Electronics All-in-One For Dummies, UK Edition E-Book

Dickon Ross

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 816

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Beschreibung

Your one-stop UK shop for clear, concise explanations to all the important concepts in electronics and tons of direction for building simple, fun electronic projects.

The 8 mini-books in this 1 volume include:

• Getting Started with Electronics
• Working with Basic Components
• Working with Integrated Circuits
• Getting into Alternating Current
• Working with Radio and Infrared
• Doing Digital Electronics
• Working with Basic Stamp Processors
• Building Special Effects

With nearly 900 pages of instruction, Electronics All-in-One For Dummies, UK Edition covers all the bases and provides a fascinating hands-on exploration of electronics.

Leseprobe

Electronics All-in-One For Dummies®

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, www.wiley.com

This edition first published 2014

© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, Chichester, West Sussex.

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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978-1-118-58973-1 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-58970-0 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-58971-7 (ebk)

Printed in Great Britain by TJ International, Padstow, Cornwall

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Electronics All-in-One For Dummies®, UK Edition

Visit www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/electronicsaiouk to view this book's cheat sheet.

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Foolish Assumptions

Staying Safe

Icons Used in This Book

Beyond the Book

Where to Go from Here

Book I: Getting Started with Electronics

Chapter 1: Entering the Exciting World of Electronics

What Is Electricity?

Introducing electricity: Common knowledge

Understanding electricity basics

Discovering the Difference Between Electrical and Electronic Devices

Using the Power of Electronics

Making some noise

Painting with light

Transmitting to the world

Computing

Looking Inside Electronic Devices

Chapter 2: Understanding Electricity

Wondering about the Nature of Electricity

Looking for electricity

Peering inside atoms

Examining the elements

Charging ahead

Conducting and Insulating Elements: Current, Voltage and Power

Keeping current

Pushing electrons around: Voltage

Comparing direct and alternating current

Working out with power

Chapter 3: Creating Your Own Mad-Scientist Lab

Setting up Your Lab

Equipping Your Lab

Acquiring basic hand tools

Seeing clearly with magnifying glasses

Getting a firm grip on third hands and hobby vices

Making connections with a soldering iron

Measuring with a multimeter

Using a solderless breadboard

Conducting electricity with wires

Supplying power with batteries

Stocking up on other useful items

Gathering Together the Basic Electronic Components

Curbing current with resistors

Keeping charged with capacitors

Depending on diodes to block or allow current

Producing light with LEDs

Controlling current with transistors

Chipping in with integrated circuits

Chapter 4: Staying Safe

Facing the Shocking Truth about Electrical Dangers

Heeding the warning: Household electrical current can kill you!

Understanding that even relatively small voltages can hurt you

Staying safe by staying dry

Realising that voltage can hide in unexpected places

Considering Other Ways to Stay Safe

Keeping Safety Equipment on Hand

Protecting Your Equipment from Static Discharges

Chapter 5: Reading Schematic Diagrams

Introducing Simple Schematic Diagrams

Laying out a circuit

Connecting or not connecting

Interpreting Symbols in Schematic Diagrams

Looking at commonly used symbols

Representing integrated circuits in a schematic diagram

Simplifying Ground and Power Connections

Labelling Components in a Schematic Diagram

Chapter 6: Building Your Own Electronic Projects

Building an Electronic Project in Five Steps

Envisioning Your Project

Designing Your Circuit

Prototyping Your Circuit on a Solderless Breadboard

Understanding how solderless breadboards work

Laying out your circuit

Assembling the coin-toss circuit on a solderless breadboard

Troubleshooting if your circuit fails to work

Constructing Your Circuit on a Printed Circuit Board (PCB)

Understanding how PCBs work

Using a preprinted circuit board

Building the coin-toss circuit on a PCB

Mounting Your Circuit

Finding a suitable enclosure for your circuit

Working with a project box

Chapter 7: Uncovering the Secrets of Successful Soldering

Understanding How Solder Works

Procuring What You Need to Solder

Buying a soldering iron

Stocking up on solder

Getting together the other goodies you need

Preparing to Solder

Soldering a Solid Solder Joint

Checking Your Work

Undoing Your Work: Desoldering

Chapter 8: Measuring Circuits with a Multimeter

Looking at Multimeters

Discovering What a Multimeter Measures

Keeping current with the ammeter

Calculating voltage with the voltmeter

Sensing resistance with the ohmmeter

Meeting some other measurements

Reading schematic symbols for meter functions

Using Your Multimeter

Building a circuit to measure

Measuring current

Measuring voltage

Measuring resistance

Chapter 9: Catching Waves with an Oscilloscope

Understanding Oscilloscopes

Examining Waveforms

Calibrating an Oscilloscope

Displaying Signals

Book II: Working with Basic Electronic Components

Chapter 1: Working with Basic Circuits

What Is a Circuit?

Using Batteries

Introducing the battery

Building a lamp circuit

Working with Switches

Moving switches in different ways

Making connections with poles and throws

Building a switched lamp circuit

Understanding Series and Parallel Circuits

Building a series lamp circuit

Building a parallel lamp circuit

Using Switches in Series and Parallel

Building a series switch circuit

Building a parallel switch circuit

Switching between two lamps

Building a three-way lamp switch

Reversing Polarity

Chapter 2: Working with Resistors

What Is Resistance?

Creating resistance

Measuring resistance

Looking at Ohm’s Law

Introducing Resistors

Reading Resistor Colour Codes

Working out a resistor’s value

Understanding resistor tolerance

Heating Up: Resistor Power Ratings

Limiting Current with a Resistor

Building Resistance in Combination

Combining resistors in series

Combining resistors in parallel

Mixing series and parallel resistors

Assembling resistors in series and parallel

Dividing Voltage with Resistors

Varying Resistance with a Potentiometer

Chapter 3: Working with Capacitors

What Is a Capacitor?

Catching up with capacitors

Knowing the capacitor symbols

Counting Capacitance

Finding out about farads

Reading capacitor values

Sizing Up Capacitors

Calculating Time Constants for Resistor/Capacitor Networks

Looking at the calculations

Appreciating the RC time constant

Combining Capacitors

Combining capacitors in parallel

Connecting capacitors in series

Putting Capacitors to Work

Charging and discharging a capacitor

Blocking DC while passing AC

Chapter 4: Working with Inductors

What Is Magnetism?

Pointing to the north and south of magnetism

Pondering permanent magnets

Examining Electromagnets

Inducing Current

Resisting change: Inductance

Regarding henrys

Calculating RL Time Constants

Calculating Inductive Reactance

Combining Inductors

Putting Inductors to Work

Chapter 5: Working with Diodes and LEDs

What Is a Semiconductor?

Examining elements and atoms

Doping is really rather clever

Combining types into one-way junctions

Discovering Diodes

Boning up on bias

Moving voltage forward – or in reverse

Meeting the many types of diodes

Blocking reverse polarity with a diode

Putting Rectifiers to Work

Looking at rectifier circuits

Building rectifier circuits

Introducing Light-Emitting Diodes

Providing the necessary resistance

Detecting polarity with LEDs

Chapter 6: Working with Transistors

What’s the Big Deal About Transistors?

Peering inside a transistor

Examining transistor specifications

Amplifying Current with a Transistor

Switching with a Transistor

Exploring an NPN transistor switch

Building an LED driver circuit

Walking Through a NOT Gate

Looking at a simple NOT gate circuit

Building a NOT Gate

Oscillating with a Transistor

Inspecting an astable multivibrator

Building an LED flashing circuit

Book III: Working with Integrated Circuits

Chapter 1: Introducing Integrated Circuits

Investigating Integrated Circuits

Manufacturing integrated circuits

Packaging integrated circuits

Depicting ICs in schematic diagrams

Powering ICs

Avoiding Static and Heat Damage

Reading IC Data Sheets

Meeting the Family: Popular Integrated Circuits

555 timer

741 and LM324 Op-Amp

78xx voltage regulator

74xx logic family

Chapter 2: The Fabulous 555 Timer Chip

Examining how the 555 Works

Understanding 555 Modes

Using the 555 in monostable (one-shot) mode

Using the 555 in astable (oscillator) mode

Using the 555 in bistable (flip-flop) mode

Working with the 555 Timer Output

Doubling Up with the 556 Dual Timer

Constructing 555 Chip Projects

Making a one-shot timer

Brightening up with an LED flasher

Employing a set/reset switch

Building a beeper

Chapter 3: Working with Op Amps

Looking at Operational Amplifiers

Understanding Open Loop Amplifiers

Considering Closed Loop Amplifiers

Investigating inverting amplifiers

Reversing inputs: Noninverting amplifiers

Using an Op Amp as a Unity Gain Amplifier

Configuring a voltage follower

Configuring a unity inverter

Comparing Voltages with an Op Amp

Adding Voltages: Summing Amplifiers

Working with Op-Amp ICs

Book IV: Getting into Alternating Current

Chapter 1: Understanding Alternating Current

What Is Alternating Current?

Measuring Alternating Current

Understanding Alternators

Meeting up with Motors

Thinking about Transformers

Coiling up to create energy

Producing huge power efficiently with AC

Chapter 2: Working with Mains Voltage

Adapting the Mains Supply for Use in Your Projects

Staying safe with mains voltage

Understanding live, neutral and earth

Working Safely with Mains Voltage

Wiring and connecting

Protecting mains-voltage circuits with fuses

Controlling mains-voltage circuits using relays

Chapter 3: Supplying Power for Your Electronics Projects

Powering up from Your Electrical Outlet

Using Power Adapters

Understanding the Power Supply

Transforming voltage

Turning AC into DC

Filtering rectified current

Regulating voltage

Book V: Working with Radio and Infrared

Chapter 1: Tuning in to Radio

Rolling with Radio Waves

Transmitting and Receiving Radio Waves

Making waves with radio transmitters

Catching the waves: Radio receivers

Approaching AM Radio

Finding out about FM Radio

Chapter 2: Building a Crystal Radio

Looking at a Simple Crystal Radio Circuit

Gathering Together Your Parts

Creating the Coil

Assembling the Circuit

Stringing up an Antenna

Connecting to Ground

Using Your Crystal Radio

Chapter 3: Working with Infrared

Introducing Infrared Light

Detecting Infrared Light

Creating Infrared Light

Constructing Proximity Detectors

Building a common-emitter proximity detector

Building a common-collector proximity detector

Book VI: Doing Digital Electronics

Chapter 1: Understanding Digital Electronics

Distinguishing Analogue and Digital Electronics

Understanding Binary

Knowing your number systems

Counting by ones

Doing the logic thing

Using Switches to Build Gates

Chapter 2: Getting Logical

Introducing Boolean Logic and Logic Gates

Entering Through the Different Types of Logic Gates

Noting NOT gates

Appraising AND gates

Observing OR gates

Looking at NAND gates

Checking out NOR gates

Going over XOR and XNOR gates

Diving into De Marvellous De Morgan’s Theorem

Understanding that All You Need is NAND (or NOR)

Using universal NAND gates

Combining universal NOR gates

Playing with Gates in Software

Noting Notations

Chapter 3: Putting Logic Circuits to Work

Creating Logic Gates with Transistors

Discovering a transistor NOT gate circuit

Going high with a transistor AND gate circuit

Staying low with a transistor NAND gate circuit

Looking at a transistor OR gate circuit

Knowing about transistor NOR gate circuits

Introducing Integrated Circuit Logic Gates

Making use of the versatile 4000-series logic gates

Building projects with the 4011 Quad Two-Input NAND Gate

Chapter 4: Interfacing to Your Computer’s Parallel Port

Understanding the Parallel Port

Peering into the makeup of a parallel port

Connecting with the DB25 connector and its pins

Pinning your hopes on the pinout assignments

Designing a parallel-port circuit

Working with DB25 connectors

Controlling Parallel-Port Output from an MS-DOS Prompt: Programming from a PC

Using the RELAY command

Creating a command script

Seeing why timing is everything: DELAY and WAITFOR

Building a parallel-port LED flasher

Sussing out Seven-Segment Displays

Introducing the seven-segment display

Building a seven-segment display countdown timer

Driving up the Current

Using Darlington arrays forhigh-current outputs

Building a motor driver

Chapter 5: Getting the Hang of Flip-Flops

Looking at Latches

Going Over Gated Latches

Introducing Flip-Flops

Building flip-flop projects

Debouncing a clock input

Book VII: Working with BASIC Stamp Processors

Chapter 1: Introducing Microcontrollers and the BASIC Stamp

Meeting the Mighty Microcontroller

Working with the BASIC Stamp

Introducing the BASIC Stamp 2 Module

Buying a BASIC Stamp

Working with the BASIC Stamp HomeWork board

Choosing the Board of Education

Connecting to BASIC Stamp I/O pins

Installing the BASIC Stamp Windows Editor

Connecting to a BASIC Stamp

Writing Your First PBASIC Programs

Discovering programming basics

Saying ‘Hello World’

Running the Hello World program

Flashing an LED with a BASIC Stamp

Chapter 2: Programming in PBASIC

Introducing and Using the PBASIC Language

Building a test circuit for the programs

Flashing the LEDs

Commenting to Clarify Your Code

Creating Names in your Programs

Employing Constants as Substitute Values

Assigning Names to I/O Pins

Creating Variables to Use RAM Memory

Carrying out Maths Functions

Making use of IF Statements

Pressing DO Loops into Service

Keeping Count with FOR Loops

Chapter 3: Discovering More PBASIC Programming Tricks

Pushing Buttons with a BASIC Stamp

Checking the Status of a Switch in PBASIC

Randomising Your Programs

Reading a Value from a Potentiometer

Using Subroutines and the GOSUB Command

Chapter 4: Adding Sound and Motion to Your BASIC Stamp Projects

Creating Sound with a Piezo Speaker and a BASIC Stamp

Freaking out with the FREQOUT command

Testing the piezo speaker

Playing with sound effects

Moving by Degrees with a Servo and a BASIC Stamp

Connecting a servo to a BASIC Stamp

Programming a servo in PBASIC

Building a servo project

Book VIII: Having Fun with Special Effects

Chapter 1: Synchronising Sight and Sound with a Colour-Organ Circuit

Considering the Colour-Organ Project

Understanding how the colour organ works

Getting your equipment together

Building the Colour Organ Project

Assembling your colour organ

Thinking inside the (project) box

Wiring up your circuit

Putting Your Colour Organ to Work

Chapter 2: Unearthing Hidden Treasure with a Handy Metal Detector

Uncovering the Big Picture: Project Overview

Scoping out the schematic

Sticking to adhesive precautions

Perusing the parts

Taking Construction Step by Step

Assembling your metal detector circuit

Building the box to house the circuit

Putting it all together

Handling the handle

Trying Out Your Detector

Chapter 3: Making Light Dance to the Music

Illuminating the Big Picture: Project Overview

Scoping out the schematic

Following some wiring tips

Perusing the parts

Taking Construction Step by Step

Building the circuit

Using LEDs to create the lights

Adding the rest of the gubbins

Trying Out Your Dance to the Music Display

Chapter 4: Hacking a Toy to Make a Talking Puppet

Talking about the Big Picture: Project Overview

Scoping out the schematic

Noting some construction issues

Perusing the parts

Taking Construction Step by Step

Creating your puppet’s circuit

Making the box puppet-friendly

Programming fun sounds

Hooking up your puppet

Playing with Your Puppet

About the Authors

Cheat Sheet

Connect with Dummies

Introduction

Electronics changed the world during the 20th century, from radios, telephones and cinema to modern computing and the so-called Information Age. This revolution may turn out to be as important as the Industrial Revolution. The Internet was recently voted the greatest invention of all time – and yet it’s not even 25 years old. Each new electronic gadget is adopted quicker than the last (you may be reading this book on an e-reader or tablet computer) and mobile phones now outnumber people on the planet.

Yet despite using electronics every day, many people have virtually no understanding of what’s going on under their thumbs and behind those screens; the process may just as well be magic to them. Fortunately, you don’t have to understand completely the inner workings of every component, even if you want to design an amazing new electronic gizmo.

This book is for people who’ve always been fascinated by electronics but didn’t make a career out of it. In these pages, you find clear and concise explanations of the most important concepts that form the basis of all electronic devices, such as the nature of electricity (if you think you know what it is, you’re kidding yourself); the difference between voltage, amperage and wattage; how basic components such as resistors, capacitors, diodes and transistors work; and how you can use some super-complex components such as integrated circuits to realise your own dream project.

You not only gain an appreciation of the electronic devices that are part of everyday life, but also discover how to build simple circuits that impress your friends, are great fun and may even be the prototype for the invention that makes your fortune!

About This Book

Electronics All-in-One For Dummies is a practical reference containing the most important topics you need to know when you dabble in building your own electronic circuits. It’s a big book made up of eight smaller ones, which we call minibooks. Each of these minibooks covers the basics of one key topic for working with electronics, such as circuit-building techniques, how electronic components work or using integrated circuits.

Throughout these minibooks, we include dozens of simple, practical projects which you can build to demonstrate the operation of typical circuits. For example, in the chapter on transistors (Book II, Chapter 6), you find several simple projects that demonstrate common uses for transistors, such as driving an LED, inverting an input and creating an oscillator.

Reading about electronics circuits is one thing, but to understand how a circuit works, you need to build it and see it in operation. Most of the projects are simple enough that you can build them in 20–30 minutes, assuming you have the parts on hand.

This book doesn’t pretend to be a comprehensive reference for every detail on every possible topic related to electronics. Instead, it shows you how to get up and running quickly so that you have more time to do the things you really want to do. Designed using the easy-to-follow For Dummies format, this book helps you get the information you need without labouring to find it.

To make its use as easy as possible, we design this book with multiple access points to help you find what you want. At the beginning of the book is a detailed table of contents that covers the entire book. Plus, each minibook begins with a minitable of contents that shows you at a mini-glance what chapters are included in that minibook. Useful running heads appear at the top of each page to point out the topic we discuss on that page, and handy thumb-tabs run down the side of the pages to help you find each minibook quickly. At the back, a comprehensive index lets you find information anywhere in the entire book.

This book isn’t the kind you pick up and read from start to finish, as if it were a novel. If we see you reading it like this at the beach, we’ll kick sand in your face. Beaches are for reading romance novels or murder mysteries, not electronics books. Although you can read this book straight through from start to finish, it’s designed for you to pick up, open to just about any page and start reading.

You don’t have to memorise anything in this book. It’s a ‘need-to-know’ book: you pick it up when you need to know something. Want a reminder on how to calculate the correct load resistor for an LED circuit? Pick up the book. Can’t remember the pinouts for a 555 timer IC? Pick up the book. After you find what you need, put the book down and get on with your life.

Foolish Assumptions

This book assumes that you’re curious about electronics, but you really don’t know much, if anything, about its inner workings. You chose this book, rather than a book consisting exclusively of recipes for electronic circuits, and therefore we assume that you want to discover more about how parts such as resistors, capacitors and transistors actually work.

You don’t need to be well-versed in physics or mathematics to benefit from reading this book, although a little bit of school algebra is helpful (but we do our best to refresh that possibly painful memory).

We assume you may want to jump around this book a bit, diving deep into a topic or two that holds special interest for you, and possibly skimming through other topics. For this reason, we provide loads of chapter cross-references to point you to information that can fill in any gaps or refresh your memory on a topic.

Staying Safe

Most of the electronic circuits we describe in this book are perfectly safe: they run from common AAA or 9 V batteries and therefore don’t work with voltages large enough to hurt you.

Occasionally, however, you come across circuits that work with higher voltages, which can be dangerous. You need to consider any project involving mains voltage (that you plug into an electrical outlet) as potentially dangerous and handle it with the utmost care. In addition, even battery-powered circuits that use large capacitors can build up charges that can deliver a potentially painful shock.

When you work with electronics, you also encounter dangers other than those posed by electricity. Soldering irons are hot and can burn you. Wire cutters are sharp and can cut you. Plus, plenty of the small parts you use can fall on the floor and find themselves in the mouths of children or pets.

Safety is such an important topic that we devote a whole chapter to it. We strongly urge you to read Book I, Chapter 4before you build anything.

Icons Used in This Book

Like all For Dummies books, this one is chock-full of helpful icons that draw your attention to items of particular importance. You find the following icons throughout this book.

Pay special attention to this icon; it lets you know that a particularly useful fact is at hand.

We can’t recall what we use this icon for, sorry. Oh, yes, important things to note and bear in mind!

Hold it – overly technical material is just around the corner. We use this icon for those paragraphs that go into greater depth, down into explaining how something works under the bonnet. Although enlightening, if these paragraphs go deeper than you want to know, just move on. You can also see this icon as a reminder not to get bogged down in details and instead focus on the larger point.

Danger, danger! This icon highlights information that may help you avert damage to your circuits or even personal disaster. Definitely pay attention to these warning icons, because they let you know about potential safety hazards.

Beyond the Book

As you walk your journey of discovery into the world of electronics, you can augment what you read here by checking out some of the access-anywhere extra goodies that we’ve hosted for you online.

You can find the book's e-cheat sheet online, at www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/electronicsaiouk. The at-a-glance, essential info that we serve up in this cheat sheet can be very handy sources of reference when printed out and pinned up near your workspace.

Additionally, you can also find a variety of great bonus content online, at www.dummies.com/extras/electronicsaiouk.

Where to Go from Here

This book works like a reference source. To discover the basics of electronics, peruse Book I. If you have a topic in mind that you want to find out about, look for it in the table of contents (which is detailed enough to find most topics) or turn to the index, where you can find even more detail.

The book is loaded with information and you can stay swimming in the shallow end or dive as deep as you desire. If you want to take a brief dip into a topic, you’re more than welcome. If you want to know the big picture on digital electronics, for instance, read Book VI, Chapter 1. If you want to learn about logic gates, read Chapter 2 in Book VI. Or if you want to focus in on XOR gates, use the index to find the specific section in Book VI, Chapter 2.

Whatever your needs, with this book in hand you’re ready to immerse yourself in the exciting hobby of electronics. Browse through the table of contents and decide where you want to start. Be bold! Be courageous! Be adventurous! Be careful! But above all, have fun!

Book I

Getting Started with Electronics

For Dummies can help you get started with lots of subjects. Visit www.dummies.com to learn more and do more with For Dummies.

Contents at a Glance

Chapter 1: Entering the Exciting World of Electronics

Chapter 2: Understanding Electricity

Chapter 3: Creating Your Own Mad-Scientist Lab

Chapter 4: Staying Safe

Chapter 5: Reading Schematic Diagrams

Chapter 6: Building Your Own Electronic Projects

Chapter 7: Uncovering the Secrets of Successful Soldering

Chapter 8: Measuring Circuits with a Multimeter

Chapter 9: Catching Waves with an Oscilloscope

Chapter 1

Entering the Exciting World of Electronics

In This Chapter

Understanding electricity

Distinguishing between electrical and electronic devices

Outlining the most common uses for electronics

Looking at a typical electronic circuit board

Electronic devices are everywhere: for example (and incredibly), the number of mobile phones on the planet exceeds the number of people. Plus, no one uses film to take photos anymore because cameras have become electronic devices, and at any given moment young people in particular are engrossed in sending text messages while simultaneously listening to music on their smartphones.

Without electronics, life today would be extremely different.

If you’ve ever wondered what makes these electronic devices tick, this chapter’s for you. Here we lay some important groundwork that helps the rest of this book to make sense. We examine the bits and pieces that make up the most common types of electronic devices, and take a look at the basic concept that underlies all electronics: electricity.

Having a bright idea

In January 1880, Thomas Edison filed a patent for a new type of device that created light by passing an electric current through a carbon-coated filament contained in a sealed glass tube. Historians say that Edison didn’t really invent the light bulb, just improved on previous ideas, but that’s another story.

Edison’s light bulb patent was approved, but he still had a lot of work to do before manufacturing a commercially viable light bulb. The biggest problem with his design was that the bulbs dimmed the more they were used; when the carbon-coated filament inside the bulb became hot, it shed little particles of carbon that stuck to the inside of the glass. These particles resulted in a black coating on the inside of the bulb, which obstructed the light.