Give your insight and idea about the

shown photos/Icons.

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Signals, Circuits, and Computers
John Athanasiou
Part B
Spring 2010

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 Electronic Circuits and Components
An “Electronic Circuit “ is a combination of electronic components
and conductive wires interconnected in a way as to achieve an
outcome: - Achieve a current /voltage of a certain value (signal)
- Amplify a signal
- Transfer data

Input CIRCUIT Output

The purpose of an electronic component is to allow the designer to

control the flow of current as to achieve a specified result/output.
(Resistors, Capacitors, Inductors, Diodes, Transistors )

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 Electronic Components
Active Components (have directionality)
Semiconductor devices-transistors and IC
an electronic component which supplies energy to a circuit.
Active electronic components are those that can control the flow of
electricity.
An active component functions as an alternating current circuit in
devices. This helps the device to increase power and voltage.

Passive Components (Have no directionality)

Resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes
(diodes and polarized capacitors must be
installed in a specified way)
Passive electronic components are components that consumes energy.
It does not produce energy, is incapable of power gain and requires no
electrical power to operate.
They simply absorb and received energy.

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 Electronic Components (cont.)

A. Insulators:

1.a material of such low

conductivity that the flow of
current through it is negligible.
2.Air, cloth and rubber are good
electrical insulators; feathers
and wool make good thermal
insulators

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 Electronic Components (cont.)

B. Resistors:

Resistors are passive elements that oppose/restrict

the flow of current.

A voltage is developed across its terminal,

proportional to the current through the resistor.
V = IR

Units: Ohms (Ω)

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Most commonly used resistors in lab are fixed value
resistors.
Variable resistors Besides the fixed value resistors, there
also exist variable resistors. The resistance of variable
resistors can vary in steps or continuously. Potentiometer is
also an example of continuously varying resistor
Special purpose resistors Light dependent resistors
(LDR) and thermistors are examples of special purpose
resistors. Thermistor is a resistor whose value depends on its
temperature. It is also called a heat sensor. LDR is a
resistance whose resistance depends upon the amount of
light falling on it. 9
 Electronic Components (cont.)
C. Capacitors
• behave like a tiny rechargeable battery.
(store energy and release it later. )
• are made of two parallel conductors separated by a

dielectric.
• are used for filtering, tuning, separating signals , etc.

• The ability of a capacitor to store charge is called

“Capacitance”

• C = Q/V (amount of charge stored/applied voltage)

• The unit of capacitance is the Farad.

Commonly used capacitances are much smaller than 1
Farad, micro-Farads (10-6 Farad, μF),
nano-Farads (10-9 Farad, nF), 10
-12
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 Electronic Components (cont.)

D. Transistors

Symbol for the NPN Transistor Transistors are commonly used for
signal amplification, switching,
collector
voltage regulation, etc.

base
emitter

Symbol for the PNP Transistor

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 Electronic Components (cont.)

E. Diodes are semiconductor devices that allow

current in only one direction

F. Fuses are devices that protect the

circuit from overload.

Are made of a wire that melts when the

current through it exceeds a specified
value

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 Electronic Components (cont.)
G. LEDs- Light Emitting Diodes:
• A special kind of diode: They allow current to
flow in one direction.
• The LED will light up when the proper amount of
1-3 current passes through.
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 A small scale electronic CKT on a substrate
of semiconductor material.
a small electronic device made up of multi
H. Integrated Circuits
interconnected electronic components suc
as transistors, resistors, and capacitors.

Orientation

Selector Amplifier
Counter
Tuning CKT

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I. Switches
an electrical component that can
disconnect or connect the conducting path
in an electrical circuit, interrupting the
electric current or diverting it from one
conductor to another.

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 A wire is defined as one
J. Cables and Wires
electrical conductor,
while a cable is defined
as a group of
individually insulated
wires (conductors)
encased together in
sheathing. Sheathing is
a non-conducting
material with protective
properties to shield the
conducting part of the
wire/cable.
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Service Drop Cable
It is the cable between the utility pole and
the consumer’s premises or building. The
service drop cable is an overhead
electrical line from the pole to the service
weatherhead of a house. The service drop
cable can be of many types given below:

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Duplex Cable: The duplex service
drop cable is a two core conductor
i.e. it has two conductors; an
insulated conductor for phase line
and a bare conductor for neutral line.
It is used for supplying a single phase
power to the building.

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Non-Metallic Sheathed Wires:
The non-metallic or NM sheathed wires are used for
in-house wiring. It may consist of 2 or more than 2
insulated conductors with an insulated or bare
ground conductor. There is another layer of plastic
XLPE sheathing for more protection. The latest
version NM type-B is currently used by electricians
for interior installation.

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Single Conductor Wire
Single Conductor wire is the most popular choice for
electrical layout inside a home. It is available in
multiple gauges, color (for phase, neutral and ground
identification) and solid or stranded conductors. A
single solid wire provides better connections but
single stranded wires are easier to route through
conduits.

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Twisted Pair Cable
This type of communication cable is made from two insulated
wires twisted together to form a twisted pair. The purpose of
twisting is to reduce the electromagnetic interference or noise.
They are used in Ethernet network and telephone
communication.

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Fiber Optic Cables
Fiber optic or optical fiber cable is a type of
communication cable made of flexible, transparent
glass fibers known as optical fibers that transmit data
in the form of light. The fiber’s thickness is
approximately equal to human hair and each
individual fiber is covered with plastic insulation.

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 Robotic Component Functional Summary*
B. Motors
• Motors are devices that can transform electrical
energy into mechanical energy.
• Control the movement/speed of the robot.
• Direction: CW or CCW.

• SWR Command:
• SetPWM[Port #, Direction & Speed# ]

• Range: Direction & Speed:

• 000 CCW-High
• 127 STOP
• 255 CW - High

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*E10 Manual-Vex Robotics Design System
 Robotic Component Functional Summary (cont.)

C. Servos
Servo motors are a type of motor that can be
directed to turn to a specific direction, rather
than just spin forward or backward.

SWR Command: SetPWM [ Port#, Direction Value]

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 Robotic Component Functional Summary(cont.)

C. The Bumper
- The bumper switch is a digital sensor.
- It tells the robot whether the bumper on the
front of the sensor is being pushed in or not.
SWR Command: bumperL = GetDigitalInput[Port#]

VEX 5v
Digital
IO Port
Input

0v

Input =1 (or 5V) when the bumper is not pushed.

Input =0 (or 0V) when the bumper is pushed.

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 Robotic Component Functional Summary (cont.)
D. The limit switch (similar to Bumper SW)
• The limit switch is a digital sensor.
• It can tell the robot whether the sensor’s
metal arm is being pushed down or not.
SWR Command: GetDigitalInput[Port#]

• When the limit switch is not being pushed in, the sensor
maintains a digital HIGH signal on its sensor port. (1 or 5v.)

• When an external force (like a collision or being pressed up

against a wall) pushes the switch in, it changes its signal to a
digital LOW until the limit switch is released. (0 or 0v.)
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 Robotic Component Functional Summary (cont.)

The light sensor

The light sensor uses a photocell that allows your
robot to detect and react to light.
Analog input of light levels:
Find dark or bright areas.

It uses a photoconductive photocells which are photo resistors,

meaning that their resistance value changes based on the
amount of incident light.

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1.What are the two types of
electronic components?
2.Why electronic component is
important in our daily lives?
3.What do you think will
happen if electronic
components were not
invented or discovered?
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