network, where participating entities are mobile and
require sporadic communication with others. It is Omni directional i.e. it does not have line of sight
limitation like infra red does. Ericsson started the work on Bluetooth and named it after the Danish
king Harold Bluetooth. Bluetooth operates in the 2.4 GHz area of spectrum and provides a range of 10
meters. It offers transfer speeds of around 720 Kbps.

Q40. What is a feedback?

Feedback is a process whereby some proportion of the output signal of a system is passed (fed
back) to the input. This is often used to control the dynamic behaviour of the system.

Q41. What is CDMA, TDMA, FDMA?

Code division multiple access (CDMA) is a channel access method utilized by various radio
communication technologies. CDMA employs spread-spectrum technology and a special coding
scheme (where each transmitter is assigned a code) to allow multiple users to be multiplexed over
the same physical channel. By contrast, time division multiple access (TDMA) divides access by
time, while frequency-division multiple access (FDMA) divides it by frequency.
An analogy to the problem of multiple access is a room (channel) in which people wish to
communicate with each other. To avoid confusion, people could take turns speaking (time division),
speak at different pitches (frequency division), or speak in different directions (spatial division). In
CDMA, they would speak different languages. People speaking the same language can understand
each other, but not other people. Similarly, in radio CDMA, each group of users is given a shared
code. Many codes occupy the same channel, but only users associated with a particular code can
understand each other.

Q42. explain different types of feedback

Types of feedback:
Negative feedback: This tends to reduce output (but in amplifiers, stabilizes and linearizes operation).
Negative feedback feeds part of a system’s output, inverted, into the system’s input; generally
with the result that fluctuations are attenuated.
Positive feedback: This tends to increase output. Positive feedback, sometimes referred to as
“cumulative causation”, is a feedback loop system in which the system responds to perturbation
(A perturbation means a system, is an alteration of function, induced by external or internal
mechanisms)
in the same direction as the perturbation. In contrast, a system that responds to the perturbation in
the opposite direction is called a negative feedback system.
Bipolar feedback: which can either increase or decrease output.

Q43. What are the main divisions of power system?

The generating system,transmission system,and distribution system

Q44. What is Instrumentation Amplifier (IA) and what are all the advantages?
An instrumentation amplifier is a differential op-amp circuit providing high input impedances with
ease of gain adjustment by varying a single resistor.

Q45. Explain the concept of frequency re-use.

The whole of the geographical area is divided into hexagonal shape geometrical area called cell and
each cell having its own transceiver. Each BTS (cell site) allocated different band of frequency or
different channel. Each BTS antenna is designed in such a way that i cover cell area in which it is
placed with frequency allotted without interfering other sell signal.