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A good way to learn about circuits is to buy a "Breadboard." Here is one on the left. Radio Shack has them for about $12. You can stick components into the holes on the board, and use wires to connect the parts until you have the circuit wired up correctly. It is a great way to learn about the functions of the components, and also can help you design new circuits. The vertical columns in the center of the Breadboard, with 5 holes each, are connected together such that you can stick parts into a 5-hole column and they are "wired" together. |
The horizontal rows along the edges of the Breadboard, with 5 holes each, are connected in the same way. It is a good idea to use red and black wire to help you keep track of the "plus" and "minus" sides of the circuit. You can test different circuit configurations without doing any soldering! Anybody likes that! Another way to learn about electronics
is to buy one of those electronic learning kits: they usually come with
a breadboard, several types of electronic components, and
instructions. |
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When the CD is covered up (simulating night), the LEDs turn on! You can see them glowing red in the middle of the breadboard in the photo on the left. The circuit passes the second test! Here are some testing schematics to help you build your first circuit one step at a time and testing each step: by Mike Tarrant. These images are scaled to print
landscape: |
