EECS 140
Lab #1
Electrical terminology and components
Soldering video
Current
Rate of flow of electric charge (Q)
Represented by letter i and measured in amperes (amps)
1 A = 1 coulomb/second
dQ
I=
dt
Amount of water flowing through a hose in certain time
EECS 140 Lab 1
© Mahmood A. Hameed
Voltage or
Potential difference
Work done by unit charge to move between two points
Units are volts (V) or joules per coulomb (J/C)
Measured using Voltmeter or Multimeter
Water needs pressure to force it through a hose
EECS 140 Lab 1
© Mahmood A. Hameed
Resistor
Two terminal electronic component
Restricts the passage of current
Unit of resistance (R) is ohm ( Ω )
Constriction in a water pipe
EECS 140 Lab 1
© Mahmood A. Hameed
Capacitor
Stores electric charge
Two metal plates separated by dielectric
εA
capacitance C =
d
Unit of capacitance is Farad (F)
EECS 140 Lab 1
© Mahmood A. Hameed
Diode
Allows current to flow in only one direction
Biasing a diode
forward
reverse
LED’s, Zener, etc.
EECS 140 Lab 1
© Mahmood A. Hameed
Potentiometer
Three terminal resistor
Knob used to adjust resistance
Used in light dimmers
EECS 140 Lab 1
© Mahmood A. Hameed
Transistor
Three terminal device
Functions as amplifier or switch
increases voltage or current
Essentially two diodes
EECS 140 Lab 1
© Mahmood A. Hameed
Printed Circuit Board
PCB
Interconnects components
without discrete wires
Simplest PCB can be made by
glue a layer of copper on plastic
remove excess foil by etching
solder components
EECS 140 Lab 1
© Mahmood A. Hameed