It's time to get your hands dirty!
So far you've learned how to blink a light on paper.
But the real fun is in building it.
The first circuit I ever built was a blinking light circuit. I built it with my dad in our basement when I was around 13. Seeing the circuit working for the first time was such an amazing feeling!
So in this and the next email, I want to help you build the circuit.
I can't stress enough how important it is to build things, not just read.
How do you build things with electronics?
You need to have the components for the circuit. Most of the components can be found for a dollar or less. I'll show you where to get them soon.
AND - you need a way to connect the components as shown in the circuit diagram.
To connect the components, you could either solder them onto a prototyping board - or you could use a breadboard.
I recommend using a breadboard.
It's quick and easy to build a circuit. And you can reuse the components later on.
You can learn about the breadboard here.
The components
One of the components you need for this circuit is a logic gate called an inverter. Sometimes you'll see it named as a NOT-gate.
But there's one important point if you want to build this:
You need to use a Schmitt-triggered inverter.
That's an inverter where the voltage at which it switches from LOW to HIGH is higher than the voltage for switching from HIGH to LOW. A normal inverter would just get stuck in an "in-between" state and never blink.
Here's the complete list of components you need for this circuit:
- Breadboard
- Breadboard Jumper Wires (I used 2 of them)
- 9V Battery
- 9V Battery Clip
- Hex Schmitt Trigger Inverter (74C14 or CD40106) *
- 100μF Polarized Capacitor **
- 2 x 10 kΩ Resistor ('k' stands for 'thousand', so this is 10000 Ω) **
- LED - Red LED (low power) **
Notes:
* The Hex-Schmitt Trigger inverter must be a Dual-Inline Package (DIP)
** The capacitor, resistors, and LED must be through-hole technology (THT) not surface mount device (SMD)
How to get your hands on these components?
Option 1: Buy from a shop
If you don't have a local shop that sells electronic components, there are a lot of them online. And some of them can ship so fast that you'll have your things by tomorrow.
I've listed some tried and tested online shops to buy components in this article.
Option 2: Get the Ohmify kit
If you don't want to look for components, I also have a beginner's component kit that includes what you need (minus the battery) plus a bunch of other components to build a wide range of projects.
This kit is free if you sign up for the yearly subscription of Ohmify. (50% off if you sign up for the monthly). If you want to know more about that option, go here: https://ohmify.com/join/
ACTION STEP:
Now you know how to get the components you need for this circuit. It's time to take action! Choose one of the options above and get your hands on the components.
In tomorrow's email, I'll send you step-by-step instructions on exactly how to build the circuit.
Keep On Soldering!
Oyvind @ build-electronic-circuits.com
Ohmify is an online academy to learn electronics from scratch. Our members are hobbyists, teachers, inventors, artists, and more - from all walks of life. Our library of courses and project plans assume no prior knowledge. Get support, learn, build and chat with people like you - find out more here.
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