The Basic components you must know to fix circuits.
Introduction.
What is an electric circuit? From the lowest point of view circuit is the interconnection of sensitive electronic components in a continuous loop to perform a specific task or function like the resistors, relays to mention among others, most of these components are designed to perform a certain role on the circuit and as for a person who wants to start fixing and repairing boards they should e well acknowledgeable with how and why the given components is place on the circuit. And these basic components include.
The electric components.
1. Resistor
These are components you will actually find in all the electric circuits and as the name states (Resistors), these actually opposes the flow of current in the circuit and they are used for many purposes like limiting the amount of current flowing through a component and mostly you will be finding being used as voltage dividers and current dividers in circuits.
Resistors come in basically two types of resistors, the ones with fixed resistance and variable resistors these including the potential meter etc.
· Types of resistors
Fixed and Variable
· Symbol in circuit
· Unit of measurement
ohms. (Ώ)
2. Transistor.
Transistors were invented in 1947 by Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey replacing the vacuum tube, and these revolutionized the world of power electronic due to there sensitive nature of amplification of weak signals and also acting like digital switches. This happens when a weak current is applied to the Base of the Transistor a large current flow from the Collector to the Emitter of the Transistor hance amplification. These devices include the power transistors and MOSFETS.
· Types of Transistors.
N-types and P-types
· Symbol in circuit
3. Capacitor (variable)
Getting it from the name these consist of two metallic plates separated by an insulating material called a dielectric which serves mainly two purposes separation to avoid shorting the plates and increase the capacitance of the devices, theses also come in many types and all the types of the capacitor depends on the nature of the dielectric placed between its plates, they mainly server the purpose of store charge and maintain a constant supply of voltage to sensitive components controlling voltage supply and also used as filters to remove noises in Alternating signals.
· Types of capacitors.
Paper, ceramic, air capacitors
· Symbol in circuit
· Unit of measurement
Faradays
4. Inductor
The inductor is a coil con wire wounded on either a metallic or non-metallic substance(core) like ceramic, air, iron etc. just like the capacitor controls the voltage in a circuit by storing charge and discharging afterwords through a component the inductor is used as a current control devices since it stores electric fields as the magnetic fields in it and this causes a backs electromotive force which opposes the current causing as stated by lens law it hance the role of current regulation.
· Types of inductors
Iron, ceramic, air core inductor.
· Symbol in circuit
· Unit of measurement
Henrys
5. Diodes.
The diode is a semiconducting component that was introduced in the 1904, and they are widely used in most of the circuit boards today used of various roles like rectification of alternating voltage to Direct voltages where here four diodes are connected in an H-bridge with two facing the same sides and vise verses, they are also used as clippers to chop off and reform a sin waveform to other forms and lastly they are used as protection diodes to prevent shorting or back flow of current since it conductors only in one direction.
· Types of diodes.
Silicon and Zener Diodes.
· Symbols in circuit.
6. Integrated Circuit (IC).
Integrated circuit just like the name sounds theses are series of interconnected electric circuits that are constructed to perform a certain task when ever the same circuit should be used, these are like reuseable circuits that perform a predefined task. The examples of the interpreted circuits include the 555 timer which is used of oscillations and delays.
· Types of IC
Microcontrollers
7. Relays
Theses compose of a coil, a common terminal that is normally closed (NC) to a certain contact of the devices and another which is normally open (NO) meaning one contact is connected and another is open for a five pin relay but there allot of relays with numerous pins and all their role is to switch a circuit ON or OFF and mainly isolating a component in the circuit.
· Types of Relays.
Electromagnetic Relays., reed relays.
· Symbol in circuit
8. Voltage regulator
The voltage regulator is more like a Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET) these consist of three pins, the input for the input voltage, the round for the negative supply and then the output pin which finally outs the stable voltage after the regulation, it is commonly used in circuits where components operates of a constant voltage supply and doesn’t sustain any fluctuations in voltages.
· Types of Voltage regulators.
linear and switching regulators.
· Symbol in circuit.
9. Transformers
All the alternating current supply circuits use the transformer and these is mostly dues to its principle of stepping up and stepping down of an alternating voltage / current and this because it I made of two coils wounded on a core with one set being the input coil (primary coil) and the second being the out put coil(secondary), it is mostly commonly found charger circuits since there is need to step down voltage and also in inverters to step up voltage.
· Types of transformers.
Isolation transformers.
· Symbols in circuits
10. Crystals.
Crystals these devices that you will often see in radio circuits since they are frequency determining components, these are used to provide more accurate oscillations in certain circuit and keep the time in the circuit.
· Types of crystals.
Electromechanical.
· Symbols in circuit
Inconclusion these are the basically the commonest components you will find on a repair / faulty board so the take away here is that if you can Identify them on a circuit and know their role in a specific part of the board then you can troubleshoot and fix the circuit so tell me in the comments below if you learnt anything and make more discoveries since this was just an overview.
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