The Complete Basic Electronics

Learn how Electricity, Electronic Components and Circuits work. Join over 5,000 happy students!

Last updated 2022-01-10 | 4.3

- Understand the concept of electric Voltage and Current
- Understand how the most important electronic components work
- Analyze and design basic electronic circuit

What you'll learn

Understand the concept of electric Voltage and Current

Understand how the most important electronic components work

Analyze and design basic electronic circuit

* Requirements

* Desire to learn how electronic components and circuits really work
* No hardware
* software or components are required
* Basic arithmetic and physics

Description

WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU?

Knowledge of Electricity and Electronics is extremely valuable nowadays!

Electronic circuits are everywhere, from computers and smartphones, to home appliances and cars. Think of all the everyday objects that are becoming “smart”... in the future, most of the things that we own will contain some electronics. Jobs in electronics are in high demand and well paid in almost every country!

Building electronic products is incredibly rewarding, whether you do it professionally or just as a hobby. There is just something different and exciting about designing something physical that can be hold in one’s hand and that interacts with the outside world, and today it has become incredibly easy to get started thanks to cheap development boards such as the Arduino and Raspberry Pi, combined with the right knowledge.

Differently than what happens in other disciplines, knowledge of Electronics does not become obsolete, but it is always current as it is intimately connected to physics and to the fundamental laws of nature. Hence, while new components and chips might come along every year, the fundamental principles of Electronics always stay the same.

WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS COURSE?

While most of the material and courses available online tend to be high-level and focused on applications (for instance, it shows students how to connect components on a breadboard to create a circuit), the goal of this course is to explain the fundamental concepts of Electricity and Electronics, to allow you to fully understand how circuits work. Every topic is addressed starting from the first principles of the underlying physics and fundamental laws, and only later the acquired knowledge is used to explain how to design more complex circuits for different applications.

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?

Fundamental concepts of Electricity (Current, Energy, Voltage, Power)
Most important electronic components (Resistor, Capacitors, Diodes, etc)
The main laws governing currents and voltages in circuits (Ohm’s law, Kirchhoff’s laws, etc)
Interface with Microcontrollers (coming soon)

ANY PREREQUISITE?

This is an introductory course about the theory of Electricity and Electronics, so no previous knowledge is required. To get the best out of the lessons, students should be comfortable with some basic arithmetic as I will often write and solve equations, in particular when analyzing simple circuits. Understanding a bit of physics can help too, but it is not required. Most importantly, no special hardware or software is required.

Who this course is for:

Makers who want to understand how electronic components really works
College students who want to refresh basic topics of electronics
Electrical Engineers who have forgotten the basics

Course content

9 sections • 121 lectures

Introduction 2 lectures

Course Introduction Preview 01:19

Who is the instructor? Is this course right for me? What will I learn? All of this will be answered in this lesson.

Pre-Requisites and Teaching Style Preview 01:14

This lesson will discuss the course recommended pre-requisites and it will provide an overview of the teaching style used in the course

Electric Current 7 lectures

Introduction Preview 00:19

Atoms and Electrons Preview 01:01

In this lesson you will learn what are the main components of an atom: the proton, the neutron and the electron. You will discover that proton and electron have the same charge but with a different sign.

Electric Current Preview 02:23

You will discover how the electric current is calculated from a flux of electrons into a metallic wire. You will learn the proper unit of measurement of the current and how to assign the direction of the current accordingly to the convention used in physics and industry.

Calculate the Current - Quiz

Calculate the Current - Solution to Question 1 Preview 02:42

Calculate the Current - Solution to Question 2 Preview 00:58

Calculate the Current - Solution to Question 3 Preview 01:05

Voltage 10 lectures

Introduction Preview 00:17

Definition of Work accordingly to Physics Preview 01:17

With the help of a simple example you will learn how "Work" is defined in Physics

Potential Energy Preview 03:20

In this lesson you will learn that Energy is defined as the capability of a force to do Work. You will also discover how only the difference in potential energy really matters.

Coulomb force between Charges and Electric Field Preview 02:02

In this lesson you will learn about the Coulomb force responsible for the attraction or repulsion between charges and we will introduce the Electric Field to explain how charges can "see" each other

Electric Potential Energy Preview 02:24

In this lesson you will discover the relationship between Coulomb force, Electric Field and Electric Potential Energy

Voltage Preview 00:40

In this lesson you will finally learn what is Voltage and how it is related to the Electric Potential Energy

Key Takeaways Preview 04:08

This lesson is a quick recap of all the things you have learnt so far

Signals and Noise Preview 03:25

In this lesson you will learn what is the different between an electrical signal and electrical noise and you will familiarize with some notable signals.

Periodic Signals Preview 03:41

In this lesson we will discuss periodic signals and you will learn to recognize widely used waveforms such as sinusoidal signals and square-waves

Analog and Digital signals Preview 04:30

In this lesson you will learn what is the difference between analog and digital signals

Batteries 7 lectures

Introduction Preview 00:13

How do Batteries work? Preview 01:55

This lesson talks about the main components of a battery, the chemical reaction happening between them and the charge imbalance that results from it

Closing the circuit Preview 01:02

In this lesson you will see what happens when a battery is connected to a circuit

Electrons moved by AA batteries Preview 01:29

In this lesson you will calculate the number of electrons that a common AA battery is able to move with one charge

Voltage is a differential quantity Preview 00:51

In this lesson you will learn that Voltage is a differential quantity

Ground Voltage Preview 00:50

In this lesson you will learn the concept of "electrical ground voltage" and how it is represented in circuits

Energy in a Battery Preview 01:27

In this lesson you will calculate the energy of a typical AA battery in Joules

Resistors 43 lectures

Introduction Preview 00:22

Resistance and Ohm's Law Preview 00:43

In this lesson you will learn what is resistance and how it is related to voltage and current

Meaning of Resistance Preview 01:45

In this lesson we will understand what is the physical meaning of Resistance

Resistance of a piece of material Preview 02:43

In this lesson you will discover the equation used to calculate the resistance of a piece of material

Resistors Preview 01:01

In this lesson you will be introduce to one of the most important component in electronics: the Resistor

Joule heating of resistors Preview 00:54

In this lesson you will discover how the potential energy of electrons is converted into thermal energy and dissipated by the resistor

Water analogy of electric circuits Preview 02:52

In this lesson you will compare a simple electric circuit with an "equivalent" hydraulic circuit

Ohm's Law - Quiz

Kirchhoff Voltage Law (KVL) Preview 03:09

In this lesson you will learn the Kirchhoff Voltage Law and how to use it to calculate voltages in circuits

KVL on complex circuits Preview 00:52

In this lesson you will see how easy it is to apply KVL to more complicated circuits

KVL - Quiz

Kirchhoff Current Law (KCL) Preview 02:37

In this lesson you will learn the Kirchhoff Current Law and how to use it to calculate currents in circuits

KCL: different node, same result Preview 00:47

In this lesson you will learn that applying KCL to different nodes always leads to the same result

KCL - Quiz

Resistors in Series Preview 01:19

In this lesson you will learn what is the equivalent series resistance of a series of resistors

Example: Calculation of Equivalent Series Resistance Preview 03:15

In this lesson you will use Ohm's law and KVL to derive the equivalent series resistance of a circuit

Series Resistance Formula Preview 00:48

This lesson will equip you with a generic formula that you can use to calculate the equivalent series resistance of an arbitrary number of resistors in series

Resistors in Parallel Preview 02:57

In this lesson you will learn what is the equivalent resistance of resistors in parallel

Example: Calculation of Equivalment Parallel Resistance Preview 03:29

In this lesson you will use Ohm's law and KIL to derive the equivalent parallel resistance of a circuit

Parallel Resistance Formula Preview 01:25

This lesson will equip you with a generic formula that you can use to calculate the equivalent parallel resistance of an arbitrary number of resistors in parallel

Meaning of "Equivalent" Resistance Preview 02:43

In this lesson we will clarify what is the meaning of the "equivalent resistance" of a network of resistors

Voltage Divider Preview 01:59

In this lesson you will be introduced to the voltage divider and you will calculate its current and output voltages

Voltage Divider with more than 2 Resistors Preview 02:57

In this lesson you will learn the generic equation that you can use to calculate the output voltages of a divider made of an arbitrary number of resistors

Voltage Divider with Current Drawn Preview 06:39

In this lesson you will analyze the voltage divider with a little more detail and you will understand what happens when some current is "stolen" from the voltage divider central tap

How to choose the Resistors for a Voltage Divider Preview 03:14

In this lesson you will learn a simple "rule of the thumb" that is used to pick the resistors of a voltage divider

Why Voltage Dividers don't make good Absolute Reference Voltages Preview 02:11

In this lesson we will summarize some of the limitations of Voltage Dividers and you will learn why they are not the ideal solution to generate accurate and stable absolute reference voltages

Voltage Divider - Quiz

Current Divider Preview 05:55

In this lesson you will derive the equation for a simple current divider

Currents and the "path of least resistance" Preview 04:16

In this lesson we will use an hydraulic example to explain why currents prefer to flow where the resistance is the least, and we will also discuss the dangers of short circuits

Current Divider - Quiz

Superposition Principle Preview 07:03

In this lesson you will learn an important principle that will be extremely helpful to solve complex circuits

Ports and Blocks Preview 04:36

In this lesson you will learn how to define ports and how to split your circuits in different blocks

Thevenin Equivalent Circuit Preview 07:54

In this lesson you will learn how to determine the Thevenin equivalent circuit for a circuit composed of resistors and voltage or current sources

Thevenin Equivalent Circuit - Quiz

Solution to Question 4 - Quiz Preview 22:04

Type of Resistors: Through-Hole Resistors Preview 02:32

In this lesson you will learn how to recognize Through-Hole (TH) Resistors and how they are installed on electronic boards

Resistors Color Code Preview 02:49

In this lesson you will learn how to read the value of the resistance of a through-hole resistor using the color code

Type of Resistors: Surface Mount (SMD) Resistors Preview 02:49

In this lesson you will learn how to recognize Surface-Mount (SMD) Resistors and how to read their value

Resistors' color code - Quiz

Meet the Potentiometer, a variable resistor Preview 01:22

This lesson is an introduction to Potentiometers, which are components with variable resistance

How do Potentiometers work? Preview 02:39

In this lesson you will be guided through an example to understand the operating principle of Potentiometers

Potentiometers used as variable Voltage Divider Preview 00:50

In this lesson you will see how potentiometers can be used as variable voltage dividers

Schematic symbol of Potentiometers Preview 00:44

In this lesson you will learn what is the symbol used to represent Potentiometers in electrical circuits

Electric Power 5 lectures

Electric Power Preview 00:48

In this lesson you will learn the definition of Electric Power and its relationship with Energy

P = V*I Preview 02:04

In this lesson you will derive the relationship between the Electrical Power, the Voltage and the Current

Power dissipated in a Resistor Preview 02:46

In this lesson you will derive the equation for the power dissipated in a resistor

Power vs Energy: Hydraulic Example - Part 1 Preview 03:16

In this lesson you will learn the difference between Power and Energy via an Hydraulic example

Power vs Energy: Hydraulic Example - Part 2 Preview 04:04

Second part of the Hydraulic example introduced in the previous lesson

Capacitors 31 lectures

Introduction Preview 00:26

What is a Capacitor? Preview 00:35

In this lesson you will meet the capacitor for the first time and understand what are its basic applications

Parallel-Plates Capacitor Preview 06:18

In this lesson you will study the structure of a basic parallel plates capacitor, learn what happens when a constant voltage is applied and discover two fundamental equations describing capacitors

Caps geometry vs stored charge Preview 05:42

In this lesson you will discover what is the relationship between the amount of charge stored in a capacitor and the structure (distance of the plates, area of the plates and materials) of the device

Quick Recap Preview 01:42

In this lesson we will summarize what you have learnt so far about the capacitor

Capacitors as Energy storage devices Preview 07:20

In this less you will learn how capacitors can store electrical energy and how they NOT store charge

Capacitor Symbols Preview 02:08

In this lesson you will discover all the symbols that can be used to represent capacitors in schematics

Water Analogy for Capacitors Preview 09:36

In this lesson you will get a better intuitive understand of how capacitors work by studying an hydraulic equivalent circuit

Capacitors as Energy storage devices (with water analogy) Preview 04:21

In this lesson we will review how capacitors store energy by using the water analogy introduced in the previous lesson

Capacitors and Alternating Current Preview 05:18

In this lesson you will get introduced to alternating current and you will see how it interacts with capacitors

Current in Capacitors 1/5: I-V Curve for a Resistor Preview 03:29

In this lesson you will learn what is an I-V curve and you will study the I-V curve for a resistor

Current in Capacitors 2/5: from Current to Charge Preview 11:31

In this lesson you will calculate how capacitors' charge evolves as a result of an electric current

Current in Capacitors 3/5: from Charge to Voltage Preview 01:38

In this lesson you will derive the capacitor's voltage from the waveform of the charge

Current in Capacitors 4/5: Final Equation Preview 07:39

In this lesson you will combine all the intuitive learnings from the previous lessons and obtain the final equation linking the current in a capacitor to its voltage

Current in Capacitors 5/5: from Voltage to Current Preview 06:46

In this lesson you will use the equation found in the previous lesson to derive the current over time in a capacitor from its voltage. You will also discover why it is not possible to change the voltage on a capacitor instantaneously

Current in Capacitors - Quiz

RC Circuits 1/6: First Look Preview 12:22

In this lesson you will derive "by hand" the waveforms of the voltage and the current in a Resistor-Capacitor (RC) circuit

RC Circuits 2/6: Exponential Function Preview 02:36

This lesson is a quick intro to the exponential function. Exponentials are important in electronics because, among other things, they describe the behavior of voltage and current over time in RC circuits

RC Circuits 3/6: Current waveform Preview 08:45

In this lesson you will learn what is the time constant of a RC circuit and how to correctly represent the exponential waveform of the current in the capacitor

RC Circuits 4/6: Voltage waveform Preview 05:01

In this lesson you will use what learnt in the previous lessons and you will draw the waveform of the voltage on the capacitors in the RC circuit

RC Circuits 5/6: Time Constant Preview 07:34

In this lesson you will study with more details the effect of the time constant on the current and voltage in RC circuits

RC Circuits 6/6: Discharge Preview 03:01

In this lesson you will find the voltage and the current waveforms for a capacitor discharged via a resistor

RC Circuits - Quiz

Capacitors in Series Preview 04:37

In this lesson you will learn what happens when capacitors are connected in series

Capacitors in Parallel Preview 02:14

In this lesson you will see that connecting capacitors in parallel increases the total capacitance

Capacitors in Series and Parallel - Quiz

Type of Capacitors Preview 06:44

In this lesson you will discover that capacitors come in different types and shapes. You will also learn what are the advantages and disadvantages of each of them

Applications: Bypass Capacitors 1/3 Preview 08:38

In this lesson a simple circuit composed of a battery, an electronic chip and a capacitor is introduced. You will also learn why the typical current required by an electronic chip is not constant and smooth, but rather always changing and bursty

Applications: Bypass Capacitors 2/3 Preview 07:29

In this lesson you will see how an hydraulic equivalent of the circuit shown in the previous lesson can be used to describe the role of bypass capacitors

Applications: Bypass Capacitors 3/3 Preview 03:16

In this lesson you will conclude the study of bypass capacitors and their effect on the supply voltage of integrated circuits (chips)

Applications: Low-Pass Filter Preview 04:46

In this lesson you will see how a RC circuit can be used to smooth a signal and remove all of its fast moving components

Diodes 14 lectures

Introduction Preview 00:23

What is a Diode? Preview 03:19

In this lesson you will learn what is a diode, its schematic symbol and the names of its two terminals

How do Diodes work? Preview 09:28

In this lesson you will study the I-V curve of a diode and you will learn how diodes behave in their three fundamental regions of operation (forward, reverse and breakdown)

Simplified I-V curve Preview 02:57

In this lesson you will see how the real I-V curve of a diode can be simplied to make it easier to study circuits with diodes

Diode's Equivalent Circuits Preview 04:42

In this lesson you will learn the equivalent circuits for a diode in its three regions of operation (ON, OFF and breakdown)

Water Analogy Preview 03:30

In this lesson you will analyze the hydraulic equivalent of a diode. This example will help you understand even better how diodes work

Circuits with Diodes 1/3 Preview 07:55

In this lesson you will study a seemingly simple circuit composed by a voltage source and a diode and you will learn why diodes are almost never connected in parallel to voltage sources

Circuits with Diodes 2/3 Preview 06:59

In this lesson you will study a circuit with a current source and a diode and you will see how easier it is to control diodes using current rather than voltage

Circuits with Diodes 3/3 Preview 07:30

In this lesson you will learn the 4-steps procedure required to solve more complicated circuits with diodes and you will apply this technique to a circuit composed by a diode, a resistor and a voltage source

Circuits with Diodes - Quiz

Light-Emitting Diode (LED) Preview 07:38

In this lesson you will learn how LEDs work and how they produce light from electric current

Zener Diode Preview 06:28

In this lesson you will discover another very useful type of diode: the Zener Diode. You will also see how a Zener Diode can be used to generate a relatively constant voltage source