Basic Circuit

Pre-Activity Investigation

PLTW Engineering

Digital Electronics
Activity 1.1.2 Investigating Basic Circuits

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 Presentation Overview
Presentation topics:
Introduce you to basic circuits and their
symbols
Introduce you to components and equipment
that are fundamental to understanding circuits
Define voltage, current, and resistance
Prepare you for Activity 1.1.2 Investigating
Basic Circuits

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 Investigating Basic Circuits
You may have studied electricity and circuits in
other classes
Physical Science
PLTW Gateway
Chemistry
Physics
This guided activity assumes that you have no
prior knowledge of electricity
If you have studied circuits before, it can act as a
refresher to help you start thinking about circuits
again

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 Reflective Questions
Throughout this activity consider the following:
What are some of the basic components that
make up simple circuits and what do they do?
What are the important characteristics of a
circuit and how do I measure different parts of
a circuit?
How do I work safely with circuits?
How do I measure voltage in a circuit?
How does the arrangement of components
affect the characteristics of the circuit?
How can I use calculations to design circuits
before I start creating one?

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 Equipment and Tools
In this activity you will be introduced to the
equipment, concepts, and skills that are
foundations in the study of electronics
Components (Discrete Components) are simple
electronic devices that affect electrons in a
circuit.
Breadboards are reusable platforms for
prototyping circuits temporarily without
soldering.
Measurement Tools such as a digital V
multimeter (DMM) isI  V
widely used to + measure:
-
Current (I) R I R
Voltage (V)
Resistance (R)
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 Electronic Components

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 Basic Breadboard
A breadboard, sometimes called a protoboard, is
a reusable platform to temporarily build electronic
circuits

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 Advanced Breadboards
Digital design tools that already have common
components in place for you
They also sometimes have advanced
programming ability to create large circuits.

NI myProtoboard

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 Breadboard Function
Electric component Top View
leads and the wire used
to connect them are
inserted into holes that
are arranged in a grid
pattern on the surface
of the breadboard
A series of internal
metal strips serve as Cut-Away View
jumper wires that
connect specific rows of
holes

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 Breadboard Connections

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 Printed Circuit Boards (PCB)
Connects electronic components using conductive
pathways etched from copper sheets laminated
onto a non-conductive substrate
Components are then attached through soldering

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 Breadboard Use
A breadboard is a low-cost tool that takes less
time to create a circuit than to design and
fabricate a printed circuit board (PCB)
The higher cost of a PCB is often reserved for the
final working design
As a complement to circuit simulation,
breadboarding allows the designer to see how,
and if, the circuit functions

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 Breadboard Use
A breadboard allows the designer to quickly
change components during development and
testing e.g. changing the value of a resistor or
capacitor
A breadboard allows the designer to easily modify
a circuit to facilitate measurements of voltage,
current, or resistance

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 Breadboard Guidelines
Use the breadboard internal metal strips to make
most connections between components to
minimize the use of jumper wires

Minimize jumper wire length to avoid a jumble of

wires which is difficult to troubleshoot
Assemble the physical breadboard circuit so that
it looks as close as possible to the layout of the
schematic circuit to help with troubleshooting

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 Breadboard Guidelines
Place IC chips with pins straddling the gap
between the pin rows

Work from a schematic and check off each

component and wire as they are added to the
breadboard
Have someone check your circuit for errors
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 Breadboard Guidelines
Cut component leads to manageable lengths to
avoid unintended touching leading to a short
circuit
The image shows an example of ¼ inch legs (~ 3
hole spaces) that is an ideal length that is insert
into a breadboard hole

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 Digital Multimeter (DMM)
Tool to measure
Voltage, Current, and
Resistance
Measurement symbols
(V ---) Voltage Direct
Current
(V ~) Voltage
Alternating Current
(A ---) Current
(Ω) Resistance Traditional Digital Multimeter (DMM)

In this activity you will

learn how to measure
voltage

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 Digital Multimeter (DMM)
A Data Acquisition Module (DAQ) supplement your
computer with many tools that traditionally were
different pieces of equipment including a DMM

Digital MiniSystem (DMS) Digital Multimeter (DMM)

NI myDAQ + Protoboard

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 How to Properly Use a DMM
It is critical to understand the proper way to
measure
Current (I)
Voltage (V)
Resistance (R)

Placing leads (often red and black) in the

incorrect location will show incorrect readings and
possibly damage the DMM
In this activity you will learn to accurately
measure voltage
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 Circuit Diagram
In this activity you will be introduced to the basic
components of a circuit and how they are
arranged
Each component has a symbol that can be used
to create a circuit diagram

A circuit diagram and calculations help a circuit

designer test circuit characteristics before
prototyping or breadboarding the circuit
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 Circuit Diagram Symbols
Analog Power Sources
+
Voltage Source
-
Ground

Digital Power
Sources In this circuit example,
Voltage Source imagine the flow of
conventional current to be a
Digital Ground positive charge (+) moving
from the positive terminal of
Discrete Components the battery to the negative
terminal of the battery or
Resistor
ground
Light Emitting Diode
A circuit must have a
complete path from voltage
source to ground
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 Voltage, Current, and Resistance
Voltage is the electrical force that causes current
to flow in a circuit
It is measured in volts after Alessandro Volta who
discovered voltage

V
V + -
I
R I R

Alessandro Volta
1745-1827
Italian Physicist

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 Voltage, Current, and Resistance
Current is the flow of electrical charge through an
electronic circuit
The direction of a current is opposite to the
direction of electron flow
Current is measured in AMPERES (AMPS) named
after Andre Ampere for discovering current
V
V + -
I
R I R

Andre Ampere
1775-1836
French Physicist

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 Voltage, Current, and Resistance
Resistance is a measure of opposition to current
flow
It is measured in Ohms after Georg Simon Ohm
who discovered resistance

V
V + -
I
R I R

Georg Simon Ohm

1789-1854
German Physicist

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 Reflective Questions
Throughout this activity consider:
What are some of the basic components that
make up simple circuits and what do they do?
What are the important characteristics of a
circuit and how do I measure different parts of
a circuit?
How do I work safely with circuits?
How do I measure voltage in a circuit?
How does the arrangement of components
affect the characteristics of the circuit?
How can I use calculations to design circuits
before I start creating one?

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 Investigating Basic Circuits
Now that you are familiar with some of the
equipment and concepts that are fundamental to
the study of electronics, you are ready to start
exploring them in more detail
Follow all safety guidelines and instructor
directions for Activity 1.1.2 Investigating Basic
Circuits
Answer all questions in is as much detail as you
can, but you will not be graded on the accuracy of
your answers for this introductory activity
You answer will help shape the class discussion at
the conclusion of this activity
Now let’s explore electrical circuits

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