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A relay is an electrically operated switch. It comes to life when an external electrical signal is received, which activates a coil within the relay. This coil then either opens or closes the circuit, enabling or disabling the flow of electricity, much like a runner in a relay race would either continue the race or… Read more »
Inductors and capacitors are two of circuit design’s most important electronic components. While they often appear alongside each other in the same circuits, they are very different components with distinct functions. In this blog post, we’ll explain the basics of an inductor vs. capacitor so you can understand each component’s role and why they are… Read more »
One of the greatest inventions in the history of electrical engineering occurred in 1947 at the Bell Telephone Laboratories in New Jersey. The transistor was invented, and its inventors – William Shockley, Walter Brattain, and John Bardeen – were later awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1956. The transistor created a revolution in electronics… Read more »
With the evolution of technology, electronics manufacturers continue to make choices between devices and methods to enable certain processing functions in their products. The need for these specific functionalities also drives development within other electronics industry areas. To better understand these effects on how a diode functions and its bias, one must first ask: what… Read more »
Capacitors are passive components used in electrical circuits, fundamental to their operations as inductors and resistors. A two-terminal component, capacitors exist in almost every electronic device, acting similarly to a battery by storing energy. They serve critical applications within electrical circuits, such as complex signal filtering, localized energy storage, and voltage spike suppression. For businesses… Read more »
Integrated circuits are the brain and heart of most modern electronic devices and appliances. They populate every circuit board and are integral to much of the technology in the world today, with numerous advantages of integrated circuits. As a microelectronic component or device, integrated circuits undergo stringent processes in fabricating capacitors, diodes, resistors, semiconductors, and… Read more »
Passive electronic components are essential in electrical circuitry. They are not only an integral part of a circuit’s physical structure, but they also help illuminate how electricity works in complex electrical systems. Printed circuit boards (PCBs) and integrated circuits often contain these components that operate on their own – or discretely – within these devices…. Read more »
Choosing components is one of the most important considerations when developing a new electronic circuit. Designs vary depending on the application and guessing what parts to use often leads to complications. When deciding what components go into a specific schematic, having access to a comprehensive library of components and a knowledgeable partner will help guide… Read more »
The disposal of e-waste, or electronic waste, is an issue with which the modern world has slowly come to terms. The Global E-waste Statistics Partnership (GESP) – an organization that collects and collates worldwide statistics on e-waste – calculated that in 2019 the United States generated about 6.92 million metric tons (approximately 7.63 million standard… Read more »
Electronic components can be classified as passive or active, depending on their function. Electronic components that inject power into circuits, controlling and amplifying the electrical current as it flows through them, are considered active, while those that do not are passive. Further, passive electronic components neither store nor consume energy, while active components do. One simple… Read more »
Though there is no one integrated circuit inventor, the idea for this technology occurred concurrently among several different scientists and engineers involved in developing computing technology since the early 1900s. In the first half of the 20th century, vacuum tubes dominated electronic devices. The first giant computers commissioned by the US government in the 1940s… Read more »
A diode is a two-terminal electronic component that has high electrical resistance on one end and low electrical resistance on the other end. As a result, this widely used electronic component conducts electricity in one direction. Early diodes have two electrodes: cathode and anode. The cathode is a negatively charged electrode, while the anode is… Read more »
This blog is Part Two of our two-part series highlighting integrated circuit design types, functions, and advantages. [Follow the links for Part One here.] Although each type of integrated circuit functions in specific ways that perform specialized tasks, innumerable modern electronic devices depend upon them and would not work without them. Below, we highlight some… Read more »
This blog is Part One of our two-part series highlighting integrated circuit types, functions, and advantages. Arguably the most important invention of the 20th century, an integrated circuit functions as a timer, microprocessor, amplifier, oscillator, or even as computer memory. It’s essential to modern computers, and the basis for the vast majority of electronic equipment… Read more »
A rectifier is a device that converts currents, specifically an alternating current into a direct one, by allowing the current to flow through it in one direction. This allows electronic devices to function properly – in fact, without a rectifier, most electronics simply wouldn’t work. Rectifiers are used across a wide variety of devices and… Read more »
Thyristors are solid-state semiconductor devices that share certain similarities with diodes, resistors and transistors. Despite being a small device, a thyristor can reliably conduct a lot of electricity and tolerate extremely high power levels. If you’re not familiar with thyristors or are wondering how to tell the difference between thyristors and other semiconductor devices, Solid… Read more »
Transistors are semiconductor devices that allow for the existence of electronics that you use regularly, such as cell phones, radios, calculators and computers. There are several types of transistors to consider for different applications, so it’s crucial to understand the basic principles of how a transistor operates.
A zener diode is a type of rectifying semiconductor diode that is used to regulate voltage in a circuit, working in a reverse-bias mode to avoid failure. Semiconductor diodes allow a current to flow in only one direction, but zener diodes allow the current to also flow in the opposite direction when exposed to enough… Read more »
