Basic Electronics for Tomorrow's Inventors

Basic Electronics for Tomorrow's Inventors

by Nick Dossis
Released December 2012
Publisher(s): McGraw-Hill Education TAB
ISBN: 9780071794701

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Book description

Learn about electronics with fun experiments and projects

Created in partnership with Thames & Kosmos, Basic Electronics for Tomorrow's Inventors introduces you to essential electronics concepts through fun, do-it-yourself projects. You'll get tips for setting up your home workbench, safely handling materials, and creating a variety of entertaining gadgets. All of the projects and experiments use inexpensive, readily available electronic components and different types of breadboard, which creates a plug-and-play environment for you to build electronic circuits—no soldering required!

Inside you'll find:

  • Things You'll Need--lists of all the electronic components and equipment required for each experiment
  • A Circuit Diagram--shows how each of the electronic components are connected to produce the experiment
  • How the Circuit Works--identifies the building blocks used to make the circuit and helps you read circuit diagrams
  • Breadboard Layout--close-up photographs that guide you in building each electronic circuit
  • Time to Experiment--explains how to get your experiment working

Step-by-step projects include:

Phone experiments

  • Make an LED light up
  • Make an LED flash
  • Create colors with an RGB LED
  • Build a working telephone
Dashboard experiments
  • Create indicator lights
  • Build a temperature sensor
  • Make an electronic horn
  • Set up a water sensor
Security experiments
  • Design a basic alarm circuit
  • Make a pressure-sensitive mat
  • Create a touch-activated alarm
  • Build an electronic security keypad
  • Make a reading light that switches on when it goes dark
Electronic game experiments
  • Create a random number generator
  • Flip an electronic coin
  • Get ready for infrared target practice
  • Build a sound-effects generator

Table of contents

  1. Cover 
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Contents 
  5. Acknowledgments
  6. Introduction
  7. Part One: Let’s Get Started!
    1. 1. Setting Up Your Workbench
      1. Breadboard
      2. Interconnecting Wires
      3. Safety Glasses
      4. Wire Cutters and Strippers
      5. Multimeter
      6. Electronic Components
      7. Antistatic Precautions
      8. Warnings Before You Get Started
      9. Ready for the Basics
    2. 2. Zooming into Electronics: Electronic Building Blocks
      1. Think Like an Inventor
      2. Zooming into Electronics
      3. Electronic Building Blocks
      4. Moving On
    3. 3. Examining Some Key Electronic Components
      1. Power Supply
      2. Switches
      3. Resistor
      4. Variable Resistor
      5. Light-Dependent Resistor
      6. Capacitor
      7. Diodes
      8. Light Emitting Diode (LED)
      9. Transistor
      10. Integrated Circuits
      11. Converting Circuit Diagrams to Breadboard Layouts
      12. Experiment Building and Testing Guidelines
      13. Time to Play!
  8. Part Two: Can You Hear Me Now? Phone Experiments
    1. 4. Getting Charged Up! Make an LED Illuminate
      1. Features of a Typical Mobile Telephone
      2. Experiment 1 Making an LED Illuminate
      3. Summary
    2. 5. You Have a Message! Make an LED Flash
      1. How to Make an LED Flash
      2. Experiment 2 Making an LED Flash
      3. Summary
    3. 6. How Do Screens Show Colors? Experiment with an RGB LED
      1. How to Create Colors
      2. Experiment 3 Creating Color with an RGB LED
      3. Summary
    4. 7. Can We Talk? Build a Working Telephone
      1. Basic Telephone Setup
      2. Experiment 4 Building a Working Telephone
      3. Summary
  9. Part Three: Behind the Wheel: Dashboard Experiments
    1. 8. Which Way Now? Create Indicator Lights
      1. Features of a Typical Car Dashboard
      2. Experiment 5 Creating Indicator Lights
      3. Summary
    2. 9. Is It Hot in Here? Build a Temperature Sensor
      1. Experiment 6 Building a Temperature Sensor
      2. Summary
    3. 10. Beep! Beep! Make an Electronic Horn
      1. Experiment 7 Making an Electronic Horn
      2. Summary
    4. 11. Is It Raining Outside? Set Up a Water Sensor
      1. Experiment 8 Setting Up a Water Sensor
      2. Summary
  10. Part Four: Spy vs. Spy! Security Experiments
    1. 12. Intruder Alert! Design a Basic Alarm Circuit
      1. Experiment 9 Designing a Basic Alarm Circuit
      2. Summary
    2. 13. Step Inside! Make a Pressure-Sensitive Mat
      1. Experiment 10 Making a Pressure-Sensitive Mat
      2. Summary
    3. 14. Careful What You Reach For! Create a Touch-Activated Alarm
      1. Experiment 11 Creating a Touch-Activated Alarm
      2. Summary
    4. 15. You’ll Never Get In! Build an Electronic Security Keypad
      1. Experiment 12 Building an Electronic Security Keypad
      2. Summary
    5. 16. Let There Be Light! Build a Reading Light That Switches On when It Gets Dark
      1. Experimenting with a Light-Dependent Resistor
      2. Experiment 13 Building a Reading Light That Switches On when It Gets Dark
      3. Summary
  11. Part Five: Electronic Game Experiments
    1. 17. Pick a Number! Create a Random Number Generator
      1. Experiment 14 Creating a Random Number Generator
      2. Summary
    2. 18. Heads or Tails? Flip an Electronic Coin
      1. Experiment 15 Flipping an Electronic Coin
      2. Summary
    3. 19. Ready, Aim, Fire! Get Ready for Infrared Target Practice
      1. Experiment 16 Getting Ready for Infrared Target Practice
      2. Summary
    4. 20. Let’s Make Some Noise! Build a Sound Effects Generator
      1. Experiment 17 Building a Sound Effects Generator
      2. Summary
    5. Appendix: Electronic Components and Suppliers
  12. Index

Product information

  • Title: Basic Electronics for Tomorrow's Inventors
  • Author(s): Nick Dossis
  • Release date: December 2012
  • Publisher(s): McGraw-Hill Education TAB
  • ISBN: 9780071794701