Example circuits
Basic circuits from the electronics lab. Each page has the schematic, the simulation result, how it works and what to change. Open one in the simulator to try it yourself.
- Voltage DividerTwo resistors in series split the source voltage. The point between them sits at a lower voltage, in proportion to R2's share of the total resistance.
- Choosing a Resistor for an LEDAn LED needs a resistor in series. Without one, only the LED's small internal resistance limits the current, and the LED burns out quickly.
- RC Circuit: Charging and Discharging a CapacitorA resistor and a capacitor driven by a square wave show how a capacitor charges and discharges. One number sets the shape of the curve: the time constant τ = R × C.
- Half-Wave RectifierOne diode is enough to turn AC into pulsing DC. The diode passes the positive half of each cycle and blocks the negative half.
- Full-Wave Bridge RectifierFour diodes arranged as a bridge send both halves of the AC cycle through the load in the same direction. A filter capacitor then smooths the pulses into DC with a little ripple.
- Transistor as a SwitchA small current into the base switches a much larger current through the collector. This is how a microcontroller drives an LED, a relay or a motor that needs more current than its output pin can give.
- Inverting Op-Amp AmplifierAn inverting amplifier scales a signal by a factor set only by two resistors, and flips it by 180°.