Play with Circuits in TinkerCAD�Learning Basic Electronics 101�VIRTUAL

TinkerCAD by AutoDesk

Nick Carter 07/29/26

Goals and Things to know.

• Introductions & Welcome
• This class is once a month on 2^nd Wednesday
• 3 other Intro class are cycled through every month on 4^th Wednesday
• Arduino, Sensors, LEDs.
• I will send everyone a copy of the slides
• There is a LOT of stuff in this class, so I may skip some today. After reviewing the slides later for skipped material, it is OK to reach out to me for more explanation if you want to.
• What I want
• To show you how to use Tinkercad so you can experiment
• To give you basic understanding of Voltage, Current, Resistance and Capacitance.
• We will touch on Inductance, Transistors, Diodes, LEDs.
• To learn what you want.

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Getting Started – make an account

• Go to web page “www.tinkercad.com”
• Register for an account – non adults please talk to your parents about what information to put in. They may want to put their information in for you to use.
• If you are under 13 you will need a parent or guardian to sign up for you
• Parents should look at the privacy statement and depending on age, some activities or access require parents involvement. Parents should read Children’s Privacy Policy at https://www.autodesk.com/company/legal-notices-trademarks/terms-of-service-autodesk360-web-services/terms-of-service-for-tinkercad
• Click “Sign up” at top right of home page.
• You will need a username and password, an age and an email address.
• They also ask for other information but I don’t think you need to put that.
• Other people can see your user name and your circuits but not much else.
• You can choose to share your circuits and also see, copy and tinker with other people’s shared circuits.

What is a Simulator?

• An Engineering Simulator lets you build things and test them using computer models.
• Games like Minecraft let you build computer models too.
• Circuit Simulators have models of Electronic components that you can connect together and see what happens when you apply electricity or signals or programs to them.

Arduino

How do you see what happens?�The same as in real life!

• You can see physical changes:
• If it is a motor it will move
• If it is a lamp/LED it will glow
• If it is a text display you will (hopefully) see text
• You can measure circuit parameters like current, voltage and resistance
• You can graph voltage changes over time with an Oscilloscope
• You can use a voltage detecting input on a microcontroller to “see” what voltage is on the input. (Not covered here - you will have to write a program for this - or use examples).
• It may not be good with complicated circuits as the remote simulator has to do a lot of calculating.

Novalabs New Electronics Bench�Now there is an Electronics Room!

Real Life – After Corona Virus

• In real life you can use the Nova Labs Electronics Bench
• Soldering stations/Tools
• Components/Wire
• Test Equipment
• Look for Open Electronics events on nova-labs.org calendar.
• Knowledgeable folks to talk to - also see Electronics Steward
• Get Green certification but it helps to take a soldering course. Check Nova Labs Class schedule – inperson learning
• Until Then use TinkerCAD or buy parts online to build stuff at home. Online - Adafruit , parts and good tutorials/Video
• Attend free Arduino Meeting – 3^rd Tuesday each month
• check Nova Maker’s Calendar
• Look for other Nova Labs Classes on their calendar
• www.nova-labs.org/calendar Calendar | NOVALabs (nova-labs.org)

Starting in TinkerCAD

• LOG IN
• SELECT “CIRCUITS”
• CLICK ON “CREATE NEW CIRCUIT”

Using TinkerCAD�After you click “Create new Circuit”�

Most icons will tell what they are if you hover cursor over.

Centers the circuit in the window

For programming

To get a component, move cursor over it and click and

hold left mouse button then drag it where you want it.

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When the component is selected you see a popup box

to change things

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To connect 2 components click on a terminal and drag the wire to where you want it to go then click again. You can pin it to a bend location by clicking for clear routing.

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A component terminal may have useful information when you hover the cursor over it.

What is there to build from�Click “All” on the Component menu and scroll up and down

• Basic components
• Components for Input
• Components for Output
• Power Components
• Breadboards
• Premade Circuit Assemblies
• Microcomputers
• Test Instruments

TinkerCAD Tips

• If you want to cancel wiring you are making use ESC key
• TinkerCAD gives the circuit a weird name, BUT you can change this – but not when you are tinkering it. Click on the TINKERCAD at top left and the click on the circuit and then the gear. Then you can change the name and other things about the circuit in Properties.
• Sometimes it takes 2 keystrokes to make changes.
• Because TinkerCAD program is on a remote computer, and communicates through the Internet and your WiFi, it can be slow to respond sometimes.
• Arduino programs run slower than real time.

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What is a circuit?

• A circuit is a conductive path that allows electricity to flow from one place to another. Flow of electricity is called “Current”
• For electricity to flow there has to be a difference in voltage potential between the two locations. How much current, depends on the voltage and the path resistance.
• Assume (in TinkerCAD) wires have no resistance and all resistance in the circuit is in the resistor component.

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No current flow

A circuit is connected

A circuit is not connected

+

-

Let’s Measure a Resistor

Get the Components:

• Find, click on and drag a Resistor and a Multimeter onto the workplace.

(Click on it once to select it and then drag then click again to drop it)

A Multimeter lets us measure resistance, voltage and current

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Connect the wires:

• Hover the cursor over the component terminal, click once, then drag the wire to another terminal and click to secure it.
• Wires can be routed by clicking to make a movable anchor point at any location.

Select Component Parameters

• Click on the component to select it and get properties pop-up. You can change things – e..g. the Name, the Value, the Mode.
• Try this for the resistor, multi-meter and wire

Change and Simulate your circuit

• Click on each component in turn and see the box that pops up. See what you can change and try changing things.
• Set the Multimeter to “Resistance”
• Change your wire colors using number keys.
• Rotate the components.
• Click the “Start Simulation” button.
• This turns the Electricity on and off to the circuit.
• See what you can change while simulation is ON.
• Turn off simulation to add or delete components
• What does the multi-meter read in other modes? Why?
• What changes on the resistor if you change its value? Why?
• The Multimeter measures the resistance by applying a voltage across it and measuring the current.
• You can verify this using another Multimeter to measure the Voltage.

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What makes current Flow?

Volts push current

Ohms restrict current

Amps (current) does what it can……..

Ohm’s Law�How a Multimeter Uses it. I= E/R

Resistance

Voltage

Current (Amperage)

Check out this video for more on Voltage, Current, Resistance AND electrons

Ohm's Law and Current/Voltage/Resistance analogies.

https://youtu.be/X_crwFuPht4?si=DcVlroA0PB3Cof36

Multimeters�Analog and Digital

Analog Meter

converts the

input signal to

a current in a

wire coil to

make a magnet

that pushes

against a fixed

magnet and

moves the

pointer.

Continuous movement.

Digital Meter converts

the input signal

to a voltage it can convert to digital then

the processor

displays it.

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Moves in steps

Both Measure, Volts AC and DC, Current Amps, Resistance Ohms, Connection Buzzer

USE THE OFF SWITCH POSITION!!!

Features

• High input resistance
• Internal amplifier
• All scales need battery
• Auto Zero Adjust
• Auto Range change
• Reading Hold Button
• Backlight

• Pointer driven by electromagnetism
• Low internal resistance – target drives needle
• Manual Zero Adjust – pointer and Ohms
• Manual Range change
• Battery for Ohms only
• Different scales per measurement class
• Mirror – enables alignment of pointer over scale for best reading

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ANALOG DIGITAL

Electrical Parameters and Basic Components

• Parameters of Electricity
• Voltage - the potential to send out electric current
• Current - the actual flowing of electricity, electrical charges (needs a voltage)
• Parameters of Materials the Electricity flows in (or not ☺).
• Conductors – Electricity passes through it in all directions
• Insulators - Electricity does not pass through it in any direction
• Semiconductors – Normally insulating but we can make it conduct. (Diodes and Transistors)
• Basic Components are made for convenience with specified amounts of these electrical properties, usually emphasizing one of them:
• Resistance 🡪 Resistor – gets rid of energy as heat, opposes current flow
• – the bigger, the less current flow for the same voltage
• Capacitance 🡪 Capacitor - stores electric charge energy as electric field
• The bigger, the more charge can be stored for the same voltage
• Inductance 🡪 Inductor – stores current (moving charges) energy as magnetic field
• the bigger, the more magnetic field for the same current

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All materials have these properties in some amount, small or large.

Considering all components have all these (even if very small) helps understand how things work.

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A.C. , D.C. and Polarity

• A.C. – Alternating current
• Current alternates between one way then the other repeatedly
• Power Grid and household power supply.
• Some components use this – e.g. motors, transformers
• D.C. – Direct Current
• Conventional Current only flows in one direction Positive to Negative
• Electrons are negative charged so go in the opposite direction
• Most electronic components use this
• POLARITY – Opposites - Positive (+) and Negative (--) on components
• Polarized, some capacitors, semiconductors – e.g. diodes, transistors, integrated circuits.
• Non-Polarized, resistors, inductors, some capacitors
• Some components care about which way they are connected and will only work one way
• Some components can be damaged if connected backwards.
• Usually marked on the component – or different lead length

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Interconnected Circuits�Shared wires

• With a wire of no resistance, all points on the wire are at the same voltage
• Wires can be shared between circuits to connect them to a voltage source.
• Sometimes redrawing the circuit can make understanding it easier.
• On the left, the 2 resistors share the wire back to the battery although there are 2 functional circuits, one for each resistor.
• On the right, each resistor has its own wire and the 2 circuits are separated and it is easier to identify them – function is the same
• At every wire junction the sum of current going in and going out = 0 (Kirchoff ‘s Law)

Current Flow in a Circuit

• This is one circuit even with 2 resistors. The same current has to flow through both resistors, and the red and black wires, there is nowhere else for it to go.
• The voltage across each is the same.
• The battery sees a resistance equal to the sum of the 2 resistances

Adding Circuit Currents - 1

• The total current in the battery is the sum of the current in each of the 2 circuits, circuits 1 & 2.
• Currents indicated by 1 and 2 are not numerical values. They just indicate which circuit the current is from. Each resistor’s current depends on the voltage across it.

Battery Current = currents 1 + 2

1+2

Adding Circuit Currents – 2�(Kirchoff’s Current Law)

• If wires are joined together the total current flowing in and out of the join must be the same. You can’t lose or gain any.
• Red wire current = sum of current 1 + current 2.
• The voltage at all points on the top wires or on the bottom wires is the same so the current in each resistor (and circuit) can be calculated separately (knowing the voltage and resistance) then added.

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Resistors in parallel

Resistance as seen by battery

= Rtotal

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1/Rtotal = 1/R1 + 1/R2

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This works for as many in parallel as you want.

1/Rtotal = 1/R1 + …1/Rn

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Adding Circuit Voltages 1

• If batteries are stacked, the voltages will be added. Connect the positive of one to the negative of the next.
• The batteries each provide the same current (One circuit.)
• 1.5 Volts + 1.5 Volts = 3.0 Volts

Adding Circuit Voltages 2�(Kirchoff’s Voltage Law)

• For any components in a circuit loop, the voltages can be added in the direct of the loop, and will sum to 0. That includes voltages across resistors, and voltage sources (batteries). Pay attention to the direction and polarity
• Loop 1 - Vb = Vr1 or (Vb - Vr1) = 0
• Loop 2 - Vr1 = (Vr2 + Vd1 + Vr3) or (Vr1 - Vr2 - Vd1 - Vr3) = 0

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Sizes of Things

• Resistance, Capacitance and Inductance is measured in units of OHMS, FARADS, HENRIES.
• Most electronic components use smaller or larger values that are inconvenient to write.
• These are shown by letters showing a multiplier for convenience. E.G.
• Mega x 1,000,000
• Kilo x 1,000
• Milli / 1,000
• Micro / 1,000,000
• Nano / 1,000,000,000
• Pico / 1,000,000,000,000

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Voltage/Current/Resistance relation.

• Volts, Ohms, Amps (short for Amperes) are related by
• Ohms Law Amps = Volts/Resistance
• 1 Amp = 1 Volt/1 Ohm
• 1 milliAmp = 1 Volt/1 KilOhm (Ohms is x 1000, Amps is /1000)
• In modern Electronics we try to save power.
• Power is proportional to the SQUARE of the current!!!
• Power (Watts) = Amps * Amps * Resistance = Volts* Volts / Resistance
• Power = Volts* Amps 1=1*1, 1=2*0.5 , 1=4*0.25
• Power costs $$$$$!!!
• So resistances are made large in value to keep current small
• Size of components is small, so capacitance and inductances are small
• In motors and power control, we have to consider AMPs.
• In AC distance power distribution we have to consider KiloVolts to reduce power losses (Higher Voltage, Lower current – less power loss).

(Power named after James Watt – famous for steam engines)

Voltage, Current and Resistance �in TinkerCAD

TinkerCAD Resistors

Fixed

Potentiometer

TinkerCAD

Power Sources

Adjustable

Power Supply

Multi-cell Battery

Single cell Battery (e.g. 1.5 Volts)

André-Marie Ampère (1775–1836), French mathematician and physicist

Georg Simon Ohm (1789 – 1854), German physicist and mathematician.

Alessandro Volta (1745–1827) Italian physicist, inventor of the electric battery

Resistors come in all sizes

These are glazed and

get very hot

These are variable, by turning

the rod in the center and

also get very hot

10 inches

10 inches

10 inches

10 inches

For use on circuit boards

To mount on panels

To mount on miniature

circuit boards

1/4 to 1/8 inches long

This one takes

10,000 Amps

http://makezine.com/2013/04/11/take-a-look-at-the-resistor/

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Building Circuits - 1

• TinkerCAD lets you build circuits 2 ways
• You can just join the component with wires by drag and click
• Physical implementation would be
• Free form soldering - solder wires together
• Using anchor points or terminal strips for joining multiple wires. Each anchor terminal is like a group of holes on the breadboard
• Using a terminal block where wires are held together with a screw.
• Other ways also.

Building Circuits - 2

• Or you can use a Breadboard like real ones
• The breadboard has groups of holes that are electrically connected together inside and component leads are pushed into the holes on a group to join them together - acting electrically just like the solder joint.
• TinkerCAD has 3 sizes of Breadboard.
• This is how the name originated https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HrG98HJ3Z6w

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Shortcuts

Let’s Make a Bigger Circuit

Negative

Positive

Voltage

Amperage

Let’s Make a Bigger Circuit -2

• Select component menu “Starter’s Basic”
• Select “Resistor” and drag it onto the blank area
• Find and Select a Multimeter
• Drag two of them onto the blank area
• Select each multi-meter in turn and make the Mode on one Amperage (current) and the other “Voltage”
• Select a AA cell battery and drag it to the blank area
• Connect the Voltage Mode multi-meter across the battery
• Connect + to + and – to --
• Connect the Amperage Mode meter to the battery
• Connect + to +
• Connect the resistor
• One end to battery – and one end to - on the Amperage Multimeter

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Investigate OHM’s Law

• OHM’s Law says VOLTAGE = CURRENT x RESISTANCE
• Try changing the voltage and resistance and see if he is right!
• Tip – use Volts, Kil-Ohms (Ohms x 1000) and milli-Amps (Amps /1000) and the “1000”s cancel out.

Resistors get rid of

electricity, changing

It into heat.

Did you Try These Things?

• Change wire colors
• Change Resistor value
• Change the battery size
• What do you see change?
• Is Ohm’s Law right?
• Try connecting another resistor inline with the other
• How does this change things
• Try connecting another resistor across (in parallel) with the other
• How does this change things
• Scrolling the mouse wheel? In different places?
• Try making the resistor very small – what does the battery do? Why?

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Capacitors come in all sizes

For Electrical Power Systems

For circuit boards

For small circuit boards

For power supplies

10 inches

10 inches

10 inches

5 inches

5 feet

http://makezine.com/video/make-presents-the-capacitor/

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Charge and Capacitance

VOLTAGE (Volts)

CAPACITANCE

(Farads)

CHARGE = Volts x Capacity

ELECTRICAL CHARGE (Coulombs)

Is stored by the capacitor (Farads)

FARAD was named after Michael Faraday, (1791 –1867)

English scientist, invented electric motors (and lots more)

COULOMB named after Charles-Augustin de Coulomb (1736 –1806)

French physicist, worked out attraction by electric charges. (Static cling)

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10

10

10 volt across 1 Farad, stores 10 Coulomb (10x1 = 10)

20 volts across 2 Farads stores 40 Coulombs (20x2 = 40)

1 Farad

Capacitor

2 Farad

Capacitor

20V

10V

10

10

---

+++

Charge, Current and Time

10

10

1 Farad

bucket

2 Farad

bucket

20V

10V

10

10

Think of charge, current and capacitance like

water flow gallons, gallons per minute and buckets.

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• A current of 10 Amperes flowing for 1 second

will transfer 10 Coulombs of charge.

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• A change in Voltage
• Means a change in stored charge
• Needs a current to change the charge

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• 10 Coulombs of charge in a 1 Farad

capacitor makes a Voltage of 10 Volts.

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Coulombs of charge

How do Capacitors work

• Capacitors store charge and energy as an electrostatic field between 2 “plates”.
• Static Electricity discharge ZAP! – you are a capacitor!
• For any voltage, the amount of energy it can store depends on the area of the plates and the material between them (the dielectric).
• Capacitors block DC and pass AC

+++

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Investigate Charge Storage�(find “NCELCAP Novalabs”)�)

• Make this circuit

Simulate it, wait, then change the left switch. What happens?

Then change the right switch. What happens?

Simulate your circuit

• Click the “Start Simulation” button.
• This turns the Electricity on and off to the circuit.
• Turn off simulation to add or delete components
• Some component values can be changed
• Wait few seconds. Operate the slide switches with the mouse and see what happens
• Does the Capacitor Voltage go to 0?
• Does it still have charge? What is happening?

How can we understand more?

• Add an Oscilloscope to see changes over time
• Connect across the capacitor
• Operate the slide switch back and forth with pause between long enough to get a picture on the oscilloscope.
• Why does it take so long to get a picture?

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• Add a Amperage meter to see LED current
• Connect inline with the LED

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• What do you see now?

HMM!

Transformer

Transfers energy from one coil to another

through the magnetic field

The voltage change from input to output

Depends on ratio of number of turns of wire.

2.55NanoHenry

(0.00000000255 HENRY)

2 mm

From small

5 in

0.024 Henrys

20 Amp rating

Weighs 21 lbs.

To larger

To HUGE!!

15 Mega Volt Amp Transformer

(15,000,000 Watts)

Alternating

Voltage

(A.C.)

Iron core

Inductors come in many sizes

But we will not use them in this course.

More Inductors

http://www.inductor.com/

For makezine video

Coil tek

Coil tek

These look like but are not resistors

5 feet

Variable transformer

Transformers

Coils and Transformers

Coils

Inductors Store Energy

HENRY - named after Joseph Henry (1797–1878)

American scientist who discovered electromagnetic induction

• Made by winding wire in a coil. The more turns the higher the inductance.
• Often have a center core of iron or ferrite to increase the inductance.
• Stores energy in its magnetic field made while current is flowing
• Resists changes in current
• Many uses:
• Changing Alternating voltages (transformer)
• Protecting against current surges (choke)
• Electromagnets
• Motors/Generators
• Used in Radios/TVs/PCs/Phones (frequency tuning)

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Crystal Radio

Silicon Transistors and Diodes

• A bipolar transistor is made from a Semiconductor, most usually Silicon. The Silicon is made to be able to conduct by introducing impurities into it. This is called “doping”.
• If the impurities make extra electrons it is called N-type or negatively doped.
• If the impurities make less electrons it is called P-type or positively doped. Some people call the absence of an electron a “hole”.
• There are 3 parts each connected to a lead.
• Emitter, Base and Collector
• The base is between the Emitter and Collector and controls the current flow. It takes about 0.7 Volt between Base and Emitter to make current flow. When designing you need to allow for the base current which flows to the emitter.
• A silicon diode is made with 2 semiconductor layers P and N and also needs 0.7 Volt for current to flow

Light Emitting Diode LED

They are EVERYWHERE!

• LEDs are made from 2 kinds of special semiconductor joined together.
• When a voltage is applied, current flows and electrons flow from one kind to the other.
• When they get to the second semiconductor type they give up energy as Photons

making visible light.

• It usually takes between 2 and 3 volts to make this happen to overcome the barrier formed by the 2 kinds of semiconductor.
• Different kinds make different color light and have different voltages.
• Typically LEDs we use need 1 to 20 milliAmps to make light.
• More current may damage them

N-P-N-Type Transistors� bipolar junction transistor 

• N-P-N Type transistor. (They also make P-N-P)
• Collector goes to positive voltage
• Emitter goes to more negative voltage
• Base must be about 0.7 volt positive of the Emitter and then it will conduct.
• Base current enables C-E current
• Only a small amount of Base current

Enables a larger amount of C-E current

• This is called “GAIN”
• The gain ratio is called the Beta
• In formulae, the current is called “I”
• FET Field Effect Transistors (P and N types)
• Act like a switch between “Source” and “Drain” controlled by the voltage on the “Gate”.
• Gate current is very, very, small and can usually be ignored.

Cadmium Sulphide (CdS) Light Sensor

• Resistance changes depending on light
• To use it for control, we have to sense changes in resistance by converting that into a voltage that we can measure.
• The easiest way is to make a potential divider using another resistor so that the Battery voltage is divided based on the ratio of the resistances.
• But what is the resistance of it?
• We can measure it with the multimeter. Yes, In TinkerCad.
• What resistor value should we use?

Let’s Try it

• Make this circuit and start to simulate.
• Turn S1 ON and S2 OFF and vary the Photo-resistor light and see how the resistance changes
• Turn S1 OFF and S2 ON and see how the voltage across the resistor varies with light level. Try different Resistor values.
• What resistor gives better sensitivity for low or high light levels?

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Making a Light Detector�Control a Transistor (night-light)

Light Sensor

Push to test

Sensitivity adjust

C

B

E

Drag on a multimeter and measure the voltage across the Photo-resistor

Search for “NCELNightLight – NOVALABS”

Optional if time or for later play.

• Semiconductors
• Breadboards
• Function Generator
• A puzzle

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BREADBOARDS

Diodes

• Like other components they come in all shapes and sized depending on application.
• Common types/configurations
• Small Signal diode – passes current of > 2 Amps forwards
• Zener Diode – used in reverse, as it will breakdown and conduct at fixed voltages so can be used to generate stable voltage sources.
• Light Emitting Diode (already described)
• Rectifier Diode - designed to convert A.C. into D.C.
• Rectifier Bridge - 4 rectifier diodes connected in a ring to conver A.C. to D.C. very efficiently.
• Photo Diode – a diode with transparent cover designed so that photons will enable passage off electrons and allow current to flow. (Many diodes would be photo sensitive if not enclosed in light proof containers.)
• Silicon or Germanium diodes – Most semiconductor components are made of Silicon, it is cheap and stable in use. First semiconductors were made with Germanium and now it is only used for special purposes e.g. very high current applications, as it has a smaller voltage drop than Silicon (0.2 V vs. 0.7 V – saves power)

Making a Circuit

• Find and drag an empty breadboard on to work area. Each dot is a hole for a component wire. Hover the mouse and connected holes will link
• Type a name for your circuit – instead of “Wierd Name”
• Hover mouse over breadboard holes to see what connects

Components

• Click + Component.
• A scrolling window appears with components. Scroll up and down to see. Click on the component and click on the breadboard to get one on it. Then try deleting it. (Delete or trash can)
• Try “Undo” and “Redo” buttons
• If the wires end on breadboard holes they will “connect” to the breadboard wiring. You can drag the component and rotate it to make it where you want. Components have connectors at wire ends. Hover the mouse over to see them.
• You can add your own wires too. Click on a breadboard hole or component connector point and move the mouse to make a wire. Click on another hole to join the holes. ESC key cancels the wire.

Make your LED circuit with LED, Resistor, Battery and Switch

• You have to imagine the wiring in the breadboard.
• Each group of connected holes is like the solder joint we made – connecting all components in the group.
• Use + Component to put a Resistor, LED, Battery with 2 AA cells and a Slide Switch onto the bread board so they connect to the holes to let you connect to the next component
• You may have to rotate them to get the component ends on the breadboard rows.
• LED long lead is + side

You can put components and wires anywhere else on the breadboard that will connect them

Make your LED circuit and Resistor and Battery and Switch

• You have to imagine the wiring in the breadboard.
• Each group of connected holes is like the solder joint we made – connecting all components in the group.
• Battery+ to Switch to Resistor to LED to Battery --.

Here is ONE way – But you can put components and wires anywhere else on the breadboard that will connect them

From circuit to breadboard

• Here is the “NightLght” circuit and a rearranged “DayLight” circuit which turns LED on when there is light put onto breadboard.
• See if you can understand the differences in strategy in turning on and off the transistor. The Push to test button location is a clue.
• Tinkercad provides a good way to design the implementation before doing it on breadboard for real.
• All are “public” and searchable

Breadboard the NCELNightlight�(LED OFF in high light)

Push to test

Light Sensor

On/Off

Sensitivity Adjust

The circuit made easy to build – using a “Breadboard”

Remember, the vertical sets of 5 holes are the junction of components and wires.

Search: NCELNightlight Breadboard Circuit

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Daylight circuit (public)�NCELDayLight - NovaLabs

Search: NCELDayLight - NovaLabs

Breadboard the light detector�(LED ON in high light)

Light Sensor

On/Off

Push to test

Sensitivity Adjust

The circuit made easy to build – using a “Breadboard”

Search: NCELDaylight Breadboard Circuit

Time to Play - Try This……

• Test just the sensor in simulation using a multimeter -in Resistance Mode across the terminals.
• Try this in both directions. The multi-meter measures resistance by putting a voltage on the component to see how much current flows (Ohm’s Law again!)
• Semiconductors may have different resistance in different directions. Try measuring a diode or a transistor.
• Try measuring resistance of a big capacitor say 100 micro Farads.
• Try using a Voltage meter to see what the voltage is used to measure resistance (resistance is measured by measuring current when a voltage is put across a resistor)
• Pick any prebuilt circuit and try it. Try changing it or measuring it.

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Try making this�Look at the different wave shapes�Sound is not too good sometimes though.

Function Generator Oscilloscope Piezo Speaker.

Can you trace the circuit connections?

https://www.tinkercad.com/things/4F68D1D6Bh3

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Find it at

Electricity - It’s All Related

There are small capacitors

between everything

🡨 + + + + + + + + +

LOAD RESISTANCE

Flow of electric charge

makes Current

Electrical Energy is changed

to heat in the

Resistance of

the conductor

Current flow in wire makes a Magnetic Field like small inductors

Separated Positive or

Negative charge

make Voltage

e.g. Battery or

charged capacitor

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Charges attract opposite polarity charges

Electrical Charges will flow

through a conductor

ALL THESE ARE THERE BUT WE USUALLY IGNORE SOME IF THE EFFECT IS SMALL.�WE CHOOSE ELECTICAL COMPONENTS SO THAT THE EFFECT WE WANT IS MAXIMIZED

Conductors have

Resistance to

current flow

Charge on an object makes an Electric Field

(like static electricity)

Further References

• TinkerCad: Building Basic Circuits | Arizona STEM Acceleration Project (ASAP) (asu.edu)
• Learn Circuits (tinkercad.com)
• Through Edx,
• NUS CFB001x Circuits for beginners
• Electrical engineering | Science | Khan Academy
• Solar Boat Project
• https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfieDCl51fzj2rqD-qyZlVCtdgJEvQcLk
• Solar Boat TinkerCAD Video https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M3lvsnL3S1sXMuucUMR-LgADxzhl-lcd/view?usp=sharing

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