PW5 Electronics

Electronics
PW 5 Design and build simple electronic circuits

Learning Intentions
Basic circuit,switches and lamps.

Current flow,
Voltage, Current and Resistance
Meters
Power supplies, switches and lamps
Fixed and variable resistors
LDRs and Thermistors
Diodes, Fuses and LED’s
Buzzers and Motors
Drawing circuits
Series and parallel circuits
Electronic Systems
Simple sensor circuits
Voltage dividers sensor circuits.
The design process
Exam style questions
Circuit design challenges
Solutions to design challenges
Basic circuit,switches and lamps.
A torch is a basic electronic device with 3

components.
The battery provides the power to push

electric charge through a bulb.
As charge flows through the bulb the

filament heats up and light is produced.
The switch can break the circuit and stop

the flow of charge through the bulb.
Copper wire acts as a conductor to allow

charge to flow from the battery to the bulb.
The plastic case acts as an insulator
preventing charge flowing through the
person's hand.
Current flow
Chemical reactions inside the battery produce electrons

at the negative terminal. When connected by an insulator
these electrons flow to the positive terminal of the battery.
Conventional Current states that current flows out of the

positive terminal, through the circuit and into the negative
terminal of the battery
At Junior Cycle it is only necessary to learn conventional

current flow.
“Current flows from positive to negative”
Lab Screen, Circuit Construction Kit: DC

Voltage, Current and Resistance
The potential difference (or voltage) of a supply is a measure of the energy given to the
moving charge in a circuit. It is the pushing power of a battery. Potential difference is measured
in Volts.
Current is speed of flow of charge through a circuit. Current is measured in Amps (A)
Resistance will reduce current in a circuit. Resistance is measured in ohms (symbol Ω)
Resistance is calculated by using ohm's law. Voltage = Current X Resistance

Example:Calculate the resistance of a bulb that has a current of 2 amps when connected to a 6
volt battery.
Current = voltage / resistance

= 6/2 = 3 Amps
Meters
Potential difference is measured

with a voltmeter connected in
parallel to components in a
circuit.
Current is measured with an

ammeter connected in series in
a circuit.
Resistance is measured with an

ohmmeter connected directly to
a component. Multimeters can
act as voltmeters, ammeters or
ohmmeters
Power supplies, switches and lamps
Power supplies include 1.5 V

single cells, Batteries and mains
powered power supply units
with built in transformers.
Switches can break or complete

circuits. Common switches are
push switches or toggle
switches.
Lamps convert electrical energy

to light.
Fixed and variable resistors
Fixed resistors can vary in

value from 1Ω to many
thousands of ohms.
1 kΩ = 1000Ω
Variable resistors are used in

circuits to control the current.
They can be found in dimmer
switches for lights and in
volume controls for radios
LDR’s and Thermistors
Light dependent resistors have

a large resistance in darkness
and a low resistance in bright
light. Used in light sensing
circuits.
Thermistors are resistors have

a large resistance when colds
and a low resistance when hot.
Used in temperature sensing
circuits.
Diodes, Fuses and LED’s
Diodes control the direction of

current, they only allow current to flow
in one direction from anode to
cathode when connected in forward
bias. Can convert alternating current
to direct current.
Fuses are designed to break a

circuit when the current is too
high. Fuses protect components
from overheating.
Light Emitting Diodes produce

light when connected in forward
bias. LED’s are very energy
efficient as they use very little
power.
Buzzers and Motors
Buzzers produce sound when

an current flows through them.
Use as an audible warning or
alarm.
Motors produce rotational

kinetic energy when a current
flows through them.
Investigating LDR action
An LDR- Light Dependent Resistor - is a resistor that

has a resistance value that changes according to the
amount of light energy that falls on it.
It has a high resistance in the dark so that very little
current will flow through it.
In bright light the LDR has a low resistance and
electrons inside are free to move and carry current.
You can use a torch and a multimeter to study how the

resistance of a LDR varies with light intensity.
Investigating Thermistor action
A thermistor is a resistor that has a resistance value

that changes according to the temperature.
It has a high resistance at low temperatures and very
little current will flow through it.
At high temperatures thermistors have a low
resistance and electrons inside are free to move and
carry current.
You can use an ohmmeter and thermometer to investigate

how the resistance of a thermistor varies with temperature
Drawing circuits
Circuit diagrams make it easier to understand

electric circuits.
A circuit diagram is a graphical representation of

a circuit.
Power supply units or batteries are often drawn

on the top of the diagram.
Conducting wires are drawn as straight

horizontal or vertical lines.
Internationally recognised symbols for

components are used.
Draw a circuit diagram for the following circuits for practice.
Series and parallel circuits
In a series circuit, all components are connected

end-to-end, forming a single path for current flow.
In a series circuit, the sum of the voltages across each
bulb is equal to the total voltage of the battery. In
series circuits, both bulbs have the same current
flowing through them and have less current than if they
were connected in parallel. If a bulb fails in a series
circuit the circuit is broken and the other bulb doesn't
light.
In a parallel circuit each bulb is wired to the battery in

a separate loop and will have the full voltage of the
battery across each bulb. More current will flow
through each bulb than if they were connected in
series. If a bulb fails in a parallel circuit the other bulb
continues to light.
Electronic Systems
Electronic systems block diagram shows the Input,

Process and Outputs of a system and help circuit Circuit that produces a dim light when a
designers to select the correct components. button is pressed.
The input is the trigger, usually a switch or sensor that

makes the circuit do something.
The process components take the input signal and direct

it towards an output component.
Process components can be resistors, transistors,
integrated circuits or microprocessors.
The output is the part of the circuit that does the work
such as a lamp lighting.
Electronic Systems
Input Process Output
Many input
devices such
as variable
resistors also
act as process
devices
The design process
The design process is a series of steps that

engineers follow to come up with a solution to
a problem.
Many times the solution involves designing a

product like a machine or electronic circuit
that carries out a certain task.
It is common to design something, test it, find

a problem, and then go back to make a
modification or change to the design and test
again.
Simple sensor circuits
Many applications of LDRs and Design a circuit to activate a cooling fan when the
thermistors involve a sensor temperature rises.
circuit to detect changes in light
intensity or temperature.
In this example as the

temperature of the thermistor is
increased its resistance falls and
more current flows in the circuit.
The increased current allows the

motor connected in series to start
moving.
Extension Activity: Voltage dividers sensor circuits.
Temperature Sensor
Design a circuit to activate motor to close or
open a blind when it is bright.
Two resistors in series form a voltage divider. The
voltage across each resistor is proportional to the
resistance of each resistor.
As the light intensity on the LDR increases its

resistance decreases. This means it will take a
smaller share of the potential difference and the
fixed resistor will gain a larger share.
As the motor is in parallel with the fixed resistor the

potential difference across it will also increase,
making the motor turn faster.
.
Extension Activity: Voltage dividers sensor circuits.
Light Sensor
In this example as the light on the LDR is increased its

resistance falls and the potential difference across it
would also fall. This would cause the bulb to dim.
If the LDR was completely covered, its resistance

would be at its maximum value, the potential
difference would also be at the maximum value and
the bulb would shine brightly.
This could be used as a simple light operated circuit

for the bulb.
Solutions to circuit design challenges
Link
Solutions to Electronic
Design Challenges

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Electronics

PW 5 Design and build simple electronic circuits

Basic circuit,switches and lamps.

A torch is a basic electronic device with 3

The battery provides the power to push

As charge flows through the bulb the

The switch can break the circuit and stop

Copper wire acts as a conductor to allow

Chemical reactions inside the battery produce electrons

Conventional Current states that current flows out of the

At Junior Cycle it is only necessary to learn conventional

“Current flows from positive to negative”

Lab Screen, Circuit Construction Kit: DC

Resistance will reduce current in a circuit. Resistance is measured in ohms (symbol Ω)

Resistance is calculated by using ohm's law. Voltage = Current X Resistance

Current = voltage / resistance

Potential difference is measured

Current is measured with an

Resistance is measured with an

Power supplies include 1.5 V

Switches can break or complete

Lamps convert electrical energy

Fixed resistors can vary in

Variable resistors are used in

Light dependent resistors have

Thermistors are resistors have

Diodes control the direction of

Fuses are designed to break a

Light Emitting Diodes produce

Buzzers produce sound when

Motors produce rotational

An LDR- Light Dependent Resistor - is a resistor that

You can use a torch and a multimeter to study how the

A thermistor is a resistor that has a resistance value

You can use an ohmmeter and thermometer to investigate

Circuit diagrams make it easier to understand

A circuit diagram is a graphical representation of

Power supply units or batteries are often drawn

Conducting wires are drawn as straight

Internationally recognised symbols for

In a series circuit, all components are connected

In a parallel circuit each bulb is wired to the battery in

Electronic systems block diagram shows the Input,

The input is the trigger, usually a switch or sensor that

The process components take the input signal and direct

Input Process Output

The design process is a series of steps that

Many times the solution involves designing a

It is common to design something, test it, find

In this example as the

The increased current allows the

As the light intensity on the LDR increases its

As the motor is in parallel with the fixed resistor the

In this example as the light on the LDR is increased its

If the LDR was completely covered, its resistance

This could be used as a simple light operated circuit

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