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These notes are from Lesson 4 of my Free Email Course. Do you know anyone else who would love to learn electronics? Please share that link with them.

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?

[Read more…] about Notes on current flow for email lesson 4

Can I comfortably fit the components for this project on my protoboard?

That was the question I asked myself in my early electronics-building days.

If I couldn’t, I regarded the project as “too hard”.

Often the most exciting projects are much larger than the simple ones.

It’s not that they are a lot harder.

But the big circuits have a lot more connections.

And more connections = more chances to make an error.

Which can be scary.

It wasn’t until I learned to design my own printed circuit boards that I stopped being afraid of the bigger projects.

A printed circuit board, or PCB, is a board that you first design on your computer. Then you get your board made, with the exact connections you drew on your computer.

The great thing about this is that you can draw out the connections on your computer. And you can peacefully check that they all seem good up front.

Then later, when you have your board, all you need to do is make sure you solder each component in the right position.

No need to worry about the connections between components, because you know they’re correct.

This skill will make your life a whole lot easier.

It’s what’s gonna take you from just building simple circuits – to be able to create advanced gadgets like LCD screens, Quadcopters, etc.

[Read more…] about What project is “too hard” for you? [VIDEO]

It’s Friday.

And it’s the start of the weekend.

For many of us, that’s a chance to carve out a big chunk of time to work on a project.

Today, I set aside some time to browse the web.

Looking for fun projects that people are building.

[Read more…] about Weekend inspiration: Check out these 5 projects

I like to tackle this one now and then.

It’s a question that regularly pops up in my email.

It usually goes something like this:

“How do I choose components for my circuit?”

[Read more…] about Do you ask this question?

Are you struggling to see how currents flow in a circuit?

I wrote this email based on a recent event.

And maybe it can help you.

I’m developing a new series of electronics lessons.

(I’ll send them to you when they’re ready)

[Read more…] about This trick will help you understand circuits

About 20 years ago, I soldered my first circuit.

It was a blinking light bulb made with relays.

That was a lot of fun.

And I can still remember the excitement of seeing the light blink for the first time.

Back then I had no idea about soldering irons.

[Read more…] about How to choose a soldering iron