For a standard electronic device to function as intended, it must be assembled from a variety of circuits and circuit elements that work together to facilitate operations. Electronic components in particular regularly make up circuity, coming in the form of active and passive parts. Active components are those that are capable of possessing gain, serving to provide energy to the circuit for varying needs. Meanwhile, passive components are incapable of possessing gain and are unable to provide continuous energy to a circuit. To better understand electrical circuits and electronic device assembly, we will discuss some of the most common active and passive electronic components that are used.
As discussed before, active components are those that are able to supply energy to a circuit, coming in the form of transistors, batteries, and other various items. Transistors are a type of semiconductor device, capable of either amplifying or switching electronic signals and power. As a basic building block of modern electrical devices, such semiconductor materials feature three or more terminals which may establish connection to external circuits. When a voltage or current is induced to a terminal of the transistor, control is established over current moving through another pair of terminals. As the output power surpasses the input, transistors may serve to amplify signals.
Batteries are a type of electrochemical device, featuring one or more cells with external connections for the means of serving as a source of electric power. Commonly used for flashlights, phones, electric cars, and various portable devices, batteries take advantage of electrochemical reactions to transform chemical energy into electrical energy that may be harnessed by a circuit for processing signals. Depending upon the need of a system, batteries can come in many shapes and types which may present varying properties and capabilities.
The passive components of a circuit, meanwhile, often serve to obstruct current or supplied energy for specific functionalities. Resistors are a very common passive element of circuit design, featuring the ability to deter the flow of current to varying degrees. Generally, resistors are used as current limiters for the protection of a circuit, though they can also serve many other roles depending upon their design and implementation. Based on the reason for limiting a current, resistors may either be fixed or variable, meaning that their value of resistance is unchangeable or adjustable with the use of a wiper or other component.
An inductor is a passive component capable of mitigating the flow of alternating current, allowing direct current to pass through. As such, the inductor is used in applications where there is a desire to block AC signals, and they store energy within a magnetic field. Capacitors are another passive circuit component, able to retain an electric charge within themselves. Providing low reactance to AC signals and high resistance to DC signals, the capacitor adds capitance to a circuit with its two terminals.
As active and passive components often rely on one another for their proper functionality, it can be useful to have a basic understanding of each type so that the correct parts may be procured for creating an assembly. Infinite Industrials is a premier purchasing platform for electronic components and IT hardware, offering customers access to an unrivaled inventory of new, used, obsolete, and hard-to-find items. As quality is of the utmost importance to us, we subject all items to rigorous screening measures and ship every part alongside its qualifying certifications and manufacturing trace documentation as applicable. If you would like a quote for your comparisons, we invite you to fill out and submit an Instant RFQ form as provided on our website and a dedicated account manager will reach out to you in 15 minutes or less with a personalized solution. Get started today and see how Infinite Industrials can serve as your strategic sourcing partner for all your needs.
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