-7-
(marked Ge); they each have their own uses as we’ll
explain later.
Transistors: Your lab kit has three transistors. The
working part of each transistor is a tiny chip (made of
either germanium or silicon). Each transistor has
three connection points: B (base), C (collector), and
E (emitter). Transistors are used to amplify weak
signals. They are also used as switches to connect or
disconnect other components and as oscillators to
allow signals to flow in pulses.
LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes): LED stands for Light
Emitting Diode. These little parts are special diodes
that give off light when electricity flows through them.
(Current can pass through only in one direction - just
like “regular” diodes).
LED Digital Display: To make the display, seven
LEDs are arranged to form an outline that can show
all the numbers and most of the letters in our
alphabet. An eighth LED is added for the decimal
point.
The LED display is mounted on a little board with
resistors permanently wired to it. (The resistors are
there to help prevent you from burning out the
display with excess current).
Integrated Circuit: As you might already know, after
the transistor was invented in the middle 1940’s, the
next big breakthrough in electronics was the
integrated circuit in the early 1960’s. The great
advantage of ICs (as we call them) is that the
equivalent of hundreds or even thousands of
transistors, diodes, and resistors can be put into a
small package.
There are two types of ICs used in this kit - the quad
two-input NAND and the dual-operational amplifier.
You will learn more about these later.
Our simple ICs will help you learn enough to begin to
understand the basic principles of the more
advanced ICs.
Cadmium Sulfide (CdS) Cell:
This is a
semiconductor - that is, it conducts electricity, but
partially resists it. The resistance of this device
changes with the amount of light that shines on it. (It
is similar to your kit’s control - to vary the resistance
of the control, you rotate the knob; to vary the
resistance of the CdS cell, you permit more or less
light to shine on the front of the cell.)
Note: We’ve provided a special light shield to use
with the CdS cell. When you place this over the cell,
it helps block light from the cell.
PNP
NPN
Summary of Contents for EP-130
Page 11: ... 11 I ENTERTAINMENT CIRCUITS ...
Page 26: ... 26 II BASIC SEMICONDUCTOR AND COMPONENTS CIRCUITS ...
Page 36: ... 36 III LED DIGITAL DISPLAY CIRCUITS ...
Page 41: ... 41 IV A TOUR THROUGH DIGITAL CIRCUITS ...
Page 49: ... 49 V MORE ADVENTURES WITH DIGITAL CIRCUITS ...
Page 64: ... 64 VI THE WORLD OF TRANSISTOR TRANSISTOR LOGIC ...
Page 77: ... 77 VII APPLICATION CIRCUITS BASED ON THE OSCILLATOR ...
Page 88: ... 88 VIII BASIC OPERATIONAL AMPLIFIER CIRCUITS ...
Page 116: ... 116 IX MORE ADVENTURES WITH OPERATIONAL AMPLIFIERS ...
Page 129: ... 129 X COMMUNICATION CIRCUITS ...