Understanding Modern Electronics

Overview — Course No. 1162

Electronic devices are integral to modern life, yet their inner workings remain a mystery to most. Understanding Modern Electronics demystifies these devices, offering clear explanations of principles governing circuits and components without delving into complex mathematics. Award-winning professor Richard Wolfson guides you through 24 lectures, exploring everything from basic circuit diagrams to the sophisticated world of semiconductors and transistors. Learn how to measure electric power, decipher circuit diagrams, and build your own devices using readily available components. Gain hands-on experience with example problems and projects.

Video Lessons

01: Electricity and Electronics

Understand the distinction between electricity and electronics, and learn fundamental concepts like Ohm’s law and electric power measurement.

Duration: 35 min

02: Circuits and Symbols

Familiarize yourself with circuit diagrams, and learn how components like resistors and capacitors interact when arranged in series or parallel.

Duration: 30 min

03: Instruments and Measurement

Meet essential measuring instruments: voltmeters, ammeters, ohmmeters, multimeters, and oscilloscopes, and see how they interact with circuits.

Duration: 33 min

04: AC versus DC

Examine the differences between alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC), and understand how transformers and diodes play roles in modern electronics.

Duration: 28 min

05: Up the Treble, Down the Bass!

Learn about electronic filters and how capacitors help manage and regulate electronic noise in circuits.

Duration: 29 min

06: Semiconductors—The Miracle Material

Discover the atomic properties of semiconductors and how they form the basis of transistors and integrated circuits.

Duration: 29 min

07: Transistors and How They Work

Understand how transistors function as electronic switches and amplifiers, focusing on field effect transistors (FETs) and bipolar junction transistors (BJTs).

Duration: 29 min

08: Transistors as Amplifiers

Learn how to increase the voltage, current, or power of an electronic signal using transistors and negative feedback.

Duration: 29 min

09: Building an Audio Amplifier

Construct a complete audio amplifier, adding capacitors for gain, diodes for distortion prevention, and a volume control.

Duration: 31 min

10: The Ideal Amplifier

Define characteristics of the ideal amplifier and see how operational amplifiers (op-amps) achieve near-infinite gain.

Duration: 32 min

11: Feedback Magic

Harness the power of negative feedback in op-amp circuits for precise control and amplification.

Duration: 33 min

12: Electronic Feedback

Explore peak detectors, Schmitt triggers, and design an alarm circuit for a freezer.

Duration: 30 min

13: Using Op-Amps with Capacitors

Introduce capacitors to op-amp circuits for time-dependent behaviors and mathematical integration.

Duration: 30 min

14: Digital Versus Analog

Dive into the digital realm, understanding binary numbers, logic gates, and truth tables.

Duration: 37 min

15: Electronics Goes Digital

Combine logic gates and transistors to form complex circuits, including the foundation of computer logic.

Duration: 40 min

16: Flip-Flop Circuits

Learn about flip-flop circuits that remember states until triggered to change, forming the basis of memory circuits.

Duration: 34 min

17: Shift and Divide—Your USB and Your Watch

See how digital circuits send and receive information serially, and how T flip-flops function as frequency dividers in devices like quartz watches.

Duration: 31 min

18: Digital Memory

Compare different types of digital memory: random-access versus sequential, volatile versus non-volatile.

Duration: 30 min

19: Digital Counters

Explore flip-flop-based counting circuits and their applications in various electronic devices.

Duration: 29 min

20: Digital to Analog

Learn about digital-to-analog converters (DACs) and their role in translating digital signals into perceivable analog forms.

Duration: 30 min

21: Analog to Digital

Examine methods for converting analog signals to digital information, including flash, integrating, and feedback converters.

Duration: 31 min

22: Your Future in Electronics

Conclude with insights into microcontrollers and a demonstration of an advanced photovoltaic panel circuit.

Duration: 35 min