Omar Muñoz Urias

Diode Bridge: How Four Diodes Can Convert From AC to DC

The diode bridge is a simple circuit used to convert alternating current (AC) into direct current (DC). In this guide, you’ll learn how it works, what it’s used for, and how you can build your own.

diode bridge circuit

Even though you may not notice it, the diode bridge is everywhere. When you charge your phone or laptop, or you turn on the TV, you directly engage the diode bridge. How? All these devices rely on a diode bridge to transform the AC voltage from your wall outlet into a DC voltage that your device can use.

How to Build a DC Linear Power Supply

A DC linear power supply is an electric circuit that converts AC voltage to a stable regulated DC voltage – without any switching or digital circuitry. This makes the circuit both simple to understand and easy to build.

In this guide, you will learn how DC linear power supplies work and how to build your own.

DC linear power supply circuit

Schottky Diode: A Beginner’s Guide

In this guide, you will discover what a Schottky diode is and how it can be used in electronic circuits.

Did you know that Schottky diodes, unlike other diodes, are formed by the junction of a semiconductor material with a piece of metal? That’s gives it some special properties that can come in handy.

Schottky symbol and packaging
Single Schottky Diode (left) and a Schottky Pair (right)

What Is a Schottky Diode?

Diodes are components that normally only let current flow in one direction. Like a regular diode, the Schottky diode allows current to flow in the forward direction when enough forward voltage is applied.

Schottky diode symbol
Schottky Diode Symbol

However, while a regular PN junction diode is made by connecting p-type and n-type semiconductors, the Schottky uses metals like gold, tungsten, platinum, or aluminum instead of the p-type semiconductors. 

Zener Diode Basics (A Beginner’s Guide)

In this guide, you’ll learn exactly how a Zener diode works and how to use it in circuits.

Did you know that some of the common things you can build with Zener diodes include simple power supplies and guitar pedals?

Sounds interesting? Let’s jump in!

Zener Diode symbol

Rectifier Diode: Guide to Functionality and Circuits

The rectifier diode lets you convert alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC). In this guide, you are going to learn how this component works and some of the circuits you create by using one. Diodes are one of the basic electronic components in electronics. There are many types of diodes, but the most common

Beginner’s Guide to the Shift Register in Digital Electronics

A shift register is a common building block in digital electronics that is used to store and move bits, for example, to convert from serial to parallel data and vice versa. 

How a shift register work
How bits move through a shift register

It is basically a group of flip-flops that can store bits, and shift its stored bits sideways by one bit-position every time it is triggered. It is made using a series of D flip-flops with the output of one connected to the input of the next. Each clock pulse triggers a shift. 

In this tutorial, you will learn the different types of shift registers, how they work, and how to build them using flip-flops.

The T Flip-Flop (Quickstart Tutorial)

The T Flip-Flop is a flip-flop that can toggle its output. Toggling means switching its output to its opposite; 1 becomes 0, and 0 becomes 1. This type of flip-flop is often used in counters and frequency dividers. In this quickstart tutorial, you will learn how it works, its truth table, and how to build

The JK Flip-Flop (Quickstart Tutorial)

The JK Flip-Flop is a type of flip-flop that can be set, reset, and toggled. It can be used for making counters, event detectors, frequency dividers, and much more. In this tutorial, you will learn how it works, its truth table, and how to build one with logic gates. What is a JK Flip-Flop? Flip-flops

The D Flip-Flop (Quickstart Tutorial)

The D Flip Flop is an edge-triggered circuit that combines a pair of D latches to store one bit. It is commonly used as a basic building block in digital electronics to create counters or memory blocks such as shift registers. In this tutorial, you will learn how it works, its truth table, and how to build one with logic gates.

The D Latch (Quickstart Tutorial)

The D Latch is a logic circuit most frequently used for storing data in digital systems. It is based on the S-R latch, but it doesn’t have an “undefined” or “invalid” state problem. In this tutorial, you will learn how it works, its truth table, and how to build one with logic gates.

Full Adder Circuit – How it Works

A Full Adder is a digital circuit that performs the addition of three binary inputs. In this tutorial, you will learn how this circuit works, its truth table, and how to implement one using logic gates.

Schematic for a Full Adder Circuit
A Full Adder Circuit

What is a Full Adder?

Adders can either be Half Adders or Full Adders. The difference is that the Half Adder is used to add only two 1-bit binary numbers, therefore its sum can only range from 0 to 2. To improve this performance, the Full Adder was developed. It is able to add three 1-bit binary numbers, achieving a sum range from 0 to 3, which can be expressed with two output bits (“11”). 

The S-R Latch (Quickstart Tutorial)

The S-R latch is a key circuit in digital storage units. In this tutorial, you will learn how it works, its truth table, and how to build one with different logic gates.

S-R Latch Symbol
S-R Latch Symbol

What is an S-R Latch?

Before starting with the S-R latch you need to know what a latch is. A latch is an asynchronous circuit (it doesn’t require a clock signal to work), and it has two stable states, HIGH (“1”) and LOW (“0”), that can be used for storing binary data. Many sequential circuits and larger storage devices, such as shift registers, use latches as their principal building block.

Half Adder Circuit – How it Works

A Half Adder is a digital circuit that adds binary numbers. In this tutorial, you will learn how it works, its truth table, and how to implement one using logic gates. 

Half Adder Circuit
A Half Adder Circuit

What is a Half Adder?

A Half Adder is a digital circuit that carries out the addition of binary numbers. It’s the simplest of digital adders and you can build one using only two logic gates; an XOR gate and an AND gate.