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Jonathan Bartlett

Electronics for Beginners


A Practical Introduction to Schematics, Circuits,
and Microcontrollers
1st ed.
Jonathan Bartlett
Tulsa, OK, USA

Any source code or other supplementary material referenced by the


author in this book is available to readers on GitHub via the book’s
product page, located at www.​apress.​com/​978-1-4842-5978-8. For
more detailed information, please visit https://​www.​apress.​com/​
source-code.

ISBN 978-1-4842-5978-8 e-ISBN 978-1-4842-5979-5


https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-5979-5

© Jonathan Bartlett 2020

This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the


Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned,
specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations,
recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other
physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval,
electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar
methodology now known or hereafter developed.

The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks,


service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the
absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the
relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general
use.

The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the
advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate
at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the
editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the
material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have
been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional
claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Distributed to the book trade worldwide by Springer Science+Business


Media New York, 233 Spring Street, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10013.
Phone 1-800-SPRINGER, fax (201) 348-4505, e-mail orders-
[email protected], or visit www.springeronline.com. Apress Media,
LLC is a California LLC and the sole member (owner) is Springer
Science + Business Media Finance Inc (SSBM Finance Inc). SSBM
Finance Inc is a Delaware corporation.
This book is dedicated to Forrest M. Mims III, whose Engineer’s Mini-
Notebook series of books I read endlessly as a youth and whose work as a
citizen scientist has been an inspiration to me and to many others.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank, first and foremost, my homeschool co-op
community. This book originally started from a series of classes that I
taught in our local co-op, and my students were the guinea pigs for this
content. I received a lot of encouragement from that class, with both the
students and the parents enjoying the material. I want to thank my wife
who put up with me always typing on my computer to put this together.
I also want to thank the Tulsa Open Source Hardware community (as
well as the larger Tulsa WebDevs community), who gave me a lot of
encouragement while putting together this book and who also sat
through many presentations based on this material.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1:​Introduction
1.​1 Working the Examples
1.​2 Initial Tools and Supplies
1.​3 Safety Guidelines
1.​4 Electrostatic Discharge
1.​5 Using Your Multimeter Correctly
Chapter 2:​Dealing with Units
2.​1 SI Units
2.​2 Scaling Units
2.​3 Using Abbreviations
2.​4 Significant Figures
Apply What You Have Learned
Part I: Basic Concepts
Chapter 3:​What Is Electricity?​
3.​1 Charge
3.​2 Measuring Charge and Current
3.​3 AC vs.​DC
3.​4 Which Way Does Current Flow?​
Review
Apply What You Have Learned
Chapter 4:​Voltage and Resistance
4.​1 Picturing Voltage
4.​2 Volts Are Relative
4.​3 Relative Voltages and Ground Potential
4.​4 Resistance
Review
Apply What You Have Learned
Chapter 5:​Your First Circuit
5.​1 Circuit Requirements
5.​2 Basic Components
5.​3 Creating Your First Circuit
5.​4 Adding Wires
5.​5 Drawing Circuits
5.​6 Drawing the Ground
Review
Apply What You Have Learned
Chapter 6:​Constructing and Testing Circuits
6.​1 The Solderless Breadboard
6.​2 Putting a Circuit onto a Breadboard
6.​3 Using Fewer Wires
6.​4 Testing Circuits with a Multimeter
6.​5 Using a Multimeter with a Breadboard
6.​6 Measuring Current with a Multimeter
6.​7 Using a Power Regulator
Review
Apply What You Have Learned
Chapter 7:​Analyzing Series and Parallel Circuits
7.​1 Series Circuits
7.​2 Parallel Circuits
7.​2.​1 Kirchhoff’s Current Law
7.​2.​2 Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law
7.​3 Equivalent Parallel Resistance
7.​4 Wires in a Circuit
7.​5 Wiring Parallel Circuits onto a Breadboard
Review
Apply What You Have Learned
Chapter 8:​Diodes and How to Use Them
8.​1 Basic Diode Behavior
8.​2 Circuit Calculations with Diodes in Series
8.​3 Circuit Calculations with Diodes in Parallel
8.​4 Diode Short Circuits
8.​5 Nonconducting Diodes
8.​6 Usage of Diodes
8.​7 Other Types of Diode Protection
8.​8 Zener Diodes
8.​9 Schottky Diode
8.​10 Diode-Like Behavior in Other Components
Review
Apply What You Have Learned
Chapter 9:​Basic Resistor Circuit Patterns
9.​1 Switches and Buttons
9.​2 Current-Limiting Resistor Pattern
9.​3 Voltage Divider Pattern
9.​3.​1 Calculating the Voltages
9.​3.​2 Finding Resistor Ratios
9.​3.​3 Finding Resistor Values
9.​3.​4 General Considerations
9.​4 The Pull-Up Resistor
9.​5 Pull-Down Resistors
Review
Apply What You Have Learned
Chapter 10:​Understanding Power
10.​1 Important Terms Related to Power
10.​2 Power in Electronics
10.​3 Component Power Limitations
10.​4 Handling Power Dissipation with Heatsinks
10.​5 Transforming Power
10.​6 Amplifying Low-Power Signals
Review
Apply What You Have Learned
Chapter 11:​Integrated Circuits and Resistive Sensors
11.​1 The Parts of an Integrated Circuit
11.​2 The LM393 Voltage Comparator
11.​3 The Importance and Problems of Datasheets
11.​4 A Simple Circuit with the LM393
11.​5 Resistive Sensors and Voltages
11.​6 Sensing and Reacting to Darkness
Sources and Sinks
Review
Apply What You Have Learned
Part II: Digital Electronics and Microcontrollers
Chapter 12:​Using Logic ICs
12.​1 Logic ICs
12.​2 Getting a 5 V Source
12.​3 Pull-Down Resistors
12.​4 Combining Logic Circuits
12.​5 Understanding Chip Names
Review
Apply What You Have Learned
Chapter 13:​Introduction to Microcontrollers​
13.​1 The ATmega328/​P Chip
13.​2 The Arduino Environment
13.​3 The Arduino Uno
13.​4 Programming the Arduino
Review
Apply What You Have Learned
Chapter 14:​Building Projects with Arduino
14.​1 Powering Your Breadboard from an Arduino Uno
14.​2 Wiring Inputs and Outputs to an Arduino Uno
14.​3 A Simple Arduino Project with LEDs
14.​4 Changing Functionality Without Rewiring
Review
Apply What You Have Learned
Chapter 15:​Analog Input and Output on an Arduino
15.​1 Reading Analog Inputs
15.​2 Analog Output with PWM
Review
Apply What You Have Learned
Part III: Capacitors and Inductors
Chapter 16:​Capacitors
16.​1 What Is a Capacitor?​
16.​2 How Capacitors Work
16.​3 Types of Capacitors
16.​4 Charging and Discharging a Capacitor
16.​5 Series and Parallel Capacitances
16.​6 Capacitors and AC and DC
16.​7 Using Capacitors in a Circuit
Review
Exercises
Chapter 17:​Capacitors as Timers
17.​1 Time Constants
17.​2 Constructing a Simple Timer Circuit
17.​3 Resetting Our Timer
Review
Apply What You Have Learned
Chapter 18:​Introduction to Oscillator Circuits
18.​1 Oscillation Basics
18.​2 The Importance of Oscillating Circuits
18.​3 Building an Oscillator
18.​4 Calculating On and Off Times with the 555
18.​5 Choosing the Capacitor
Review
Apply What You Have Learned
Chapter 19:​Producing Sound with Oscillations
19.​1 How Sound Is Produced by Speakers
19.​2 Graphing Electricity
19.​3 Outputting a Tone to Headphones
19.​4 AC vs.​DC
19.​5 Using Capacitors to Separate AC and DC Components
19.​6 Speaker Wattage
19.​7 Sound Control
Review
Apply What You Have Learned
Chapter 20:​Inductors
20.​1 Inductors, Coils, and Magnetic Flux
20.​1.​1 What Is an Inductor?​
20.​1.​2 What Is Magnetic Flux?​
20.​1.​3 What Is the Difference Between Electric and Magnetic
Fields
20.​2 Induced Voltages
20.​3 Resisting Changes in Current
20.​4 Analogy from Mechanics
20.​5 Uses of Inductors
20.​6 Inductive Kick
Review
Apply What You Have Learned
Chapter 21:​Inductors and Capacitors in Circuits
21.​1 RL Circuits and Time Constants
21.​2 Inductors and Capacitors as Filters
21.​3 Parallel and Series Capacitors and Inductors
Review
Apply What You Have Learned
Chapter 22:​Reactance and Impedance
22.​1 Reactance
22.​2 Impedance
22.​3 RLC Circuits
22.​4 Ohm’s Law for AC Circuits
22.​5 Resonant Frequencies of RLC Circuits
22.​6 Low-Pass Filters
22.​7 Converting a PWM Signal into a Voltage
Review
Exercises
Chapter 23:​DC Motors
23.​1 Theory of Operation
23.​2 Important Facts About Motors
23.​3 Using a Motor in a Circuit
23.​4 Attaching Things to Motors
23.​5 Bidirectional Motors
23.​6 Servo Motors
23.​7 Stepper Motors
Review
Apply What You Have Learned
Part IV: Amplification Circuits
Chapter 24:​Amplifying Power with Transistors
24.​1 An Amplification Parable
24.​2 Amplifying with Transistors
24.​3 Parts of the BJT
24.​4 NPN Transistor Operation Basics
Rule 1:​The Transistor Is Off by Default
Rule 2: V BE Needs to Be 0.6 V to Turn the Transistor On
Rule 3: V BE Will Always Be Exactly 0.6 V When the
Transistor Is On
Rule 4:​The Collector Should Always Be More Positive Than
the Emitter
Rule 5: When the Transistor Is On, I CE Is a Linear
Amplification of I BE
Rule 6:​The Transistor Cannot Amplify More Than the
Collector Can Supply
Rule 7:​If the Base Voltage Is Greater Than the Collector
Voltage, the Transistor Is Saturated
24.​5 The Transistor as a Switch
24.​6 Connecting a Transistor to an Arduino Output
24.​7 Stabilizing Transistor Beta With a Feedback Resistor
24.​8 A Word of Caution
Review
Apply What You Have Learned
Chapter 25:​Transistor Voltage Amplifiers
25.​1 Converting Current into Voltage with Ohm’s Law
25.​2 Reading the Amplified Signal
25.​3 Amplifying an Audio Signal
25.​4 Adding a Second Stage
25.​5 Using an Oscilloscope
Review
Apply What You Have Learned
Chapter 26:​Examining Partial Circuits
26.​1 The Need for a Model
26.​2 Calculating Thévenin Equivalent Values
26.​3 Another Way of Calculating Thévenin Resistance
26.​4 Finding the Thévenin Equivalent of an AC Circuit with
Reactive Elements
26.​5 Using Thévenin Equivalent Descriptions
26.​6 Finding Thévenin Equivalent Circuits Experimentally
Review
Apply What You Have Learned
Chapter 27:​Using Field Effect Transistors for Switching and Logic
Applications
27.​1 Operation of a FET
27.​2 The N-Channel Enhancement Mode MOSFET
27.​3 Using a MOSFET
27.​4 MOSFETs in Logic Circuits
Review
Apply What You Have Learned
Chapter 28:​Going Further
Appendix A:​Glossary
Appendix B:​Electronics Symbols
Appendix C:​Integrated Circuit Naming Conventions
C.​1 Logic Chip Basic Conventions
Appendix D:​More Math Than You Wanted to Know
D.​1 Basic Formulas
D.​1.​1 Charge and Current Quantities
D.​1.​2 Volt Quantities
D.​1.​3 Resistance and Conductance Quantities
D.​1.​4 Ohm’s Law
D.​1.​5 Power
D.​1.​6 Capacitance
D.​1.​7 Inductance
D.​2 Semiconductors
D.​2.​1 Diodes
D.​2.​2 NPN BJT
D.​3 DC Motor Calculations
D.​4 555 Timer Oscillator Frequency Equation
D.​5 Output Gain Calculations in BJT Common Emitter Applications
D.​6 The Thévenin Formula
D.​7 Electronics and Calculus
D.​7.​1 Current and Voltage
D.​7.​2 Capacitors and Inductors
D.​7.​3 Time Constants
Appendix E:​Simplified Datasheets for Common Devices
E.​1 Batteries
E.​1.​1 Overview
E.​1.​2 Variations
E.​1.​3 Notes
E.​2 Resistors
E.​2.​1 Overview
E.​2.​2 Finding a Resistor Value
E.​3 Diodes
E.​3.​1 Overview
E.​3.​1 Variations
E.​3.​3 Forward Voltage Drop
E.​3.​4 Usages
E.​4 Capacitors
E.​4.​1 Overview
E.​4.​2 Variations
E.​4.​3 Finding Capacitance Values
E.​5 Inductors
E.​5.​1 Overview
E.​5.​2 Uses
E.​5.​3 Inductive Kick
E.​5.​4 Inductor Color Codes
E.​6 NPN BJTs
E.​6.​1 Overview
E.​6.​2 Variations
E.​6.​3 Pin Configuration
E.​6.​4 Design Considerations
E.​7 YwRobot Power Module
E.​7.​1 Overview
E.​7.​2 Variations
E.​7.​3 Pin Configuration
E.​7.​4 Limitations
E.​8 555 Timer
E.​8.​1 Overview
E.​8.​2 Variations
E.​8.​3 Pin Configuration
E.​8.​4 Specifications
E.​8.​5 Implementation Example
E.​9 LM393 and LM339 Voltage Comparator
E.​9.​1 Overview
E.​9.​2 Variations
E.​9.​3 Specifications
E.​10 CD4081 and 7408 Quad-AND Gate
E.​10.​1 Overview
E.​10.​2 Variations
E.​10.​3 Specifications (CD4081)
E.​10.​4 Specifications (7408)
E.​11 CD4071 and 7432 Quad-OR Gate
E.​11.​1 Overview
E.​11.​2 Variations
E.​11.​3 Specifications (CD4071)
E.​11.​4 Specifications (7432)
E.​12 CD4001 and 7402 Quad-NOR Gate
E.​12.​1 Overview
E.​12.​2 Variations
E.​12.​3 Specifications (CD4001)
E.​12.​4 Specifications (7402)
E.​13 CD4011 and 7400 Quad-NAND Gate
E.​13.​1 Overview
E.​13.​2 Variations
E.​13.​3 Specifications (CD4011)
E.​13.​4 Specifications (7400)
E.​14 CD4070 and 7486 Quad-XOR Gate
E.​14.​1 Overview
E.​14.​2 Variations
E.​14.​3 Specifications (CD4070)
E.​14.​4 Specifications (7486)
E.​15 LM78xx Voltage Regulator
E.​15.​1 Overview
E.​15.​2 Variations
E.​15.​3 Specifications
E.​15.​4 Usage Notes
Index
About the Author
Jonathan Bartlett
is a senior software R&D specialist at Specialized Bicycle Components,
focusing on creating initial prototypes for a variety of IoT (Internet of
Things) projects. Jonathan has been educating the tech community for
well over a decade. His first book, Programming from the Ground Up, is
an Internet classic and was endorsed by Joel Spolsky, co-founder of
Stack Exchange. It was one of the first open source books and has been
used by a generation of programmers to learn how computers work
from the inside out, using assembly language as a starting point. He
recently released Building Scalable PHP Web Applications Using the
Cloud as well as the calculus textbook Calculus from the Ground
Up. Jonathan also writes a mix of technical and popular articles for a
number of websites, including the new MindMatters.ai technology blog.
His other articles can be found on IBM’s DeveloperWorks website,
Linux.com, and Medium.com. He is also the head of Tulsa Open Source
Hardware, a local group focusing on do-it-yourself electronics projects.
Jonathan also participates in a variety of academic work. He is an
associate fellow of the Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial
Intelligence. There, he does research into fundamental mathematics
and the mathematics of artificial intelligence. He also serves on the
editorial board for the journal BIO-Complexity, focusing on reviewing
information-theoretic papers for the journal and assisting with LaTeX
typesetting.
Additionally, Jonathan has written several books on the interplay of
philosophy, math, and science, including Engineering and the Ultimate
and Naturalism and Its Alternatives in Scientific
Methodologies. Jonathan served as editor for the book Controllability of
Dynamic Systems: The Green’s Function Approach, which received the RA
Presidential Award of the Republic of Armenia in the area of “Technical
Sciences and Information Technologies.”
Jonathan serves on the board of Homeschool Oklahoma along with
his wife, Christa, of 20 years. They inspire their community in several
ways including writing educational material, creating educational
videos, tutoring students through Classical Conversations, and sharing
their own stories of tragedy and success with others.
About the Technical Reviewer
Mike McRoberts
is the author of Beginning Arduino by Apress. He is the winner of Pi
Wars 2018 and a member of Medway Makers. He is an Arduino and
Raspberry Pi enthusiast.
Mike McRoberts has expertise in a variety of languages and
environments, including C/C++, Arduino, Python, Processing, JS, Node-
RED, NodeJS, Lua.
© Jonathan Bartlett 2020
J. Bartlett, Electronics for Beginners
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-5979-5_1

1. Introduction
Jonathan Bartlett1
(1) Tulsa, OK, USA

Welcome to the world of electronics! In the modern world, electronic


devices are everywhere, but fewer and fewer people seem to
understand how they work or how to put them together. At the same
time, it has never been easier to do so as an individual. The availability
of training, tools, parts, instructions, videos, and tutorials for the home
experimenter has grown enormously, and the costs for equipment have
dropped to almost nothing.
However, what has been lacking is a good guide to bring students
from wanting to know how electronic circuits work to actually
understanding them and being able to develop their own. For the
hobbyist, there are many guides that show you how to do individual
projects, but they often fail to provide enough information for their
readers to be able to build projects of their own. There is plenty of
information on the physics of electricity in physics books, but they fail
to make the information practical. One exception to this is Horowitz
and Hill’s The Art of Electronics. This book is a wonderful reference
guide for practical circuit design. However, its target audience is largely
electrical engineers or other very advanced circuit designers. Not only
that, the book itself is prohibitively expensive.
What has been needed for a long time is a book that takes you from
knowing nothing about electronics to being able to build real circuits
that you design yourself. This book combines theory, practice, projects,
and design patterns in order to enable you to build your own circuits
from scratch. Additionally, this book is designed entirely around safe,
low-current DC (direct current) power. We stay far away from the wall
outlet in this book to be sure that you have a fun and largely worry-free
experience with electronics.
This book is written with two groups of people in mind. First, this
book can be used as a guide for hobbyists (or wannabe hobbyists) to
learn on their own. It has lots of projects to work on and experiment
with. Second, this book can also be used in electronics classes for high
school and college students. It has problems to be worked, activities to
do, and reviews at the end of each chapter.
The needs of these groups are not so different from each other. In
fact, even if you are a hobbyist and plan on using this book to learn on
your own, I suggest that not only do you read the main parts of the
chapter but that you also do the activities and homework as well. The
goal of the homework is to train your mind to think like a circuit
designer. If you work through the example problems, it will make
analyzing and designing circuits simply a matter of habit.

1.1 Working the Examples


In this book, all examples should be worked out using decimals, not
fractions. This is an engineering course, not a math course, so feel free
to use a calculator. However, you will often wind up with very long
strings of decimals on some of the answers. Feel free to round your
answers, but always include at least a single decimal point. So, for
instance, if I divide 5 by 3 on my calculator, it tells me 1.66666667.
However, I can just give the final answer as 1.7. This only applies to the
final answer. You need to maintain your decimals while you do your
computations.
Also, if your answer is a decimal number that begins with a zero,
then you should round your answer to include the first two to four
nonzero digits. So, if I have an answer of 0.0000033333333, I can round
that to 0.00000333. If you want to be precise about the proper way to
round results, see the section on significant figures in the next chapter.
For beginners and hobbyists, this is less of a concern, and we will
generally be in a hobbyist mindset for the book.
In short, as engineers, we wind up being, at minimum, as precise as
we need to be or, at maximum, as precise as we can be. The amount of
precision we need will vary from project to project, and the amount of
precision that we can be will depend on our tools, our components, and
other things we interact with. Therefore, there is not a lot of focus on
this book on how many decimals exactly to use. You can get more
detailed descriptions in other science books for dealing with significant
figures. In the problems in the chapters, if you are off by a single digit
due to rounding errors, don’t worry about it.

1.2 Initial Tools and Supplies


You can get started in electronics with a minimum set of tools, but you
can also be as fancy as you have money to afford. This book will focus
on the more modest tools that are within the reach of pretty much
every budget.
While the book will walk you through a wide variety of parts for
different types of circuits, every electronics hobbyist should start out
with the following components:
1. Multimeter: Multimeters will measure voltage, current, resistance,
and other important values. For these projects, the cheapest digital
multimeter you can find will work just fine. You only need one of
these.

2. Solderless Breadboards: Solderless breadboards will hold your


projects in place and connect your components together.
Breadboards are sold based on the number of holes, known as “tie
points,” the breadboard contains. If you want to keep your projects
around, you should have a separate breadboard for each project.
However, the beauty of solderless breadboards is that they are in
fact reusable if you want.

3. Jumper Wires: Jumper wires are just like normal insulated wires,
except that their ends are solid and strong enough to be pushed
into your breadboard. The wires themselves may be flexible or
rigid. Jumper wires with female ends (a hole instead of a wire) also
exist for plugging into circuits which have metal pins sticking out of
them (known as headers) to connect to. Every hobbyist I know has
a huge mass of jumper wires. They usually come in bundles of 65
wires, which is plenty to get started.
4. Resistors: Resistors do a lot of the grunt work of the circuit. They
resist current flow, which, among other things, prevents damaging
other parts of the circuit. Resistors are measured in ohms (Ω). Most
hobbyists have a wide variety of resistors. You should have a range
of resistors from 200 Ω to 1, 000, 000 Ω. However, if you had to pick
one value for your resistors, 1, 000 Ω resistors work in a wide
variety of situations. Resistors for this book should be rated for 1/4
watt of power.

5. LEDs: LEDs (light-emitting diodes) are low-power lights often used


in electronic devices. I recommend getting a variety of colors of
LEDs just because it makes life more fun. Most standard single-
color LEDs have about the same specifications, so the main
difference is the color.

6. Buttons and Switches: Buttons and switches will be the primary


method of input and output in these circuits. You should buy
buttons and switches which are specifically made to go on
breadboards.

7. Power Regulator: While most of these projects can be operated


directly from a battery, a power regulator board will make sure
that, no matter how well charged or drained the battery is, you get
a predictable voltage from your battery. The YwRobot breadboard
power supply is extremely cheap (cheaper than most batteries) and
also provides your project with an on/off switch. You should buy
one of these for each breadboard you have. Other breadboard
power supplies are available as well (make sure they output 5
volts), but our drawings will assume the YwRobot one.

8. 9 V Battery and Connector: The easiest way to supply power to the


power regulator is with a 9 V battery with a standard barrel plug
(2.1 mm × 5.5 mm), which will fit into the YwRobot power supply.

Later projects will require specialized components, but these are


the components that are needed for nearly every project you will
encounter or design yourself. If you would like to order a kit with all of
the components you need for this book, you can find them at
www.bplearning.net.

1.3 Safety Guidelines


This book deals almost entirely with direct current from small battery
sources. This current is inherently fairly safe, as small batteries are not
capable of delivering the amount of current needed to injure or harm.
For these projects, you can freely touch wires and work with active
circuits without any protection, because the current is incapable of
harming you. The main issue that sometimes arises is that, in poorly
made circuits, components can overheat and occasionally (but rarely)
catch fire. Additionally, the battery itself may become
overheated/compromised, and batteries are often made from
potentially toxic chemicals.
Please follow the following safety guidelines when working on
projects (both projects from this book and projects you build yourself).
They will help keep you safe and help prevent you from accidentally
damaging your own equipment:
1. If you have any cuts or other open areas on your skin, please cover
them. Your skin is where most of your electric protection exists in
your body.

2. Before applying power to your circuit, check to be sure you have


not accidentally wired in a short circuit between your positive and
negative poles of your battery.

3. If your circuit does not behave as you expect it to when you plug in
the battery, unplug it immediately and check for problems.

4. If your battery or any component becomes warm, disconnect power


immediately.

5. If you smell any burning or smoky smells, disconnect power


immediately.
6. Dispose of all batteries in accordance with local regulations.

7. For rechargeable batteries, follow the instructions on the battery


for proper charging procedures.

Please note that if you ever deal with alternating current (AC) or
large batteries (such as a car battery), you must exercise many more
precautions than described in this book, because those devices
generate sufficient power in themselves and within the circuits to harm
or kill you if mishandled (sometimes even after the power has been
disconnected).

1.4 Electrostatic Discharge


If you have ever touched a doorknob and received a small shock, you
have experienced electrostatic discharge (ESD). ESD is not dangerous to
you, but it can be dangerous to your equipment. Even shocks that you
can’t feel may damage your equipment. With modern components, ESD
is rarely a problem, but nonetheless it is important to know how to
avoid it. You can skip these precautions if you wish, just know that
occasionally you might wind up shorting out a chip or transistor
because you weren’t careful. ESD is also more problematic if you have
carpet floors, as those tend to build up static electricity.
Here are some simple rules you can follow to prevent ESD
problems:
1. When storing IC components (i.e., electronics chips), store them
with the leads enmeshed in conductive foam. This will prevent any
voltage differentials from building up in storage.

2. Wear natural 100% cotton fabrics.

3. Use a specialized ESD floor mat and/or wrist strap to keep you and
your workspace at ground potential.

4. If you don’t use an ESD strap or mat, touch a large metal object
before starting work. Do so again any time after moving around.
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enough some of the people what come here to see him.

Professor
But you have less to clean up than some of the other girls.
(Sighing.) So few people wander in this out of the way section.

Sarah
Ye don’t think anyone would be fool enough to look at these
corpses for pleasure, do ye?

Professor
I suppose not.

Sarah
Even though it means more work to my poor back, I’m goin’ to ask
to be put over where the cases of butterflies are. When I was a-
scrubbin’ around them I could be thinkin’ that I was out among the
daisies, instead of hangin’ ’round a morgue.

Professor
That’s much better, Sarah. (Gazing in admiration at the fossil.)
Wonderful specimen—wonderful!
(Robert Hood enters. He is a well set-up, attractive
young man about thirty. As he glances impatiently at his
watch, it is evident he is ill at ease and under the stress of
an unusual emotion. Though he carries a Museum
catalogue it is soon apparent he has come for a
rendezvous.
Sarah soon disappears from view—scrubbing.)

Hood
I beg your pardon. Is this where the Brontosaurus lives?
Professor
Yes. (Proudly) This is the Brontosaurus.

Hood
(Indifferently)
Oh, is it? Thanks.

Professor
Are you interested in fossils?

Hood
Fossils?—Oh, yes; but only the living ones.

Professor
Oh, then you’ve come to see the Hoatzins?

Hood
(Impatiently)
Not especially.

Professor
They’re in the ornithological section. Curious, isn’t it, when people
think fossils are so remote, that to-day in the thorn bushes along the
Berbice River there should be a small living bird who swims, creeps,
climbs, dives and can duplicate within a few minutes the processes
of evolution through the centuries. Mr. Beebe calls them “living
fossils”; so when you said....

Hood
(Again looking at his watch)
It’s very interesting.

Professor
Their wing formation somewhat resembles the Archæopteryx. We
have a cast of the Solenhofen specimen, if you....

Hood
I have a catalogue. I’d like to study them myself, quietly at first, if
you don’t mind.
(He sits down on the bench at back and opens the
catalogue. The Professor is offended, gives him a look
and goes out. The minute he has gone, Hood arises,
takes several steps about as though looking for someone.
Sarah has entered with her pail and watches him. She
stands there, a worn and abject figure. Hood takes out his
watch again.)

Sarah
I beg ye pardon?

Hood
(Startled a moment)
Eh?

Sarah
Do ye be havin’ the toime about ye?

Hood
My watch says four. But I think it must be fast.

Sarah
(As she wearily crosses)
Thank ye, sir.

Hood
(A bit anxiously)
When does the Museum close?

Sarah
For ye or for me?

Hood
Why, for me; of course.

Sarah
Ye’ll hear the bell in a half-hour; it’s not long after that I’ll be a-
pullin’ up these shades.

Hood
Thanks.

Sarah
(Pointedly as she begins to wash up his footsteps)
If ye need more toime to look at the animals ye may be doin’ it, as
the Professor is expectin’ a whole regiment of soldiers.

Hood
(Vexed)
Coming here? I thought nobody ever came here?

Sarah
Ye mustn’t be surprised at anythin’ in a museum. All the strange
animals ain’t behind the railin’s.
(She gives him a knowing look and finally goes out of
sight, mopping down the aisle. He takes a step impatiently
and then sits in back and opens catalogue aimlessly as he
sees Mrs. Cornelius Van Dyke and Mrs. James
Morrow enter from back. They do not notice him at first.
Mrs. Van Dyke is a harmless middle-aged woman who
throughout life has comfortably relied on her blood instead
of her brains. She hides the absence of the latter by a
calm and superior imperturbability.
Her companion, Mrs. James Morrow, is younger;
obviously nouveau riche, she has achieved a successful
manner, most of which is dexterously expressed in her
lorgnette.
Both women are handsomely gowned and proclaim to
the observer flaunting wealth.)

Mrs. Van Dyke


I’m sure we’ve lost our way.

Mrs. Morrow
The attendant said keep turning to the right.

Mrs. Van Dyke


I can’t say it’s my idea of ancient jewelry.

Mrs. Morrow
No. But if we dressed up at Mrs. Bilton’s ball like some of these
animals, we’d certainly make a hit.

Mrs. Van Dyke


It might suit you, dear; but I think I’ll wear at least some jewelry.
I’m sure there must be wonderful old pieces in the museum I can get
Tiffany to copy in time. I must find something original.

Mrs. Morrow
(Looking absently at Hood through her lorgnette)
Dear me, this is a terrible place—full of monsters.

Mrs. Van Dyke


I can’t say they’re very showy. (Glancing at the Brontosaurus.)
What an ugly animal! What is it?

Mrs. Morrow
(Reading sign)
It’s a Bron—(Not able to pronounce it and turning away) I left my
reading-glasses at home. You try.

Mrs. Van Dyke


(After studying it a moment)
Oh, yes: I’ve heard of them. (More closely.) Why, that looks like
your husband....

Mrs. Morrow
(Interrupting, as she turns quickly to the fossil)
My husband? That?

Mrs. Van Dyke


(Looking more closely)
Yes. It is your husband’s name. (Reading) “Donated by James
Morrow.”
Mrs. Morrow
Why this must be Jim’s beast!

Mrs. Van Dyke


Jim’s beast?
(Hood covertly shows a bit of interest in spite of his more
pressing impatience over their presence.)

Mrs. Morrow
I knew there was something here Jim wanted me to see. He
donated $250,000 to the museum last year. He said they’d bought
some old animal with it.

Mrs. Van Dyke


I can’t say I admire his taste. I thought he went in for horses.

Mrs. Morrow
Of course, it’s Jim’s own money; but it does seem a bit
extravagant to turn all that money into old bones.

Mrs. Van Dyke


Yes; when he might buy so many nicer things you could wear.

Mrs. Morrow
Jim’s been awfully generous to me; though, of course, now that
the war’s over we’ve got to hold in a bit. He hasn’t any more army
contracts, you know. (Sighing) It certainly was wonderful while it
lasted.

Mrs. Van Dyke


I shouldn’t worry about it if I were you. Why, even this beast would
look like a piece of bric-a-brac in that new house he gave you.

Mrs. Morrow
(The hand of Sarah mopping in the aisle is seen. Mrs.
Morrow is startled.)
What’s that?

Mrs. Van Dyke


Oh, it’s only an old scrubwoman.

Mrs. Morrow
They might wait till the museum closed before they splash about
spoiling our gowns.

Mrs. Van Dyke


Well, if we’re ever going to see that ancient jewelry before we’re
as old as it is, I suppose we’d better try and find it.

Mrs. Morrow
But I’ll have to tell Jim I came especially to see his beast: he’ll
want to know what it looks like, the poor dear!
(Elizabeth Livingston enters. She is a woman of such
an indefinite age that she must be past her early thirties.
Handsome, well-groomed and yet a bit hectic, her secret
is that she is a born intriguanté and likes to see men
feverish.
She sees Hood: he sees her: the two women catch this
exchange of glances, though Hood instantly resumes
reading and Bess goes quickly to the case opposite not to
betray she is there to meet Hood.
The two women exchange significant glances. Hood
looks up and catches Mrs. Morrow eyeing him through
her lorgnette. He rises in question.)

Mrs. Morrow
(To cover it)
I beg pardon. Do you happen to know where they keep the ancient
jewelry?

Hood
(Politely)
I think it’s to the right.

Mrs. Van Dyke


But that’s what the other man said.

Hood
Have you tried the long hall?

Mrs. Morrow
But which hall?

Hood
(Obviously trying to get rid of them)
The very furthest hall.

Mrs. Morrow
Oh.... (She turns to Mrs. Van Dyke.) The very furthest hall, he
said. (Aside to her as they turn) I’m afraid we’re de trop. I’m sure
it’s....
Mrs. Van Dyke
I thought so, too; and with a different tame robin this time. (As she
turns and looks at the Brontosaurus.) I’m glad I won’t look like
Jim’s beast when I’m dead.

Mrs. Morrow
Well, dear, we’ll never be found in a museum at any rate.

Mrs. Van Dyke


(As they go up)
I don’t know. I’m most dead already.
(Mrs. Morrow gives a look at Bess through her
lorgnette. They go out obviously gossiping about her.
Hood takes a step to see they have gone. Then he
turns tensely.)

Hood
Bess!

Bess
Oh, Bob!

Hood
Dearest!

Bess
Be careful. Somebody may see us. I’m sure those women....

Hood
(With extravagant expression)
I’d like the whole world to see us. I can’t stand this much longer.
Bess, I want you.

Bess
I know. Sh!
(Sarah comes from out of aisle, goes out of sight,
obviously to clean another aisle. But she has seen them
and gives a knowing smile as though such rendezvous
were not unusual.)

Hood
It can’t go on like this.

Bess
Aren’t you satisfied with what we’ve already had?

Hood
(Unconsciously playing up to the situation)
I want all or nothing—the you all the world has, too. I....

Bess
Yes? Say it. I like to hear you say it.

Hood
I want you to be my wife. (Intensely) Bess! Bess! Will you?

Bess
Give me time to think.

Hood
But it can’t go on like this ... having me meet you in strange places
... always being afraid. Bess, you love me, don’t you?

Bess
Oh, Bob!

Hood
You’ve never loved anybody before as you love me?

Bess
Oh, no; you’re so fine and strong and....

Hood
Then why are you afraid?

Bess
The world ... my world ... your world....

Hood
But you wouldn’t be the first who....

Bess
Don’t drive me to the wall!

Hood
You must decide.

Bess
I’m thinking of you. I’m older than you. In time, perhaps, you....
Hood
Never.

Bess
How you say it!

Hood
I love you. I’ve never loved any woman before. I’ll never love any
woman again.

Bess
My dear boy! I must go now. I just wanted to see you, to hear you
say you love me.

Hood
And I came because I wanted a definite answer.

Bess
Wait. In time. Don’t drive me to the wall.

Hood
(Heroically)
I tell you I’ll kill myself if....

Bess
Bob! Do you care as much as that?

Hood
Yes. Nothing else matters.
Bess
But your career—your position?

Hood
You are more than all that. What will you give up for me?

Bess
Sh! Somebody’s coming. (In a different tone, mistress of herself.)
It must have taken a good many years to collect these specimens.
(Ray Livingston has come in on this, walking slowly
down with eyes that glitter for a moment on seeing them.
He is about sixty. The tightly drawn skin on his face
clearly reveals the bones beneath. He is an aristocratic,
calm, collected man: the essence of deliberate politeness.
When he comes to them he acts as though he were
surprised.)

Livingston
Bess. This is a surprise.

Bess
Ray?

Livingston
Do you come here often?

Bess
I was just strolling through to look at some ancient jewelry when I
happened to meet Mr. Hood.—This is my husband. Mr. Hood.
(As Livingston crosses slowly and shakes his hand with
cold studied courtesy, Hood gives him a sickly smile, ill at
ease in an unaccustomed situation.)

Livingston
I’m charmed to meet you. I’ve heard Mrs. Livingston speak of you.
Let me see, where was it?

Bess
(Casually, mistress of herself)
Perhaps it was after I first met him at Judge Wilton’s. Mr. Hood is
in the Legislature, you know.

Livingston
To be sure. I remember your photograph in all the newspapers.
(Half playfully) But you’re rather a young man for such a
conspicuous and responsible office.

Hood
(Trying to be at ease)
One soon grows older up there.

Livingston
(Pleasantly)
I hope that means wiser; for wisdom, I’m told, is only a matter of
perspective, and its secret is finding the relative importance of
things. (With a smile.) But, of course, everything must seem vitally
important at the beginning. Just as each moment of life was once the
most important thing to these animals. (Before Hood can answer.)
Are you interested in fossils?

Hood
(Eyes him)
I’m trying to understand their meaning and significance.

Livingston
Do you find it difficult? I see you have a catalogue. Do you come
here to study them?

Bess
(Trying with her skill to relieve the situation)
Mr. Hood was just telling me he was planning to introduce a bill in
the Legislature to—to extend the wings.

Livingston
To extend the wings? What of?

Bess
Of the Museum, of course.

Livingston
Indeed?

Hood
(Lying in spite of himself)
Yes.

Bess
(With a reassuring smile)
He thinks it’s a bit cramped here.

Livingston
I quite approve. Space is what is needed. But you’ll find it difficult
to get money from the Legislature for such purposes. I’ve tried
myself.

Hood
Oh, are you interested in museums?

Livingston
Didn’t you tell him, Bess, about the museum I had planned?

Bess
(Beginning to detect his intention)
No; it slipped my mind.

Livingston
(Playfully reproving her)
And I had such a personal interest in it, too.

Hood
Was it a museum for fossils?

Livingston
It was to prevent people from becoming fossils before their time. It
was a museum of safety appliances.

Hood
Industrial?

Livingston
No: domestic. From a very long life, I’d observed that in the world
and in the home, most everybody, through lack of a little precaution,
makes a fool of himself or herself once or twice in a life.

Bess
(Suavely)
I thought the average was higher; didn’t you, Mr. Hood?

Livingston
Perhaps the nasty messy mangling is. I’m not sure of the
mortalities. You see, Mr. Hood—if you are interested?

Hood
(With a start)
Very.

Livingston
What I mean is that people cut off a useful hand or limb—
metaphorically, of course—because they go a little too near the
machinery: the machinery of what we call the hard facts of life.

Hood
And what was your exhibit intended for?

Livingston
(Pointedly)
To have them read the danger signs first. It was my plan to
indicate how signs should be put up over terrain places, like stores
and homes and....

Bess
(Calmly)
How interesting. What sort of signs were they to be, dear?

Hood
“Don’t Handle,” “Watch Your Step.” You know the sort. You see, I
have a theory that if these signs were placed about in enough places
people would soon grow accustomed to carrying them in their mind’s
eye, as it were. (Pointedly) Do you get my meaning?

Bess
But, dear; there are so many signs now. Look at these about here
for instance. I’m sure people would never get anything out of these
by carrying them about in their heads.

Livingston
It’s merely a matter of how much intelligence and imagination you
bring to signs—otherwise they are only words.
(As Livingston crosses to read sign under the
Brontosaurus, Hood makes a movement as though to
speak, but Bess, who has sat on the bench, stops him
with an imploring gesture.)
Um—highly suggestive, this. (Reading) “Great Amphibious
Dinosaur Brontosaurus ... Jurassic Period ... Donated by James
Morrow.... The Brontosaurus lived several million years ago....” You
see (To them) James Morrow and the animal have clasped hands
over the centuries. Um. From this sign, can’t you picture the love and
devotion to science that prompted such a gift?

Hood
(Now smiling for the first time)
As it happens he didn’t even know what his money was for. While I
was waiting here I heard Mrs. Morrow say.... (He stops short as
Livingston gives him a sharp look.)

Bess
(Quickly)
You see, dear, you were mistaken in that sign.

Livingston
(Casually)
Perhaps. Curious though how much information a man picks up
while he waits about. (He crosses over to the case opposite.) I
wonder what this one will reveal.
(Hood sees he has been caught in a slip. It spurs him into
a mood of retaliation. He overcomes a momentary
hesitation and then shows he resolves to tell Livingston
everything.)

Hood
(With hoarse nervous intensity)
Mr. Livingston!

Bess
(Under her breath to him)
Bob!

Livingston
(Not turning)
Yes?
(For a second Hood is about to speak, but he is halted by
Bess’s look and voices, as the Professor, followed by
Larry Anderson, enters.

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