Essential Electronic

Components and their

Functions
What are the electronic components?
• Microcontroller
• Microcomputers are small computers used to control a multitude of
devices, such as power tools, remote controls, medical equipment
and office machines. Batteries convert chemical energy to electrical
energy. The two different cells of a battery are anode (+) and cathode
(-).
• Transformer
• Control or convert electric power
• To lower voltage

• Battery
• Batteries convert chemical energy to electrical energy. The two different
cells of a battery are anode (+) and cathode (-).

• Fuse
• help preserve components from overloading with excessive current.
• Switches
• interrupt current. The four types of switches are: single pole single
throw (SPST), single pole double throw (SPDT), double pole single
throw (DPST) and double pole double throw (DPDT).

• Motors
• convert electrical energy into mechanical energy. Key components
include a rotor, stator, bearings, conduit box, enclosure, and eye bolt.
From watches, to home entertainment equipment, to vehicles;
motors can power a wide array of devices.
What are active and passive components in
electronics?
• Active components include transistors, while passive components
include transformers, inductors, resistors, capacitors. Transformers
are commonly used to step up or step down power. A resistor
restricts current flow. It is used in thermistors and potentiometers.
Similar to a low capacity battery, a capacitor allows delays to occur in
circuits. Inductors are used to control frequencies
• Diodes
• allow electric current to flow in a single direction only. Each diode has
two terminals known as the anode and cathode.

• Transistors
• are easy to identify through their three terminals. For the
components to work,
LED - light-emitting diode
(a semiconductor diode which glows when a voltage is applied).
"light sources can be fluorescent tubes, optical fibers, or LEDs"
BREAD BOARD WIRE CONNECTORS

Jumper wires are simply wires that have connector pins at each end,
allowing them to be used to connect two points to each other without
soldering. Jumper wires are typically used with breadboards and other
prototyping tools in order to make it easy to change a circuit as needed.
BREAD BOARD
A thin plastic board used to hold electronic components (transistors, resistors, chips, etc.) that
are wired together. Used to develop prototypes of electronic circuits, breadboards can be reused
for future jobs.
• Inductors
• passive components that store energy in form of a magnetic field. An
inductor simply consists of a coil of wire wound around some kind of
core.

• Integrated Circuits:
• refers to a special device that has all the components required in an
electronic circuit. The component has diodes, transistors, and other
devices,