Basics of Electronic Components and Devices

electronic component

any identifiable part that goes into an electronic system

resistors, capacitors, and inductors

3 examples of electronic components

electronic device

performs a more complex function than a plain component does

one component value

a component is usually specified by only _____

several parameters

devices, especially three-terminal devices such as transistors often must be characterized by ______

model

To ____ a circuit means to create a mathematical structure that models or imitates the way an actual circuit will perform when built

PSpice and NI multisim

proprietary circuit simulation software packages typically used to model circuits

resistors

a component that is used to present an unknown resistance to a current flow

field winding

the designers of the 19th century electric generators found that in order to regulate the output voltage of their machines, they had to place a resistive element in series with the ____

through-hole components

manufactured with wire leads that emerge form the components body and are inserted into the PCB (printed circuit board)

axial-lead resistor

example of a through-hole component

surface-mount technology

used PCBs with no mounting holes for the components

physical size of a resistor

determined the maximum amount of power a resistor can dissipate

nonelectrolytic or dry and electrolytic

the 2 types of capacitors

dielectric/insulator

a capacitor consists of two conductive plates or coatings separated by _____

value of capacitance

this is directly proportional to the surface area of the dielectric and inversely proportional to the dielectric’s thickness

destructive breakdown

every capacitor will eventually undergo this if the toal applied volatage exceeds its rated voltage

nonelectrolytic capacitors

these are not polarized and can usually be reversed without affecting the circuits performance. all capacitors with values less than 1 uF are ______

electrolytic capacitors

these capacitors are made by separating two conductive sheets of aluminum or tantalum with a thin moist electrolytic paste. most capacitors with values above 1 uF are ____

AC only appears across it

one should not use an electrolytic capacitor in a circuit where ______

backward

If an electrolytic capacitor is connected _____ so that a large DC voltage is applied to it with the wrong polarity, the heat generated can vaporize the water inside and cause the capacitor to explode!

electrostatic field

capacitors store energy in an ____

inductors

store energy in a magnetic field

magnetic core material

allows greater inductance to be obtained in the same physical space

bulky, heavy, and expensive

In general, inductors are used in analog circuits only when necessary, because for values above a few microhenries (μH, 10−6 H), these components tend to be _____

transformers

are simply inductors with more than one winding

autotransformer

a special type of transformer that uses a single winding with one or more taps

tap

a point where the wire in one winding is brought out of the coil to a terminal and then returns into the winding to continue where it left off.

audio-frequency equipment, radio, and wireless systems

transformers have special applications in ___

connectors

are used in nearly all electronic systems. Despite the popularity of wireless devices that need no physical connection to other devices, most electronic products use connectors internally in order to allow convenient assembly of the subsystems into a finished unit

pin header, 9-pin D-sub, phono, and BNC

Common types of connectors used in electronics (4)

pin headers

conductive pins usually spaced 2.54 mm (0.1 in.) apart, that mate with sockets that are easily attached to ribbon cables by means of insulation displacement connectors (IDPs).

ribbon cables

flat cables with equally spaced conductors across their width

IDPs (insulation-displacement connectors)

have sharp-edged receptacles that connect to all the conductors of the ribbon cable in one operation

D-sub

a connector that is lockable and suitable for interfacing externally to cables

Universal Serial Bus (USB)

which is used with USB standard serial data interfaces, as well as for supplying small amounts of DC power

antennas

provides an interface between an electrical circuit consisting of conductors that are specially designed to carry high frequency signals (transmission lines)

unbalanced antenna

displays a single impedance between its sole input terminal and its ground terminal

balanced antenna

has two terminals, neither of which should be grounded and is driven with opposite-polarity

balun

A device for converting a balanced antenna to unbalanced (or vice versa)

diode

denotes any two-terminal device that passes current more easily in one direction than the other

signal diode

Diodes designed to process low- to medium-power signalsre

Rectifier diode

Diodes designed for use in power supplies and for other medium- to high-power applications

LEDs (light-emitting diode)

Diodes designed to emit light (either visible, infrared, or ultraviolet)

Laser diode

a subcategory of LEDs with solid-state lasers that behave electrically like diodes.

photo diode

diode designed to detect rather than emit light

zener diode

type of diode used for voltage regulation and references

detecting and limiting signals.

In low-power circuits where the signals do not convey much power, signal diodes are used for such applications as

semiconductor diode

conducts readily when its anode (arrow) is made more positive than the cathode (bar)

forward biased

a diode is said to be ____ when its anode is more positive than its cathode

reversed biased

a diode is said to be ____when the applied voltage is of opposite polarity to forward bias

silicon

the most common semiconductor material Vfb is 06-0.7 depending on the physical size of the device and other factors

germanium diodes

for this type of diode, VFB can be as low as 0.3 V

silicon carbide

this type of diode is becoming popular in high-voltage and high-power applications) show a VFB of about 0.9 V

Gallium arsenide

diodes made of ____ or other material used for LEDs, VFB is usually in the range of 1.6–2.0 V

series

When the signal diode is forward biased, its simplified equivalent circuit consists of a voltage source VFB in ____ with a resistance RS.

capacitor

When the diode is reverse biased, its simplified equivalent circuit is simply

turnoff time

The time it takes to sweep away this charge is expressed in terms of the ___

Schottky diode

A special type of diode called a _____ is designed to have a very short turnoff time

rectifier diode

made physically larger so as to handle higher current and voltage levels

reverse breakdown voltage

This is the reverse-bias voltage that may cause the device to conduct a very large current that, if not limited by the external circuit, will overheat and destroy it.

incandescent lamp

LEDs are also much more efficient than their main predecessor

photodiode

designed to detect light of a certain wavelength range and is designed to operate with a reverse-bias voltage

general-purpose diode

The equivalent circuit of a Zener diode is the same as the forward-bias circuit

field-effect transistor

this concept was coined by Bell Laboratories researcher John R. Pierce, who suggested the name for a solid-state amplifying device invented by his Bell Labs colleagues William Shockley, Walter Brattain, and John Bardeen in 1948.

point-contact transistors

The earliest commercial transistors were called _____, because the connections to them were made via two wire points (the emitter and collector electrodes) contacting a semiconductor crystal base

Three-terminal devices

allow the physical separation of input and output circuits, because the provision of three terminals on a device allows one terminal to be used for the input signal, one for the output signal, and one to be shared as a common or ground terminal

gate, source, and drain

the 3 terminals of the FET

n channel enhancement-mode MOSFET

the complete name of a three terminal FET is:

metal oxide semiconductor

describes how the gate electrode was made in early versions of these devices

enhancement-mode device

does not conduct current through its channel until a suitable gate voltage is applied with respect to the source terminal

siemens

unit of inverse resistance