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Roman D.

Herrera June 19, 2017

ME-4

Topic 1: Introduction to Electronics

Back in the past, people tend to do work manually. They didnt even know the
concept of machines and electricity. Commonly, if they need some additional work force,
they ask for help with another human or they make use of their animals. But as the
civilization progresses, science and technology evolves as well. Now, we enjoy life more
with the help of improved science and technology. And this improved science and
technology has brought us the concept of electronics.

The study of utilizing electrical energy electrically, whereas the electrons have the
vital role, is called electronics. Electronics comes from electron mechanics which means
learning the way how an electron behaves under different conditions of externally applied
fields. IRE (The Institution of Radio Engineers) defines electronics as that field of science
and engineering which deals with electron devices and their utilization. Electronics may be
referred to as science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor. Electronics is the
study that deals with the utilization of electrons and its effects. The study of electronics is
also considered to be a branch of physics and electrical engineering. Electronics also deals
with electrical circuits which involves active electrical componentsvacuum tubes,
transistors, sensors & etc. Usually, electronic devices have circuitry that are mainly made up
of semiconductors with passive elements. The basic discrete device or physical entity in an
electronic system used to affect the electrons or their associated fields is called an
electronic component.

An electronic component is any physical entity in an electronic system used to affect


the electrons or their associated fields in a manner relevant to the intended function of the
electronic system. Electronic components are commonly industrial products which are
available in a singular form. Components are generally intended to be connected together,
usually by being fused to a printed circuit board (PCB), to create an electronic circuit with a
particular functionan amplifier, radio receiver, or oscillator. Some common electronic
components are capacitors, inductors, resistors, diodes, transistors, etc. Components are
often categorized as active like transistors and thyristors or passive like resistors, diodes,
inductors and capacitors. They are not to be confused with electrical elements which are
conceptual abstractions representing idealized electronic components. Electrical
components have electrical terminals or leads. Basic electronic components may be
wrapped separately as groups or networks. These so called leads are connected to make an
electronic circuit with a particular functionan amplifier, radio receiver, or oscillator.

Circuits and components can be divided into two groups: analog and digital. A
particular device may consist of circuitry that has only one or the other or a mix of the two
types. Analog circuits use a continuous range of voltage or current unlike digital circuits.
Analog circuits are sometimes called linear circuits. Some examples of analog circuits
include vacuum tube and transistor amplifiers, operational amplifiers and oscillators. It is
rarely to find modern circuits that are entirely analog. These days analog circuitry may use
digital or even microprocessor techniques to improve performance. This type of circuit is
usually called "mixed signal" rather than analog or digital. Digital circuits are electric
circuits based on the number of distinct voltage levels. Digital circuits are commonly

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physical representation of Boolean algebra. It is also the foundation of all digital computers.
Most digital circuits use a binary system having two (2) voltage levels labeled as 0 and 1.
Logic 0 is a lower voltage and refers to as Low. While in the other hand, 1 refers to as
High.

When electronics is mentioned, the most common idea that appears in our head
after hearing it is the word electrons. With this, we can say that electronics involve
electrons which is mostly right. The true definition of electronics is the science regarding
the uses and effects of electrons. And talking about electrons, electronic devices comes next.
Why? Its because electronic devices uses electrical energy, caused by the interaction of
electrons.

Electronics is a big concept. It is like a tree with a lot of branches. Electronics often
pertains to the devices that are powered by electricity. These are television, cellphones,
computers, DVD players, radios and etc. it mostly talks about the uses and effects of
electrons. Electronics is a branch of science which enlighten us on how to efficiently utilize
the electrons for a bigger work force.

Some thinks that electronics is part of electrical and electro-mechanical science and
technology. But, there is a distinction between them. That is, both electrical and electro-
mechanical science deal with the generation, distribution, switching, storage and
conversion of electrical energy to and from other energy forms with the help of wires,
motors, generators, batteries, switches, relays, transformers, resistors and other passive
components. The said distinction started around 1906 with the invention of the triode,
makes electrical amplifications of weak radio and audio signals possible without the use of
any mechanical devices, by Lee De Forest. At the year 1950, the said field was called the
radio technology. The reason is that the main application of it is the design and theory of
radio transmitter, receivers, and vacuum tubes. Now, this field is what we called the
electronics.

One of the earliest electronic components were the vacuum tubes or sometimes
called the thermionic valves. They were the main reason for the electronic revolution in the
first half of the twentieth century. That time, electronics gave us the radio, phonographs,
television, long-distance telephony and many more. According to the history, they played a
prominent role in the field of the microwave and high-powered transmissions along with
the television receivers until the middle of 1980s. Starting that time, the solid-state devices
have been completely taken over. Nowadays, these vacuum tubes can are still in use in
various field applicationshigh-powered RF amplifiers, cathode ray tubes, specialized
audio equipment, guitar amplifiers and some microwave devices.

On April 1995, the first IBM product to utilize transistor circuits without any
vacuum tubes was used. This was the IBM 608. It was believed to be the first all-
transistorized calculator to be manufactured for the commercial market. The IBM 608
contained more than 3,000 germanium transistors. All the IBM products to use the
transistor in their design were ordered by Thomas J. Watson Jr. Since that time, transistors
were almost totally used for the computer logic and peripherals.

Today, most electronic devices use semiconductor components to perform electron


control. The study of semiconductor devices and related technology is considered a branch
of solid-state physics, whereas the design and construction of electronic circuits to solve
practical problems come under electronics engineering. This field focuses on engineering
aspects of electronics.
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Electronics has evolved enormously from its first discovery up to now. It made a
great advancement in our daily lives because of the electronic devices that we use.
Electronics has made our life easier. Instead of grilling a whole piece of chicken using
woods, we make use of our microwaves brought to us by the science of electronics. Instead
of computing large numbers manually, we make use of calculators and computers with the
help of the science of electronics. Instead of watching movies in a theater which is an
additional hassle, we make use of our television and DVD players. These are just some
applications of electronics in our daily lives. There are much more applications of
electronics that we dont know that are widely used in various aspect of our daily lives.

The most common application of electronics is in the field of entertainment and


communication. For the past decades, the means of communication is through letters that
requires so much time before the receiver receives it. Lots of processes are done before it
goes to the person who needs to receive it. But now, with the aid of the radio waves we can
transmit any message from one place to another without the use of wires or that of letter-
sending processes. The invention of the cellphones and computers have brought a great
change to our way of communication. Instead of waiting several days for the receiver to
receive the letter, in just a manner of seconds a receiver can receive the message through
the use of cellphones or computers.

In the past years, plays or any theatrical acts were performed on a stage. Actors and
actresses performed their acts live. Mistakes are not allowed when performing on the stage.
If we miss the act, we have to wait for another day or several days to watch it again. But
because of electronics, we can now enjoy it in movie theaters. Acts are recorded using
cameras. Electronics has brought us the televisions and DVD players where we can watch
plays recorded in a DVD. We can also see them in a movie theater which shows moving
pictures.

Second application of electronics can be perceived in the field of defense or security.


In the past, we tend to protect our territory by assigning trained people in our borders to
keep our enemies from entering our territory. We build tall walls and arm our soldiers with
spears, arrows and swords to defend our lands. But now, due to the existence of electronics
defending and monitoring our territory becomes more convenient and easy. Our defenses
are completely controlled by electronic circuits. The invention of RADAR (Radio Detection
and Ranging) is the most important contribution of electronics in the field of defense. With
the aid of radar, detecting and locating the exact location of an enemy aircraft becomes a
piece of cake. Radar can also be linked to anti-craft guns by an automatic control system to
make it a complete unit.

Another application of electronics can be observed in the field of industry. Mostly in


the past, the work in the industrial plants were usually done by people. Every single
product were made and monitored by a human. Great manpower were needed especially in
a bigger industrial plant. Unlike now, the control of thickness, quality, weight and even
moisture content of a material are controlled by electronic circuits. The electronics
amplifier circuits are used to amplify signals and furthermore control the operations of
automatic door openers, power systems and safety devices. The electronically controlled
systems are used for heating and welding in the industry. The greatest contribution of
electronics in the field of industry is the use of tiny electronic devices and circuits that
control the power stations which generate thousands of megawatts of electricity.

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Additional application of electronics can be observed in the field of medicine.
Doctors in the past diagnosed a patients through their pulse and physical state. They
treated them naturally. Unlike now, doctors can now easily diagnose a person who is sick
with the use of the X-Rays, ECG and many more medical instruments. It is more accurate
and precise compare to just looking at ones pulse and physical appearance. These medical
instruments can even monitor the internal parts of the human body without opening it. The
use of electronics in medical science has evolved drastically to a level in which a robotic
apparatus can operate a human being.

Another application of electronics can be seen in the field of architecture and


engineering. For the past, architects and engineers made their designs manually. Unlike
now, engineers and architects can easily draw their design with the use of computers. Using
the auto CADD programed in a computer they can easily make their design or even make
alterations in their previous design. Even animations can be done in auto CADD that is not
even in the past years.

Another application of electronics can be noticed in the field of transportation. In


the past, the very means of transportation was carriage. Its mostly made up of woods and
was carried by a horse. It took a lot of time to arrive in a single destination. But now, we
have trains, cars, airplane and ships that can take us to anywhere that is much faster than a
carriage.

Another application of electronics can be seen in the field of aesthetic. In the past
years, women who wanted to lose weight ate fruits and vegetables and limited the intake of
fatty foods. But now, they dont worry anymore. They just go to a clinic and do surgeries to
lose weight. Even altering the body structures is now possible with the help of electronic
devices.

All electronic circuits contains few basic components. They are mainly group into
two: the passive and the active. Passive components can't introduce net energy into the
circuit. They also can't rely on a source of power, except for what is available from the (AC)
circuit they are connected to. As a consequence they can't amplify (increase the power of a
signal), although they may increase a voltage or current (such as is done by a transformer
or resonant circuit). Passive components include two-terminal components such as
resistors, capacitors, inductors, and transformers. Active components rely on a source of
energy (usually from the DC circuit, which we have chosen to ignore) and usually can inject
power into a circuit, though this is not part of the definition. Active components include
amplifying components such as transistors, triode vacuum tubes (valves), and tunnel
diodes. There are three passive components which are resistors, capacitors and inductors.
There are two active components which are tube devices and semiconductor devices. An
integrated circuit may comprise of thousands of transistors, few capacitors on a small chip.

There are a lot of electronics components that form the electric circuit. These are the
resistor, capacitor, diode, transistor, integrated circuit (IC), relay, inductor, crystal, tube
devices and semiconductor devices. Resistors are components that opposes the flow of
current. This opposing force is called the resistance of the material. It is measured in ohms.
Resistors is probably the most common electronic component of them all. Usually the
resistor is used to set up the correct voltages in a circuit to make it work properly. Capacitor
is a component that is used to store electrical energy and release them whenever desired. It
is measured in farads. A capacitor is like a battery with very low capacity. It might for
example be used to introduce a delay in a circuit. Capacitors like resistors can either be

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fixed or variable. Some common capacitors are mica, ceramic, paper and air gang
capacitors. A diode is a component that only conducts electricity in one direction. It is
commonly used if you want to convert from alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC).
Other types of diodes include Light Emitting Diode (LED) and Zener diode. A transistor is
similar to a relay in the sense that you can use it to turn on and off a current. The transistor
is what makes amplifiers work. An integrated circuit is a circuit made up of several tiny
components and placed in a small package. It could be anything from a microcontroller to a
radar system. A relay is a switch that can be controlled electrically. If you connect power to
the relay, the switch opens. If you disconnect the power, the switch closes or vice versa. The
electronic component which produces inductance is called an inductor. Inductors are
strange components made up of wire in a coil. They dont like high frequencies. It is a little
bit difficult to understand what they do without knowing a bit more theory. The inductance
is measured in henrys (H). All inductors, like resistors and capacitors are listed as fixed and
variable. A crystal oscillator is a component that is used to create a precise frequency for
example as a clock for a microcontroller.

References:

Merriam-Webster, Inc.

https://www.ece.gatech.edu/research/tigs/electronic-design-applications

http://nehasadana.expertscolumn.com/article/what-electronics-introduction-electronics-
applications-and-electronics-components

http://www.build-electronic-circuits.com/electronic-component-guide/

http://www.build-electronic-circuits.com/basic-electronic-components/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_component

http://www.dummies.com/programming/electronics/basic-electronic-components-and-
what-they-do/

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