Basic Electronics

PROGRAM OUTLINE

Instruction Sets
Your at-home learning program includes ten Instruction Sets designed to take you step-by-step through the techniques and skills you'll employ in your new career in Electronics.

Here's how it works: Your first Instruction Set will be sent to you as soon as your enrollment has been accepted. Other Instruction Sets will follow as you complete your exams, so that you will always have training materials to work with. Here is an overview of what you'll learn and the order in which you'll receive your learning materials:

Instruction Set 1
- Learning Strategies
  - The advantages of learning at home; types of study materials; types of examinations; accessing and using the features of our website; determining what kind of learner you are; establishing a study schedule; using study tips; preparing for and taking examinations.
- Introduction to Electronics
  - Conductors, resistors, and insulators; direct current and alternating current; job opportunities.
Instruction Set 2
- Nature of Electricity
  - Dangers and benefits of static electricity; volts, amperes, and ohms; series and parallel circuits.
- Learning Aids:
  - Electronics Practice Kit
  - Component Color Code Wheel
- Practical Exercise 1

Instruction Set 3
- Conductors, Insulators, and Batteries
  - Conductors and conductivity; insulating materials; safety precautions when using storage batteries.
- Circuit Analysis and Ohm's Law
  - Finding the voltage, current, and resistance; the use of Ohm's Law.
- Multimeter Usage Manual
  - Multimeter operation; AC and DC voltage measurement.
- Learning Aids:
  - Electronics Practice Kit
  - Circuit Formula Quick Reference Chart
- Equipment:
  - Digital Multimeter
  - Practice Kit
  - Circuit Formulas
- Practical Exercise 2

Instruction Set 4
- Basic Measuring Instruments
  - Analog or digital VOMs; using VOMs to measure voltage; safe handling of a multimeter.
- Electronic Hardware
  - Mechanical connectors; types of solder tools.
- Switching Devices
  - Types of switches; basic relay ladder diagrams.
- Learning Aid:
  - Electronics Practice Kit
- Equipment:
- Practical Exercise 3

Instruction Set 5
- Magnetism and Electromagnetism
  - Simple, compound, and closed magnetic circuits; simple electromagnetic relays.
- Capacitors and Inductors
  - Types of capacitors; how an inductor regulates the flow of current.
- Basic Semiconductor Components: Diodes
  - How a diode works; selecting the proper diode for replacement in a circuit.
- Basic Semiconductor Components: Transistors
  - Bipolar transistors; using an ohmmeter; basic troubleshooting.
- Learning Aid:
  - Electronics Practice Kit
- Practical Exercise 4

Instruction Set 6
- Alternating Current
  - Characteristics of an AC cycle; calculating power.
- Capacitors in AC Circuits
  - Reactance and impedance; how AC frequency affects impedance.
- Inductors in AC Circuits
  - Applying Ohm's law; understanding and calculating impedance; how inductors are made and how they operate.
- Transformers
  - Connecting single-phase transformers; operation of autotransformers.
- Learning Aid:
  - Electronics Practice Kit
- Practical Exercise 5
Instruction Set 7
- Reactance and Impedance
  - Determining the reactance of a capacitor and inductor; finding phase angles between voltage and current.
- Resonant Circuits
  - Serial and parallel resonance; calculating the value of the Quality Factor, Q.
- Application of Resonant Circuits
  - Low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, and band-reject filters; identifying power-supply filter designs.
- Learning Aid:
  - Electronics Practice Kit
- Practical Exercise 6
Instruction Set 8
- Rectifiers and Power Supplies
  - Basic types of electronic rectifiers; operation of power-supply filters.
- Amplifiers
  - Transistor amplifier operations; determining biasing conditions.
- Oscillators
  - Oscillator circuits; effects of temperature on oscillator circuits.
- Fiber Optic and Optoelectronic Components
  - Basic theory of light communications; electron microscopes; how fluorescent lights operate.
- Learning Aid:
  - Electronics Practice Kit
- Practical Exercise 7
Instruction Set 9
- Electronic Sensors
  - Bridge circuits; concepts of "stress" and "strain" in electronics.
- Modulation and Detection Circuits
  - Degrees of modulation; AM and FM signals; modulation and detector circuits.
- Electronic Devices and Amplifiers
  - Passive and active devices; determining amplifier gain.
- Using Basic Oscilloscopes
  - Operation of an oscilloscope; performing low-voltage measurements.
- Learning Aid:
  - Electronics Practice Kit
- Practical Exercise 8
Instruction Set 10
- Audio and RF Circuits
  - Tone frequencies used in control systems; virtues of AM, FM, and SSB transmission.
- Oscillator and Feedback Waveforms
  - Oscillator circuits; how waveforms are created.
- Electronic Power Supplies
  - Basic operation of DC and AC conversion equipment; selecting the proper type of battery.
- Using Basic Oscilloscopes
  - Operation of an oscilloscope; performing low-voltage measurements.
- Learning Aids:
  - Electronics Practice Kit
- Practical Exercise 9