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Electronic Component Construction, Applications and Selection

Attenuators / Capacitors / Crystals / Integrated Circuits / Resistors / Voltage Regulators /

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Attenuators

Intro:
Attenuators are a combination of three or more resistors in a filter schematic to provide broad band signal limiting and impedence matching. Packages include arrays, chip types, wire lead types, and frame lead types constructed of thick film or thin film technologies. These technologies provide tolerances from 1% to 5% and temperature coefficients from 50ppm to 200ppm.

The Attenuators we deal with here are Chip Attenautors. The applications for these tiny (1.0 x 1.0mm) attenuators include the following: Mobile Phones, Personal Handy Phone, Pagers, Cordless Phones, Personal Radio/Stereo Equipment, Oscillators, etc..
To review a kit with a selection of popular Attenuation values, click HERE.

Capacitors

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Intro:
A capacitor is typically made up of two (2) parallel plates, the electrodes, with a dielectric between them. The amount of capacitance is directly proportional to the surface area of the electrode and indirectly proportional to the dielectric thickness.

Aluminum Electrolytic:
An electrolytic capacitor consists of a series combination of two capacitors (e.g. foil electrodes or plates) at least one of which is a valve metal, separated by an electrolyte, and between which a dielectric film is formed adjacent to the surface of one or both of the electrodes.
Primary Applications: Aluminum electrolytic capacitors are intended for use in filter, coupling and bypass applications where large capacitance values are required in small cases, and where excesses of capacitance over the nominal value can be tolerated.
To review both through-hole and SMD kits with a selection of popular values, click HERE.

Ceramic Chip:
Multi-layer ceramic capacitors are primarily designed for use where a small physical size with comparatively large electrical capacitance and high insulation resistance are required.
Primary Applications: Timing, filtering, bypass, decoupling, energy storage, surge suppression.
To review various-sized chip SMD kits with a selection of popular values, click HERE.

Film Capacitors:
Film capacitors are generally subdivided into film/foil capacitors and metallized film capacitors. Film/foil capacitors feature high insulation resistance, excellent current carrying and pulse handling capability, and a good capacitance stability. Metallized film capacitors feature high volume efficiency and self-healing properties.
Primary Applications: DC, AC and pulse applications.
To review both polyester film and metallized film kits with a selection of popular values, click HERE.

Tantalum Capacitors:
Solid electrolyte tantalum capacitors, generally the least expensive for a given rating, are used where their very small size for a given unit of capacitance is important.
Primary Applications: Entertainment, commercial, industrial and military equipment where reliability, low leakage current, low dissipation factor and stability with time and temperature are required.
To review a kit with a selection of popular values, click HERE.

For additional information about Capacitors, visit Faradnet.

For a somewhat technical, but useful, article on capacitor selection, click HERE.

Crystals

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Intro:
Quartz Crystal Unit: A completed quartz crystal, consisting of a resonator plate with electrodes, a holder with suitable mounting structures, and a permanently sealed cover. Usually called a "crystal."
Applications for Quartz Crystals are almost limitless. Anything that keeps the time and/or date will need to generate a frequency, and therefore need some type of frequency generating component. Typical Applications include: TV's, VCR's, DVD's, radios, cellphones, watches, clocks, pagers, every wireless device, etc.
To review a kit with a selection of popular frequencies, click HERE.

Integrated Circuits

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Intro:
Another name for a chip, an IC is a small electronic device made out of a semiconductor material. The first integrated circuit was developed in the 1950s by Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments and Robert Noyce of Fairchild Semiconductor.
Integrated circuits are used for a variety of devices, including microprocessors, audio and video equipment, and automobiles. Integrated circuits are often classified by the number of transistors and other electronic components they contain.
While we would love to go into further detial about Integrated Circuits, we'll have to leave it up to you to find out more, because this topic could be a whole website unto itself. The best way to find out more about IC's in general, would be to vist the websites of the manufacturers of these devices. Click HERE for links to IC manufacturers.
Our site mainly deals with microcontrollers, of which are mainly produced by one manufacturer. These microcontrollers are further classified by their specific function. For example, "Stepper Motor Controller", "Keypad Encoders", etc. For more information on what you can do with Stepper Motors, Click HERE

To review over 7 microcontroller kits, including stepper motor IC's, Click HERE

Resistors

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Intro:
A resistor is a component made of material that opposes flow of current and therefore has some value of resistance.
The resistor is probably the most common and well known of all electrical components. Their uses are many, they are used to drop voltage, limit current, attenuate signals, act as heaters, act as fuses, furnish electrical loads and divide voltages.

Carbon Film:
Carbon Film resistors are made by breaking down hydrocarbon gases at high temperature in a vacuum to form a carbon deposit on the surface of a cylindrical substrate. Trimming to value is accomplished by the cutting of spiral grooves. An alternative method of producing carbon film is to mechanically apply carbon "dust" dispersed in a curable polymeric binder. The material is painted on the substrate in a spiral pattern and cured at a moderately elevated temperature. Resistor types include general purpose Through Hole and MELF surface mount devices. Also included are specialty types, such as high power, high voltage and fusible.
To review a kit with a selection of popular values, click HERE.

Metal Film:
Metal Film resistors use nickel-chromium or a similar alloy deposited on a ceramic rod by a vacuum process of evaporation or sputtering. The final resistance value is (most commonly) defined by cutting an insulating path through the film by directing a laser along the length of the rod while keeping it in rotation. This electrically lengthens the resistor by producing a helix current path around the rod from end-to-end.
To review a kit with a selection of popular values, click HERE.

Metal Oxide: (a.k.a. Flameproof)
Metal Oxide resistors have a resistance element formed by the oxidation reaction of a vapor or spray of tin chloride solution on the heated surface of a glass or ceramic rod. The resulting tin-oxide film is adjusted to value by cutting a helix path through the film. The metal oxide film can sustain high temperatures and electrical overloads, and supports moderate-to-precision attributes. Resistor types include high power and flameproof axial Through Hole and surface-mounted devices.
To review a kit with a selection of popular values, click HERE.

Chip Resistors: (Thick Film Chip)
Thick Film utilizes a mechanical process of applying conductive and/or insulating coatings to a non-conducting substrate (rod, plate, etc.) to form a resistive device or interconnecting circuit. The resistive film is applied in the form of a paste containing fine metal and glass particles suspended in a temporary vehicle and binder. The vehicle and binder are driven off during a high temperature firing which fuses the glass into a matrix for the metal particles. This technology is most often used for general-purpose requirements of +/- 1% resistance tolerance and +/- 100 PPM/°C temperature coefficient or greater, although it is capable of significantly better.
To review a kit with a selection of popular values, click HERE.

Chip Resistor Arrays:
Resistor arrays contain any combination of two or more resistive elements produced on a single substrate. The resistive elements can be constructed using thick film or thin film technologies. These arrays are leadless surface mountable packages with solderable terminations. Various circuit schematics are available including isolated resistors, single common and dual common bussed resistors. Resistor arrays are used for a wide range of applications where economy of space and weight and placement costs are a premium. Tolerances are 1% and 5%, temperature coefficients range from 50ppm to 200ppm and power capabilities compare to similar size individual resistors.
To review a kit with a selection of popular values, click HERE.

Voltage Regulators

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Voltage Regulators are available with several adjustable and fixed output voltages, making them useful in a wide range of applications, such as logic systems, Hi-fi systems, TVs, VCRs and several other electronic equipment.
To review both through-hole and SMD kits with a selection of popular voltages, click HERE.

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