Questions tagged [basic]

Fundamentals of electricity, electronics, components, or theory

594 questions
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Why is capacitor a linear element?

Why is a capacitor a linear device? One property for linearity is that the capacitance or some such parameter must not change with voltage or current. Is this enough to make a device linear? A few sources say that the \$Q=CU\$ has a linear…
Bhuvanesh Narayanan
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How can I learn electronics at home?

Possible Duplicate: Learning about electronics I am 40. I am an architect by profession. I am very interested in learning electronics. I don't have time to go to college for an electronics degree. What should I do to learn electronics at home? Or is…
user6990
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5 answers

Why are crystal oscillators used in clocks instead of RLC circuits?

The timing of quartz clocks is regulated by a crystal oscillator . This crystal oscillator effectively forms an RLC circuit. If this is so, what properties does a crystal oscillator have that makes it advantageous over an RLC circuit?
Doubt
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High Current or High Voltage that damages components?

Very basic question here and I'm only looking for a generic over view, but is it a too high current or a too high voltage that will damage electronics? I assume it will depend on the component in question - 1) For example if you have a working…
RJSmith92
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Connecting a potentiometer

I know how to connect potentiometer, but to be honest I don't know why. I would really like to understand what I'm doing. From what I have read the input voltage and the ground should be connected extreme terminals and the output to the middle one.…
Tomek Tarczynski
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Putting an Ammeter in Parallel with a Wire but Still Having Series-Resistors

I am currently studying EE and am still very early on in my studies. In one of my principles class, my professors showed us the following circuit: simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab (The voltage and resistance are arbitrary…
dvx2718
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From zero to "almost pro": Newbie trying to learn. Good, quick resources?

I am a total zero in electronics. I just know what is a resistor and what is a capacitor. I also know what is a 555 just because I've been told what it does, 15 years ago. Apart from this and a bunch of other names, nothing more. However, I do have…
Stefano Borini
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What role does this diode play?

I've just bought an Arduino Uno kit, and am going through all the projects in the booklet that comes with the kit. From even the simplest LED and resistor circuit, to get a feel for the Arduino board, breadboarding, and to dust off my electronics…
ProfK
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Why 10Log(p1/p2) and 20Log(v1/v2)? Why not just 10Log(x1/x2)?

Based on my very basic current understanding of decibels in electronics, it is said that I should use the db = 10Log(p1/p2) formula if I want to calculate the power ratio in db between two values and the db = 20Log(v1/v2) formula if I want to…
T555
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555 timer: how to set values to take an hour

I'm new (and novice) in electronics. I came to seek your knowledge to see if someone can help me with a very basic circuit. It is a 555 chip, which should light a LED (for about 1/2 second) every hour. I managed to make the circuit diagram with a…
Xavi Gómez Canals
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Do capacitors waste power as heat or whatever on AC?

Capacitors store energy then give it back once required. A perfect capacitor is nearly lossless on DC power because you only fill it once then it keeps energy in it until you discharge it so no power loss to mention, but on AC the capacitors will be…
Islam Ghunym
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Rocket launcher circuit design

I'm building a model rocket launcher with my son. The circuit is very simple as you can see. We want to add a buzzer and a LED/bulb when it is turned on as a warning to stay clear of the rocket. How would I light the bulb and sound the buzzer…
user1226884
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How can voltage burn out an LED?

I understand how a current higher than what the LED is rated for can burn out an LED, but how does something equivalent happen with voltage? If the correct current is on an LED but the voltage is too high, what causes it to burn out? I just don't…
Bob
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Why does a resistor reduce voltage if V=IR?

I'm sure this is a very simple question, but I have been confused about this topic for a while now. According to Ohm's law, resistance varies directly with voltage. This means that if resistance increases voltage increases... But obviously that's…
Dallin
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What are analog and digital signals?

I came across the concept of analog and digital signals in my data communication course. We studied that analog signals are continuous signals and teacher presented a diagram like the sine wave and that digital signals are discrete; He showed a…
Zia ur Rahman
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