Page 412 - Robot Builder's Bonanza

Chapter 31

Common Electronic

Components for Robotics

omponents are the things that make your electronic projects tick. Any given robot proj-
Cect might contain a dozen or more electronic components of varying types, including
resistors, capacitors, integrated circuits, and light- emitting diodes.
In this chapter, you’ll learn about the components commonly found in electronics for
robotics, and the roles they play in making the circuits work. We’ve got a lot of ground to
cover, so let’s get started.

But First, a Word about Electronics Symbols

Electronics use a kind of specialized road map to tell you what components are being used in
a circuit and how they are connected together. This pictorial road map is called the schematic;
it is a blueprint that tells you just about everything you need to know to build the circuit.
Schematics are composed of special symbols that are connected with intersecting lines.
The symbols represent individual components, and the lines are the wires that connect these
components together. The language of schematics, while far from universal, is intended to
enable most anyone to duplicate the construction of a circuit with little more information than
a picture.
Forget what you might have read in some of the other books— learning how to read a
schematic isn’t hard. Especially as it relates to robotics, all it takes is learning the meaning of
a few basic symbols.
In this chapter you’re introduced to the symbol for each of the primary electronic compo-
nents. These symbols are combined with those shown in Figure 31- 1 that show how the
various components are wired together. Purely for example purposes, Figure 31- 2 shows how
some symbols are interconnected to build a simple circuit— push the switch and the
light- emitting diode turns on.

381

31-chapter-31.indd 381 4/21/11 11:56 AM