Introduction to Basic Electronic Devices

EN1803 Basic Electronics for Engineering Applications

Samiru Gayan
Department of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering
University of Moratuwa

Semester 3, 2022

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You will learn

This module provides an introduction to basic electronic devices. This includes an introduction
to the concept of abstraction which is a powerful engineering tool, a brief review of historical
aspects of electronics and an overview of the electric circuit design process.

Learning Objectives
• Explain the concept of abstraction.
• Recall the historical aspects related to electronics.
• Explain the electric circuit design process.

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Introduction

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What is Electrical Engineering?

• The profession concerned with the design, development, construction and application of
systems that generate, convert, gather, transport, store, and process electrical energy and
signals.
• In some applications, electrical signals are synonymous with information.

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What is Electrical Engineering?

• Transport of electrical signals and energy has been significant for society.
• Ability to generate, convert and distribute electrical power has revolutionized the world
(e.g. communication systems - mobiles, internet).
• Prime examples of storage and processing of electrical signals (information) are computers
and other devices with microprocessors.
• Control systems gather and process information to control physical systems such as
airplanes, automobiles, and many others.
• Processing of electrical signals (i.e., signal processing) is seen in many applications.
Examples include biomedical (MRI, ECG, ultrasound, etc), audio and speech signals and
images/video, remote sensing and array processing, communications, etc.

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What is Electrical Engineering?

• Some major areas of Electrical Engineering;

• Power Systems • Telecommunications

• Microelectronics and Fabrication • Electronics
• Control Systems • Electromagnetics and Photonics
• Digital Systems and Computers • Biomedical Engineering
• Signal Processing • Mechatronics

• For more details on electrical engineering see Hambley 1.1 or Nilsson 1.1.

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What is Electrical Engineering?

Figure: A computerized
tomography (CT) scan is an
example of an image-processing
system.
Figure: A good example of the
interaction among systems is a
commercial airplane.
Figure: Communication system.
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What is Electrical Engineering? An Alternative View

• First, let’s ask, ”What is engineering?”

• ”Engineering is the purposeful use of science.” - Dr. Stephen Senturia, MIT
• From this point of view,
• ”Electrical engineering is the purposeful use of Maxwell’s Equations (or Abstractions) for
electromagnetic phenomena.” - A. Agarwal, J. Lang, MIT
• Maxwell’s equations are the set of four fundamental equations describing
electromagnetism (i.e., the behaviour of electric and magnetic fields).
• These four equations, each referred to as a Law, are theories developed from
experimental observations and used to model electromagnetism.
• Hence, they, like other laws of physics, are models of reality.

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Models and Engineering

• ”A model in science is a physical, mathematical, or logical representation of a system of

entities, phenomena, or processes. A model is a simplified abstract view of the complex
reality.” - Wikipedia
• Models simplify complex physical realities so that we can make sense of it, A prime
example of this is the atom, which is a model.
• Models can have varying levels of depth and complexity.
• At times, we even need to make simpler models from models to practically solve problems.

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Models and Engineering

• For everyday, practical electrical engineering problems, Maxwell’s equations are an

example of this need.
• As a set of partial differential equations over surfaces and volumes, it would be intractable
to apply them in every practical electromagnetic system.
• Instead, we use the concept of abstraction to simplify Maxwell’s equations in order to
meet our practical needs.

• Example: Consider a light bulb connected to a battery. What if we want to know the
power dissipated by a light bulb. How can we compute this?

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Complected Equations
Differential Form Integral Form
∇ · E = ϵρ0 E · dA = Q(V )
H
Gauss’ Law for Electricity ϵ0
H∂V
Gauss’ Law for Magnetism ∇·B=0 B · dA = 0
H∂V ∂Φ
Faraday’s Law of Induction ∇ × E = − ∂B ∂t E · dI = − ∂tB,S
H∂S ∂ΦE ,S
Ampere’s Law ∇ × B = µ0 J + µ0 ϵ0 ∂E
∂t ∂S B · dI = µ0 IS + µ0 ϵ0 ∂t
Table: Maxwell’s Equations

Applying Maxwell’s Equations in is Quite Complected.

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Abstraction

• Abstraction is the process of generalizing by reducing the information content of a

concept or an observable phenomenon, typically in order to retain only relevant
information for a purpose.
• Example

• You might say: a = F

m ??

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Abstraction

• Using Newton’s 2nd Law, we ignore shape, temperature, point of force application, and
other attributes of the object.
• This is an abstraction, whereby the object is reduced to a point mass and Newton’s 2nd
law is used.
• The same can be done with the light bulb in order to find the power dissipated when
connected to a battery
• Ignore how current flows through the light bulb filament
• Ignore its shape, size, temperature, orientation, etc.
• Model the light bulb with a discrete resistor.

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Abstraction

• A three-dimensional object (light bulb) has been “lumped” into an element with
resistance R.
• The battery is lumped into a source with voltage v .
• The bulb’s resistance is the property of interest needed to compute power.
• Using Ohm’s Law (a model in itself) the current through the light bulb can be calculated
as i = Rv .
• Power can then be computed to be p = vi.
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Abstraction

• Abstraction is widely used in engineering to simplify science into tractable models (both
computationally and conceptually).
• It is important to understand the abstractions that have gone into these models and
realize their limitations.
• Real-life systems do not always behave as predicted by models. It’s important to be able
to figure out why.
• In the light bulb example, we neglected any resistance in the connecting wires. Batteries
can have internal resistances as well. This can affect my model’s accuracy.

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Basic Modeling Example

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Basic Modeling Example

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Advanced Modeling Example

• A speaker is an electro-mechanical device.

• To help compute its output power, frequency response, or other properties, a speaker can
be modelled as

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A Brief History of Electronics

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Discovery of the Layden Jar - 1745
• Ewald Georg von Kleist and Pieter van Musschenbroek accidentally discovered the Layden
Jar in 1745.
• It was the first electrical capacitor– a storage mechanism for an electrical charge.

• Watch: https://youtu.be/spuXN0ccRQ8
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Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
• Flew kites to demonstrate that lightning is a form of Static Electricity.
• He attached a wire to the kite and produce sparks at the ground and charge a Leyden jar.
• This led Franklin to invent the lightning rod.

• Watch: https://youtu.be/RGK6nlE6hw0 21 / 48
Charles Augustus Coulomb (1736-1806)
• Coulomb showed electrical attraction and repulsion follow an inverse square law.
• The unit of charge (Coulomb) is named after him.

• Watch: https://youtu.be/rwg5DvyhjYs
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Alessandro Volta (1745-1827)
• Invented the battery.
• The unit of voltage is named after him.

• Watch: https://youtu.be/Is8wAeoTqHQ
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André Marie Ampère (1775-1836)
• Gave a formalized understanding of the relationships between electricity and magnetism
using algebra.
• The unit for current (ampere) is named after him.

• Watch: https://youtu.be/RJb0r8dHzAo
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Hans Christian Oersted (1777-1851)
• Demonstrated that electricity affected magnetism.
• Initiated the study of Electromagnetism.
• Discovered Aluminum.

• Watch: https://youtu.be/RwilgsQ9xaM
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George Simon Ohm (1789-1854)
• Presented the “Ohm’s Law”.
• Invented the Solenoid.
• The unit for resistance (Ohms) is named after him.

• Watch: https://youtu.be/mB1z_x7J5Aw 26 / 48
Michael Faraday (1791-1867)
• Demonstrated electromagnetic induction.
• The unit of capacitance (Farad) is named after him.

• Watch: https://youtu.be/mxwVIOHEG4I
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Joseph Henry (1797-1878)
• He aided and discovered several important principles of electricity, including
self-induction, a phenomenon of primary importance in electronic circuitry.
• The unit of induction (Henry) is named after him.

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Samuel Finley Breese Morse (1791-1872)
• Developed the electric telegraph (1832–35).
• In 1838 he and his friend Alfred Vail developed the Morse Code.

• Watch: https://youtu.be/iI7q1xGExcA
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Gustav Robert Kirchhoff (1824-1887)
• In 1845 Kirchhoff first announced Kirchhoff’s laws.
• In further studies, he demonstrated that current flows through a conductor at the speed
of light.

• Watch: https://youtu.be/YMNZ2oYu-qI
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James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879)
• The concept of electromagnetic radiation originated with Maxwell, and his field equations,
based on Michael Faraday’s observations of the electric and magnetic lines of force.

• Watch: https://youtu.be/SS4tcajTsW8
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Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931)
• American inventor who held a world-record 1,093 patents (phonograph, incandescent
lamp).
• In addition, he created the world’s first industrial research laboratory.

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Heinrich Rudolph Hertz (1857-1894)
• Showed that Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell’s theory of electromagnetism was
correct and that light and heat are electromagnetic radiations.
• The unit of frequency (Hertz) is named after him.

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Nikola Tesla (1856-1943)
• Discovered and patented the rotating magnetic field, the basis of most alternating-current
machinery.
• He also developed the three-phase system of electric power transmission.
• The unit of magnetic field density (Tesla) is named after him.

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Guglielmo Marconi (1874-1937)
• Inventor of the successful wireless telegraph (1896).
• In 1909 he received the Nobel Prize for Physics.
• He later worked on the development of shortwave wireless communication, which
constitutes the basis of nearly all modern long-distance radio.

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Sir Joseph John Thomson (1856-1940)
• Helped revolutionize the knowledge of atomic structure with his discovery of the electron
(1897).
• He received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1906 and was knighted in 1908.

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Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
• Developed the special and general theories of relativity and won the Nobel Prize for
Physics in 1921 for his explanation of the photoelectric effect.

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Sir John Ambrose Fleming (1849-1945)
• He is best remembered as the inventor of the two-electrode radio rectifier, which he called
the vacuum diode.
• This device, patented in 1904, was the first electronic rectifier of radio waves, converting
alternating-current radio signals into weak direct currents detectable by a telephone
receiver.

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Jack St. Clair Kilby (1923-2005)
• One of the inventors of the integrated circuit, a system of interconnected transistors on a
single microchip.

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Seymour Cray (1925-1996)
• A preeminent designer of large high-speed computers known as supercomputers.

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Engineering Design: An Overview

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Design of Electric Circuits

• Before becoming involved in the details of circuit analysis, we need to take a broad look
at engineering design, specifically the design of electric circuits.
• The purpose of this overview is to provide you with a perspective on where circuit analysis
fits within the whole of circuit design.

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Design of Electric Circuits
Need

Design Specifications

Physical Circuit which

Concept meets design
insights
specifications

Circuit
Circuit analysis Model

Physical
Prototype

Refinement based on analysis

Laboratory
measurements

Refinement based on measurements

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Design of Electric Circuits

• All engineering designs begin with a need.

• This need may come from the desire to improve on an existing design, or it may be
something brand-new.
• A careful assessment of the need results in design specifications, which are measurable
characteristics of a proposed design.
• Once a design is proposed, the design specifications allow us to assess whether or not the
design actually meets the need.
• A concept for the design comes next.
• The concept derives from a complete understanding of the design specifications coupled
with an insight into the need, which comes from education and experience.
• The concept may be realized as a sketch, as a written description, or in some other form.

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Design of Electric Circuits
• The next step is to translate the concept into a mathematical model.
• A commonly used mathematical model for electrical systems is a circuit model.
• The elements that comprise the circuit model are called ideal circuit components.
• An ideal circuit component is a mathematical model of an actual electrical component, like a
battery or a light bulb.
• It is important for the ideal circuit component used in a circuit model to represent the
behaviour of the actual electrical component to an acceptable degree of accuracy.
• The tools of circuit analysis are then applied to the circuit.
• Circuit analysis is based on mathematical techniques and is used to predict the behaviour of
the circuit model and its ideal circuit components.
• A comparison between the desired behaviour , from the design specifications, and the
predicted behaviour , from circuit analysis, may lead to refinements in the circuit model
and its ideal circuit elements.
• Once the desired and predicted behaviour are in agreement, a physical prototype can be
constructed.
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Design of Electric Circuits

• The physical prototype is an actual electrical system, constructed from actual electrical
components.
• Measurement techniques are used to determine the actual, quantitative behaviour of the
physical system.
• This actual behaviour is compared with the desired behaviour from the design
specifications and the predicted behaviour from circuit analysis.
• The comparisons may result in refinements to the physical prototype, the circuit model,
or both.
• Eventually, this iterative process, in which models, components, and systems are
continually refined, may produce a design that accurately matches the design
specifications and thus meets the need.

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References

1. Electric Circuits, 10th Edition, James W. Nilsson and Susan A. Riedel.

2. Electrical Engineering, 6th Edition, Allan R. Hambley.
3. Fundamentals of Electrical Networks Lecture Notes, Brian Krongold.
4. Foundations of Analog and Digital Electronic Circuits, 1st Edition, Anant Agarwal and
Jeffrey Lang.
5. History of Electronics,
http://www.electronicsandyou.com/blog/history-of-electronics.html

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The End

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