All Questions

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
326 votes
6 answers
416k views

Choosing power supply, how to get the voltage and current ratings?

Power supplies are available in a wide range of voltage and current ratings. If I have a device that has specific voltage and current ratings, how do those relate to the power ratings I need to ...
Olin Lathrop's user avatar
331 votes
8 answers
167k views

Rules and guidelines for drawing good schematics

There are a lot of poorly drawn schematics here. A few times people have actually asked for critiques of their schematics. This question is intended as a single repository on schematic drawing rules ...
75 votes
8 answers
25k views

Reasons not to use a 741 op-amp?

Simple enough question. Why not use a 741 op-amp in a target circuit or anyone's target circuit? What are the reasons not to use it? What might be the reasons to still choose this part?
Andy aka's user avatar
  • 443k
58 votes
6 answers
46k views

When would I use a voltage regulator vs a voltage divider?

When would you use a voltage regulator vs a resistor voltage divider? Are there any uses for which a resistor divider is particularly bad?
Pete's user avatar
  • 1,002
35 votes
2 answers
14k views

Problems with L293, L298 and SN754410 H-bridge drivers on a low voltage supply

This question is about the following three integrated H-bridge drivers: - L293 or L293D (D = protection diodes added) SN754410 (protection diodes included) L298 (no protection diodes) Time after ...
Andy aka's user avatar
  • 443k
249 votes
9 answers
92k views

Decoupling caps, PCB layout

I guess I've been somewhat ignorant when it comes to the finer details of pcb layout. Lately I've read a couple of books that try their best to lead me on the straight and narrow. Here is a couple of ...
morten's user avatar
  • 4,653
218 votes
17 answers
185k views

What is a decoupling capacitor and how do I know if I need one?

What is a decoupling capacitor (or smoothing capacitor as referred to in the link below)? How do I know if I need one and if so, what size and where it needs to go? This question mentions many ...
Redwood's user avatar
  • 4,345
64 votes
3 answers
153k views

How do I identify SMD components? (or how do I identify any component)

How do I identify the markings on an SMT component and match it up with a part number so I can be a good designer and actually look at a datasheet (and read the whole thing)? Or identify a part to ...
Voltage Spike's user avatar
  • 78k
157 votes
4 answers
77k views

How can I efficiently drive an LED?

I understand that I can not connect an LED directly to a battery because it will draw too much current. Thus, there must be something else in the circuit to limit the current. What options are there? ...
Phil Frost's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
1k views

What to check for when buying an electronic component or module

This has been raised as a canonical Q and A for future reference How can I acquire electronic parts/items/modules and ensure that there is minimal risk of them being unsuitable for my project or ...
Andy aka's user avatar
  • 443k
158 votes
6 answers
110k views

Why exactly can't a single resistor be used for many parallel LEDs?

Why can't you use a single resistor for a number of LEDs in parallel instead of one each?
Dataflashsabot's user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
8k views

Why is Vbc absent from bjt equations?

In BJT biasing the voltages Vbe and Vce are always present in calculations. Is the voltage Vbc absent from any equation because one of the collector, base and emitter is grounded or any other reason ...
arac's user avatar
  • 113
111 votes
6 answers
73k views

My linear voltage regulator is overheating very fast

I'm using a 5 V / 2 A voltage regulator (L78S05) without a heatsink. I'm testing the circuit with a microcontroller (PIC18FXXXX), a few LEDs and a 1 mA piezzo buzzer. The input voltage is aprox. 24 ...
m.Alin's user avatar
  • 10.7k
12 votes
2 answers
2k views

How to calculate the tolerance of this constant current circuit?

I am using the circuit below to provide constant current to th LEDs. I request your suggestion on how to calculate the tolerance of current (minimum and maximum variation of set current) due to ...
Sonder's user avatar
  • 353
293 votes
38 answers
120k views

Basic Electronics Book [closed]

I need basic electronics books (diodes,transistors,current.. etc) as I am just starting out with electronics and want to have something to read over the holiday. Any suggestions of good beginners' ...
37 votes
7 answers
10k views

How were schematics drawn before CAD?

I was looking at the schematic of an old HP power supply I bought. It can be found here, around page 60-61. This schematic was drawn long before CAD was a tool used by engineers. Things were still ...
Joren Vaes's user avatar
  • 12.4k
244 votes
37 answers
108k views

Good tools for drawing schematics

I was going to add a bit of information to my post on a previous day using schematics and some instructions. What programs are being employed for this purpose? I mostly want to see what others are ...
94 votes
10 answers
179k views

How to get more than 100mA from a USB port

I heard that the current limit for a USB port is 100mA. However, I also heard that some devices can get up to 1.8A from a port. How do you get past the 100mA limit?
200ok404notfound's user avatar
77 votes
10 answers
449k views

How much voltage/current is "dangerous"?

Related: Safe current/voltage limit for human contact? From what I've heard: 110 V (or 220 V; household voltage pretty much) is dangerous (i.e. can kill you) I think there's consensus on this, ...
user541686's user avatar
  • 1,164
28 votes
2 answers
31k views

Understanding an 'ideal' diode made from a p-channel MOSFET and PNP transistors

The Raspberry Pi B+ models have a protection circuit between the USB connector and the 5V net on the board. They recommend putting a similar protection circuity on a Pi HAT before 'backpowering' the ...
Mark Walker's user avatar
40 votes
6 answers
482k views

How to reduce DC voltage using resistors?

How would one go about using a 12 V DC power source to power something which needs 4.5 V DC using resistors? Is there a way to determine how much adding a resistor would drop the voltage?
John's user avatar
  • 547
30 votes
7 answers
6k views

Is the NE555 the IC I need, and if not, what do I replace it with?

I've noticed that whilst I have a well-known solution using an NE555, that IC doesn't fulfill my needs perfectly. Others have told me that the NE555 is very rarely an appropriate solution to one of ...
Marcus Müller's user avatar
42 votes
2 answers
22k views

Correct formula for LED current-limiting resistor?

I'm trying to work out what value resistor to use in a LED circuit. The equation I'd use to do this is: $$ R = \frac{V_{cc} - V_f}{I_f} $$ Seems logical, and makes complete sense. The answers to the ...
Jeremy Kerr's user avatar
  • 1,092
18 votes
1 answer
47k views

How to properly use a relay module with JD-VCC from Arduino/Raspberry?

[EDIT] A quick benefit of JD-VCC, is that allows you to control the relays that are 5V with 3.3V GPIOs. Check the full answer to understand why :) [Original question] I got two 4-relay-modules and I ...
Carlos Garcia's user avatar
77 votes
4 answers
96k views

What is ground and what does it do?

I'm a bit confused about the concept of ground, and perhaps voltage as well, particularly when trying to analyze a circuit. When I learned about Ohm's law in grade school, I learned how to apply the ...
hedgepig's user avatar
  • 1,350
348 votes
6 answers
88k views

Why is there so much fear surrounding LiPo batteries?

I've been trying to design a charging system for a small robot powered by a 2S 20C lithium polymer (LiPo) battery. Were I to trust everything I read online, I would believe that the LiPo will kill me ...
Cerin's user avatar
  • 4,469
175 votes
12 answers
18k views

How does the current know how much to flow, before having seen the resistor?

With the following circuits as examples : and How will the current I know how much to flow? Would any other wave travel first in the circuit and then come back ...
Prabhanjan Naib's user avatar
74 votes
3 answers
46k views

What does the Y capacitor in a SMPS do?

It seems that a well-designed SMPS has a capacitor connecting the ground planes of the primary and secondary sides of the transformer, such as the C13 capacitor here. What is the purpose of this ...
Dolda2000's user avatar
  • 915
5 votes
4 answers
3k views

How to chain transistor logic gates

I've been trying to build some circuits that use logic gates, without using pre-made chips. My main goal is to further my understanding of the subject, but it'd be nice to make something useful in the ...
Nathan's user avatar
  • 53
190 votes
11 answers
121k views

How much does it cost to have a custom ASIC made?

I have browsed several ASIC manufacturer's webs, but I haven't found an actual number. I assume there would be a fixed cost associated with creating masks and such and then there will be a cost per ...
avakar's user avatar
  • 3,044
14 votes
1 answer
8k views

Analog & Power Ground Planes Doubts

Working on a new board, I have to face some requirements to ensure the performance of the whole system once is manufactured. PCB is a 4-layer one, and it has both analog and digital components. But ...
Yolco's user avatar
  • 367
5 votes
3 answers
6k views

How to fix this LTspice error

Below is an H bridge inverter circuit model I came across in net: I'm getting Singular matrix Iteration error when I try to run this. If I delete the circuit on the right things work. Or if I ground ...
user16307's user avatar
  • 11.9k
372 votes
8 answers
376k views

What is the difference between \$V_{CC}\$, \$V_{DD}\$, \$V_{EE}\$, \$V_{SS}\$

I've seen lots of schematics use \$V_{CC}\$ and \$V_{DD}\$ interchangeably. I know \$V_{CC}\$ and \$V_{DD}\$ are for positive voltage, and \$V_{SS}\$ and \$V_{EE}\$ are for ground, but what is the ...
Shubham's user avatar
  • 6,084
100 votes
4 answers
79k views

What kind of components are black blobs on a PCB?

In low-cost mass-produced items I often run into black blobs of what looks like resin applied directly on top of something on the PCB. What are these things exactly? I suspect this is some kind of ...
drxzcl's user avatar
  • 3,765
91 votes
11 answers
75k views

Can you make a non-polar electrolytic capacitor out of two regular electrolytic capacitors?

There was some discussion on this question What are some reasons to connect capacitors in series? What are some reasons to connect capacitors in series? which I don't see as being conclusively ...
endolith's user avatar
  • 28.7k
46 votes
6 answers
190k views

Why is there a diode connected in parallel to a relay coil?

In most electrical circuits with a relay, a diode is connected in parallel to the coil of the relay. Why? Is it always a good practice?
Apostle's user avatar
  • 571
26 votes
2 answers
77k views

Level shifting a +/- 2.5V signal to 0 - 5V

I have a front end module that generates an (ECG) signal that varies from +/-2.5 V. I want to shift this signal to 0 - 5V. What is the best way to do this? Would a summing amplifier like the below ...
govind m's user avatar
  • 403
5 votes
2 answers
3k views

How to use motor drivers with H-bridge and PWM input, to control direction and speed of DC motors?

I'm running series of experiments using a 6V DC motor. I'm using desktop DC power supply to power the motor and regulate its speed and everything works just fine, the setup has been running for months....
mk1138's user avatar
  • 53
38 votes
2 answers
27k views

BJT in Reverse Active Mode of Operation

What will happen if for a BJT transistor, it's emitter terminal is treated as collector and collector as emitter in a common emitter amplifier circuit?
Ravi Upadhyay's user avatar
206 votes
13 answers
255k views

What's the difference between a microcontroller and a microprocessor?

What's the difference between a microcontroller and a microprocessor?
endolith's user avatar
  • 28.7k
67 votes
8 answers
43k views

Why do we need an isolation transformer to connect an oscilloscope?

My professor always insists that I provide power to an oscilloscope thorough an isolation transformer. What is the necessity of this? What is the risk if I don't connect it?
noufal's user avatar
  • 1,585
22 votes
4 answers
50k views

What does a resistor do?

OK, very basic question here. I read lots of books, searched quite a bit, and every description I read seemed to talk about the flow of electrons and right away go too deep in theory for me to grasp ...
FMaz008's user avatar
  • 553
0 votes
3 answers
2k views

Op-amp: Virtual ground principle and other doubts [closed]

I can't understand some stuff about op-amps. Here is my list of doubts: If an op-amp amplify the difference between the V+ and the V-, how can it work if for the principle of virtual ground V+ = V-, ...
user11579389's user avatar
111 votes
9 answers
116k views

Why does a resistor need to be on the anode of an LED?

Please be kind, I am an electronics nub. This is in reference to getting an LED to emit photons. From what I read (Getting Started in Electronics - Forrest Mims III and Make: Electronics) electrons ...
Spechal's user avatar
  • 1,213
109 votes
4 answers
105k views

How do I calculate the required value for a pull-up resistor?

There are many tutorials that use a pull-up or pull-down resistor in conjunction with a switch to avoid a floating ground, e.g. http://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/button Many of these projects use ...
Mark Harrison's user avatar
83 votes
9 answers
277k views

How does a capacitor block DC?

I am confused with this! How does a capacitor block DC? I have seen many circuits using capacitors powered by a DC supply. So, if capacitor blocks DC, why should it be used in such circuits? Also, ...
Arun M's user avatar
  • 1,235
81 votes
9 answers
16k views

What exactly is voltage?

Bit of a strange question, but what is it? My physics teacher said it was kind of like a "push" that pushes electrons around the circuit. Can I have a more complex explanation? Any help is much ...
imulsion's user avatar
  • 1,099
65 votes
5 answers
13k views

What's the use of a decoupling capacitor near a reservoir capacitor?

I've seen some circuits where a decoupling capacitor is used as well as a reservoir capacitor, like this (C4 and C5): I've read about decoupling capacitors and for me it looks as if they are meant to ...
user avatar
23 votes
5 answers
27k views

OR-ing power supplies (diode or mosfet)

I have got two power supply options on my board: USB 5.0V DC Power Jack of 5.0V My intention is to design a or-ing power supply option, as either of them will be used at a time. Possible solutions ...
AKR's user avatar
  • 2,293
134 votes
6 answers
63k views

Should chassis ground be attached to digital ground?

I'm working on a PCB that has shielded RJ45 (ethernet), RS232, and USB connectors, and is powered by a 12V AC/DC brick power adapter (I do the 5V and 3.3V step down on board). The entire design is ...
cdwilson's user avatar
  • 1,703

15 30 50 per page
1
2 3 4 5
340