The Circuit

Developing maker projects that require electronic components also requires knowing what a circuit is and what it does An electronic circuit is a pathway in which the flow of current can travel A circuit can be open or closed but must contain a voltage source, conductive path, and a load A very simple circuit would be a battery to a lamp In this example:

Load

Voltage Source

Conductive Path

A schematic diagram maps out the circuit with symbols It gives a visual representation of where the electronic components will be placed and how they will be used

An excellent way for beginners to get to learn and become comfortable with building circuits is by practicing! Testing circuits on a blank board is called breadboarding It doesn't involve soldering because the connections in the breadboard are temporary, and it is used only for testing. By learning how to build circuits on a breadboard, beginners can learn the basics before jumping to the next step -- soldering.

Soldering

Learning to solder is also going to become necessary when learning how to work with electronic components. Soldering creates a permanent connection between electronic components with the use of solder (a meltable metal alloy) and a soldering iron. It is similar to welding, as it uses heat to seal metal together. The soldering gun melts the solder that joins the components to a circuit board. Flux, a cleaning agent, is used to remove oxidation from the solder, which makes soldering smooth Although soldering can be done without flux, it is difficult to do so Soldering involves a very hot iron and is not something a person should undertake without following necessary safety measures More detailed information about soldering is available online from various sources

What now?

The above is a fundamental explanation of electronics and by no means covers everything Thankfully, there are plenty of sources to complement this basic knowledge and learn even more Many sites offer everything from written and video tutorials to actual online classes

Adafruit has a massive learning section appropriately titled Start Learning Electronics at https://learn adafruit com/guides/beginner It contains everything from learning the basics to getting started with your first project -- and more It is a wonderful resource regardless of what level of learning a person is at when it comes to exploring the world of electronics.

Visit the following websites to start a lifetime of discovery with electronics:

Raspberry Pi - https://www.raspberrypi.org/

Arduino - https://www.arduino.cc/

Sparkfun Electronics - https://www.sparkfun.com/

Make Magazine - https://makezine.com/

Microsoft MakeCode - https://www.microsoft.com/enus/makecode

Pimoroni - https://shop.pimoroni.com/

Micro:bit - https://microbit.org/