I learned about the basic electronic components by going to the library and reading books.
I was just starting out.
And I felt like a lot of the books explained everything in a difficult way.
In this article I will give you a simple overview, with an explanation of the basic electronic components – what they are and what they do.
The Most Common Basic Electronic Components
These are the most common components:
- Resistors
- Capacitors
- LEDs
- Transistors
- Inductors
- Integrated Circuits
Resistor
Find the resistor symbol in the schematic symbols overview.
I didn’t understand the resistor in the beginning.
It didn’t seem to do anything! It was just there, consuming power. But with time, I learned that the resistor is actually extremely useful.
You’ll see resistors everywhere. And as the name suggests, they resist the current.
But you are probably wondering: What do I use it for?
You use the resistor to control the voltages and the currents in your circuit.
How?
By using Ohm’s law.
Let’s say you have a 9V battery and you want to turn on a Light-Emitting Diode (LED).
If you connect the battery directly to the LED, LOTS of current will flow through the LED!
Much more that the LED can handle. So the LED will become very hot and burn out after a short amount of time.
But – if you put a resistor in series with the LED, you can control how much current is going through the LED.
In this case we call it a current limiting resistor.
Capacitor
Find the capacitor symbol in the schematic symbols overview.
You can think of a capacitor as a battery with very low capacity.
You can charge and discharge it just like a battery.
The capacitor is often used to introduce a time-delay in a circuit.
For example to blink a light.
It’s commonly used for removing noise, or making the supply voltage of a circuit more stable.
Read more about the capacitor in this article: How Does A Capacitor Work?
There are many capacitor types. Most commonly, we divide them into polarized and non-polarized capacitors.
Light Emitting Diode (LED)
Find the LED symbol in the schematic symbols overview.
A Light Emitting Diode – or LED for short – is a component that can give light.
We use LEDs to give a visual feedback from our circuit.
For example to show that the circuit has power. But, you can also used them to make cool light-show circuits.
You see these components everywhere:
In your laptop, on your mobile phone, on your camera, in your car +++
And you can find many different types of LEDs.
A very common circuit to build as a beginner is the blinking light circuit.
Transistor
Find the transistor symbol in the schematic symbols overview.
This is probably the hardest of the basic electronic components to understand.
But don’t worry, it’s not that hard.
A simple way is to look at the transistor as a switch controlled by an electrical signal.
If you put about 0.7 volts between the base and the emitter, you turn it on.
Note that this is true for NPN transistors. There are also other types, but worry about these later.
But, instead of having just two states (ON or OFF), it can also be “a bit on” by controlling the current that goes through its base.
A bit of current on the base produces a current of maybe 100 times more (depending on the transistor) through the Collector and Emitter. We can use this effect to build amplifiers.
I’ve previously made a video on how transistors work.
Inductor
Find the inductor symbol in the schematic symbols overview.
Inductors are a bit weird.
It’s just a coil of wire – and you can make one yourself by making some loops out of a wire.
Sometimes they’re wound around a metal core of some sort.
They are often used in filters.
I rarely use one actually, but when I wrote that in my article “What is an inductor?” a friend of mine reacted. See his response at the end of that article.
Integrated Circuit
Find the integrated circuit symbol in the schematic symbols overview.
An Integrated Circuit (IC) consists of many basic electronic components.
It’s nothing mysterious or magical.
It’s just an electronic circuit that has been shrunk to fit inside a chip.
It could be an amplifier, it could be a microprocessor, it could be a USB to serial converter… It could be anything!
To figure out what a specific IC does, you can read its datasheet.
What to do next?
Now, you know a bit about the basic electronic components.
But don’t just read about it – take action and start building electronics:
I’ve created a checklist that explains the 10 steps you need to take to learn electronics. The checklist is also available as a free downloadable PDF:
Click here to learn electronics with these 10 simple steps >>
Do you understand the basic electronic components? Leave your comment or questions in the comment field below!
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diode using to inductar
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pleas send me ic how to know data sheet
its very useful. Thanks.
very good expanation . anyone will understand it.
thangs
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Hi am karthick
I am recently joined in a laptop service center
I don’t know much about electronic
I just know little bit. If u tell me guide me or give me some tips
That how can I troubleshoot the mother bird problem like no power , when connect the Adaptor to the laptop the goes off and how to trace out the some failure or short component in mother boards. If u can help this
i think its so gud.
Thanks for information. It’s very helpful.
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easy to understand.and helpful, perfect
I recommend fritzing if you want to build circuits, it’s an open source software where you can build your own circuits digitally.
I like your basis idea , its eazy understand and very helpful.
If a circuit is not complete what happens?
What does a need so that it can work properly?
If it is not complete, that is you don’t have a closed loop, then no current will flow and nothing will happen.
Cheers!
Oyvind
So a transistor is like a switch that i can put in halfway down a power wire for like an LED and turn it on from somewhere else with a switch that powers the transistor. And then transistor will turn the LED on and off by controlling the power flow into it. Have i got that right?
Hey Chris,
I don’t understand what you mean by “put in halfway down a power wire”…
Can you clarify?
Cheers!
Oyvind
Awesome simple language to clear basis concepts of electronic components.
Huge thanks Oyvind Nydal Dahl
Awaiting eagerly your forthcoming articles
its really very helpfull and unstandable
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an very use full
Wow I,ve been an art student since, after reading this explanation I just switched to science…… Thank u for dis explanation!!
stfu lol
sir, i have to face the electronic competition.. But, i don’t know about electronic.. So, sir, could you please tell me or guid me how to make a simple electronic device…..?
Try this: http://www.build-electronic-circuits.com/electronics-for-beginners/
Capacitors have been used in many appliances all around the world. From basic appliances like TV sets and microwaves to large satellites in space, capacitors have a function everywhere. Great post! Good that you share your practical knowledge.
This is nice to know about our circuit in simple way
Øyvind, I am very new to this stuff and you are a great person for making this website so you can freely express your knowledge. I am very thankful that put your time in making these articles for the people who will one day mold the future. Thank you Øyvind!:D
Thanks =)
Oyvind
this is very help full for my report on a circuit paper i have to do. I am a new circuit builder
thank this helped with my report for 7 grade on circuits
Thank you very much, i think you are created to help newbies like me, after getting your e-book getting started with electronics my level is gradually increasing as i’ve started understanding and building simple stuff which makes me never wanting to stop cos i find them exciting alway willing to do more .
Thanks
Hey John,
That’s great to hear! Let me know if you have any questions along the way.
Cheers!
Oyvind
All the info here are really useful since they are very short and to the point so we can clearly understand.. but can you explain what is a base Material(use in PCBs) and i’m doing a project about PCBs. can you advice me about the things that I have to include in my book?
Hey,
Materials in PCB are often FR4, but can be other types as well. But I have no idea what you should include in your book. Maybe this page can give you some ideas: http://www.build-electronic-circuits.com/pcb-design/
Cheers!
Oyvind
it will be very helpfull. If you can make it clear on transistor and ic. Tnx
it’s ver useful to electronic students ..easy way to understand it
Hello!
For all electronic fans, you will find here a lot of basic stuctures used in analog electronic:
shematronic.ddns.net
I’m a newbie and always desiring to get more knowledge on electronic, i find this tutorial to be so helpful. And though the turorial is short but it is rich.
You’re doing a great work here, God bless you.
very helpful indeed
thanks
that was a great description..god bless you!!!
Thansk! =)
Oyvind
nice explanation of what i have needed. Thanks sir. Keep doing more
Great to hear! =)
Oyvind
Really Awesome…
thnx its very helpful to me…
Wow Im so greatful of you making it so under standing for us all GOD gave you this path to teach all your knowledge and for you to pass it on.
I would say this is one of your paths GOD gave you to share GOD BLESS
PS. I THANK YOU FOR MAKING MY BRAIN A LOT MORE KNOWLEDGED
AND I WILL ACCEPT ALL THAT YOU CAN SHARE
WAYNE WRONA
Can you explane how interpret circuit works
very helpful, thank you
bro i feel like an electronics genius…thnks
it’s helpfull, thankfull.
Its really useful..
Super
Thanks for some good descriptions of electric circuit components (especially resistors which sort of baffled me too).
It’s very helpfull for electronic student.
Use full information
got it through gud to be familiar with electro organs kidding thanx
I love this post. Have really gained from this, I wish to go futher by building a 12v charger.
Really you have the capability & potential to teach even a raw student in electronics. Much thanks owe to me.
hi sir…
i really find your tutorial, more intresting. kudos.. thats so great jst keep it up..
actually i will be starting my project work and i hope for your assistance.
thank you.
simple language and you’ve made it simple to understand components.
This is very very nice website to learn basic electronics. Thank you very much.
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very helpful. n awesome
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Good explanation. Helped me a lot with my DT homework
this is really helping me thank you thank you
yes this is very nice for future. and I want to learn more deeply. I am from Electrical
It is thankful for me…thanku very much.
Hi bro thanks for this, am learning. please I like to download 10 Steps To Learn To Build Electronics, but it not download as I clicked on the download button…
Hey, just follow the instructions and you should get to the download. If you get an error message, please let me know.
Best,
Oyvind
very nice site for learning the basic electronics
Good day to you, I am trying to repair a PCB but am finding it difficult to procure the resistor that has blown. The resistor has specific coloured bands on it. Any suggestions on how to identify the manufacturer of this specific resistor?
You can find the codes here: http://www.build-electronic-circuits.com/resistor-color-codes/
Best,
Oyvind
i agree electronic future
this is shit
I really hands off you not for the simple and easy explanation of the components of the but for the labour you did for finding all these informations in a simple way……..
Thank you very much………
I’m glad to hear that =)
Oyvind
You did a really good job explaining the parts of a circuit. I’m sure that I read similar books to you in the beginning and it always took me reading the information two or three times before it really sank in. I just wanted to learn how circuit boards worked and it didn’t take long to get in over my head. Your explanation is much better for a beginner and I feel like the books would have made much more sense if I had read this first.
That’s great to hear!
Oyvind
please sir I need to know TV components and their functions. how to assemble TV
it’s weird,amazing,your explaination have just graduated my level,great tkx to you
thanks, clearly understood but can you name more of this circuit component. pls.
Beautiful tips
I ravi Kant like learning circit digram but I have no book and no institution and no teacher related this subject
Useful article I saw in my life
Thanks a lot. This has really helped me
Very good article for new electronics repairers,I am the new electronics repairman,I need to learn about ic555 can you help me? thank you
Thanks man. Really helped me for my science olympiad. I am 10 and will turn 11 on may 9th 2017. I’m doing circuit design for the science olympiad so this really helped. 🙂
They are very useful and Easy to understand… Thnk you so much sir
What are some things that use circuits
Thank you so much for the guidance ..good to clear basics
Normally i purchase leds from led123.ca/en but i could not know how to build a led circuit board at home if you have some knowledge so you can share with because your this blog really helpful those who want to learn more about electricity
Hi, can I download a book from your website, if so how.
What is an inductor
I’m one of the newbies and I must confess that i’ve learnt alot from your teachings As there are always very easy and simply to comprehend. Thanks!