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#resistors#capacitors#diodes

A simple guide to electronic components.

bigclivedotcom

1.1M subscribers • 9 videos on Hallway

YouTube
  • Recommended by 2 people: 2 on Hacker News.
  • A classic. People kept recommending it from 2018 to 2022.
  • Presented by Big Clive, electronics YouTuber

Beginner. No background in the topic needed.

8.5M views10 years ago2 recommendations

HardwareElectronicsEmbedded systems

Big Clive presents a beginner-friendly guide to identifying common electronic components and understanding their basic functions with minimal math.

By request:- A basic guide to identifying components and their functions for those who are new to electronics. This is a work in progress, and I welcome feedback from you guys on whether I should break it down into more manageable chunks. I've kept the maths to a minimum, since it can be off-putting to someone just getting started in electronics. The idea of this video is to slot in some more of the jigsaw pieces involved in learning electronics, when you start to recognise components, but aren't quite sure what they are or what they do. It's tricky to squeeze even the basics into a single video, and I've just realised how long this one is (and why it took all night to upload). If you enjoy my videos you can support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and components at patreon.com/bigclive

Why it's here

2 people recommend this

What people say. Recommended as an excellent, accessible starting point for beginners to learn and identify basic electronic components.

thereinon Hacker News • Recommends

On “The Potentiometer Handbook (1975) [pdf]”

EEVblog or mikeselectricstuff might have videos like that as far as I remember. I know bigclivedotcom does for sure. link to this video

recuteron Hacker News • Recommends

On “Electronics Explained: Fundamentals for engineers, technicians and makers (2018)”

This is very good but before throwing people off the deep end I'd suggest this overview (origin of the dx7 & fm synthesis): link And then some bigclivedotcom to get going: link to this video EEVblog for intermediate beginner stuff / home gamer lab gear: link And finally some Marco Reps for advanced beginners: link Just to dip your toe in.

rfton Hacker News • Mentions

On “Converting a WW2-Era Engine Cowl Flaps Indicator into a USB Peripheral”

I fully agree with the sibling comment to just buy a starter kit and start screwing around. I would add that the cost of failure is very low, so do not be afraid to experiment. At least for me this is the best way to learn. Worst case you fry the Arduino and need to order another one (or just order two or three spares so you don't need to wait, once you get going you might/will find uses for them). I have mostly fried LEDs, because I forgot to limit their current (fancy way of saying: put a resistor in series, ballpark 300-1000 Ohm should be fine). Every time you break a component, try to figure out what went wrong so you slowly learn what not to do, but you also understand why you should no…