Wed. Sep 4th, 2024

Electronic parts are fundamental components of electronic technology that serve as the foundation of electronic circuits. With the fast growth of electrical technology and its applications, the number of parts employed in the production of electronic gadgets grows by the day. Electronic engineers or enthusiasts must understand the properties and uses of commonly used electronic components. 

Before you start working on electronic circuits, you must first become familiar with the basic electronic parts. There are several electronic parts such as switches, resistors, capacitors, diodes, and transistors.

This article discusses electronic parts typically used by engineers and their uses. 

What are the basic electronic parts?

The basic electronic parts include the following:

Potentiometer

A potentiometer is a three-terminal electronic device that controls voltage, speed, and frequency. 

It also includes a knob on top to adjust a variable. Electronic gadgets can be regulated using the resistance that is produced. A potentiometer is similar to a voltage divider, except that it can produce different outputs.

Application of potentiometers: 

  • Sound controllers 
  • Adjust LCD brightness etc.

Motors

A motor is a device that turns electrical energy into rotational mechanical energy. The direction and amount of the magnetic field created by the coil can be adjusted by varying the current flowing through it. 

The most popular types of motor are:  

DC motors: The full meaning of DC is direct current. DC motors transform electrical power from direct current into rotation. 

DC motors can be used in drilling machines, lathe machines, elevators, fans, and rolling mills. 

Servo motors: Also known as control motors, these kinds of motors outperform other types of motors in terms of efficiency and precision. Servos can be AC or DC. The performance of a DC servo motor is only dependent on voltage, but the performance of an AC servo motor is determined by both voltage and frequency.

The output shaft of a servo motor can be moved to a specific velocity, angle, and position using code. 

 Stepper motors, As their name implies, this kind of motor does not rotate constantly. Rather, they rotate in steps. They run in three modes: micro-step mode, half-step mode, and full-step mode, depending on the number of steps completed for each complete revolution of the shaft. 

Diodes

Diodes are two-terminal electrical parts that allow current to flow in one direction while blocking current in the opposite direction. A Diode has two terminals namely: anode and cathode. An ideal diode has no resistance in one direction but infinite resistance in the opposite direction.  

The most widely used diode types are: 

Constant Current Diodes: These diodes are used to control the voltage at a specific current. 

Zener Diodes: This diode functions as a voltage regulator. When the applied voltage exceeds the breakdown value known as Zener voltage, the Zener diode permits current to flow in the opposite direction. 

Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs): These diodes turn electrical energy into light energy. This type of diode is used in household lighting and street lights.

Transformer

 It is an electrical device used to adjust the voltage of alternating current. A transformer is made up of two or more coils referred to as primary and secondary coils wound around a magnetic iron core. A transformer uses electromagnetic induction to convert the input voltage into the desired output voltage. Transformers are widely used in electronic equipment, power systems, communication networks, and manufacturing industries. 

A transformer has excellent dependability, efficiency, and energy savings. This makes it a crucial component of power transmission and distribution equipment. Because their input and output coils are completely isolated from one another, they can also be utilized as isolation devices.  

Switches

Switches are one of the most basic electrical components, as well as the most commonly utilized in electrical devices. The function of a switch in an electrical circuit is to connect or disconnect the conducting lines. The switch requires an external push to effect these changes in electrical impulses. When you press down or flick a switch, current flows through to the rest of the circuit.  

Types of switches: 

Toggle switches: Toggle switches are switches that operate by sliding a lever or handle back and forth to open or close an electrical circuit. The light system in domestic wiring is an example of a toggle switch. 

Push button switch: This type of switch is a two-position device that remains in its natural 1 state until it is depressed to activate the 0 state. Push button switches include calculators and keyboards.

Selector switches: Sometimes known as rotary switches, selector switches can be controlled by turning the handle to turn on or off different current circuits. When there are two or more positions available, this switch is most suitable. 

Transistor

A transistor is a semiconductor device that is widely used to amplify or switch electrical power and electrical signals. A transistor consists of three terminals: emitter, collector, and base. In a computer, transistors are packed into many small microchips and are also found in some smaller systems.

Capacitor

 The capacitor contains two terminals. It is an electronic part that retains electric charge and energy within an electric circuit. The capacitance of a capacitor is defined as the ratio of the electric charge of each conductor to the potential difference across the conductors. The capacitance of a capacitor is measured in farads (F). Just like resistors, capacitors can be connected in series or parallel inside a circuit. 

What exactly are capacitors used for? 

A capacitor has many applications, including timers, AC-to-DC conversion, coupling and decoupling, sensors, and signal processing. Though capacitors may come in a variety of sizes and shapes, they have two conducting plates separated by an insulating substance.

Resistors

 Resistors are the most fundamental electronic parts. A resistor is a passive electrical part that produces resistance to the flow of electric current. It is measured in Ohms. The behavior of an ideal resistor is governed by the relationship defined by Ohm’s law V=IR. V represents the potential difference, I represents the current flowing, and R is a proportionality constant for resistors. 

 Resistors are connected in series or parallel, depending on the requirements. The color bars surrounding the component body represent the resistor’s value and tolerance. 

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