Resistors are an important component to help reduce current and restrict electrical current flow. Wire wound resistors, in particular, are important in applications where there are large amounts of power that need dissipation. They are one of the first types of resistors to be utilized, and their functions and structure have changed little over the years. Wire wound resistors have been superseded by other resistors, but their qualities and functionality in applications where other resistors fail make them still very reliable and widely used. Read more >>

In the modern era, most electronics are dependent on printed circuit boards, or PCBs, to contain the various electronic components that allow them to function. These components are held onto the board by solder flux that creates a bond between the pins of a component and their corresponding pads on the PCB, with the main purpose of the solder being to provide electrical connectivity. Soldering and desoldering is performed to install or remove components on a PCB.           Read more >>

MOSFET stands for metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor. What sets a MOSFET apart from its transistor counterpart, BJT (bipolar junction transistor), is that it is voltage controlled as opposed to current controlled. This makes a MOSFET more capable to handle high levels of voltage as opposed to a BJT. Read more >>

The vast majority of electrical systems in the United States are wired and designed for alternating current, or AC. Homes, office buildings, and businesses all run on AC. Most electronics, however, need direct current, or DC, to run properly. There are several different ways to convert AC to DC, but for this blog, we will focus on the use of diode bridges, or bridge rectifiers. Read more >>

A carbon film resistor is an evolved form of the carbon composition resistor; it is smaller in size and capable of providing much better performance. It is a type of fixed resistor that uses carbon film to restrict an electric current to a certain level. It is constructed by using a ceramic carrier rod onto which a thin layer of pure carbon is deposited as a film. This thin carbon film acts as the resistive element. The ceramic substrate acts as the insulating material to heat or electricity.  Read more >>

In electrical engineering, a switch is used to interrupt current or divert it from one conductor to another. When an electrical contact is open, it means that the switch is off and not conducting because the contacts are separated; when an electrical contact is closed, it means that the switch is on and conducting because the contacts are touching. Read more >>

Smartphones know to dim the screen and disable touch interaction before it comes into contact with a user’s ear— and they’re only capable thanks to a photoelectric proximity sensor. Proximity devices can to infer the presence of a variety of objects and materials without direct contact. The most common proximity sensors are inductive, capacitive, photoelectric, and ultrasonic. Read more >>

Metal film resistors are one of the most common types of axial resistors. They use a thin metal layer as a resistive element on an otherwise non-conducting body. The first metal film resistor was manufactured in the 1930s by Dubilier. Read more >>

Unless you’ve drastically tried to fix water damage on your computer or replaced the cracked screen of your smartphone on your own, you’ve probably never seen what a motherboard looks like or know what all the different parts do. But, if you’ve ever considered going into software engineering or computer science, perhaps you should at least know the difference between some components, for example, the FPGA and the microprocessor. Read more >>

Memory cards are used every day to suffice all our electronic devices such as cameras, cell phones, and so much more. The most common form of memory is Flash memory because it is non-volatile meaning it can be removed from the device without losing data and reused by overwriting and erasing the data. We will be talking about all the different forms of memory cards and the capabilities. Read more >>