PRACTICAL ELECTRONICS

1. PRACTICAL ELECTRONICS MASTERCLASS (Mr Bell) (COMPUTERS REQUIRED FOR 1ST & 2nd PERIOD)

2. What makes a Circuit? 9V Battery Direction of electricity • Circuits need to be complete for them to work properly. • This means that the wires must go in a full loop around from the power source and back again. • The green arrows show the direction of the electricity. Going from the positive side of the battery, around the circuit and back to the negative side. • - Filament lamp

3. Circuits that are not complete will not work because the electricity can not travel around them properly. • None of these circuits are complete, so none of them will work. • Can you see why?

4. Mains power supply • Every circuit has a power source to work. It can either be cells (batteries) or mains. • Remember the mains electricity is MUCH more powerful than batteries (230Volts) and can be very dangerous. Do not mess around with electric mains!! Batteries

5. When using more than one battery • If you are using more than one battery in a circuit, remember that they need to be connected so that they are all facing the same direction in the circuit. • In other words positive to negative, not positive to positive or negative to negative.

6. What is YENKA? • Yenka is a suite of educational software products which lets students simulate experiments, create mathematical models, learn computer programming. • However we want to use it for its ability to design electronic circuits. • Yenka was developed by a company called Crocodile Clips Ltd, which is an older software package used in schools when they first started teaching electronics. • The package is FREE to download at home. • http://www.yenka.com/en/Free_student_home_licences/

7. Getting started: • Click the windows button and open the technical folder and click on Yenka. • Once loaded select the basic circuits and click OK. • Then select the NEW tab.

8. Save button – remember to save your work in to your own Yenka folder. Edit toolbar – to make changes to your work Full screen mode • Click the objects tab, to display your basic circuits toolbar. Full screen mode Delete objects Components – have a look through the folders and familiarize yourself with what is available Workspace

9. Basic Circuits folders

10. Exercise 1 – Light circuit • Drag the following components on to the workspace. • Try to line up the components so that the terminals are in line with each other. • Select the ends of the terminals of the components and drag the line to the next component, this is your wire. • Once complete switch on your first circuit.

11. Exercise 2 – Presentation tools • Now that you have made your first circuit, we now what to add some information about. • This will make it look more like a proper circuit diagram. • Select the Presentation folder from the Basic Circuits toolbar.

12. Select the text command and drag it on to your workspace. • Type in the title ‘Circuit 1’, your name and class. • Edit the text however you wish by selecting text editing commands.

13. Save the Calderglen badge off the internet into your folder. • Select the picture icon and place the logo in the centre of your circuit. • This would be your company logo for marketing purposes.

14. Now we are going add component information in, so that someone can read this diagram and now what to buy to make it. • Select the number icon and drag it on to the workspace. • Click the target symbol and drag a line to the component

15. Select property and select voltage from the drop down menu. • Then drag the label under the battery, so we know what component it describes.

16. Now add labels to the switch (voltage) and the Light (Current) • Notice that when you switch on the circuit the values adapt

17. You can also add a tray to your workspace of common components you are using, for quickness. • Furthermore you can also add animation if you wish.

18. Circuit 1 Complete – Save work • Now save your work as ‘Circuit 1’ in your Yenka folder.