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Electronics for
Information Technology
(Điện tử cho Công nghệ Thông tin)
IT3420E
Đỗ Công Thuần
Department of Computer Engineering
Email: thuandc@soict.hust.edu.vn

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General Information
• Course: Electronics for Information Technology
• ID Number: IT3420
• Credits: 2 (2-1-0-4)
• Lecture/Exercise: 32/16 hours (48 hours, 16 weeks)
• Evaluation:
• Midterm examination and weekly assignment: 50%
• Final examination: 50%
• Learning Materials:
• Lecture slides
• Textbooks
• Introductory Circuit Analysis (2015), 10th – 13th ed., Robert L. Boylestad
• Electronic Device and Circuit Theory (2013), 11th ed., Robert L. Boylestad,
Louis Nashelsky
• Microelectronics Circuit Analysis and Design (2006), 4th ed., Donald A.
Neamen
• Digital Electronics: Principles, Devices and Applications (2007), Anil K.
Maini

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Contact Your Instructor
• You can reach me through office in Room 802, B1
Building, HUST.
• You should make an appointment by email before coming.
• If you have urgent things, just come and meet me!
• You can also reach me at the following email any
time. This is the best way to reach me!
• thuandc@soict.hust.edu.vn

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Course Contents
• The Concepts of Electronics for IT
• Chapter 1: Passive Electronic Components and
Applications
• Chapter 2: Semiconductor Components and
Applications
• Chapter 3: Operational Amplifiers
• Chapter 4: Fundamentals of Digital Circuits
• Chapter 5: Logic Gates
• Chapter 6: Combinational Logic
• Chapter 7: Sequential Logic

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The Concepts of Electronics for IT
• Information Technology (IT) is the use of computers
and computer software to access, store, transmit,
understand and manipulate information. [Wikipedia]
• Electronics for IT aims to understand the
functionalities and principles of electronic components
and electrical-electronic systems.
• Represent and store information in physical signals (e.g.
current, voltage)
• Information/signal processing

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Analog vs Digital
• What is signal?
• An electromagnetic or electrical current that is used for carrying
data from one system or network to another.
• A function that conveys information about a phenomenon.
• Analog vs Digital Representations
• Analog quantity has continuous values (e.g. temperature, voltage,
current, velocity, …).
• Digital quantity has a discrete set of values.
Analog Digital
Signal Signal

Time Time

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Analog Systems
• The real world is analog!
• Most physical quantities (e.g.: position, velocity,
acceleration, force, pressure, temperature, and flowrate) are
analog in nature.
• Analog systems contain devices that process or work
on various physical quantities represented in analog
form.
• E.g.: amplifiers, magnetic tape recorder …
• Noise
• Precision
• Design difficulty

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Digital Systems
• Digital systems contain devices that process the
physical quantities represented in digital form.
• E.g.: computers, smartphones, digital cameras …
• Relatively much easier to design
• Higher accuracy, programmability, noise immunity, easier
storage of data and ease of fabrication in IC form
• More complex functions in a smaller size

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Analog/Digital Conversion

Real
world
Analog-to- Digital-to-
Digital Digital Analog
Converter Processing Converter
(ADC) (DAC)

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Electronic Systems

Electronic
Systems,
Electronic Electronic
Test
Components Circuit
Equipment,
etc.

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Chapter 1:
Passive Electronic Components
and Applications
• Resistors
• Capacitors
• Inductors

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Resistors
• Definition
• Symbol
• How to Read a Resistor
• Types of Resistors
• Resistor Uses

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Definition
• A resistor is a passive two-terminal electrical
component that implements electrical resistance as a
circuit element.
• Resistance is an electrical quantity that measures how
the device or material reduces the electric current flow
through it.
• It converts electrical energy into another form of energy
such as heat.
• The greater will be the resistance, the less the conductance
or vice versa.
• Unit of measurement of resistance: Ω

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Definition

ρ: resistivity
l: the length of the sample
A: the cross-sectional area of the sample

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Definition
• The higher the resistivity, the more the resistance.

𝝆𝟐 > 𝝆𝟏 𝑹𝟐 > 𝑹𝟏

• The longer the length of a conductor, the more the

resistance.
𝑙𝟐 > 𝑙𝟏 𝑹𝟐 > 𝑹𝟏

• The smaller the area of a conductor, the more the

resistance.
A𝟐 < A𝟏 𝑹𝟐 > 𝑹𝟏

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Symbol
• Resistor How the physical size of a
resistor relates its wattage
rating.

• Rheostat

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How to Read a Resistor
• Small resistors use color codes (colored painted
bands) to indicate both their resistive value and their
tolerance (i.e. wattage rating).
• The values of large resistors are written on their
bodies.

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How to Read a Resistor
• The 4-band color code is read as follows:
• Start with the band closest to one end of the resistor (that does
not begin with a gold or silver band).
• The 1st and 2nd bands are the 1st and 2nd digits are of the
resistance value.
• The 3rd band is the number of 0s following the 2nd digit.
• The 4th band indicates the percent tolerance. If there is no 4th
band, the tolerance is +/-20%.

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5-Band Resistor Color Code

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Resistor Label Codes
• Many resistors use typographical marking to indicate
the resistance value and tolerance.

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Types of Resistors
There are different types of resistors available based on
• The resistor values, e.g., fixed value/variable resistors
• The materials that are used in resistors, e.g., carbon
resistors, film resistors, wirewound resistors, metal oxide
resistors, metal strip resistors, etc.
• The applications of resistors, e.g., photoresistor,
thermistor, etc.
• Characteristics, power dissipation

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Carbon Resistors
• Common, cheap, low precision, large tolerance (±5% ~ ±20%),
low to medium power
• Manufactured from a mixture of finely ground carbon dust
(similar to pencil lead) and a non-conducting ceramic powder.
• The ratio of carbon dust to ceramic (conductor to insulator)
determines the overall resistive value.
Film Resistors
• High precision, small tolerance, low power
• Made by depositing pure metals, such as nickel, or an oxide
film, such as tin-oxide, onto an insulating ceramic rod or
substrate.
• The resistive value is controlled by increasing the desired
thickness of the deposited film.
• “thick-film resistors” or “thin-film resistors”.
Wirewound Resistors
• High precision, small tolerance, high power
• Made by winding a thin metal alloy wire (Nichrome) onto an
insulating ceramic former in the form of a spiral helix similar to
the film resistor.
Resistor Uses
• In-circuit function: resistors are used to limit current
flow in a circuit.
• Voltage drop: resistors reduce voltage and current
levels down to the required level for each component
or area of a circuit.
Resistor Uses
• Heating applications: metal filament of devices like
heater, toaster, electric stove, microwaves acts as a
resistor).
• In temperature sensors: thermistors (generally made
up of metal oxides) change their resistance value
based on the temperature.
Capacitors
• Definition
• Symbol
• The Unit of Capacitance
• How to Read a Capacitor
• Types of Capacitors
• Working Principles of an
Capacitor
• Capacitor Uses

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Definition
• A capacitor is an electrical device constructed of two
parallel conductive plates separated by an insulating
material called the dielectric (i.e. a insulator).
• How a capacitor stores charge?
• When a capacitor is connected to a DC voltage through a resistor,
electrons are removed from one plate, and an equal number are
deposited on the other plate.

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Symbol
• Schematic symbol of some capacitors:

Non-polarized
Polarized Variable
("non polar")
capacitor Capacitor
capacitor

C C C
The Unit of Capacitance
• Capacitance (C) is the amount of charge that a
capacitor can store per unit of voltage across its
plates.
• The farad (F) is the basic unit of capacitance.
• Most capacitors used in electronics works have
capacitance values in μF and pF.
The Unit of Capacitance

• C = Farads (F), the capacitance

• Q = Coulombs (C), the charge stored by the capacitor
• V = Volts (V), the voltage applied across the
capacitor’s plates
The Unit of Capacitance
• The capacitance and the voltage rating of a capacitor depend
on: plate area, plate separation, and dielectric constant.

• A: the area in square of the plates (m2)

• d: the distance between the plates (m)
• 𝟄r: the relative permittivity (i.e. the ratio of the permittivity of a
dielectric to that of a vacuum)
• 𝟄0: the permittivity of a vacuum
Relative Permittivity of Various Dielectrics
Voltage Rating
• Voltage Rating is the limit on the amount of voltage
that a capacitor can withstand across its plates.
• aka breakdown voltage or working voltage
• If this maximum voltage is exceeded, permanent damage to
the capacitor can result.
• The breakdown voltage of a capacitor is determined
by the dielectric strength (V/mil) of the dielectric
material used.
Dielectric Strength of Some Materials
Temperature Coefficient
• Temperature Coefficient (TC) indicates the amount
and direction of a change in capacitance value with
temperature.
• Positive temperature coefficient vs. Negative temperature
coefficient
• It is typically specified in Parts Per Million per Celsius
degree (ppm/ºC).
• E.g.: A negative TC of 150 ppm/ºC for a 1 µF capacitor
means that for every degree Celsius rise in temperature, the
capacitance decreases by 150 pF.
Leakage
• The dielectric of any capacitor will conduct some very
small amount of current → The charge on a capacitor
will eventually leak off.

• Equivalent circuit for a nonideal

capacitor
• Rleak represents the extremely high
resistance (100s kΩ or more)
How to Read a Capacitor

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Types of Capacitors
• Capacitors are divided into fixed capacitors and variable
capacitors.
• Fixed capacitors are the most popular.
An Example of Variable Capacitors

• A 384 pF Air Variable Capacitor

• 1 3/16" long frame
• ¼" dia. Shaft 9/16" long
• Capacitance decreases with CW
rotation.
• Minimum capacitance per section:
14.9pF
• Maximum capacitance per section:
384.2pF
An Example of Supercapacitors
• Can store 10 to 100 times more energy per unit volume or mass
than electrolytic capacitors
• Can accept and deliver charge much faster than batteries
• Can tolerate many more charge and discharge cycles than
rechargeable batteries
Effect of a Dielectric on Capacitance

• Many values of capacitances can be obtained for the same set

of parallel plates by the addition of certain insulating materials
between the plates.
Working Principles of an Capacitor
A basic charging network with:
• A resistor, R
• A capacitor, C
• A DC source voltage, E

• Capacitor charging
• When the switch is in position 1, the capacitor is charged.
• Electrons are moved away from plate A (upper) through the circuit to plate
B (lower).
• Capacitor discharging
• When the switch is in position 2, the capacitor will discharge.
• The RC Time Constant is a fixed time interval that equals the product
of the resistance and the capacitance (τ = RC) in a series RC circuit.
Charging Phase

E
• The transfer of electrons is very rapid at first (iC = , 𝑡 = 0),
R
slowing down as the potential across the capacitor equals the
battery voltage, E.
• The rate of flow of charge on the plates (iC ) results in a rapid
increase in 𝑉C at first and a small increase in 𝑉C later.
Charging Phase
• The capacitor behaves as a short circuit the moment
the switch is closed in a DC charging network.
Charging Phase
• When the capacitor is fully charged, it behaves as an
open circuit in a DC charging network.
Charging Phase

• After a full charge, the capacitor will remain in this state if no

further changes are made in the circuit.
• The capacitor will retain its charge for a period of time
determined by its leakage current.
Discharging Phase

E
𝑖𝐶 = , 𝑡 = 0
R

• When the switch is placed in position 2, the capacitor will

begin to discharge at a rate sensitive to the same constant τ =
RC.
• The capacitor functions like a battery with a decreasing
terminal voltage.
• 𝑖𝐶 has reversed direction.
Discharging Phase
• The voltage across the capacitor
(vC), the current (iC), and the
voltage across the resistor (vR) are
decaying with time.

𝜏: RC Time Constant
Charging and Discharging Curves
Capacitor Uses
• Electrical Storage
• Used as a backup voltage source for low-power circuits.
• Power Supply Filter
• To eliminate the fluctuations in the rectified voltage.
• DC Blocking and AC Coupling
• Used to block the constant dc voltage in one part of a circuit
from getting to another part.
Capacitor Uses
• Power Line Decoupling
• To decouple unwanted voltage transients or spikes due to
the fast switching digital circuits.
• Bypassing
• To bypass an AC voltage around a resistor in a circuit
without affecting the DC voltage across the resistor.
• Signal Filters
• To select on AC signal with a certain specified frequency
from a wide range of signals with many different
frequencies.
Inductors
• Definition
• Symbol
• The Unit of Inductance
• How to Read an Inductor
• Types of Inductor
• Working Principles of an
Inductor
• Inductor Uses

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Definition
• An inductor is a passive electrical component, formed
by a coil of wire, that exhibits the property of
inductance.
• An inductor stores energy in the magnetic field
created by the current.

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Symbol

L L L

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How to Read an Inductor

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 Types of Inductors
Iron-core inductor
Air-core inductor

Laminated Core Powdered Iron Core

Inductor Inductor
Toroidal inductor
Working Principles of an Inductor
Resistance: R
Inductance: L
DC Source Voltage: E

• When the switch is closed, there is a voltage drop due to the winding
resistance of the coil (R).
• Energy
1
is stored in the magnetic field according to the formular 𝑊 =
𝐿𝐼 2 .
2
• The only 2
energy conversion to heat occurs in the winding resistance
(𝑃 = 𝐼 𝑅).
• The RL Time Constant is a fixed time𝐿interval that equals the ratio of
the inductance to the resistance (𝜏 = ).
𝑅
Storage Phase
• When the switch is closed, the inductor
will prevent an instantaneous change in
current through the coil.
• 𝑉𝐿 = 𝐸 at the instant
• 𝑖𝐿 will then build up from zero,
establishing a voltage drop across the At the instant
resistor and a corresponding drop in 𝑉𝐿 .
• The current will continue to increase until
the voltage across the inductor drops to
zero volts.
𝐸
• 𝑉𝐿 = 0; 𝑉𝑅 = 𝐸; 𝑖𝐿 =
𝑅

At the steady state

Storage Phase
𝐸
• The current 𝑖𝐿 increases to the maximum steady-state value ( ).
𝑅
• The rate of change in current decreases as time passes.

𝜏: the RL time constant

Storage Phase
• The voltage 𝑉𝐿 will decrease to zero volts at the same rate the
current presses toward its maximum value.
• After the period of 5𝜏, the network is in the steady state and the
inductor behaves as a short circuit.
Storage Phase
• Effect of L on the shape of the 𝑖𝐿 storage waveform.
• The larger the inductance, the more the circuit will oppose a
rapid buildup in current level.
Decay Phase
• When the switch is opened, a spark would probably
occur across the contacts due to the rapid change in
the current, from E/R to 0.

• 𝑉𝐿 would be very high.

• The isolated conductor can’t
continue to store energy → a
rapid discharge in stored
energy.

How to analyze the decay

phase of an R-L circuit?
Decay Phase
• Solution: Add R2 to the original circuit as the
following.
Decay Phase
• The storage phase responds in the same manner as
described above with the same waveforms and levels.

in the steady state

Decay Phase
• When the switch is opened, R2 provides a complete
path for the current 𝑖𝐿 , without the sparking effect or
rapid discharge.
Decay Phase
• The waveforms for each voltage for both storage
phase and discharge phase.
𝐿
𝜏′ =
𝑅1 + 𝑅2

at the instant the switch is

opened
Decay Phase
• The waveforms for each current for both storage phase
and discharge phase.
Energy Stored by An Inductor
• The ideal inductor does not dissipate the electrical
energy supplied to it (like the ideal capacitor).
• The energy is stored in the form of a magnetic field.
Example
Inductor Uses

• Noise Suppression: suppressing unwanted electrical noise.

• Conductive noise: many systems have common conductive paths
connecting different parts of the system, conducting high
frequency noise from one part of the system to another.

• Radiated noise: noise can also enter a circuit by way of an

electromagnetic field.
• The noise source can be an adjacent circuit or a nearby power supply.
Inductor Uses

• RF Chokes: Inductors used for the purpose of

blocking very high frequencies.
• Providing a high impedance path for high frequencies.
• Used for conductive or radiated noise.
• In general, the choke is placed in series with the line for
which RF suppression is required.
• Another common type of RF choke Is a ferrite bead.
Inductor Uses
• Tuned Circuits: Inductors are used in conjunction with
capacitors to provide frequency selection in
communication systems.
• Allowing a narrow band of frequencies to be selected while
other frequencies are rejected.
• Frequency selectivity is based on the fact that the reactance
of both capacitors and inductors depends on the frequency
and on the interaction of these two components when
connected in series or parallel.
Thank you for
your attention!

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