What It Does A transformer requires an input of alternating current (AC). It transforms the input voltage to one or more output voltages that can be higher or lower. Transformers range in size from tiny impedance- matching units in audio equipment such as microphones, to multi-ton behemoths that supply high voltage through the national power […]
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Posts by Farahat
AC-DC power supply What It Does,How It Works,Variants,Values,How to Use it,What Can Go Wrong
Also known as an AC adapter. When packaged as a palm-sized plastic package that plugs directly into a power outlet, it is occasionally known colloquially as a wall-wart. What It Does An AC-DC power supply converts alternating cur rent (AC) into the direct current (DC) that most electronic devices require, usually at a lower volt […]
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resistor What It Does,How It Works ,Variants,Values,How to Use it and What Can Go Wrong
What It Does A resistor is one of the most fundamental components in electronics. Its purpose is to impede a flow of current and impose a voltage reduction. It consists of two wires or conductors attached at opposite ends or sides of a relatively poor electrical conductor, the resistance of which is measured in ohms, […]
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variable capacitor What It Does,How It Works,Variants,Values,How to Use it,What Can Go Wrong
Formerly known (primarily in the United Kingdom) as a variable condenser. The term is now obsolete. What It Does A variable capacitor allows adjustment of capacitance in much the same way that a potentiometer allows adjustment of resistance. Large variable capacitors were developed primarily to tune radio receivers, in which they were known as tuning […]
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potentiometer What It Does,How It Works,Variants,Values,How to Use it,What Can Go Wrong
Also known as a variable resistor; may be substituted for a rheostat. What It Does When a voltage is applied across a potentiometer, it can deliver a variable fraction of that volt age. It is often used to adjust sensitivity, balance, input, or output, especially in audio equipment and sensors such as motion detectors. A […]
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relay What It Does,How It Works ,Variants,Values,How to Use it and What Can Go Wrong
Properly known as an electromagnetic armature relay to distinguish it from a solid-state relay. However, the full term is very rarely used. It may also be described as an electro mechanical relay, but the term relay is normally understood to mean a device that is not solid state. What It Does A relay enables […]
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switch What It Does,How It Works ,Variants,Values,How to Use it and What Can Go Wrong
The term switch refers here to a physically operated mechanical switch, controlled by flipping a lever or sliding a knob. Although there is some overlap of function, rotary switches and pushbuttons have their own separate entries. Solid-state switching components are described in entries for bipolar transistor, unijunction transistor, and field-effect transistor. Integrated-circuit switching devices […]
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rotary switch What It Does,How It Works ,Variants,Values,How to Use it and What Can Go Wrong
Not to be confused with rotational encoder, which has its own entry in this encyclopedia. What It Does A rotary switch makes an electrical connection between a rotor, mounted on a shaft that is turned by a knob, and one of two or more stationary contacts. Traditionally, it was the component of choice to select […]
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pushbutton What It Does,How It Works,Variants,Values,How to Use it and What Can Go Wrong
Often referred to as a pushbutton switch and sometimes as a momentary switch. In this encyclopedia, a pushbutton is considered separately from a switch, which generally uses a lever-shaped actuator rather than a button, and has at least one pole contact where a pushbutton generally has contacts that are not distinguishable from each other. […]
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rotational encoder What It Does,How It Works ,Variants,Values,How to Use it and What Can Go Wrong
The term rotationalencoder used to be reserved for high-quality components, often using optical methods to measure rotation with precision (more than 100 intervals in 360 de grees). Cheaper, simpler, electromechanical devices were properly referred to as control shaft encoders. However, the term rotational encoder is now applied to almost any device capable of converting […]
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