Resistors and Resistor Color Code
-
A quick look at resistors and resistor color codes with pictures and charts.
Capacitors and Inductors -
Increase your knowledge of capacitors and inductors with these simple explanations.
Simple Power Supplies -
Are sometimes called battery eliminators when they are made to output a particular voltage, 9 volts for example. If they are made adjustable, then a wide range of useful voltages can be produced from one simple power supply.
Simple Audio Oscillator -
A combination of two basic ciruits, an oscillator operating in the audio frequency range and a audio amplifier that allows a speaker to be connected to the oscillator. By using the amplifier , you can obtain a loud sound that can be used for an alarm or anything else that requires an audio tone.
Zener Diode Tester
Zener diodes are an interesting type of diode. They conduct in the forward biased direction just like ordinary diodes but it's the reverse biased condition that's interesting because the voltage drop across the diode in the reversed direction is constant making them a good voltage regulator.
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Basic Facts On Capacitors And Inductors
I won't go into too great of detail here about the electric properties of capacitors and inductors since it involves alternating current theory and that is too big a topic for this small article, but if you're interested in learning more about capacitors & inductors check out my Introduction To Basic Electronics Home Study Mini Course
Here on this page I'll show you the schematic symbols for both and some basic things about their behavior.
A capacitor is made up of two metal surfaces that face each other but are insulated from one another.
The basic symbol looks like
this 
If you put you put a source of voltage like a battery across the capacitor what would happen? Well, since the two plates are insulated from each other nothing would happen. Actually, if you measured current flow in the circuit you would find a small amount of current would flow for just a brief moment.
This is because a capacitor can hold a electric charge. It is stored as an electric field between the two plates and the current flow was the capacitor charging up.
The amount of energy it can hold depends on it's value. Capacitors are measured in Farads or more commonly in micro farads and pico farads. The name comes from Michael Faraday (1791-1867), a very interesting man. Read some about him when you get the chance.
Coils and Inductance
Now for the coil or inductor. An inductor is a lenght of wire wound into a coil. Sometimes on an
iron form or without depending
on the amount of "inductance" desired. The more turns of wire on the coil the higher
the inductance.
The symbol for an inductor with an air core is 
. With an iron core 
Inductance is measured in henrys and again more often in micro or pico henrys. Now what will happen if we put an inductor in place of the resistor in our famous circuit? Watch closely it behaves the opposite of the capacitor. For a very brief moment nothing will happen then current will begin to flow and the only thing limiting the current will be the internal resistance of the coil. The inductor stores energy in a magnetic field. Remember the capacitor stores energy in an electric field. The combination of the capacitor and the inductor make magical things happen.
We need one more thing to tie this all together and that's magnetic fields. When current flows through an inductor a magnetic is formed around the inductor. When the current stops the field collapses back. Also, if you take a magnet and pass it around a coil a current will be induced in that coil or inductor. So a changing current creates a magnetic field and changing magnetic field creates a current. Now, if you take two coils and arrange them so that the magnetic field of one "cuts" through the windings of the other you have a transformer. Transformers can have either an air core or iron core.
The symbol looks like this
if it's
air core and this 
if it's iron core.
Iron cores are "usually" used at low frequencies up through the audio range where higher inductance is needed and air cores are used at radio frequency. The exception is with special powdered iron compounds which are used at high rf frequencies.
When you hook a capacitor and an inductor together 'magic' things happen in that circuit. Almost every electronic device you use depends on that 'magic' combination of magnetic and electric fields.
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Project Building Tools And Supplies
When you're searching for basic tools and equipment, taking a little time to find the best price on these tools can really save you money.
That's why I've put together a web site, Kit Building Supplies that has some of the lowest prices that I can find on new equipment, supplies and tools for building electronic projects and simple circuits. I didn't have to look far because I have found that over the years Amazon almost always has prices that are way lower than anyone else.
I've taken some of the most popular items that I and other people use everyday to build circuits, along with current prices and availability then lisited them out for you. I think you'll find it handy and informative. Even if you don't see what you need, just use the search box at Amazon and I'm almost 100% sure you will find it!
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Off The Subject But Interesting...
This is a little off the subject, but if you have ever heard of Nikola Tesla you might know about his involvement with alternating current
and his battles with the Edison Company, later to become General Electric, which at the time, late 1890's, was building direct current motors and generators.
Anyway, Tesla has been sort of labeled as a "weird inventor scientist" but as it turns out many of his ideas hold water today!
Little Known Tesla Information
Find out what we now know
about the old weird scientist himself.
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