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Basic Electronic Components Used in Circuits

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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.

FREE Bonus: Download Basic Electronic Components [PDF] – a mini eBook with examples that will teach you how the basic components of electronics work.

Some basic electronic components drawn as cartoons

The Most Common Basic Electronic Components

These are the most common components:

  • Resistors
  • Capacitors
  • LEDs
  • Transistors
  • Inductors
  • Integrated Circuits

Resistor

A Through-Hole 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.

Some basic electronics components: LED in series with a battery and a resistor

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

Electrolytic 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)

leds-in-a-pile
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

Two transistors in a circuit
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.

Explanation of how a transistor works

I’ve previously made a video on how transistors work.

Inductor

A homemade 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

Integrated circuit - one of the basic electronic components
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.

FREE Bonus: Download Basic Electronic Components [PDF] – a mini eBook with examples that will teach you how the basic components of electronics work.

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:

9 Circuits is an eBook that will help you become great at building circuits. It contains 9 circuit-building challenges you’ll have to overcome. And you’ll get to build things like a game, a homemade musical instrument and a cookie-jar alarm.

Do you understand the basic electronic components? Leave your comment or questions in the comment field below!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  10. 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

    Reply

    • 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

      Reply

  21. 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?

    Reply

    • Hey Chris,

      I don’t understand what you mean by “put in halfway down a power wire”…
      Can you clarify?

      Cheers!
      Oyvind

      Reply

  22. Awesome simple language to clear basis concepts of electronic components.
    Huge thanks Oyvind Nydal Dahl
    Awaiting eagerly your forthcoming articles

    Reply

  25. Wow I,ve been an art student since, after reading this explanation I just switched to science…… Thank u for dis explanation!!

    Reply

  26. 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…..?

    Reply

  27. 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.

    Reply

  29. 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

    Reply

  32. 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

    Reply

  33. 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?

    Reply

  37. 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.

    Reply

  42. 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

    Reply

  54. Really you have the capability & potential to teach even a raw student in electronics. Much thanks owe to me.

    Reply

  55. 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.

    Reply

  68. 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…

    Reply

    • Hey, just follow the instructions and you should get to the download. If you get an error message, please let me know.

      Best,
      Oyvind

      Reply

  70. 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?

    Reply

  73. 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………

    Reply

  74. 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.

    Reply

  78. I ravi Kant like learning circit digram but I have no book and no institution and no teacher related this subject

    Reply

  82. 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. :)

    Reply

  86. 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

    Reply

    • I have made some DIYs before and last time it was a speaker with the led light. You should try more, it was not very difficult as long as you have the right introduction and all tools on hand.

      Reply

  89. 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!

    Reply

  94. hi i m pramod kr. pandey
    n i m jst completed my plytchnic in 2013
    but no given to me a chance to expressed in this line electronics
    plz gv a sujjesto how to improve in my life in the line of electronic ;

    Reply

  100. Thank u so much for sharing great information with us .This info definately improve my knowledge about electronics…thanks

    Reply

  110. Thank you for typing this up. I am trying to build a robot like baymax from Big Hero 6 by hand and looking up things used in computers, microchips, and codes that will help me in this case. I am willing to make it learn two languages and to do things like this, I need to know the basics and this article helps me understand what I need and how to use it.

    Reply

  114. This is some really good information about circuit boards. I liked that you pointed out that LEDs can be a really great visual feedback. It is good to know that a can help you figure out if it is working properly.

    Reply

  115. Dear, i am confused about what you have written about resistor. I think when we connect a resistor in series with the led the current will remain same because in series current remain same but voltage divides so i think in this case the resistor act as a voltage limiting resistor.

    Reply

    • Hi,

      A LED without the resistor in series will have a lot of current flowing through it. Let’s say 100 mA for the sake of the explanation. But if you add a 330 Ohm resistor in series with it, the current is 21mA.

      The current is the same in the LED and in the resistor yes, but if you compare the circuit with and without a resistor – you’ll see that a resistor in series limits the current.

      Best,
      Oyvind

      Reply

  116. Hi. I’m having a difficult time finding your “Getting started with electronics” book in South Africa☹️Is the book available this side?

    Reply

  119. Shout out to Øyvind! This blog post has stood the test of time, hasn’t it?

    Wanted to bump an earlier comment from the summer of ’15 by Hugh Simpson (if that is your real name), turning me on to Fritzing (fritzing.org). Awesome software and community!

    Thanks Øyvind, keep up the good work!

    Reply

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