BASIC ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS

• Resistors, Capacitors and Diodes

Basic Electronic Components

RESISTORS

Basic Electronic Components

 RESISTORS
A resistor is a component that is used to restrict
the flow of current in an electrical circuit.
Resistors are also used to lower the voltage at
different points in a circuit.
somewhat analogous to a valve in a water line

SCHEMATIC R
SYMBOL

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 Types of Resistors
Carbon Composition Resistors
• Made of carbon or graphite
mixed with a powdered
insulating material.
• Metal caps with tinned copper
wire (called axial leads) are
joined to the ends of the carbon
resistance element. They are
used for soldering the
connections into a circuit.
• Becoming obsolete because of
the development of carbon-film
resistors.
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 Types of Resistors
Carbon Film Resistors
• Compared to carbon
composition resistors,
carbon-film resistors
have tighter tolerances,
are less sensitive to
temperature changes
and aging, and generate
less noise.

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 Types of Resistors
Metal Film Resistors
• Metal film resistors
have very tight
tolerances, are less
sensitive to
temperature changes
and aging, and
generate less noise.

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 Types of Resistors
Surface-Mount Resistors (also called
chip resistors)
These resistors are:
• Temperature-stable and rugged
• Their end electrodes are soldered
directly to a circuit board.
• Much smaller than conventional
resistors with axial leads.
• Power dissipation rating is usually
1/8 to ¼ W

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 Types of Resistors
Wire Wound Resistor
• Special resistance wire is
wrapped around an
insulating core, typically
porcelain, cement, or
pressed paper.
• These resistors are typically
used for high-current
applications with low
resistance and appreciable
power.

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 Types of Resistors
Fusible Resistors
• Fusible resistors are wire-wound resistors
made to burn open easily when the power
rating is exceeded. They serve a dual function
as both a fuse and a resistor.

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 Types of Resistors
Thermistors
• Thermistors are temperature-
sensitive resistors whose
resistance value changes with
changes in operating
temperature.
• Used in electronic circuits
where temperature
measurement, control, and
compensation are desired.

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 Ohm’s Law: Resistance
• A (linear) resistor is an element for which
V = iR
• where the constant R is a resistance.
• The equation is known as “Ohm’s Law.”
• The unit of resistance is ohm (Ω).

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 Example: Resistor Power
A 560 Ω resistor is connected to a circuit which
causes a current of 42.4 mA to flow through it.
Calculate the voltage across the resistor.

v = iR
v = (0.0424)(560)
v = 23.7 V

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 Resistor Color Coding
• Resistors are color coded for easy reading.
• To determine the value of a given resistor look
for the gold or silver tolerance band and hold
the resistor with this band to the right.
• Then read the colored bands left to right.

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 Four Band Resistor Color Code

• 1st band provides the first

digit of the code
• 2nd band provides the
second digit of the code
• 3rd band is the decimal
multiplier
• 4th band indicates the
tolerance value

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 Resistor
Color Code
Chart

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 How to remember the code?
Remember the color codes with this sentence:

Big Brown Rabbits Often Yield

Great Big Vocal Groans When
Gingerly Slapped.

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 How to read it?
• Look at the 1st color band and determine its
color. This maybe difficult on small or oddly
colored resistors. Now look at the chart and
match the "1st & 2nd color band" color to the
"Digit it represents". Write this number down.

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 How to read it?
• Now look at the 2nd color band and match
that color to the same chart. Write this
number next to the 1st digit.
• Match the 3rd color band with the chart
under multiplier. This is the number you will
multiple the other 2 numbers by. Write it next
to the other 2 numbers with a multiplication
sign before it.

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 How to read it?
Example:
 First color is red which is 2
 Second color is black which is 0
 Third color is yellow which is 10,000
 Tolerance is silver which is 10%
 Therefore the equation is:
2 0 x 10,000 = 200,000 Ohms ± 10%

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 Resistors
Resistor color code calculation:

• The first band red has a value of 2

• The second band purple has a value of 7

• The third band has a multiplier of x 10 2

• The last band indicates a tolerance value
of +/-5%
7
x10
• Resistance value is 270Ω +/-5%
+/-5%

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 Let’s Practice
 If you have an:
 Orange Orange Brown Gold resistor
 What is it’s resistance?
 The first orange means 3
 The second orange means 3
 The brown means x10
 The gold means ± 5%
 So answer is 330 ohms ± 5%

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More Practice!

2500 Ω ± 5%

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More Practice!

25 Ω ± 5%

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 Things to Remember!
• Resistors under 10 Ω:
– The multiplier band is either gold or silver.
– For gold, multiply by 0.1.
– For silver, multiply by 0.01.

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More Practice!

2.5 Ω ± 10%

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 Five-band Color Coding
Five-Band Color Code
• Precision resistors often use a five-band
code to obtain more accurate R values. 365 Ω ± 0.5%
• The first three stripes indicate the first 3
digits in the R value.
• The fourth stripe is the multiplier.
• The tolerance is given by the fifth stripe.
o Brown = 1%
o Red = 2%
o Green = 0.5%
o Blue = 0.25%
o Violet = 0.1%.

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 Let’s try!
Using the five-band Color Code
code, indicate the colors 0 Black
of the bands for each of 1 Brown
2 Red
the following resistors: 3 Orange
4 Yellow
1. 110 Ω ± 1% Tolerance
Brown = 1% 5 Green
2. 34 kΩ ± 0.5% Red = 2% 6 Blue
Green = 0.5% 7 Violet
3. 82.5 kΩ ± 2% Blue = 0.25% 8 Gray
Violet = 0.1%.
9 White

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 ANSWERS

1. Brown Brown Black Black Brown

1 1 0 X1 1%
2. Orange Yellow Black Red Green
3 4 0 X100 0.5%

3. Gray Red Green Red Red

8 2 5 X100 2%

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Basic Electronic Components
 Bad Resistors
Resistors can go bad when too much current is
passed through them.

Signs of a resistor that has gone bad are:

Burned or charred looking
Smoky smell
Melted

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 Resistor Troubles
Resistance measurements are made with an
ohmmeter.

The ohmmeter has its own voltage source, so

voltage must be off in the circuit being tested.
Otherwise the ohmmeter may become
damaged.

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 Resistor Troubles
An open resistor measures infinite resistance.

W

An example of an out-of-tolerance resistor:

1 kW, 5% nominal

1.5 kW
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 Resistor Troubles
• All experienced technicians have seen a burnt
resistor.
• This is usually caused by a short somewhere else in
the circuit which causes a high current to flow in the
resistor.
• When a resistor’s power rating is exceeded, it can
burn open or drift way out of tolerance.

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CAPACITORS

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 CAPACITORS
Capacitors are one of the fundamental passive
components. In its most basic form, it is composed
of two conductive plates separated by a dielectric
(insulator).
The ability to store charge is the definition of
capacitance.

Conductors Dielectric

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 CAPACITORS
• Capacitors are components that store energy
in an electrostatic field.
• The unit of capacitance is Farads (F)
• Capacitance values are normally smaller, such
as µF, nF or pF

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 The Capacitor
VVSS Dielectric

The charging ++ 
+++ 
process… Leads +++ ++
+++  Plates
++ 
+++ +
 +
Initially
Source
Fully
Charging
charged
removed
uncharged   ++   

+
+
 ++ 
++   Electrons
+ +
+ 
 + +  B
+ 
AA +
A BB
   +    

A capacitor with stored charge can act as a temporary battery.

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 Types of Capacitors
Mica Capacitor
• Mica capacitors are small with high working
voltage. The working voltage is the voltage
limit that cannot be exceeded.

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 Types of Capacitors
Ceramic Disk Capacitor
• Ceramic disks are small non-polarized
capacitors. They have relatively high
capacitance.

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 Types of Capacitors
Plastic Film Capacitor
• Plastic film capacitors are small and non-
polarized. They have relatively high
capacitance due to larger plate area.

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 Types of Capacitors
Electrolytic Capacitor
• Electrolytic capacitors have very high
capacitance but they are not as precise as
other types and tend to have more leakage
current. Electrolytic types are polarized.

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 Types of Capacitors
Variable Capacitor
• Variable capacitors typically have small
capacitance values and are usually adjusted
manually.

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 Capacitor Labeling
• Capacitors use several labeling
methods. Small capacitors

47VTTMFVTT
values are frequently stamped

+ ++ +
on them such as .001 or .01,
which have units of
microfarads. . 022
• Electrolytic capacitors have
larger values, so are read as mF.
The unit is usually stamped as
mF, but some older ones may be
shown as MF or MMF).

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 Capacitor Labeling
A label such as 103 or 104 is read as 10x103 (10,000 pF) or
10x104 (100,000 pF) respectively. (Third digit is the
multiplier.)
When values are marked as 330 or 6800, the units are
picofarads.
222 2200

What is the value of

each capacitor? Both are 2200 pF.

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Increasing the Area

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DIODES

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 DIODES
• The diode is designed to allow current to flow
in only one direction. The perfect diode
would be a perfect conductor in one direction
(forward biased) and a perfect insulator in the
other direction (reverse biased).
• In silicon diode the dark band indicates the
cathode terminal and the other terminal is
anode.

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Basic Electronic Components
Basic Electronic Components
 Terminal Identification

A is anode, K is cathode

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Basic Electronic Components
Basic Electronic Components
 Types of Diodes
PN Junction Diodes (Rectifier)
• They are used to allow current to flow in one
direction while blocking current flow in the
opposite direction.

A K
Schematic Symbol for a PN
Junction Diode

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 Types of Diodes
Zener Diodes
• They are specifically designed to operate under
reverse breakdown conditions. These diodes
have a very accurate and specific reverse
breakdown voltage. It also acts as voltage
regulator.

A K

Schematic Symbol for a Zener

Diode

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 Types of Diodes
Schottky Diodes
• These diodes are designed to have a very fast
switching time which makes them a great diode
for digital circuit applications. They are very
common in computers because of their ability to
be switched on and off so quickly.

A K

Schematic Symbol for a Schottky

Diode

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 Types of Diodes
Shockley Diodes
• The Shockley diode is a four-layer diode while
other diodes are normally made with only two
layers. These types of diodes are generally used
to control the average power delivered to a load.

A K

Schematic Symbol for a four-

layer Shockley Diode

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 Types of Diodes
Light-Emmitting Diodes (LED)
• Light-emitting diodes are designed with a very large
bandgap so movement of carriers across their depletion
region emits photons of light energy. Lower bandgap LEDs
(Light-Emitting Diodes) emit infrared radiation, while LEDs
with higher bandgap energy emit visible light. Many stop
lights are now starting to use LEDs because they are
extremely bright and last longer than regular bulbs for a
relatively low cost.
The arrows in the LED
A K representation indicate
emitted light.
Schematic Symbol for a Light-
Emitting Diode

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 Types of Diodes
Photodiodes
• While LEDs emit light, Photodiodes are
sensitive to received light. They are
constructed so their PN junction can be
exposed to the outside through a clear
window or lens.

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 PHOTODIODES
In Photoconductive mode the saturation current
increases in proportion to the intensity of the
received light. This type of diode is used in CD
players.

A K

Schematic Symbols for

Photodiodes

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 PHOTODIODES
In Photovoltaic mode, when the PN junction is
exposed to a certain wavelength of light, the
diode generates voltage and can be used as an
energy source. This type of diode is used in the
production of solar power.

A K

Schematic Symbols for

Photodiodes

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