Retired Techie

Getting Older, not Necessarily Wiser

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  • Basic Alternating Current (AC) Circuit

    What is Alternating Current, and why do we need it?

    Lets discuss some of the fundamentals of Alternating Current or AC. Historically Electrical usage was originally all Direct Current or DC. In fact most of our devices still use DC internally. However AC is much more efficient than DC for transmitting power over great distances. This is why we get AC delivered to an outlet and our device converts it to DC.

    DC, in general is much easier, and less complex to use than AC, as alternating the flow of current can change the characteristics of even simple circuits. I want to look at some of the basic fundamentals of AC as they apply to a simple electric circuits.

    (more…)

    Retired Techie

  • Basic Electrical Circuit Analysis

    Back to my Roots

    I am going back to my roots. This is where I started back in the late 1960’s. Computers really were not a thing back then, at least for the hobbyist. Instead I had a box of electrical components and parts, a few of those plastic breadboards, and a really cheap multi meter to play with.

    Besides bread boarding simple circuits, I used to also get the old Radio Shack P-Box kits which let one build some more complex items.

    Eventually you move on to designing your own circuits. You don’t know what you are missing until you spend the day in a public library poring over parts specifications (no internet back then). Photo copiers were expensive, so you always brought along a couple of those black composition books and few trusty Number 2 Pencils.

    It was always a rush when I got something I had designed to work the way I wanted it too.

    (more…)

    Retired Techie

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