Final Project (Burglar Alarm Kit)
What is it?
it is a circuit board with an LED, and speaker as its primary loads. it uses multiple resistors, an SCR, a switch, two capacitors, and two push buttons (one normally open and the other normally closed) How Does it Work? Electricity travels through the negative side of the battery to the circuit where it either flows through the circuit or stops depending on the positioning of the switch. If the switch is closed electricity will travel through the circuit and store itself in one of two capacitors. the LED light should also be lit to signify a good electrical connection, once one of the buttons are pressed the speaker should sound of due to one or two reasons, the normally open will open the gate on the SCR, or the normally closed will break the circuit causing the capacitors to drain their supply of energy and activate the speaker. Why is this important? Both techniques are important since one button demonstrates how a break in a circuit can cause electricity to jump form one point t o another and can be used to activate certain loads when a break occurs (similar to how a circuit breaker works). The other button shows us how an SCR can be used as a gateway to open or close a circuit and send a continuous flow of electricity into the circuit |
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Course Summery
Practical electronics is a course that focuses on primarily on the relationship between resistance, current, and voltage and how these measurements can be used to harness electricity through circuit boards and loads. In the beginning of the course we learn about how electricity is used in our everyday lives and how much we rely on it today to provide food, transport, and lifesaving machines. We the begin to learn about electrical safety and precautions, going over safety equipment and emergency safety measures ranging from shutting off the power and prying a "frozen"" victim off of a circuit. Once this is understood we move onto the three main components of electricity voltage, current, and resistance. Voltage is defined as the difference in potential in two areas, it is pushed by the current where it travels across the circuit and may face different levels of resistance in the circuit. Resistance being the force against the flow of electrons is used to prevent too much voltage from entering a circuit and possibly damaging any connected loads. There are different levels of resistors for different demands put on the circuit. After this we begin to work with our breadboards and create and observe our circuits, building upon our knowledge with new components for each unit until we reach our final project, a burglar alarm box that uses components we learned about each lab along the way. Overall as a problem solver and someone who prefers to work with their hands, I would recommend this course to anyone who grew up with a passion for building things as the process may be hard and have many setbacks along the way, but once you get a completed circuit, the amount of pride and accomplishment you will feel is immeasurable.