Every electronic circuitry, whether it is complex or simple, is actually built from certain fundamental electronic components. These modules can be divided into 2 broad categories, active and passive; in passive group, you can find capacitors, inductors,  resistors and alike, while within active classification, there are op-amps, thyristors, transistors and various other integrated routes whose complexity and range is too diverse to even consider summarizing. A simple way to know how an electronic component actually works is to have a look at mechanical analogies of liquid containers, shock absorbers and springs.

A Brief Description of Major Electronic Components

Transistor

Transistor is the most important and sophisticated invention of contemporary world, and is typically made of minimum 3 external terminals labeled as collector, base and emitter. It basically performs two major functions; first, to work as a ‘switch’ to turn electronic current off and on, and second, it work as an ‘amplifier’ which converts output signals into an exaggerated version of input signals. There are various sizes available for transistors, which depends upon their use. It actually ranges from big power transistors utilized in huge ‘power amplifiers’ of stereo down to SMT (surface mount) or even down to 0.5 micron wide, like in IC or microprocessor.

ICs or Integrated Circuits

ICs are small and compact in size, and are actually sophisticated modules inside a simple package. The integrated circuits are often made of metals and silicon so as to replicate transistors, capacitors and resistors. They are utilized for carrying out the job of simple timer or even microcontroller with ‘erasable memory’ embedded inside.     
  
Microprocessor

Microprocessor is a large scale integrated circuit and is quite complex. At the core of microprocessors lies transistor which renders logic for televisions, cars, computer systems and various other electronic products. Today, they are continuously reducing their size as firms are finding new creative ways and means to build tinier transistors.

Inductor

Inductors are electronic equivalents of shock absorbers, and can delay as well as moderate electronical shock, just like shock-absorber moderates mechanical impact.

Semi-conductors

Semiconductors are the substances consisting of a rock-solid chemical compound or element. A semiconductor can carry out electronicity under certain circumstances making it an excellent medium for controlling electronical current. The ability to carry out current varies with voltage or current applied to control electrodes, or on the strength of ‘irradiation’ caused by IR (infrared rays), UV rays, X rays or visible light. Semiconductor devices can also act as ‘vacuum tubes’ having many times its volume. Microprocessor chip that may comprise a single IC can carry out the function of a complete set of ‘vacuum tubes’ that will fill out a large house, and need its own electronic-generating plant.

When it comes to application areas of semiconductors, they are utilized to perform various tasks that speed up communication as well as processing.  

Above all, if you get to learn which electronic component works best with particular device, the tasks can be performed in a better way. This way, you can make the most out of working potential of your device.

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