Electronic components are irreducible parts or aggregation of parts that makes up various electronic systems. There are many electronic components, including interconnecting electronic components such as printed circuit boards, electronic connectors, plugs and sockets etc; passive components such as fuses, capacitors, inductors, piezoelectric devices, resistors, varistors, and transformers; active components such as light-emitting diodes, photodiodes, laser diodes, Zener diodes, Schottky diodes, transient voltage suppression diodes, variable capacitance diodes, field effect transistors, bipolar transistors, IGBT transistors, static induction transistors/thyristors, darlington transistors, compound transistors, photo transistors, digital and analogue integrated circuit, thermionic valve, cathode ray tube, klystron, and magnetron, etc; photoelectric devices such as photomultiplier tubes, light-dependent resistors, photodiodes, photovoltaic cells (solar cells); as well as antennas, thermoelectric devices, display devices, electromechanical sensors and actuators.
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Thursday, 01 February 2007 |
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Digital delay generators, or programmable timing units, are electronic circuits used where it is desired to produce a number of signals at precise time intervals. A typical semiconductor device operates by being responsive to a plurality of digital control signals applied to its control signal input terminals. A digital delay generator receives as input samples of an input signal and provides the samples as an output after their respective delays. Digital delay generators are useful in a variety of electronic circuits, such as pulse generators, timing circuits, multiple-phase clock generators, high-speed logic testers and waveform generators. A typical automated test application involves the introduction of a variable delay to a timing edge which is then supplied to a circuit under test. |
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Sunday, 21 January 2007 |
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A resistor is a common circuit element that provides a specified electrical resistance under specified conditions. Precision resistors are often used in integrated circuit applications that require high stability and accuracy. Reducing the variation of the resistance values of precision resistors over the operational temperature range is critical to maintaining the stability of an analog or mixed signal circuit. Thin film resistors are very attractive components for high precision analog and mixed signal applications because their low thermal coefficient of resistance, low voltage coefficient of resistance, good resistor matching and good stability under thermal stress. Thin film resistors are generally considered to be more precise than resistors made by diffusion or by deposited polysilicon. |
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Monday, 15 January 2007 |
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During normal operation, electronic equipment generates undesirable electromagnetic energy that can interfere with the operation of proximately located electronic equipment due to EMI transmission by radiation and conduction. Computers, portable electronic devices, particularly portable handheld communication devices such as cellular phones require electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding to prevent any electromagnetic signals generated during operation of the device from escaping and interfering with other electronic devices. Electromagnetic shielding enclosures are typically fabricated from material which either predominantly reflects or absorbs incident RF radiation. EMI shielding gaskets help ensure high EMI attenuation since they fill any gaps or surface irregularities. |
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Monday, 08 January 2007 |
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Capacitors are circuit elements that store electrical energy by keeping electric charge in an electric field. A variable capacitor is utilized as a microfabricated mechanical switch using a variable capacitance structure. Variable capacitors offer flexibility that their capacitance can be tuned by changing a bias voltage across the capacitor. A varactor is a nonlinear device that provides a capacitance that varies responsive to an applied control voltage. The variable capacitance capacitors are widely utilized in filtering circuits and power supplying devices. Variable capacitors or varactors are commonly employed in radio frequency (RF) tuning applications because the capacitance variations of the varactor caused by an applied voltage has corresponding effects on frequency tuning. |
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Tuesday, 02 January 2007 |
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Schottky diodes are semiconductor devices having a metal-semiconductor transition as their basic structure and whose basic electronic properties are defined by this transition. A Schottky diode comprises a semiconductor substrate and a metal contact layer deposited on the substrate to form a Schottky barrier at the metal-semiconductor interface. Schottky diodes are widely used in integrated circuits in applications such as radiation detectors, imaging devices, and wired and wireless communications products. A Schottky diode is used in microwave circuits as a mixer where a local oscillator waveform is combined with an incoming signal to produce a difference frequency (intermediate frequency). Most Schottky diodes are silicon-based, vertical conduction devices. |
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Tuesday, 12 December 2006 |
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An electronic apparatus generally has a RTC (real time clock) installed in the circuit board thereof for recording system time. Many data processing circuits utilize real-time clocks to provide a real-time clock value indicating the current day, date and time. The real time clock provides a precise representation of time which can be compared to stored values in registers to provide automated functions. Clock circuits are an essential component of modern computer systems. Computer systems commonly have a real time clock coupled to a CPU of the system via a peripheral bus. The RTC is used to update the current time and date within the computer system without any intervention from the system processor. The real time clock typically includes a battery backup source of electrical power. |
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Saturday, 09 December 2006 |
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A voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) is a circuit that generates an oscillating signal at a frequency proportional to an externally applied control voltage. The primary function of a VCO is to provide a frequency response output as a function of voltage input signal amplitude. A VCO receives an input voltage as the control signal for modulating the frequency of its oscillating output signal. Voltage controlled oscillators are used in high-frequency communication or sensor systems, such as an oscillator for a frequency modulator within a wireless communication equipment. The voltage controlled oscillator is an important building block in phase locked loops (PLL), clock recovery circuits, and frequency synthesizers. A VCO generates clock signals for use in data processors and radio transceivers. |
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Sunday, 03 December 2006 |
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Pulse generators are used in a number of semiconductor integrated circuit devices to control time delays between operations or to control the length of an operation. A control pulse is frequently required to trigger an event in some high performance circuits. Semiconductor memory devices are rapidly-accessible memory devices. A pulse generator is used in a synchronous memory device operating in synchronization with an external clock. A pulse signal generated by capturing an address change is employed as a trigger to generate a timing signal of a constant pulse width and controls the operation of each circuit in a memory. Pulse generators are used in remote controls for television and other consumer electronics. Unique pulse signals are electrically generated within a handheld remote control. |
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Friday, 17 November 2006 |
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A potentiometer is an electronic device that provides variable resistance. Analog potentiometers are mechanical devices whose resistance varies according to a selected physical position of a wiper. Digital potentiometers are electronic circuits that provide a variable impedance as a result of processing a digital sequence. Digital potentiometers can be used in digital to analog converters, and as replacements for mechanical potentiometers and rheostats. Digital potentiometers often contain digital switching elements which are operated to connect only some of the available resistors to provide a desired resistance value. Resistor arrays used in digital potentiometers are coupled with electrical relays or switches, such as DIP switches, to provide a selectable range of resistance values. |
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Sunday, 12 November 2006 |
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A dual in-line package (DIP) switch is an electrical switch that is packaged in a group in a standard dual in-line package. Dual in-line package (DIP) switches have many applications, particularly in electronic circuitry used in digital data processing systems and similar products. The DIP switch construction is composed of ordinary DIP switch terminals connected to portions of an electronic circuit on a printed-circuit board and accommodated in a casing. A DIP switch is made of plastic material and formed integrally with plastic housing. A number of selectors are disposed side-by-side on a top or side surface of housing. DIP switches have a plurality of outwardly extending actuators which can be moved in the "on" or "off" position depending on the requirements of a particular application. |
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Thursday, 26 October 2006 |
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A resistor is an electrical component designed to have an electrical resistance independent of the applied current or voltage. A resistor may have either a fixed resistance or a variable resistance. Variable resistors have been found widely useful in versatile mechanical instruments and electrical or electronic devices. The variable resistor basically includes an elongate electrical resistor which is connected across the supply voltage and a wiper slidable along the resistor in electrical contact with the resistor and electrically connected via a device to be controlled to one end of the resistor. Resistors typically comprise a resistive material. Carbon film type variable resistors have been generally extensively utilized as variable resistors for use in radio receivers, audio amplifiers and TV receivers. |
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Friday, 20 October 2006 |
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Transistors are the basic building block of electronic devices. Among transistors, field effect transistors (FET) such as CMOS transistors are widely used in the electronics industry. A field effect transistor is a semiconductor component with three terminals which are referred to as the gate, source and drain. FET transistors can be classified as either junction field effect transistor (JFET) devices or metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) devices. Metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors employ a double pn-junction structure as a base structure, the pn-junction structure having a linear property at a low drain voltage. Field effect transistors are employed in almost every electronic circuit application, such as signal processing, computing, and wireless communications. |
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Monday, 09 October 2006 |
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A crystal oscillator is a frequency control element used as a frequency and time reference source in various types of electronic devices. Oscillators are used to generate periodic waveforms and may have a wide variety of applications which include the generation of clock signals for synchronous electronic systems, generation of a mixing signal for conversion of a signal to another frequency band in a radio receiver. Digital devices require precise system timing, a function provided by oscillators and similar timing sources. Crystal oscillators that include such electrical components are referred to as temperature compensated crystal oscillators. A crystal oscillator is used in various forms such as a frequency generator, a frequency modulator and a frequency converter. |
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Friday, 22 September 2006 |
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Enclosures for housing electronic circuit boards are widely used in a variety of technologies, including telecommunications, industrial control, medical electronics, and military applications. Various enclosures are known for housing electronic equipment. Enclosures are usually formed of rigid materials such as metals or polymeric materials to protect the internal electronic circuitry. Sensitive electronics are often prone to radio frequency interference (RFI) as well as electromagnetic interference (EMI) at frequencies ranging up to several megahertz. As electronic components have become faster and more powerful, thermal management has become a critical issue. The most common way to remove heat from an electronic component is through a metallic heat sink attached to the component. |
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Friday, 15 September 2006 |
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A membrane switch, also known as tactile or pressure sensitive switch, is an electrical switch that is touch activated to make or break the electrical connection of a particular switch element. Membrane switches employ a pair of stacked flexible membranes having opposed contacts printed on their facing surfaces. Each of the membranes has electrical contacts printed on their opposing faces at button locations that are brought into electrical conduction when the membrane is flexed. A membrane switch has an array of switch cells connected to appropriate drive and sense circuitry that enable the detection of a specific cell that is activated. Membrane switches or touch contact switches have achieved phenomenal success over the last decade due to their simplicity, reliability and very low cost. |
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Monday, 04 September 2006 |
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A capacitor is an electronic component that stores energy in the electric field created between a pair of conductors. A typical capacitor comprises a pair of electrode layers having dielectric material therebetween. Capacitance has been found to be inversely proportional to the thickness of the dielectric material, thus thin film capacitors are generally seen as a preferable means to achieve high performance. Polyester films have been popularly used as base film of capacitors because they have excellent mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. A thin-film capacitor has a structure wherein a lower electrode, a dielectric layer, and an upper electrode are deposited on a substrate. Thin film capacitors are used in a variety of semiconductor integrated circuit devices. |
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Sunday, 27 August 2006 |
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A voltage regulator is a type of electrical component that provides stable output voltage and variable output current. The purpose of a voltage regulator is to maintain a steady, stable voltage for the chip to use as its power supply. Voltage regulators are often used to provide a relatively constant voltage source to other electronic circuits. Voltage regulators are typically designed to react to changes in load condition to ensure that enough power is provided to the circuit so that the voltage of the supplied power signal remains at or very near the desired level. Voltage regulators generally use a current sensing circuit to detect and control the voltage and current levels of power supplied. A linear regulator is one type of voltage regulator that includes a linear control element and an electrical feedback element. |
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Friday, 18 August 2006 |
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A KVM (keyboard, video monitor and mouse) switching system is used for selectively interconnecting a single workstation with a plurality of remotely located computers. The KVM switch enables a computer interface to be located at a greater distance from the computer than is typically possible with a standard interface. KVM switches are typically based on packet-based internet protocol (IP) networks. KVM switches allow a single video display, character input device, and pointing device to communicate with one or more rack-mounted computers, and provide the user with the ability to access between multiple computers using a single keyboard, video and mouse. The crosspoint switch routes the keyboard/mouse packet to another interface unit coupled to the selected remote computer. |
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Electronic Components
