The difference between Alternating Current (AC) and Direct Current (DC) is simple: AC vs DC comes down to how the current flows. AC is a current that alternates its direction. It goes back and forth continuously. DC is a current that flows in one direction. Current flow in a DC circuit: For example, a battery […]
If you want to learn and build your own inventions with electronics, you need to learn the basics of electronics.
Without a good understanding of basic concepts such as current and voltage, it's going to be hard (or impossible) to understand how different circuits work.
But it doesn't have to be hard. Do *not* confuse basic electronics with "all electronics theory that exist". A lot of books and blogs make this mistake. And it's discouraging for beginners.
Basic electronics is easy.
This page is a library of resources to help you learn the real basics of electronics.
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What is Negative Voltage?
I’m going to show you what negative voltage is by putting John into a hole. As you’ll quickly learn, it’s nothing weird or mystical. Meet John. He is 1.8 meters (6 feet) tall. What does it mean that John is 1.8 m tall? Could you find his height by only looking at his head? No. […]
Notes on current flow for email lesson 4
Below you can see the circuit we’re currently talking about. The resistor and capacitor on the left of the inverter make up an RC delay element: But how does the current flow in this circuit?
The RC Delay Element
The RC delay element is a way to create a time delay in your circuit by connecting a resistor and a capacitor. It’s super simple. And very useful. The ‘R’ is a resistor, and the ‘C’ is a capacitor. That’s where the ‘RC’ comes from. And here’s how you connect the two:
How a circuit simulator can help you understand any circuit
A circuit simulator is a tool for “seeing” what a circuit does. In comparison to mechanical machines such as a bicycle and a lever, electronics cannot be easily inspected by the naked eye. When you look at a bicycle you can observe it and see that stepping on the pedals makes a chain turn, and […]
How To Choose A Pull-up Resistor Value
I recently got a question about chosing a pull-up resistor value: Hey! In Monostable button triggered circuit, why did you connect 10 kΩ specifically? Does it contain any calculations? You can use resistors for many things. In the following circuit that he was referring to, the resistor R2 is a pull-up resistor with a value […]