All About Circuits

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Kirchhoff’s Laws

Kirchhoff’s Laws

Many electronic circuits use what is called a split or a dual power…


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Bipolar Junction Transistors as Switches

Bipolar Junction Transistors as Switches

Solid-state switching circuits usually keep their constituent…


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Step-up, Step-down, and Isolation Transformers

Step-up, Step-down, and Isolation Transformers

Calculate the voltage output by the secondary winding of a transformer…


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Lorentz Force Calculator

Lorentz Force Calculator

This calculator will determine the combined Lorentz force exerted on a charged particle moving through both an electric field and a magnetic field.


Tools

Instrumentation Amplifier Gain Calculator

Instrumentation Amplifier Gain Calculator

The instrumentation amplifier calculator will assist in the design and analysis of a conventional instrumentation amplifier circuit by calculating the required resistor values and gain.


Tools

ElectroStatic Discharge

ElectroStatic Discharge

At the start of this book, we discussed static electricity and how it…


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Lenz’s Law and Faraday’s Law Calculator

Lenz’s Law and Faraday’s Law Calculator

This calculator uses Faraday's and Lenz's laws to calculate the magnitude and polarity of the induced electromotive force (EMF) caused by a change in magnetic flux through a closed-loop coil.


Tools

DC Lab - Thermoelectricity

DC Lab - Thermoelectricity

In this hands-on electronics experiment, you will build a thermocouple to measure temperature changes and learn about the Seebeck effect.


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Relay Construction

Relay Construction

Electricity and Magnetism An electric current through a conductor will…


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High Voltage Ohmmeters

High Voltage Ohmmeters

Most ohmmeters of the design shown in the previous section utilize a…


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Network Protocols

Network Protocols

Aside from the issues of the physical network (signal types and…


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Pressure Unit Conversion Calculator

Pressure Unit Conversion Calculator

This calculator will convert pressure values to ten different standard units for pressure.


Tools

DC Lab - Potentiometer as a Rheostat

DC Lab - Potentiometer as a Rheostat

In this hands-on electronics experiment, you will use a potentiometer as a variable resistor to control the speed of a motor and learn how to connect a potentiometer as a rheostat.


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AC Lab - Large Induction Motor

AC Lab - Large Induction Motor

In this hands-on AC electronics experiment, build a large AC permanent capacitor split-phase induction motor and learn the principles of AC induction motor function.


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Stepper Motors

Stepper Motors

Stepper Motor vs Servo Motor A stepper motor is a…


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Tube Lab - Vacuum Tube Audio Amplifier

Tube Lab - Vacuum Tube Audio Amplifier

In this hands-on electronics experiment, build an audio amplifier using a vacuum tube (triode) and learn about voltage transformers, how to build a high-voltage DC power supply, and how to use a transformer for impedance matching.


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AC Lab - Sensing AC Magnetic Fields

AC Lab - Sensing AC Magnetic Fields

In this hands-on AC electronics experiment, you will sense AC magnetic fields using a simple wire coil and learn about AC signal coupling, orientation effects, and the impact of shielding using different materials.


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Tesla Polyphase Induction Motors

Tesla Polyphase Induction Motors

Most AC motors are induction motors. Induction motors are favored due…


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AC Lab - Induction Motor

AC Lab - Induction Motor

In this hands-on AC electronics experiment, build a simple AC permanent capacitor split-phase induction motor and learn the principles of AC induction motor function.


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Winding Configurations

Winding Configurations

Transformers with Multiple Secondaries Transformers are very versatile…


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Diode Switching Circuits

Diode Switching Circuits

Diodes can perform switching and digital logic operations. Forward and…


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What Are Zener Diodes?

What Are Zener Diodes?

What Is a Zener Diode? A Zener diode is a special type of rectifying…


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Shift Registers: Serial-in, Parallel-out  (SIPO) Conversion

Shift Registers: Serial-in, Parallel-out (SIPO) Conversion

A serial-in, parallel-out shift register is similar to the serial-in,…


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Asynchronous Counters

Asynchronous Counters

In the previous section, we saw a circuit using one J-K flip-flop that…


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Scientific Notation and Metric Prefixes

Scientific Notation and Metric Prefixes

Write the following exponential expressions in expanded form: 101 =…


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Potentiometers

Potentiometers

Don’t just sit there! Build something!! Learning to mathematically…


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Edge Coupled Microstrip Impedance Calculator

Edge Coupled Microstrip Impedance Calculator

This tool helps calculate the impedance of an edge-coupled microstrip.


Tools

555 Lab - Introduction to the 555 Timer IC

555 Lab - Introduction to the 555 Timer IC

In this collection of hands-on electronics experiments, build and test mixed-signal analog and digital circuits using the versatile 555 timer IC. These projects will teach you about RC time constants, duty cycle, transistor current drive, LEDs, voltage doublers, and more.


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Don’t Care Cells in the Karnaugh Map

Don’t Care Cells in the Karnaugh Map

Up to this point we have considered logic reduction problems where…


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Attenuators

Attenuators

What is Attenuators? Attenuators are passive devices. It is…


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Open-Loop OpAmp Circuits

Open-Loop OpAmp Circuits

Determine what the magnitude and polarity of the voltmeter’s…


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Fundamentals of SPICE programming

Fundamentals of SPICE programming

Programming a circuit simulation with SPICE is much like programming…


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Edge-triggered Latches: Flip-Flops

Edge-triggered Latches: Flip-Flops

So far, we’ve studied both S-R and D latch circuits with enable…


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AC Lab - Sensing AC Electric Fields

AC Lab - Sensing AC Electric Fields

In this hands-on AC electronics experiment, you will sense AC electric fields using the sensitive voltage detector and learn about capacitive coupling, EMI, and shielding techniques.


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AC Lab - Noise Cancellation

AC Lab - Noise Cancellation

In this hands-on AC electronics experiment, you will use an AC voltage source connected to speakers to learn about sound waves and the foundational principle used in noise cancelling headphones.


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Digital Display Circuits

Digital Display Circuits

What is the purpose of a seven-segment decoder circuit? What is a…


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Synchronous Counters

Synchronous Counters

What is a Synchronous Counter? A synchronous counter, in contrast to…


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Analog Lab - High-impedance Voltmeter

Analog Lab - High-impedance Voltmeter

In this hands-on electronics experiment, you will build a high-impedance voltmeter and learn about circuit loading and how to use op amps to reduce loading effects.


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General Troubleshooting Tips

General Troubleshooting Tips

When first approaching a failed or otherwise misbehaving system, the…


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Active-mode Operation (BJT)

Active-mode Operation (BJT)

When a transistor is in the fully-off state (like an open switch), it…


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Nonlinear Conduction

Nonlinear Conduction

“Advances are made by answering questions. Discoveries are made…


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Three-phase Y and Delta Configurations

Three-phase Y and Delta Configurations

Three-phase Wye(Y) Connection Initially, we explored the idea of…


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Simultaneous Equations for Circuit Analysis

Simultaneous Equations for Circuit Analysis

Solve this equation for the value of x: x + 5 = 8 How many exact…


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Karnaugh Maps, Truth Tables, and Boolean Expressions

Karnaugh Maps, Truth Tables, and Boolean Expressions

Who Developed the Karnaugh Map? Maurice Karnaugh, a…


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Performance-Based Assessments for AC Circuit Competencies

Performance-Based Assessments for AC Circuit Competencies

(Template)


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Quantum Devices

Quantum Devices

Most integrated circuits are digital, based on MOS (CMOS) transistors.…


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Amplifiers

Amplifiers

Practical Benefit of Active Devices The practical benefit of active…


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ElectroStatic Discharge

ElectroStatic Discharge

At the start of this book, we discussed static electricity and how it…


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Node Voltage Method

Node Voltage Method

The node voltage method of DC network analysis solves for unknown…


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Active-mode Operation (JFET)

Active-mode Operation (JFET)

JFETs, like bipolar transistors, are able to “throttle”…


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Signal Modulation

Signal Modulation

A modern method of electrical power control involves inserting a…


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Radicals

Radicals

Definition of a Radical Given the expression where “x” is…


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Solving for Unknown Time

Solving for Unknown Time

Sometimes it is necessary to determine the length of time that a…


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Networks and Busses

Networks and Busses

The wires between the tank and the monitoring location is  called…


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Power Quality Measurement

Power Quality Measurement

It used to be with large AC power systems that “power…


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BJT Amplifier Troubleshooting

BJT Amplifier Troubleshooting

As an instructor of electronics, I am called upon frequently to help…


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IC Fabrication and Packaging

IC Fabrication and Packaging

What does it mean if an integrated circuit comes in DIP form? What…


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Re-drawing Complex Schematics

Re-drawing Complex Schematics

Typically, complex circuits are not arranged in nice, neat, clean…


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What is the Relationship Between Conductance and Resistance?

What is the Relationship Between Conductance and Resistance?

The concept and measurement units of resistance are most often used…


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Millman’s Theorem Revisited

Millman’s Theorem Revisited

You may have wondered where we got that strange equation for the…


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