Elenco Electronic Playground 50-in-1 Experiments User Manual

ELECTRONIC

PLAYGROUNDTM

and LEARNING CENTER

MODEL EP-50

ELENCO®

Wheeling, IL, USA

Copyright © 2010, 1998 ELENCO®

753057

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Definition of Terms		Page 3
Answers to Quizzes			5
Introduction to Basic Components			6
Experiment #1: The Light Bulb			8
More About Resistors			10
Experiment #2: Brightness Control			11
Experiment #3: Resistors in Series			12
Experiment #4: Parallel Pipes			13
Experiment #4B: Comparison of Parallel Currents			14
Experiment #5: Combined Circuit			15
Experiment #6: Water Detector			16
Introduction to Capacitors			17
Experiment #7: Slow Light Bulb			19
Experiment #8: Small Dominates Large			20
Experiment #9: Large Dominates Small			21
Experiment #10: Make Your Own Battery			22
Test Your Knowledge #1			23
Introduction to Diodes			23
Experiment #11: One - Way Current			24
Experiment #12: One - Way Light Bulbs			25
Introduction to Transistors			26
Experiment #13: The Electronic Switch			27
Experiment #14: The Current Amplifier			28
Experiment #15: The Substitute			29
Experiment #16: Standard Transistor Biasing Circuit			30
Experiment #17: Very Slow Light Bulb			31
Experiment #18: The Darlington			32
Experiment #19: The Finger Touch Lamp			33
Experiment #20: The Battery Immunizer			34
Experiment #21: The Voltmeter			35
Experiment #22:	1.5 Volt Battery Tester		36
Experiment #23:	9 Volt Battery Tester		37
Experiment #24: The Anti-Capacitor			38
Introduction to Inductors and Transformers			40

Test Your Knowledge #2	41
Experiment #25: The Magnetic Bridge	42
Experiment #26: The Lighthouse	43
Experiment #27: Electronic Sound	44
Experiment #28: The Alarm	46
Experiment #29: Morse Code	47
Experiment #30: Siren	48
Experiment #31: Electronic Rain	49
Experiment #32: The Space Gun	50
Experiment #33: Electronic Noisemaker	51
Experiment #34: Drawing Resistors	52
Experiment #35: Electronic Kazoo	53
Experiment #36: Electronic Keyboard	54
Experiment #37: Fun with Water	55
Experiment #38: Transistor Radio	56
Experiment #39: Radio Announcer	58
Experiment #40: Radio Jammer / Metal Detector	59
Experiment #41: Blinking Lights	60
Experiment #42: Noisy Blinker	61
Experiment #43: One Shot	62
Experiment #44: Alarm With Shut - Off Timer	63
Experiment #45: The Flip - Flop	64
Experiment #46: Finger Touch Lamp With Memory 65
Experiment #47: This OR That	66
Experiment #48: Neither This NOR That	67
Experiment #49: This AND That	68
Experiment #50: Audio AND, NAND	69
Experiment #51: Logic Combination	70
Test Your Knowledge #3	71
Troubleshooting Guide	71
For Further Reading	71

-2-

DEFINITION OF TERMS

(Most of these will be introduced and explained during the experiments).

AC	Common			abbreviation		for
	alternating current.
Alternating Current	A current that is constantly
	changing.
AM	Amplitude			modulation. The
	amplitude of the radio signal is
	varied		depending		on	the
	information being sent.
Amp	Shortened name for ampere.
Ampere (A)	The unit of measure for electric
	current. Commonly				shortened
	to amp.
Amplitude	Strength or level of something.
Analogy	A similarity in some ways.
AND Gate	A type of digital circuit which
	gives a HIGH output only if all
	of its inputs are HIGH.
Antenna	Inductors used for sending or
	receiving radio signals.
Astable Multivibrator	A	type		of	transistor
	configuration in which only one
	transistor is on at a time.
Atom	The smallest particle of a
	chemical element, made up of
	electrons, protons, etc.
Audio	Electrical			energy representing
	voice or music.
Base	The controlling input of an NPN
	bipolar junction transistor.
Battery	A device which uses a
	chemical reaction to create an
	electric		charge		across	a
	material.
Bias	The state of the DC voltages
	across a diode or transistor.
Bipolar Junction
Transistor (BJT)	A widely used type of transistor.
Bistable Switch	A	type		of	transistor
	configuration, also				known	as
	the flip-flop.
BJT	Common			abbreviation		for
	Bipolar Junction Transistor.
Capacitance	The ability to store electric
	charge.
Capacitor	An	electrical component				that
	can	store		electrical pressure
	(voltage) for periods of time.
Carbon	A chemical element used to
	make resistors.
Clockwise	In the direction in which the
	hands of a clock rotate.

Coil	When something is wound in a
	spiral.		In	electronics this
	describes inductors, which are
	coiled wires.
Collector	The controlled input of an NPN
	bipolar junction transistor.
Color Code	A method for marking resistors
	using colored bands.
Conductor	A material that has low
	electrical resistance.
Counter-Clockwise	Opposite the direction in which
	the hands of a clock rotate.
Current	A measure of how fast
	electrons are flowing in a wire
	or how fast water is flowing in a
	pipe.
Darlington	A transistor configuration which
	has high current gain and input
	resistance.
DC	Common abbreviation for direct
	current.
Decode	To recover a message.
Detector	A device or circuit which finds
	something.
Diaphragm	A flexible wall.
Differential Pair	A	type		of		transistor
	configuration.
Digital Circuit	A wide range of circuits in
	which all inputs and outputs
	have only two states, such as
	high/low.
Diode	An electronic device that allows
	current to flow in only one
	direction.
Direct Current	A current that is constant and
	not changing.
Disc Capacitor	A type of capacitor that has low
	capacitance and is used mostly
	in high frequency circuits.
Electric Field	The region of electric attraction
	or repulsion around a constant
	voltage.		This		is	usually
	associated with the dielectric in
	a capacitor.
Electricity	A flow of electrons between
	atoms due to an electrical
	charge across the material.
Electrolytic Capacitor	A type of capacitor that has
	high capacitance and is used
	mostly		in	low		frequency
	circuits.			It	has	polarity
	markings.

-3-

Electron	A sub-atomic particle that has
	an electrical charge.
Electronics	The science of electricity and
	its applications.
Emitter	The output of an NPN bipolar
	junction transistor.
Encode	To put a message into a format
	which is easier to transmit.
Farad, (F)	The unit of measure for
	capacitance.
Feedback	To adjust the input to
	something based on what its
	output is doing.
Flip-Flop	A	type	of		transistor
	configuration			is which		the
	output changes every time it
	receives an input pulse.
FM	Frequency		modulation.			The
	frequency of the radio signal is
	varied depending on the
	information being sent.
Forward-Biased	The state of a diode when
	current is flowing through it.
Frequency	The rate at which something
	repeats.
Friction	The rubbing of one object
	against another. It				generates
	heat.
Gallium Arsenide	A chemical element that is
	used as a semiconductor.
Generator	A device which uses steam or
	water pressure to move a
	magnet near a wire, creating an
	electric current in the wire.
Germanium	A chemical element that is
	used as a semiconductor.
Ground	A common term for the 0V or
	“–” side of a battery					or
	generator.
Henry (H)	The unit of measure for
	Inductance.
Inductance	The ability of a wire to create an
	induced voltage when the current
	varies, due to magnetic effects.
Inductor	A component			that	opposes
	changes in electrical current.
Insulator	A material that has high
	electrical resistance.
Integrated Circuit	A type of circuit in which
	transistors,		diodes,		resistors,
	and	capacitors			are	all
	constructed				on	a
	semiconductor base.
Kilo- (K)	A prefix used in the metric
	system. It means a thousand of
	something.

LED	Common abbreviation for light
	emitting diode.
Light Emitting Diode	A diode made from gallium
	arsenide that has a turn-on
	energy so high that light is
	generated when current flows
	through it.
Magnetic Field	The	region		of	magnetic
	attraction or repulsion around a
	magnet or an AC current. This
	is usually associated with an
	inductor or transformer.
Magnetism	A force of attraction between
	certain		metals.		Electric
	currents		also	have	magnetic
	properties.
Meg- (M)	A prefix used in the metric
	system. It means a million of
	something.
Micro- (μ)	A prefix used in the metric
	system. It means a millionth
	(0.000,001) of something.
Microphone	A device which converts sound
	waves into electrical energy.
Milli- (m)	A prefix used in the metric
	system. It means a thousandth
	(0.001) of something.
Modulation	Methods		used for		encoding
	radio signals with information.
Momentum	The power of a moving object.
Morse Code	A code used to send messages
	with long or short transmit
	bursts.
NAND Gate	A type of digital circuit which
	gives a HIGH output if some of
	its inputs are LOW.
NOR Gate	A type of digital circuit which
	gives a HIGH output if none of
	its inputs are HIGH.
NOT Gate	A type of digital circuit whose
	output is opposite its input.
NPN	Negative-Positive-Negative, a
	type of transistor construction.
Ohm’s Law	The	relationship			between
	voltage, current, and resistance.
Ohm, (Ω)	The unit of measure for
	resistance.
OR Gate	A type of digital circuit which
	gives a HIGH output if any of its
	inputs are HIGH.
Oscillator	A circuit that uses feedback to
	generate an AC output.
Parallel	When		several		electrical
	components			are	connected
	between the same points in the
	circuit.

-4-

Pico- (p)	A prefix used in the metric
	system. It means a millionth of
	a millionth (0.000,000,000,001)
	of something.
Pitch	The musical term for frequency.
Printed Circuit Board	A board used for mounting
	electrical components.
	Components	are		connected
	using metal traces “printed” on
	the board instead of wires.
Receiver	The device which is receiving a
	message (usually with radio).
Resistance	The electrical friction between
	an electric current and the
	material it is flowing through;
	the loss of energy from
	electrons as		they		move
	between atoms of the material.
Resistor	Components	used		to	control
	the flow of electricity in a circuit.
	They are made of carbon.
Resistor-Transistor-
Logic (RTL)	A type of circuit arrangement
	used to construct digital gates.
Reverse-Biased	When there is a voltage in the
	direction of high-resistance
	across a diode.
Saturation	The state of a transistor when
	the circuit resistances, not the
	transistor itself, are limiting
	the current.
Schematic	A drawing of an electrical circuit
	that uses symbols for all the
	components.
Semiconductor	A material that has more
	resistance than conductors but
	less than insulators. It is used
	to construct diodes, transistors,
	and integrated circuits.
Series	When electrical		components
	are connected one after the
	other.
Short Circuit	When wires from different parts
	of a circuit (or different circuits)
	connect accidentally.

Silicon	The chemical element most
	commonly			used	as	a
	semiconductor.
Solder	A tin-lead metal that becomes a
	liquid when heated to above
	360 degrees. In addition to
	having low resistance like other
	metals, solder also provides a
	strong		mounting		that	can
	withstand shocks.
Speaker	A	device		which	converts
	electrical energy into sound.
Switch	A device to connect (“closed” or
	“on”) or disconnect (“open” or
	“off”) wires in an electric circuit.
Transformer	A device which uses two coils
	to change the AC voltage and
	current		(increasing		one while
	decreasing the other).
Transient	Temporary.			Used to describe
	DC changes to circuits.
Transistor	An electronic device that uses
	a small amount of current to
	control a large amount of
	current.
Transmitter	The device which is sending a
	message (usually with radio).
Truth Table	A table which lists all the
	possible combinations of inputs
	and outputs for a digital circuit.
Tungsten	A highly resistive material used
	in light bulbs.
Tuning Capacitor	A capacitor whose value is
	varied		by	rotating	conductive
	plates over a dielectric.
Variable Resistor	A resistor with an additional
	arm contact that can move
	along the resistive material and
	tap off the desired resistance.
Voltage	A measure of how strong an
	electric		charge		across	a
	material is.
Voltage Divider	A	resistor		configuration		to
	create a lower voltage.
Volts (V)	The unit of measure for voltage.

QUIZ ANSWERS

First Quiz: 1. electrons; 2. short; 3. battery; 4. increase; 5. insulators, conductors; 6. decreases, increases; 7. decreases; 8. voltage; 9. alternating, direct; 10. increases, decreases.

Second Quiz: 1. reverse; 2. LEDs; 3. amplifier; 4. integrated; 5. saturated; 6. alternating, direct; 7. decreases, increases; 8. magnetic; 9. increases; 10. twice

Third Quiz: 1. feedback; 2. air, pressure; 3. decreases; 4. radio; 5. inductors; 6. OR; 7. NAND

-5-

INTRODUCTION TO BASIC COMPONENTS

Welcome to the exciting world of Electronics! Before starting the first experiment, let’s learn about some of the basic electronic components. Electricity is a flow of subatomic (very, very, very, small) particles, called electrons. The electrons move from atom to atom when an electrical charge is applied across the material. Electronics will be easier to understand if you think of the flow of electricity through circuits as water flowing through pipes (this will be referred to as the water pipe analogy).

Wires: Wires can be thought of as large, smooth pipes that allow water to pass through easily. Wires are made of metals, usually copper, that offer very low resistance to the flow of electricity. When wires from different parts of a circuit connect accidentally we have a short circuit or simply a short. You probably know from the movies that this usually means trouble. You must always make sure that the metal from different wires never touches except at springs where the wires are connecting to each other. The electric current, expressed in amperes (A, named after Andre Ampere who studied the relationship between electricity and magnetism) or milliamps (mA, 1/1000 of an ampere), is a measure of how fast electrons are flowing in a wire just as a water current describes how fast water is flowing in a pipe.

Pipe

Wire

The Battery: To make water flow through a pipe we need a pump. To make electricity flow through wires we use a battery or a generator to create an electrical charge across the wires. A battery does this by using a chemical reaction and has the advantage of being simple, small, and portable. If you move a magnet near a wire then electricity will flow in the wire. This is done in a generator. The electric power companies have enormous generators driven by steam or water pressure to produce electricity for your home.

The voltage, expressed in volts (V, and named after Alessandro Volta who invented the battery in 1800), is a measure of how strong the electric charge from your battery or generator is, similar to the water pressure. Your Electronic Playground uses a 9V battery. Notice the “+” and “–” signs on the battery. These indicate which direction the battery will “pump” the electricity, similarly to how a water pump can only pump water in one direction. The 0V or “–” side of the battery is often referred to as “ground”. Notice that just to the right of the battery pictured below is a symbol, the same symbol you see next to the battery holder. Engineers are not very good at drawing pictures of their parts, so when engineers draw pictures of their circuits they use symbols like this to represent them. It also takes less time to draw and takes up less space on the page. Note that wires are represented simply by lines on the page.

(+)

9V

(–)

Water

Symbol for

Pump

Battery

Battery

The Switch: Since you don’t want to waste water when you are not using it, you have a faucet or valve to turn the water on and off. Similarly, you use a switch to turn the electricity on and off in your circuit. A switch connects (the “closed” or “on” position) or disconnects (the “open” or “off” position) the wires in your circuit. As with the battery, the switch is represented by a symbol, shown below on the right.

	Valve				Symbol for Switch
				Switch

-6-

The Resistor: Why is the water pipe that goes to your kitchen faucet smaller than the one that comes to your house from the water company? And why is it much smaller than the main water line that supplies water to your entire town? Because you don’t need so much water. The pipe size limits the water flow to what you actually need. Electricity works in a similar manner, except that wires have so little resistance that they would have to be very, very thin to limit the flow of electricity. They would be hard to handle and break easily. But the water flow through a large pipe could also be limited by filling a section of the pipe with rocks (a thin screen would keep the rocks from falling over), which would slow the

flow of water but not stop it. Resistors are like rocks for electricity, they control how much electric current flows. The resistance, expressed in ohms (Ω, named after George Ohm), kilohms (KΩ, 1000 ohms), or megohms (MΩ, 1,000,000 ohms) is a measure of how much a resistor resists the flow of electricity. To increase the water flow through a pipe you can increase the water pressure or use less rocks. To increase the electric current in a circuit you can increase the voltage or use a lower value resistor (this will be demonstrated in a moment). The symbol for the resistor is shown on the right.

	Rocks in Pipe		Resistor		Resistor Symbol

-7-

EXPERIMENT #1: The Light Bulb

First, you need a 9V battery (alkaline is best). Fold out the the battery holder cutouts and snap the battery into its clip. Always remove the battery from its clip if you won’t be using your Playground for a while.

1

2

3

Your Electronic Playground consists of electronic parts connected to springs and mounted on a cardboard panel. You will use wires to connect these springs together to form a circuit. You are provided with several different lengths of wires, and it is usually best to use the shortest length of wire that comfortably reaches between two springs so that your wiring appears less confusing and easier to check. Notice that each spring has a number next to it. For each circuit we will tell you the spring numbers to connect in order to build the circuit. And as you build each circuit you will slowly learn more and more about electronics.

Now connect the wires for this circuit according to the list below, which we’ll call the Wiring Checklist. When you’re finished your wiring should look like the diagram shown here:

Wiring Checklist:

o27-to-56

o55-to-45

o44-to-3

o4-to-26

Be sure all your wires are securely in place and not loose. Also make sure the metal in the wires is only touching the spring and wires that it is connected to, and not to any nearby springs or other wires.

Enough talk, let’s start building your first circuit. To connect a wire to a spring, bend the spring back to one side with one finger and slip the metal end of the wire into the spring; let go of the spring and it should clamp the wire firmly in place. Tug lightly on the wire to make sure you have a secure connection. And be sure the spring touches the metal portion of the wire, the colored plastic insulation doesn’t count. To remove a wire, bend the spring and pull the wire away. When you have two or more wires connecting to the same spring, make sure that one wire does not come loose while you connect the others. This will be easier if you connect the wires on different sides of the spring.

-8-

Press the switch (next to springs 55 and 56) and the LED (light emitting diode) lights up, and turns off when you release the switch. The LED converts electrical energy into light, like the light bulbs in your home. You can also think of an LED as being like a simple water meter, since as the electric current increases in a wire the LED becomes brighter. It is shown here, with its symbol.

	Water Meter		LED				Symbol for LED

Take a look at the water diagram that follows. It shows the flow of water from the pump through the faucet, the small pipe, the water meter, the large pipes, and back to the pump. Now compare it to the electrical diagram next to it, called a schematic. Schematics are the “maps” for electronic circuits and are used by all electronic designers and technicians on everything from your Electronic Playground to the most advanced supercomputers. They show the flow of electricity from the battery through the switch, the resistor, the LED, the wires, and back to the battery. They also use the symbols for the battery, switch, resistor, and LED that we talked about. Notice how small and simple the schematic looks compared to the water diagram; that is why we use it.

Schematic

Water Diagram

On/Off		Water
Valve	Rocks	Meter
Pump

Now you will see how changing the resistance in the circuit increases the current through it. Press the switch again and observe the brightness of the LED. Now remove the wires from the 10KΩ resistor (springs 44 and 45) and connect them to the 1KΩ resistor (springs 40 and 41). Press the switch. The LED is brighter now, do you understand why? We are using a lower resistance (less rocks), so there is more electrical current flowing (more water flows), so the LED is brighter. Now replace the 1KΩ resistor with the 100KΩ resistor (springs 51 and 52) and press the switch again. The LED will be on but will be very dim (this will be easier to see if you wrap your hand near the LED to keep the room lights from shining on it).

Well done! You’ve just built YOUR first electronic circuit!

-9-

MORE ABOUT RESISTORS

Ohm’s Law: You just observed that when you have less resistance in the circuit, more current flows (making the LED brighter). The relationship between voltage, current, and resistance is known as Ohm’s Law (after George Ohm who discovered it in 1828):

Voltage

Current = Resistance

Resistance: Just what is Resistance? Take your hands and rub them together very fast. Your hands should feel warm. The friction between your hands converts your effort into heat. Resistance is the electrical friction between an electric current and the material it is flowing through; it is the loss of energy from electrons as they move between atoms of the material. Resistors are made using carbon and can be constructed with different resistive values, such as the seven parts included in your Electronic Playground. If a large amount of current is passed through a resistor then it will become warm due to the electrical friction. Light bulbs use a small piece of a highly resistive material called tungsten. Enough current is passed through this tungsten to heat it until it glows white hot, producing light. Metal wires have some electrical resistance, but it is very low (less than 1Ω per foot) and can be ignored in almost all circuits. Materials such as metals which have low resistance are called conductors. Materials such as paper, plastic, and air have extremely high values of resistance and are called insulators.

Resistor Color Code: You may have seen the colored bands on the resistors and may be wondering what they mean. They are the method for marking the value of resistance on the part. The first ring represents the first digit of the resistor’s value. The second ring represents the second digit of the resistor’s value. The third ring tells you the power of ten to multiply by, (or the number of zeros to add). The final and fourth ring represents the construction tolerance. Most resistors have a gold band for a 5% tolerance. This means the value of the resistor is guaranteed to be within 5% of the value marked. The colors below are used to represent the numbers 0 through 9.

	COLOR	VALUE		Example of Color Code
	Black	0		Red	Orange
	Brown	1
	Red	2
	Orange	3
	Yellow	4
	Green	5		Violet	Gold
	Blue	6
				27 X 103 = 27,000 Ω,
	Violet	7		with 5% Tolerance
	Gray	8
	White	9

Use the color code to check the values of the seven resistors included in your Electronic Playground. (The values are marked next to them on the box). They are all 5% tolerance.

The Variable Resistor: We talked about how a switch is used to turn the electricity on and off just like a valve is used to turn the water on and off. But there are many times when you want some water but don’t need all that the pipe can deliver, so you control the water by adjusting an opening in the pipe with a faucet. Unfortunately, you can’t adjust the thickness of an already thin wire. But you could also control the water flow by forcing the water through an adjustable length of rocks, as in the rock arm shown below.

Rock Arm

In electronics we use a variable resistor. This is a normal resistor (50KΩ in your Playground) with an additional arm contact that can move along the resistive material and tap off the desired resistance.

Variable Resistor

Insulating Base Material

Wiper Contact

Thin Layer of

Resistive

Movable Material

Arm

Stationary

Contact

Leads

There is a scale printed next to the dial on the variable resistor which shows the percentage of the total resistance that is between springs 49 and 50. The remaining resistance will be between springs 48 and 49. The resistance between springs 48 and 50 will always be 50KΩ, the total resistance.

Variable

Resistor

Symbol for Variable

Resistor

Now let’s demonstrate how this works.

-10-

EXPERIMENT #2: The Brightness Control

Connect the wires according to the Wiring Checklist. Press the switch and the LED lights up. Now hold the switch closed with one hand and turn the dial on the variable resistor with the other. When the dial setting is high, the resistance in the circuit is low and the LED is bright because a large current flows. As you turn the dial lower the resistance increases and the LED will become dim, just as forcing the water through a section of rocks would slow the water flow and lower the reading on your water meter.

You may be wondering what the 1KΩ resistor is doing in the circuit. If you set the dial on the variable resistor for minimum resistance (0Ω) then Ohm’s Law tells us the current will be very large - and it might damage the LED (think of this as a very powerful water pump overloading a water meter). So the 1KΩ was put in to limit the current while having little effect on the brightness of the LED.

Now remove the wire from spring 48 and connect it to spring 50 (use a longer wire if necessary). Do you know what will happen now? Close the switch and you will see that as you turn the dial from 0 to 100 the LED goes from very bright to very dim, because you are increasing the resistance between springs 49 and 50.

Schematic

Wiring Checklist:

o27-to-56

o55-to-40

o41-to-48

o49-to-3

o4-to-26

Now remove the wire from spring 49 and connect it to spring 48. What do you think will happen? Close the switch and turn the dial. The LED is dim and turning the resistor dial won’t make it any brighter. As discussed above, the resistance between 48 and 50 is always 50KΩ and the part acts just like one of the other resistors in your Electronic Playground.

Variable resistors like this one are used in the light dimmers you may have in your house, and are also used to control the volume in your radio, your TV, and many electronic devices.

Water Diagram

Water

Meter

On/Off

Valve Rocks

Rock Arm

Pump

-11-

EXPERIMENT #3: Resistors in Series

Connect the wires according to the Wiring Checklist and press the switch. The LED is on but is very dim (this will be easier to see if you wrap your hand near the LED to keep the room lights from shining on it). Take a look at the schematic. There is a low 3.3KΩ resistor and a high 100KΩ resistor in series (one after another). Since the LED is dimly lit, we know that the larger 100KΩ must be controlling the current. You can think of this as where two sections of the pipe are filled with rock, if one section is much longer than the other then it controls the water flow. If you had several rock sections of different lengths then it is easy to see that these would add together as if they were one longer section. The total length is what matters, not how many sections the rock is split into. The same is true in electronics - resistors in series add together to increase the total resistance for the circuit. (In our circuit the 3.3KΩ and 100KΩ resistors add up to 103.3KΩ).

Schematic

Wiring Checklist:

o27-to-56

o55-to-42

o43-to-51

o52-to-3

o4-to-26

To demonstrate this, disconnect the wires from the 100KΩ resistor and connect them instead to the 10KΩ, press the switch; the LED should be easy to see now (total resistance is now only 13.3KΩ). Next, disconnect the 10KΩ resistor and connect the 1KΩ in its place. The LED is now bright, but not as bright as when you used the 1KΩ in Experiment #1. Why? Because now the 3.3KΩ is the larger resistor (total resistance is 4.3KΩ).

Also, in Experiment #2 you saw how the 1KΩ resistor would dominate the circuit when the variable resistor was set for 0Ω and how the variable resistor would dominate when set for 50KΩ.

		Water Diagram
	On/Off		Water
	Valve	Rocks	Meter
	Pump

-12-

EXPERIMENT #4: Parallel Pipes

Connect the wires according to the Wiring Checklist. Take a look at the schematic. There is a low 3.3KΩ resistor and a high 100KΩ resistor in parallel (connected between the same points in the circuit). How bright do you think the LED will be? Press the switch and see if you are right. The LED is bright, so most of the current must be flowing through the smaller 3.3KΩ resistor. This makes perfect sense when we look at the water diagram, with most of the water flowing through the pipe with less rocks. In general, the more water pipes (or resistors) there are in parallel, the lower the total resistance is and the more water (or current) will flow. The relationship is more complicated than for resistors in series and is given here for advanced students:

	RParallel =	R1 x R2
		R1 + R2

Schematic

Wiring Checklist:

o27-to-56

o55-to-52-to-43 (this will take 2 wires)

o51-to-42-to-3 (2 wires)

o4-to-26

For two 10KΩ resistors in parallel, the result would be 5KΩ. The 3.3KΩ and 100KΩ in parallel in our circuit now give the same LED brightness as a single 3.2KΩ resistor.

To demonstrate this, disconnect the wires from the 100KΩ resistor and connect them to the 10KΩ; press the switch and the LED should be just as bright. The total resistance is now only 2.5KΩ, but your eyes probably won’t notice much difference in LED brightness. Now disconnect the wires from the 10KΩ and connect them to the 1KΩ; press the switch. The total resistance is now only 770Ω, so the LED should now be much brighter.

		Water Diagram
	On/Off	Rocks	Water
	Valve		Meter
		Rocks
	Pump

-13-

There is an even easier way to explain this:

EXPERIMENT #4B: Comparison of Parallel Currents

Since we have two resistors in parallel and a second LED that is not being used, let’s modify the circuit to match the schematic below. It’s basically the same circuit but instead of just parallel resistors there are parallel resistorLED circuits. Disconnect the wire between 51 (the 100KΩ resistor) and 42 (the 3.3KΩ resistor) and connect it between 51 and 1 (LED1) instead (you may need a longer wire). Add a wire from 2 (LED1) to 4 (LED2).

Replace the 100KΩ resistor with several values as before (such as 1KΩ, 10KΩ, and others if you wish), pressing the switch and observing the LEDs each time. The brightness of LED2 will not change, but the brightness of LED1 will depend on the resistor value you placed in series with it.

Schematic

Water Diagram

On/Off

Valve

Rocks	Rocks
Water	Water
Meter	Meter

Pump

Wiring Checklist:

o27-to-56

o55-to-52-to-43 (2 wires)

o51-to-1

o42-to-3

o2-to-4-to-26 (2 wires)

-14-

EXPERIMENT #5: Combined Circuit

Let’s combine everything we’ve done so far. Connect the wires according to the Wiring Checklist. Before pressing the switch, take a look at the schematic and think about what will happen as you turn the dial on the variable resistor (we’ll abbreviate this to VR). Now press the switch with one hand and turn the dial with the other to see if you were right. As you turn the VR dial from right to left LED1 will go from bright to very dim and LED2 will go from visible to off.

What’s happening is this: With the dial turned all the way to the right the VR is 0Ω (much smaller than the 10KΩ) so nearly all of the current passing through the 3.3KΩ will take the VR-LED1 path and very little will take the 10KΩ-

LED2 path. When the VR dial is turned to 80% the VR is 10KΩ (same as the other path) and the current flowing through the 3.3KΩ will divide equally between the two LED paths (making them equally bright). As the VR dial is turned to the left the VR becomes a 50KΩ (much larger than the 10KΩ) and LED1 will become dim while LED2 gets brighter.

Now is a good time to take notes on how resistors work in series and in parallel. All electronic circuits are much larger combinations of series and parallel circuits such as these. It’s important to understand these ideas because soon we’ll apply them to capacitors and inductors!

Schematic

Water Diagram

On/Off

Valve Rocks

	Rocks
	Water
	Meter
	Water
Pump	Meter

Wiring Checklist:

o27-to-56

o55-to-43

o44-to-42-to-48

o49-to-1

o45-to-3

o2-to-4-to-26

-15-

EXPERIMENT #6: Water Detector

You’ve seen how electricity flows through copper wires easily and how carbon resists the flow. How well does water pass electricity? Let’s find out.

Connect the wires according to the Wiring Checklist and take a look at the schematic. There isn’t a switch this time, so just disconnect one of the wires if you want to turn the circuit off. Notice that the Wiring Checklist leaves 2 wires unconnected. The LED will be off initially (if you touch the two loose wires together then it will be on). Now take a small cup (make sure it isn’t made of metal), fill it half way with water, and place the two unconnected wires into the water without touching each other. The LED should now be dimly lit, but the brightness could vary depending on your local water quality. You are now seeing a demonstration of how water conducts (passes) electricity. (A small cup of water like this may be around

Schematic

100KΩ, but depends on the local water quality). Try adding more water to the cup and see if the LED brightness changes (it should get brighter because we are “making the water pipe larger”). Since the LED only lights when it is in water now, you could use this circuit as a water detector!

Now adjust the amount of water so that the LED is dimly lit. Now, watching the LED brightness, add some table salt to the water and stir to dissolve the salt. The LED should become brighter because water has a lower electrical resistance when salt is dissolved in it. Looking at the water pipe diagram, you can think of this as a strong cleaner dissolving paintballs that are mixed in with the rocks. You could even use this circuit to detect salt water like in the ocean!

Water Diagram

On/Off	Rocks	Water
Valve		Meter
	Rocks	Rocks

Rocks

and

Paintballs

Pump

Wiring Checklist:

o27-to-41

o40-to-39

o44-to-42-to-38-to-3

o4-to-unconnected (use a long wire)

o26-to-45-to-43-to- unconnected (the unconnected

wire should be long)

Long Wire to Water

Long Wire to Water

-16-

INTRODUCTION TO CAPACITORS

Capacitors: Capacitors are electrical components that can store electrical pressure (voltage) for periods of time. When a capacitor has a difference in voltage (electrical pressure) across it, it is said to be charged. A capacitor is charged by having a one-way current flow through it for a short period of time. It can be discharged by letting a current flow in the opposite direction out of the capacitor. In the water pipe analogy, you may think of the capacitor as a water pipe that has a strong rubber diaphragm sealing off each side of the pipe as shown below:

	Pipe Filled with Water
Plunger	Rubber Diaphragm
	Sealing Center of Pipe
A Rubber Diaphragm in a Pipe is Like a Capacitor

If the pipe had a plunger on one end (or a pump elsewhere in the piping circuit), as shown above, and the plunger was pushed toward the diaphragm, the water in the pipe would force the rubber to stretch out until the force of the rubber pushing back on the water was equal to the force of the plunger. You could say the pipe is charged and ready to push the plunger back. In fact if the plunger is released it will move back to its original position. The pipe will then be discharged or with no pressure on the diaphragm.

Capacitors act the same as the pipe just described. When a voltage (electrical pressure) is placed on one side with respect to the other, electrical charge “piles up” on one side of the capacitor (on the capacitor “plates”) until the voltage pushing back equals the voltage applied. The capacitor is then charged to that voltage. If the charging voltage was then decreased the capacitor would discharge. If both sides of the capacitor were connected together with a wire then the capacitor would rapidly discharge and the voltage across it would become zero (no charge).

What would happen if the plunger in the drawing above was wiggled in and out many times each second? The water in the pipe would be pushed by the diaphragm and then sucked back by the diaphragm. Since the movement of the water (current) is back and forth (alternating) it is called an alternating current or AC. The capacitor will therefore pass an alternating current with little resistance. When the push on the plunger was only toward the diaphragm, the water on the other side of the diaphragm moved just enough to charge the pipe (a transient or temporary current). Just as the pipe blocked a direct push, a capacitor blocks a direct current (DC).

Current from a battery is an example of direct current. An example of alternating current is the 60 cycle (60 wiggles per second) current from the electrical outlets in the walls of your house.

Construction of Capacitors: If the rubber diaphragm is made very soft it will stretch out and hold a lot of water but will break easily (large capacitance but low working voltage). If the rubber is made very stiff it will not stretch far but will be able to withstand higher pressure (low capacitance but high working voltage). By making the pipe larger and keeping the rubber stiff we can achieve a device that holds a lot of water and withstands high pressure (high capacitance, high working voltage, large size). So the pipe size is determined by its capacity to hold water and the amount of pressure it can handle. These three types of water pipes are shown below:

Soft Rubber

Stiff Rubber

Large Capacity									Low Capacity
Low Pressure								but can withstand
									High Pressure
		Stiff Rubber

High Capacity and can withstand High Pressure

Types of Water Pipes

-17-

Similarly, capacitors are described by their capacity for holding electric charge, called their Capacitance, and their ability to withstand electric pressure (voltage) without damage. Although there are many different types of capacitors made using many different materials, their basic construction is the same. The wires (leads) connect to two or more metal plates that are separated by high resistance materials called dielectrics.

Lead 1

Metal Plate

Lead 2

Dielectric

Construction of a Capacitor

The dielectric is the material that holds the electric charge (pressure), just like the rubber diaphragm holds the water pressure. Some dielectrics may be thought of as stiff rubber, and some as soft rubber. The capacitance and working voltage of the capacitor is controlled by varying the number and size of metal-dielectric layers, the thickness of the dielectric layers, and the type of dielectric material used.

Capacitance is expressed in farads (F, named after Michael Faraday whose work in electromagnetic induction led to the development of today’s electric motors and generators), or more commonly in microfarads (μF, millionths of a farad) or picofarads (pF, millionths of a microfarad). Almost all capacitors used in electronics vary from 1pF to 1000μF.

Your Electronic Playground includes two electrolytic (10μF and 100μF) and two disc (.0047μF and .047μF) capacitors. (Mylar capacitors may have been substituted for the disc ones, their construction and performance is similar). Electrolytic capacitors (usually referred to as lytics) are high capacitance and are used mostly in power supply or low frequency circuits. Their capacitance and voltage are usually clearly marked on them. Note that these parts have “+” and “–” polarity (orientation) markings, the lead marked “+” should always be connected to a higher voltage than the “–” lead (all of your Wiring Checklists account for this). Disc capacitors are low capacitance and are used mostly in radio or high frequency applications. They don’t have voltage or polarity markings (they can be hooked up either way). Capacitors have symbols as follows:

Soft Diaphragm		Symbol for
		Electrolytic
			Capacitor

(–)(+)

Electrolytic Capacitor

Stiff Diaphragm					Symbol for
						Disc
						Capacitor
	Disc Capacitor

-18-

EXPERIMENT #7: Slow Light Bulb

Connect the wires according to the Wiring Checklist and press the switch several times. You can see it takes time to charge and discharge the large capacitor because the LED lights up and goes dim slowly. Replace the 3.3KΩ resistor with the 1KΩ resistor; now the charge time is faster but the discharge time is the same. Do you know why? When the switch is closed the battery charges the capacitor through the 1KΩ resistor and when the switch is opened the capacitor discharges through the 10KΩ, which has remained the same. Now replace the 100μF capacitor with the 10μF. Both the charge and discharge

times are now faster since there is less capacitance to charge up. If you like you may experiment with different resistors in place of the 1KΩ and 10KΩ. If you observe the LED carefully, you might start to suspect the relationship between the component values and the charging and discharging times - the charge/discharge times are proportional to both the capacitance and the resistance in the charge/discharge path!

A simple circuit like this is used to slowly light or darken a room, such as a movie theater.

	Schematic					Water Diagram
					On/Off			Water
					Valve	Rocks	Rocks	Meter
							Rubber
							Diaphragm
					Pump

Wiring Checklist:

o 27-to-56

o55-to-43

o36-to-44-to-42

o45-to-3

o37-to-26-to-4

-19-

EXPERIMENT #8: Small Dominates Large - Capacitors in Series

Take a look at the schematic, it is almost the same circuit as the last experiment except that now there are two capacitors in series. What do you think will happen? Connect the wires according to the Wiring Checklist and press the switch several times to see if you are right.

Looking at the water diagram and the name of this experiment should have made it clear - the smaller 10μF will dominate (control) the response since it will take less time to charge up. As with resistors, you could change the order of the two capacitors and would still get the same results (try this if you like). Notice that while

resistors in series add together to make a larger circuit resistance, capacitors in series combine to make a smaller circuit capacitance. Actually, capacitors in series combine the same way resistors in parallel combine (using the same mathematical relationship given in Experiment 4). For this experiment, 10μF and 100μF in series perform the same as a single 9.1μF.

In terms of our water pipe analogy, you could think of capacitors in series as adding together the stiffness of their rubber diaphragms.

	Schematic					Water Diagram
					On/Off			Water
					Valve	Rocks	Rocks	Meter
							Rubber
							Diaphragms
					Pump

Wiring Checklist:

o 27-to-56

o55-to-43

o34-to-44-to-42

o45-to-3

o37-to-26-to-4

o35-to-36

-20-

EXPERIMENT #9: Large Dominates Small - Capacitors in Parallel

Now you have capacitors in parallel, and you can probably predict what will happen. If not, just think about the last experiment and about how resistors in parallel combine, or think in terms of the water diagram again. Connect the wires according to the Wiring Checklist and press the switch several times to see.

Capacitors in parallel add together just like resistors in series, so here 10μF + 100μF = 110μF total circuit capacitance. In the water diagram, we are stretching

both rubber diaphragms at the same time so it will take longer than to stretch either one by itself. If you like you may experiment with different resistor values as you did in experiment #7. Although you do have two disc capacitors and a variable capacitor (which will be discussed later) there is no point in experimenting with them now, their capacitance values are so small that they would act as an open switch in any of the circuits discussed so far.

	Schematic					Water Diagram
					On/Off			Water
					Valve	Rocks	Rocks	Meter
							Rubber
							Diaphragms
					Pump

Wiring Checklist:

o 27-to-56

o55-to-43

o36-to-34-to-44-to-42

o45-to-3

o37-to-35-to-26-to-4

-21-

EXPERIMENT #10: Make Your Own Battery

Connect the wires according to the Wiring Checklist, noting that there is no switch and a long wire with one end connected to the 100μF capacitor and the other end unconnected. At this time no current will flow because nothing is connected to the battery. Now hold the loose wire and touch it to battery spring 27 and then remove it, the battery will instantly charge the capacitor since there is no resistance (actually there is some internal resistance in the battery and some in the wires but these are very small). The capacitor is now charged and is storing the electricity it received from the battery. It will remain charged as long as the loose wire is kept away from any metal. Now touch the loose wire to spring 43 on the 3.3KΩ resistor and watch the LED. It will initially be very bright but diminishes quickly as the capacitor discharges. Repeat charging and discharging the capacitor several times. You can also discharge the 100μF in small bursts by only briefly touching the 3.3KΩ. If you like you can experiment with using different values

in place of the 3.3KΩ; lower values will make the LED brighter but it will dim faster while with higher resistor values the LED won’t be as bright but it will stay on longer. You can also put a resistor in series with the battery when you charge the capacitor, then it will take time to fully charge the capacitor. What do you think would happen if you used a smaller capacitor value?

When the capacitor is charged up it is storing electricity which could be used elsewhere at a later time - it is like a battery! However, an electrolytic capacitor is not a very efficient battery. Storing electric charge between the plates of a capacitor uses much more space than storing the same amount of charge chemically within a battery - compare how long the 100μF lit the LED above with how your 9V battery runs all of your experiments!

Now is a good time to take notes for yourself on how capacitors work, since next we introduce the diode.

Schematic		Water Diagram
		At least one valve		Water
		is always closed.	Rocks	Meter

Rubber

Diaphragm

Pump

Wiring Checklist:

o 37-to-26-to-4

o42-to-3

o36-to-unconnected (use a long wire)

Loose

Wire

-22-