Printed Circuit Boards
Written by a world-renowned electronics expert, this reader-friendly guide helps engineers and technicians solve issues in PCB layout, fabrication, assembly, and testing.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Printed Circuit Boards
Chapter 2: Electronic Components
2.1 Basics of Electronic Components
An electronic component is any device that handles electricity. Electronic components come in many different shapes and sizes, and perform different electrical functions depending upon the purpose for which they are used. Accordingly, electronic equipments make use of a variety of components. Some of the basic characteristics associated with electronic components are discussed below.
2.1.1 Active Vs Passive Components
There are broadly two types (Figure 2.1) of components: passive components and active components.
Figure 2.1: Types of components. (a) passive components (i) resistors (ii) capacitors; (b) active components (i) transistors (ii) integrated circuit
Passive Components
A passive device is one that contributes no power gain (amplification) to a circuit or system. It has no control action and does not require any input other than a signal to perform its function. Since passive components always have a gain less than one, they cannot oscillate or amplify a signal. A combination of passive components can multiply a signal by values less than one; they can shift the phase of a signal, reject a signal because it is not made up of the correct frequencies, and control complex circuits, but they cannot multiply by more than one because they basically lack gain. Passive devices include resistors, capacitors and inductors.
Active Components
Active components are devices that are capable of controlling voltages or currents and can create a switching action in the circuit. They can amplify or interpret a signal. They include diodes, transistors and integrated circuits. They...
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