What is considered an electronic component?

What is an Electronic Component? 7 Basic Components That Help Power Our World

Electronic components can be found in nearly every device that touches our fingertips. They are vital to a multitude of gadgets throughout the world; from the military jet engine, to smart home devices and automobiles, to simply switching on a light. With the evolution of electronic devices in the past century, electronics have become increasingly complex and yet must be increasingly reliable. But what exactly is an electronic component?

Electronic components are the parts used in devices that construct electronic circuits. They change the electric current so it can carry information and help in the functions of that circuit. Generally, these components can be classified into two types – active components and passive components. Let’s take a look at what each are and some of the most common electronic components that work hard to power our world.

Active Components are Found in Every Electronic Device :

Active components supply the energy to the circuit and are capable of electrically controlling and amplifying the flow of electrical current. While most devices contain both active and passive components, all electronic circuits must contain at least one active component. Active components require a source of energy, typically in the form of a direct current. Most active components consist of semiconductor devices such as transistors, diodes and integrated circuits.

1. Transistor: An electronic component that is mostly used for amplifying electrical signals or as switching devices. These can be easily identified by their three terminals and can be thought of as a relay without moving parts, as they can turn something ‘on’ and ‘off’ without any movement.

2. Diode: A component that allows electric current to flow in one direction only. It has two terminals, the anode and cathode. When the anode is charged with a positive voltage and the cathode with a negative one, electric current can flow. Reversing these voltages will prevent the current from flowing, thus it is the electronic equivalent of a check valve. It is commonly used to convert an alternating current (AC) into a direct current (DC) and is made either of a semiconductor material or vacuum tube.

3. Integrated Circuit (IC) (AKA Microchip): Multiple complex circuits on a circuit board compose an IC which is used to perform all kinds of tasks yet it is still considered a component despite consisting of many other components. They’re made up of tiny, flat pieces of silicon that consist of layers of many electronic components such as transistors.

Passive Components Dissipate, Resist, or Store Energy :

Passive components can only receive energy, which it then either dissipates, resists, absorbs, or stores in an electric or magnetic field, yet they cannot control or amplify electricity themselves. Some of the most common examples include resistors, capacitors, inductors, and transformers.

1. Resistor: Aptly named, a resistor is a two-terminal electrical device that resists the flow of current. It is one of the simplest elements in an electronic circuit as well as one of the most common, as resistance is an inherent element of nearly all electronic circuits. Resistors are graded based on their power ratings (amount of power they can handle without exploding) and resistance values (capacity to resist current). The measurement is done in units known as ohms.

2. Capacitor: (No not the flux capacitor Marty!) these electronic components have two terminals that can store the electric charge temporarily in an electric field and release it later, when needed. They allow AC to flow through them while resisting DC and in doing so stabilize almost any circuit. Capacitors come in different varieties, with the most common ones being electrolytic and ceramic disk.

3. Inductor (AKA reactor): A two-terminal component that stores energy in a magnetic field and returns energy to the circuit when required. It allows DC to flow through it but not AC. It is composed of a coil wire that is wound around a core which can be either a magnet or even air.

4. Transformers: An electronic component that is often used to raise voltage levels. Transformers can step up or step down voltage, yet power and energy remain the same on the primary and secondary side. As energy is not actually being amplified, a transformer then is classified as a passive element.

Putting It All Together

Electronic components are put together to power all the electronic devices throughout our lives – from the computers in our homes and cars to the complex machinery in industrial operations, medical facilities, military vehicles and beyond.

As the need for reliable electronic devices continues to grow, especially during the massive semiconductor chip shortage, so does the need for reliable electronic components. Area51 Electronics is your trusted global distributor of electronic, electrical and electromechanical components, hardware and assemblies. We specialize in authorized manufacturer lines while also being an independent distributor of hard-to-find, obsolete (end-of-life) verified components. Area51 Electronics’ duty is to deliver, protect and advance the technology standards in the supply chain and in our communities that help power our world.

Understanding more about these basic electronic components that power so many aspects of modern life will inspire greater appreciation for these tiny parts. After all, without them, you would not be reading this today!

Discrete device in an electronic system

Various electronic components, with a 15 cm ruler to scale.

An electronic component is any basic discrete electronic device or physical entity part of an electronic system used to affect electrons or their associated fields. Electronic components are mostly industrial products, available in a singular form and are not to be confused with electrical elements, which are conceptual abstractions representing idealized electronic components and elements. A datasheet for an electronic component is a technical document that provides detailed information about the component's specifications, characteristics, and performance.

Electronic components have a number of electrical terminals or leads. These leads connect to other electrical components, often over wire, to create an electronic circuit with a particular function (for example an amplifier, radio receiver, or oscillator). Basic electronic components may be packaged discretely, as arrays or networks of like components, or integrated inside of packages such as semiconductor integrated circuits, hybrid integrated circuits, or thick film devices. The following list of electronic components focuses on the discrete version of these components, treating such packages as components in their own right.

Classification

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Components can be classified as passive, active, or electromechanic. The strict physics definition treats passive components as ones that cannot supply energy themselves, whereas a battery would be seen as an active component since it truly acts as a source of energy.

However, electronic engineers who perform circuit analysis use a more restrictive definition of passivity. When only concerned with the energy of signals, it is convenient to ignore the so-called DC circuit and pretend that the power supplying components such as transistors or integrated circuits is absent (as if each such component had its own battery built in), though it may in reality be supplied by the DC circuit. Then, the analysis only concerns the AC circuit, an abstraction that ignores DC voltages and currents (and the power associated with them) present in the real-life circuit. This fiction, for instance, lets us view an oscillator as "producing energy" even though in reality the oscillator consumes even more energy from a DC power supply, which we have chosen to ignore. Under that restriction, we define the terms as used in circuit analysis as:

• Active components rely on a source of energy (usually from the DC circuit, which we have chosen to ignore) and usually can inject power into a circuit, though this is not part of the definition.[1] Active components include amplifying components such as transistors, triode vacuum tubes (valves), and tunnel diodes.
• Passive components cannot introduce net energy into the circuit. They also cannot rely on a source of power, except for what is available from the (AC) circuit they are connected to. As a consequence, they cannot amplify (increase the power of a signal), although they may increase a voltage or current (such as is done by a transformer or resonant circuit). Passive components include two-terminal components such as resistors, capacitors, inductors, and transformers.
• Electromechanical components can carry out electrical operations by using moving parts or by using electrical connections.

Most passive components with more than two terminals can be described in terms of two-port parameters that satisfy the principle of reciprocity—though there are rare exceptions.[2] In contrast, active components (with more than two terminals) generally lack that property.

Active components

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Semiconductors

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Transistors

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Transistors were considered the invention of the twentieth century that changed electronic circuits forever. A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify and switch electronic signals and electrical power.

Diodes

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Conduct electricity easily in one direction, among more specific behaviors.

Various examples of Light-emitting diodes

Integrated circuits

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Integrated Circuits can serve a variety of purposes, including acting as a timer, performing digital to analog conversion, performing amplification, or being used for logical operations.

Programmable devices

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Optoelectronic devices

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Display technologies

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Current:

Obsolete:

Vacuum tubes (valves)

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A vacuum tube is based on current conduction through a vacuum (see Vacuum tube).

Optical detectors or emitters

Discharge devices

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Obsolete:

Power sources

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Sources of electrical power:

Passive components

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Components incapable of controlling current by means of another electrical signal are called passive devices. Resistors, capacitors, inductors, and transformers are all considered passive devices.

Resistors

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SMD resistors on the backside of a PCB

Pass current in proportion to voltage (Ohm's law) and oppose current.

• Resistor – fixed value
  • Power resistor – larger to safely dissipate heat generated
  • SIP or DIP resistor network – array of resistors in one package
• Variable resistor
  • Rheostat – two-terminal variable resistor (often for high power)
  • Potentiometer – three-terminal variable resistor (variable voltage divider)
  • Trim pot – small potentiometer, usually for internal adjustments
  • Thermistor – thermally sensitive resistor whose prime function is to exhibit a large, predictable and precise change in electrical resistance when subjected to a corresponding change in body temperature.[5]
  • Humistor – humidity-varied resistor
  • Photoresistor
  • Memristor
  • Varistor, Voltage-dependent resistor, MOV – Passes current when excessive voltage is present
• Resistance wire, Nichrome wire – wire of high-resistance material, often used as a heating element
• Heater – heating element

Capacitors

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Some different capacitors for electronic equipment

Capacitors store and release electrical charge. They are used for filtering power supply lines, tuning resonant circuits, and for blocking DC voltages while passing AC signals, among numerous other uses.

Integrated passive devices

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Integrated passive devices are passive devices integrated within one distinct package. They take up less space than equivalent combinations of discrete components.

Magnetic (inductive) devices

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Electrical components that use magnetism in the storage and release of electrical charge through current:

Memristor

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Electrical components that pass charge in proportion to magnetism or magnetic flux, and have the ability to retain a previous resistive state, hence the name of Memory plus Resistor.

Networks

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Components that use more than one type of passive component:

• RC network – forms an RC circuit, used in snubbers
• LC Network – forms an LC circuit, used in tunable transformers and RFI filters.

Transducers, sensors, detectors

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1. Transducers generate physical effects when driven by an electrical signal, or vice versa.
2. Sensors (detectors) are transducers that react to environmental conditions by changing their electrical properties or generating an electrical signal.
3. The transducers listed here are single electronic components (as opposed to complete assemblies), and are passive (see Semiconductors and Tubes for active ones). Only the most common ones are listed here.

Antennas

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Antennas transmit or receive radio waves

Assemblies, modules

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Multiple electronic components assembled in a device that is in itself used as a component

Prototyping aids

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Electromechanical devices

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A quartz crystal (left) and a crystal oscillator

Piezoelectric devices, crystals, resonators

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Passive components that use piezoelectric effect:

• Components that use the effect to generate or filter high frequencies
  • Crystal – a ceramic crystal used to generate precise frequencies (See the Modules class below for complete oscillators)
  • Ceramic resonator – Is a ceramic crystal used to generate semi-precise frequencies
  • Ceramic filter – Is a ceramic crystal used to filter a band of frequencies such as in radio receivers
  • surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters
• Components that use the effect as mechanical transducers.
  • Ultrasonic motor – Electric motor that uses the piezoelectric effects
  • For piezo buzzers and microphones, see the Transducer class below

Microelectromechanical systems

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Terminals and connectors

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Devices to make electrical connection

Cable assemblies

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Electrical cables with connectors or terminals at their ends

2 different miniature pushbutton switches

Switches

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Components that can pass current ("closed") or break the current ("open"):

Protection devices

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Passive components that protect circuits from excessive currents or voltages:

Mechanical accessories

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Other

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Obsolete

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• Carbon amplifier (see Carbon microphones used as amplifiers)
• Carbon arc (negative resistance device)
• Dynamo (historic rf generator)
• Coherer

Standard symbols

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On a circuit diagram, electronic devices are represented by conventional symbols. Reference designators are applied to the symbols to identify the components.

See also

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References

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