Understanding basic passive components: resistors, capacitors, inductors.

[hevans1944]

hevans1944 submitted a new resource:

Understanding basic passive components: resistors, capacitors, inductors. - passive electronic components

Folks new to electronics are often intimidated by the sheer number and variety of components that are used to implement circuits. This resource is intended to help relieve some of the anxiety associated with identifying and using three basic, passive, electronic components: resistors, capacitors, and inductors.

Why passive components?

The first thing students of electronics need to learn is how to analyze circuits consisting of passive components connected in various ways. The main tools...

Read more about this resource...

 

[Harald Kapp]

May I suggest you use different font styles (like bold, underline, diff. sizes) to improve readability of your resource by emphasizing the structure of the document? E.g.:

Why passive components?
...
Resistors
...
Resistor values
...
Resistor wattage
...

Capacitors
...
Capacitor values
...

Looking forward to what's obviously to come

Cheers,
Harald

 

[hevans1944]

@Harald Kapp, I was going to go back and make "pretty print" after I got my thoughts down on "paper" so to speak. Lots of editing left to do. This "project" was inspired by a new poster from India who asked about capacitors, and to whom I gave a very short answer and a link to hyperphysics websites that probably wasn't very useful to him at this point in his electronics education journey. Then I examined our resources section and discovered no one had really addressed this entry-level problem. It's easy to offer basic circuit analysis advice to newbies, such as learn how to apply Ohm's Law and Kirchoff's KVL and KCL Laws, but where does that leave the newbie who has no idea what a resistor, much less a capacitor or inductor, is?

So, I will try to remedy the situation, hopefully with a little help from my friends here on EP. I will also try to provide some useful links for a deeper understanding, but the problem with that is finding sites that won't fade away with time. Some of the best links, IMHO, are links to threads on Electronics Point!

 

[Arouse1973]

I think this will be a great resource. If you need any help, let me know. I don't mind helping to put some information together.
Cheers
Adam

 

[Harald Kapp]

I think this will be a great resource. If you need any help, let me know. I don't mind helping to put some information together.

I second that.

 

[hevans1944]

I think this will be a great resource. If you need any help, let me know. I don't mind helping to put some information together.
Cheers
Adam

Thanks, Adam! And Harald, too, of course. Comments and advise appreciated. The problem is sifting through all the information available, both on-line and in my head, and deciding what is appropriate material to throw at a newbie, while still possibly being useful as a reference to others.

I like to throw in a little history, too, because that was one of the avenues I explored as a youngster learning about electricity. Sometimes the history is a bit strange, like Faraday "just happening" to notice out of the corner of his eye (according to one account I read) the deflection of a magnetic compass needle when a nearby current was started or interrupted, and from that observation and later experiments making his insightful deductions about magnetically induced currents. It's one of the cornerstones of Maxwell's Equations. Here is a nice Java app that demonstrates the effect (magnetic induction) graphically with the aid of a mouse. I might work that into the section on inductors, but some folks are a bit leery of using Java apps hosted on Internet sites because of malware entrance possibilities. What do you think?

 

[GeekGuy]

Nice! Resistors seem simple, even to beginners, but can be a lot more complicated than meets the eye. Things like power rating, noise, and temp co may be an issue depending on your application. Here's 7 resistor specs newbies (and everyone else) may need to consider: https://circuitcrush.com/7-resistor-specs-to-consider/

 

[hevans1944]

@GeekGuy, that's an interesting blog you have there. Thanks for the tips on selecting resistors.

 

[GeekGuy]

Glad you enjoyed it @hevans1944. If there's any topic you or the people here think would be helpful let me know and maybe I can do a post on it!

 

[bertus]

Hello,

The three volumes of the Encyclopedia of Electronics might interest you:
https://archive.org/details/EncyclopediaOfElectronicComponents.Volume2CharlesPlatt/Encyclopedia Of Electronic Components Volume 1 - Charles Platt

Bertus

 

[hevans1944]

Thank you, Bertus. That excellent link covers everything I was going to write about, except possibly some background history on the development of the passive components. That said, maybe I should just give up on ever finishing the project since Charles Platt has pretty much covered everything a beginner might need to know to intelligently select appropriate passive components.

Similarly useful links covering valves (vacuum tubes) and small-signal as well as power devices (transistors and diodes), all in one place, would also be useful. You never cease to amaze me about your ability to "know where to find it."

Hop - AC8NS

 

[bertus]

Hello,

@hevans1944 , Did you see my tube based resource?
Vintage info from the days of vacuum tubes
As for some tubes theory, have a look at this old army book:
https://archive.org/details/TM11-662/mode/2up

Bertus

 

[bertus]

Hello,

@hevans1944 , You might be interested in the following page about capacitors:
https://studyelectrical.com/2016/12/different-types-classification-of-capacitors.html

Bertus

 

[to old]

@GeekGuy, that's an interesting blog you have there. Thanks for the tips on selecting resistors.

hello would you still have wiring diagram for reversing motors with relays and limit switches from june 21 2012 if so could you post it again on youtube thank you -to old

 

[hevans1944]

To the best of my knowledge, I haven't posted anything to YouTube yet, but attached is a picture of a hand-sketched wiring diagram from this thread, titled "Reversing Polarity."