Hi!
Welcome to the Box of Doodads (that's what I call them) where I build inventions with my electronic components! I thought you might like to learn more about them. Just look below and find out each component's job. You can join us on a Field Trip!

The Capacitor:
The capacitor is an electronic component that can store an electrical charge for a short time to be used later or in a particular order. The capacitor basically has two conductors that are separated by an insulator (an insulator is a poor conductor of electricity. Insulators could be paper, plastic or ceramic). Besides a battery, the capacitor is the only electronic device that can store electrical energy. A direct current cannot flow through it but an alternating current can. Think of a balloon. You can blow air into a balloon, but you cannot blow air through the balloon. You can store air in the balloon and hold it. You can also release a certain amount of air from the balloon if you want. The capacitor acts like a balloon, storing electrical charges. When the time is right, it can release that electrical charge for example to light a camera flashbulb for a short burst. There are many different capacitors that do different jobs. This is just one component that tells electrical devices what to do.

The Resistor:
Have you ever ridden a bicycle down a steep hill and had to put on your brakes? Well, the resistor is like a brake. It provides the friction. When you press the brake handles that close the grippers that grip against the bicycle tires, the rubbing against the tires causes friction (a force that resists). Without your brakes, you would crash into something at the bottom of the hill. The electronic component known as a resistor acts like brakes, it helps to keep electronic circuits under control. If you touched your brakes after you used them, did they feel hot? Yes, well, resistors get hot when they are used, too. How hot they get depends on their shape and size and the kind of job they do. They do not increase the electrical current, they are used to reduce the electrical current. They help other electrical components do their work. A resistor like this one is made of a ceramic tube that has been painted. The colored stripes you see let you know how much resistance this particular resistor offers.

The Transistor:
The transistor changed the electronics industry!!! Transistors are made of semi-conducting (partially conducts electricity) substances like silicon. This tiny electronic component has 3 connections: the emitter, the base, and the collector. If you don't connect these 3 connectors exactly the right way, you will damage the transistor. Transistors can control electric currents by turning them off and on or increasing the flow of the current. These tiny transistors took the place of the larger electronic valve (the old 1940 valves look like big tubes) which allowed T.V.'s, radios, and computers to be much smaller.

The Diode:
The diode is an electronic component and it has two terminals that let an electrical current through it in only one direction. There are many types of diodes. The one pictured here is a light emitting diode or LED. This was taken from the end of a remote control. This type of diode glows when an electrical current flows through it. You can see LEDs in number displays and other electronic devices such as electronic keyboards. They may show a red, yellow or green light.

The Integrated Circuit:
An integrated circuit, also known as a silicon chip, is an interconnected electronic circuit containing very tiny components printed on silicon. The silicon has had impurities added to it to make it a semiconductor. The wires you see are called foot wires and they link the chip to other components.Because they are so tiny, millions of components can be placed on a single chip. The circuit is etched by using a pattern. A tiny speck of dust could ruin a chip.

Chips are then sent to other companies to build their products. This picture shows a circuit board with several chips and other electronic components soldered to the the board. To see this process, follow along on a Field Trip to Tech Support, Inc. to learn how it is done.