Electronics You Might Not Have Learned In College: Lesson 2 - Resistors, Batteries, Ohm's Law, Fuses, and Multimeters

Course Number: E-6009
Credit: 6 PDH
Subject Matter Expert: David W. McCord, P.E.
Price: $179.70 Purchase using Reward Tokens. Details
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Overview

In Electronics You Might Not Have Learned In College: Lesson 2 - Resistors, Batteries, Ohm's Law, Fuses, and Multimeters, you'll learn ...

  • The common types of batteries and how they are rated when connected in series and parallel
  • How to calculate the equivalent resistance of parallel and series resistor networks
  • How to design a voltage divider network to provide a desired voltage and regulation
  • How fuses and circuit breakers work and are rated

Overview

PDHengineer Course Preview

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Credit: 6 PDH

Length: 107 pages

This course is the second lesson in the Electronics You Might Not Have Learned in College series. This lesson starts by reviewing basic concepts of voltage, resistance, current, and power for DC circuits that were introduced in Lesson 1.

Once the basic electrical terms are understood, the main body of this lesson provides details on batteries and resistors that are the foundation of all electronic circuitry. The section on batteries covers the different types of batteries and explains their capacity ratings. It also explains how to calculate voltage and capacity for batteries connected in series and parallel circuits using water analogies and many examples.

The section on resistors uses water analogies to explain parallel and series resistor networks and how to combine them into equivalent single resistances. The different types of resistors are described and compared and it is explained how resistors are rated and marked for their resistance in ohms, error tolerance, wattage, and temperature coefficient. Variable tapped resistors, potentiometers, and rheostats are described, as well their inner workings, and it is explained how to select them from electronic supplier websites. Static resistor and potentiometer voltage dividers are described in detail along with the calculations necessary to find resistor sizes to create the required output voltage and regulation.

The course also covers circuit protectors such as fuses and circuit breakers and how they work and are rated. Finally, you will learn how to use multimeters to measure the volts, ohms, and amps in the real world and how to build resistor networks to try out what you learned.

Specific Knowledge or Skill Obtained

This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:

  • The basic theories of electron and hole migration creating current flow through conductors
  • Basic concepts and differences of direct current and alternating current
  • Analogy of an electric circuit to a comparable water system
  • Understanding volts, amps, and ohms and their relationship to each other using ohm’s law
  • How to calculate resistance, voltage, current, and watts in simple dc resistive circuits
  • Comparison of different types of batteries and their specifications
  • How to calculate battery capacity and voltage in series and parallel configurations
  • Resistor types and construction
  • Resistor specifications such as ohms resistance, tolerances, temperature effects, and wattage
  • The separation of resistors into decades and e series ratings
  • How to read resistor color codes for value and tolerance
  • The construction and ratings for the different types of variable resistors, potentiometers, and rheostats
  • How to design a voltage divider circuit with a desired voltage output and tolerance with a varying load
  • The difference between audio and linear taper potentiometers
  • How to select the proper potentiometer and other electronics from supplier catalogs or websites
  • How voltage, current, and resistance works in a simple electronic resistor-battery circuit
  • How to combine parallel and series resistors into equivalent single resistances
  • How to find worst case effects of resistor tolerances and available values
  • The construction and operation of circuit protective devices such as fuses, positive temperature thermistors, and circuit breakers
  • The basics of how to use a multimeter to measure current, voltage, and resistance
  • How to breadboard a simple resistive circuit for experimentation

Certificate of Completion

You will be able to immediately print a certificate of completion after passing a multiple-choice quiz consisting of 40 questions. PDH credits are not awarded until the course is completed and quiz is passed.

Board Acceptance
This course is applicable to professional engineers in:
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PDHengineer Course Preview

Preview a portion of this course before purchasing it.

Credit: 6 PDH

Length: 107 pages

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