Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange
Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [components]

Components are the most basic elements in an electronic circuit. Characteristic is that they're in a single package. There are passive and active components, from as simple as a zero-ohm resistor to as complex as a multi-billion transistor IC.

This tag should be used in questions related to mystery components, about what component you should use in a specific scenario, or any question about what component to use to achieve a desired result in a circuit.

1560 questions
101
votes
29 answers

What's the best way to store and categorise resistors/capacitors/ICs/etc?

I did a big cleanup of my collection of parts today and I now have a big pile of parts on my desk (the majority of which is resistors). My previous method of finding the resistor value I wanted was to look through my little box and read the colour…
jeremy
  • 5,055
  • 5
  • 33
  • 32
97
votes
4 answers

What kind of components are black blobs on a PCB?

In low-cost mass-produced items I often run into black blobs of what looks like resin applied directly on top of something on the PCB. What are these things exactly? I suspect this is some kind of custom IC that is layed out directly on the PCB to…
drxzcl
  • 3,735
  • 2
  • 30
  • 32
67
votes
4 answers

What kind of glue should I use for PCB-mounted components to avoid vibrations?

I want to protect the PCB-mounted components from vibrations. What kind of glue/substance should I use? What are the most prone to failure components due to vibrations?
m.Alin
  • 10,638
  • 19
  • 62
  • 89
64
votes
3 answers

Why are there only four passive elements?

I've read that there are four types of passive elements: resistances, capacitors, inductors and memristors. The memristor was predicted 30 years before it was produced. But why couldn't you invent other type of passive element? Is there a proof? The…
jinawee
  • 1,086
  • 9
  • 12
64
votes
3 answers

How do I identify SMD components? (or how do I identify any component)

How do I identify the markings on an SMT component and match it up with a part number so I can be a good designer and actually look at a datasheet (and read the whole thing)? Or identify a part to replace an unknown part on a PCB?
Voltage Spike
  • 75,799
  • 36
  • 80
  • 208
60
votes
2 answers

"Remove After Washing" on Piezo Buzzer

Maybe this is a stupid question, but here goes: I just got a piezo buzzer and on the top there is a sticker that says "Remove After Washing". My question is why would I ever want to wash an electronic part? I have no idea. Is there some…
kmort
  • 862
  • 1
  • 7
  • 12
55
votes
5 answers

Triac versus Relay

What are the scenarios where Triacs can not replace a relay or vice-versa?
Daniel Grillo
  • 7,659
  • 18
  • 51
  • 69
50
votes
10 answers

Why hasn't my LED burned out by now?

I have a 15 year old ReplayTV DVR. I got it used, I'm not sure when, but probably about a decade ago. It's turned on almost all the time, and it has a blue power LED on the front. The LED FAQ says that many LEDs have a rated lifetime of 50,000…
Barmar
  • 689
  • 1
  • 5
  • 7
49
votes
18 answers

Which electronics components should I always have on hand?

I am thinking about ordering up some parts for every day use. I am thinking about making one big purchase so as to minimize on shipping and other charges. What are some of the components that any electronics hobbyist should have around ALL the…
jdiaz
  • 1,933
  • 4
  • 21
  • 20
46
votes
11 answers

Is there a dual of the transformer?

Capacitors and inductors are duals of each other. A transformer is made of two inductors, and transfers power through mutual inductance, through the magnetic near-field (right?) Also, you can vary the ratio of voltages or currents by changing the…
endolith
  • 28,494
  • 23
  • 117
  • 181
46
votes
7 answers

How do you document your hardware design decisions?

How do you document your hardware decisions in the design phase? How do you avoid having to ask yourself the following questions while reviewing an hardware design that you made in the past: Why did a choose this component? Why/how did I choose…
m.Alin
  • 10,638
  • 19
  • 62
  • 89
44
votes
8 answers

What tools, equipment, and techniques do you use to solder fine-pitch SMT parts?

Possibly many questions have been asked on soldering smd parts, but I haven't found specific answers, Like: Do you use a watchmakers lens or some other type of magnifying glass while soldering these miniature components? What would be most optimum…
Kevin Boyd
  • 1,971
  • 4
  • 23
  • 28
41
votes
9 answers

How to read the text printed on top of every IC?

I find very difficult to read part numbers. I haven't figured out how which kind the ideal amount of light and inclination would help me. I also wonder why chipmakers don't paint the numbers in white for a better contrast.
Jader Dias
  • 1,963
  • 5
  • 23
  • 27
41
votes
7 answers

Is there any reasoning behind component names?

All the components I own have strange names, like a transistor called 2N2222 and a motor driver called L293D. When you see these kind of things writen down do you instantly know what it means or do you have to google it every time? How much…
Buh Buh
  • 521
  • 6
  • 10
39
votes
9 answers

Parts shortage, no stock, what now? (canonical reference question)

As a small business, student, or hobbyist, sometimes the parts I need are unavailable (no stock anywhere). Maybe authorized distributor will take order but they will not ship for 10, 20, 30 weeks, which is a very long time to wait. If I search on…
MarkU
  • 14,413
  • 1
  • 34
  • 53
1
2 3
…
99 100