BASIC ELECTRONICS
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Intro BASIC ELECTRONICS
SUMMARY:
This unit specifies the competencies required to demonstrate basic skills of electronics. It involves
identification of electric circuits, electronic components, understand semi-conductor theory, identify
and classify memories, apply number systems and identify emerging trends in electronics.
INTRODUCTION FROM CS:
Computer is an electronic equipment that works on electricity. Every component of a computer needs
electrical power to run and this power can come from a wall outlet in the form of alternating current or
from a battery in the form of direct current.
Internal components of a computer receive the power from the internal power supply known as SMPS
(switched mode power supply).
This Unit explains the basic concept of electricity and energy foundation, electrical quantities : current,
voltage and resistance; the electronic components — active and passive, integrated circuits (IC) and
semiconductor memory. Further, the Unit also describes the basic components of a computer system,
hardware and software, functional units of a computer, primary and secondary memory of a computer,
different types of computers along with their capacity. Various input and output devices are used to enter
the data in the computer as well as to produce output. The variety of input and output devices, their
functionality and connectivity to the computer system are also discussed in this Unit.
Electricity has an important place in modern society. In the current age, most of the electronic devices
work on electricity. Computer is also an electronic device which works mainly on electricity. The peripheral
devices attached to the computer also work on electricity. It is necessary to provide proper and continuous
power to the electronics equipment to work properly. For this purpose, the surge protector and
uninterrupted power supply (UPS) are used, which also work on electricity. Hence, electricity has an
important place in the world of computing and computer.
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Intro BASIC ELECTRONICS
Electricity
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and flow of electric charge. It
has a wide range of well-known effects, such as lightning, static electricity, electromagnetic induction and
electrical current.
Energy Foundation
Electric charge is a fundamental physical property of matter.
The forms of matter are—solid, liquid and gases which are made up of atoms.
Atoms are the fundamental building blocks of all molecules.
The centre of an atom is called the nucleus. Atoms consist of three subatomic particles—protons,
electrons and neutrons.
Electrons spin around the nucleus in shells, at a great distance from the nucleus.
Protons carry a positive (+) charge, electrons carry a negative (-) charge, neutrons are neutral and have
no net charge.
Basic Atomic Structure
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Intro BASIC ELECTRONICS
An electrical circuit is a type of network that has a closed loop, which provides a return path for the
current. A simple circuit consists of a voltage source and a resistor.
According to Ohm’s law, the electrical current ‘I’, or movement of charge, that flows through most
substances is directly proportional to the voltage ‘V’ applied to it.
The electric property that impedes current is called resistance ‘R’. Collisions of moving charges with atoms
and molecules in a substance transfers the energy to the substance and limits the current.
Resistance is inversely proportional to current. Ohm’s law can therefore be written as follows:
I=V/R
where ‘I’ is the current through the conductor in amperes, ‘V’ is the potential difference measured across
the conductor in volts and ‘R’ is the resistance of the conductor in ohms (Ω). More specifically, Ohm’s law
states that ‘R’ in this relation is constant, independent of the current. Using this equation, we can calculate
the current, voltage, or resistance in a given circuit.
For example, if we had a 1.5 V battery that was connected in a closed circuit to a light bulb with a
resistance of 5 Ω, what is the current flowing through the circuit? To solve this problem, we would just
substitute the given values into Ohm’s law: I = 1.5V/5Ω; I = 0.3 amperes. If we know the current and the
resistance, we can rearrange the Ohm’s law equation and solve for voltage ‘V’ where V=IR
Use of metric prefixes for A ohms and voltage
Key Components of Any Circuit:
▪ Source (battery, generator, power supply)
▪ Load (resistors, motors, lights, processors)
▪ Conducting path (wires, traces on PCB)
▪ Control elements (switches, transistors)
Circuit Requirements:
▪ Must form a closed loop for current to flow
▪ Requires a potential difference (voltage) to drive current
▪ Must have continuous conducting path
Circuit: Closed loop that carries electricity
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Intro BASIC ELECTRONICS
I=hole
Electron Current flow
+ + + + + + + + + ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ +++ ++ ++
- - -- -- - - - - - - - - - -- - -- -- - - - - -- - -- -- -
Hole current
It’s important to distinguish between electron flow and conventional current. Electrons, which are
negatively charged, flow from the negative terminal to the positive terminal. However, conventional
current, which is what we usually refer to, flows in the opposite direction, from positive to negative.
VOLTAGE:
Voltage and current are dif : voltage doesn’t flow it like stored , current moves
This is the potential difference between two points. It is also the amount of work required to move one
coulomb charge from one point to another point. The push that causes the current to flow.
Units => Volts or ‘V’
Practical Examples:
▪ AA battery: 1.5V
▪ Car battery: 12V
▪ Household mains: 240V (Kenya), 120V (US)
▪ Computer power supply: 3.3V, 5V, 12V rails
▪
CURRENT:
Flow of electrons in a circuit .Denoted (I)
▪ Units for current = Ampere (Amp, “A”) columns of a charge flowing through a circuit
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Intro BASIC ELECTRONICS
Types:
▪ Direct Current (DC): Flows in one direction
▪ Alternating Current (AC): Changes direction periodically
Practical Examples:
▪ LED: 20mA (0.02A)
▪ Smartphone charging: 1-3A
▪ Household kettle: 10A
▪ Computer processor: 50-150A
POWER - Measured in Watts (W)
Definition: The rate of energy transfer or consumption
Formulas:
▪ P = VI (Voltage × Current)
▪ P = I²R (Current² × Resistance)
▪ P = V²/R (Voltage² ÷ Resistance)
Symbol: P
Unit: Watt (W)
Practical Examples:
▪ CPU: 65W-200W
▪ LED bulb: 5W-15W
▪ Graphics card: 150W-400W
▪ Smartphone: 5W-25W charging
ENERGY - Measured in Joules (J)
The capacity to do work
Symbol: W or E
Unit: Joule (J), also measured in Watt-hours (Wh) or kilowatt-hours (kWh)
Formula: W = Pt (Power × time)
Practical Examples:
▪ Smartphone battery: 15Wh (54kJ)
▪ Laptop battery: 50Wh (180kJ)
▪ Electric car battery: 75kWh (270MJ)
RESISTANCE
It resists the flow of electrons and hence electric current in the circuit./ Opposition to current flow
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Conceptually, the resistance controls the flow of electric current. An object or medium that has high
electrical resistance is called a resistor.
The resistance is represented by the symbol ‘R’. The SI unit of electrical resistance is ohm (Ω).
To understand how to measure current and voltage in a circuit, you must also have a general
understanding of how a circuit works and how its electrical measurements are related.
Factors affecting resistance:
▪ Material type
▪ Length (longer = higher resistance)
▪ Cross-sectional area (larger = lower resistance)
▪ Temperature
Practical Examples:
▪ Copper wire: Very low (mΩ)
▪ Carbon resistor: kΩ range
▪ Human body: 1kΩ-100kΩ
▪ Insulator: MΩ-GΩ range
TYPES OF ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT
Types of Electrical Circuits
Simple DC Circuits
Direct Current (DC) circuits use a constant voltage source where current flows in one direction.
Characteristics:
▪ Current flows from positive to negative terminal
▪ Voltage remains constant over time
▪ Common sources: batteries, DC power supplies, solar panels
Circuit Configurations:
Series DC Circuit:
▪ Components connected end-to-end
▪ Same current through all components
▪ Voltage divides across components
▪ Total resistance: R_total = R1 + R2 + R3 + ...
▪ If one component fails, entire circuit stops
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Parallel DC Circuit:
▪ Components connected across common points
▪ Same voltage across all components
▪ Current divides through branches
▪ Total resistance: 1/R_total = 1/R1 + 1/R2 + 1/R3 + ...
▪ Components operate independently
Applications in Computer Science:
▪ Digital logic circuits (0V = Logic 0, 5V = Logic 1)
▪ Microprocessor power supplies
▪ Memory circuits
▪ Battery-powered devices
▪ LED displays
SIMPLE AC CIRCUITS
Alternating Current (AC) circuits use voltage sources that vary sinusoidally with time. Current moves back
and forth.
Characteristics:
▪ Current and voltage change direction periodically
▪ Frequency: 50Hz (Kenya/Europe), 60Hz (US/Philippines)
▪ Peak voltage differs from RMS (effective) voltage
▪ Can be easily transformed to different voltage level
Key AC Concepts:
▪ RMS (Root Mean Square): Effective AC value
▪ Peak value: Maximum instantaneous value
▪ Frequency: Number of cycles per second (Hz)
▪ Phase: Timing relationship between voltage and current
AC Circuit Elements:
▪ Resistive: Voltage and current in phase
▪ Inductive: Current lags voltage by 90°
▪ Capacitive: Current leads voltage by 90°
Applications in Computer Science:
▪ Power supplies (AC to DC conversion)
▪ Switch-mode power supplies
▪ Transformers in power adapters
▪ AC motors in cooling fans
▪ Electromagnetic interference considerations
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Practical Applications in Computing
▪ Power Distribution in Computers:
▪ ATX Power Supply: Converts 240V AC to multiple DC voltages (+12V, +5V, +3.3V, -12V)
▪ Motherboard Power: Complex DC distribution system
▪ CPU Power: High current, low voltage DC supply
▪ Memory Power: Regulated DC supply for RAM modules
Circuit Protection:cirrr
▪ Fuses: Overcurrent protection
▪ Circuit breakers: Resettable protection
▪ Surge protectors: Voltage spike protection
▪ UPS systems: Backup power during outages
Key Formulas Summary
QUANTITY FORMULA UNIT
OHM'S LAW V = IR V, A, Ω
POWER P = VI = I²R = V²/R W
ENERGY W = Pt J, Wh
SERIES RESISTANCE R_total = R1 + R2 + R3... Ω
PARALLEL RESISTANCE 1/R_total = 1/R1 + 1/R2 + 1/R3... Ω
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Intro BASIC ELECTRONICS