Complete beginner's guide to using a breadboard

Moritz Klein
29 Mar 202121:22

Summary

TLDRThis instructional video offers a practical guide for beginners in synthesizer circuit design. It covers the basics of breadboard usage, component identification, and schematic reading. The host demonstrates how to set up simple circuits using a breadboard, resistors, capacitors, LEDs, and integrated circuits, while highlighting the importance of safety and organization. The video progresses to more complex circuits, including an op-amp voltage inverter and a fixed frequency square wave oscillator, providing a hands-on approach to learning electronic circuit assembly.

Takeaways

  • πŸ”Œ Start with the basics: Understand the essentials of using a breadboard, components, and tools without diving deep into theoretical aspects.
  • πŸ”‹ Power source recommendation: For beginners, use two 9V batteries to avoid potential damage from a wall plug power supply in case of a short circuit.
  • πŸ”— Utilize jumpers: Pre-cut solid core wires or a roll of wire can simplify connections on the breadboard and keep the layout organized.
  • πŸ”Œ Jack sockets for audio: Use 3.5mm or 6.35mm jack sockets for input and output signals in synthesizer circuits, and connect them with soldering or alligator clips.
  • πŸ” Troubleshooting tool: A digital multimeter is invaluable for measuring voltage, current, resistance, and frequency, aiding in circuit debugging.
  • πŸ“Š Resistors and their values: Small resistors can handle up to 0.4 watts and are chosen based on the circuit's need, with color bands or a multimeter for value identification.
  • πŸ’§ Capacitors variety: Different types like electrolytic, foil, and ceramic capacitors are used based on voltage rating and the application, with values typically printed on them.
  • πŸ’‘ LED orientation: LEDs require correct orientation with the longer leg connected to the anode and the shorter to the cathode to allow current flow in the correct direction.
  • ⚑ Integrated Circuits (ICs): ICs like the TL074 op-amp are used for specific functions and require understanding of pin functions through pinout diagrams.
  • πŸ”„ Breadboard layout: Recognize the internal connections of a breadboard, including power rails and middle sections, to correctly place components for circuit functionality.
  • πŸ‘‚ Audio signal testing: Modify the oscillator circuit to produce an audible signal by increasing the frequency and using an audio socket with a voltage divider for safe listening.

Q & A

  • What is the main purpose of the video?

    -The main purpose of the video is to guide beginners through the basics of using a breadboard to design synthesizer circuits, including identifying components, understanding breadboard internals, reading schematics, and setting up simple circuits.

  • Why is a breadboard recommended for starting out with synthesizer circuits?

    -A breadboard is recommended for starting out because it allows for easy experimentation and modification of circuits without the need for soldering, making it ideal for learning and prototyping.

  • What are the advantages of using 9V batteries as a power source for beginners?

    -Using 9V batteries is advantageous for beginners because they are safer than wall plug power supplies, as they will only get slightly warm in the event of a short circuit, reducing the risk of damaging components or causing injury.

  • What is the purpose of jumpers in a breadboard setup?

    -Jumpers are used to connect components on the breadboard. They help to clean up and organize the layout of the circuit, making it easier to follow and modify.

  • Why is a digital multimeter a useful tool for building synthesizer circuits?

    -A digital multimeter is useful for troubleshooting and measuring various electrical properties such as voltage, current, resistance, and frequency, which can be crucial for ensuring the circuit functions as intended.

  • What are the different types of capacitors mentioned in the script, and how can they be identified?

    -The script mentions electrolytic capacitors, identified by their cylindrical shape and silver top; foil capacitors, which often come in a boxy format; and ceramic capacitors, which have a round, knob-like appearance. Their values are usually printed on the outside, and they differ in voltage rating and physical appearance.

  • How can one determine the resistance value of a resistor?

    -The resistance value can be determined using a multimeter set to resistance detection mode. By holding each probe to one end of the resistor, the multimeter will display the resistance value.

  • What is the significance of the orientation of an LED when connecting it to a circuit?

    -The orientation of an LED is significant because LEDs only allow current to pass through them in one direction. The longer leg of the LED should be connected to the positive side of the circuit, and the shorter leg to the ground.

  • How can one find out the pinout of an integrated circuit (IC) like the TL074?

    -The pinout of an IC can be found by searching the chip's name followed by the word 'pinout' online. This will provide a diagram showing the function of each pin and the supply connectors.

  • What is the basic concept behind the voltage inverter circuit demonstrated in the script?

    -The basic concept of the voltage inverter circuit is that it inverts the input voltage. If a negative voltage is applied to the inverting input, the output LED will light up, and if a positive voltage is applied, the LED will turn off.

  • How does the script suggest modifying the square wave oscillator circuit to make the signal audible?

    -To make the signal audible, the script suggests replacing the 100k resistor between the inverting input and output with a 1k resistor to increase the oscillation frequency, and swapping the output LED for an output audio socket with a 10k-1k voltage divider to reduce the signal to line level.

Outlines

00:00

πŸ› οΈ Introduction to Synthesizer Circuit Design

This paragraph introduces the video's purpose, which is to guide beginners through the basics of designing synthesizer circuits using a breadboard. It emphasizes the practical aspects of breadboard usage, component handling, and schematic reading without delving into theoretical details. The presenter mentions that a list of necessary parts and tools will be provided in the description and highlights the importance of using batteries as a safer power source for beginners. Jumpers, jack sockets, and alligator clips are discussed as essential tools for connecting components, and a digital multimeter is recommended for troubleshooting.

05:02

πŸ”Œ Understanding Breadboards and Basic Components

The second paragraph delves into the specifics of breadboards, their tie points, and power rails, explaining how they are interconnected. It covers the use of resistors, capacitors, LEDs, and integrated circuits (ICs), including how to identify and use them in circuit design. The importance of not exceeding capacitor voltage ratings to prevent explosion is stressed. The paragraph also discusses how to read resistor color codes and the practicality of using a multimeter for determining resistance values.

10:03

πŸ’‘ Building a Simple LED Circuit

This paragraph demonstrates the process of building a simple circuit to light up an LED. It explains the function of each component in the circuit, including the power source, resistor, and LED, and how they are connected. The importance of understanding the breadboard's internal connections is highlighted, with a detailed explanation of power rails and the middle section's tie points. The paragraph also addresses the correct orientation of the LED and how to connect it to the breadboard properly.

15:05

πŸ”§ Constructing an Op-Amp Based Voltage Inverter

The fourth paragraph introduces a more complex circuit, an op-amp based voltage inverter, which inverts the input voltage to control an LED. It discusses the need for additional information beyond the basic schematic, such as powering the op-amp, which is found using a pinout diagram. The paragraph explains how to set up the IC on the breadboard, ensuring pin isolation, and how to connect the IC to power rails. It also details the steps to connect the op-amp's inputs and output to create the inverter circuit, including the use of jumpers and the importance of the IC's power supply.

20:05

πŸŽ›οΈ Creating a Fixed Frequency Square Wave Oscillator

The final paragraph describes the construction of a fixed frequency square wave oscillator, which automatically switches an LED on and off at regular intervals. It outlines the steps to modify the previous circuit by adding a resistor and capacitor to the op-amp's inputs and output. The paragraph also explains how to adjust the frequency of oscillation and convert the output to an audible signal by replacing the LED with an audio socket and using a voltage divider. It concludes with instructions on identifying the correct connections on the audio socket using a multimeter and connecting it to the breadboard to listen to the oscillator signal.

Mindmap

Keywords

πŸ’‘Breadboard

A breadboard is an essential tool in electronics for building and testing circuits without the need for soldering. It provides a platform with tie points that allow components to be easily inserted and connected. In the video, the breadboard is described as having 830 tie points, which is a standard full-size variant, offering ample space for experimenting with various circuits.

πŸ’‘Components

Components refer to the individual electronic parts used to construct circuits, such as resistors, capacitors, LEDs, and integrated circuits (ICs). The script mentions the importance of identifying and handling these components correctly when designing synthesizer circuits. Examples from the script include resistors with color-coded bands to indicate their resistance value and capacitors with different physical appearances and voltage ratings.

πŸ’‘Schematic

A schematic is a symbolic representation of an electrical circuit that shows the connections between components using standardized symbols. It is a crucial part of the design process and is used to understand and communicate the intended functionality of a circuit. The video emphasizes the practical aspects of reading and applying schematics to set up circuits on a breadboard.

πŸ’‘Power Source

A power source provides the electrical energy needed to operate a circuit. In the context of the video, the recommended power source for beginners is a 9V battery, with two batteries suggested to prevent overheating in case of a short circuit. The power source is connected to the breadboard's power rails, which distribute the power to the components.

πŸ’‘Jumpers

Jumpers are pre-cut solid-core wires used to connect components on a breadboard. They help in organizing and cleaning up the layout of a circuit. The script mentions that jumpers can be bought in a box of various sizes or made from a roll of wire, emphasizing their convenience and importance in circuit building.

πŸ’‘Multimeter

A multimeter is a versatile measuring instrument that can measure voltage, current, resistance, and sometimes frequency. It is highlighted in the video as a useful tool for troubleshooting, allowing the user to measure various aspects of a circuit, such as the voltage between points or the resistance of a component.

πŸ’‘Resistor

A resistor is a passive component that opposes the flow of electric current in a circuit. It is characterized by its resistance value, which can be indicated by color bands or numerically printed on its body. In the video, the presenter discusses the use of small resistors capable of handling up to 0.4 watts and how to measure their resistance with a multimeter.

πŸ’‘Capacitor

A capacitor is a component that stores electrical energy in an electric field. It comes in various types, such as electrolytic, ceramic, and foil, each with different characteristics and voltage ratings. The script explains the importance of not exceeding the voltage rating to prevent the capacitor from exploding and mentions how capacitor values are typically printed on the component.

πŸ’‘LED

An LED, or light-emitting diode, is a semiconductor device that emits light when an electric current passes through it in the forward direction. The video script describes LEDs as self-explanatory components that can be damaged if not handled correctly, emphasizing the need to understand their polarity and current requirements.

πŸ’‘Integrated Circuit (IC)

An integrated circuit, or IC, is a miniaturized electronic circuit that contains many components, such as transistors, resistors, and diodes, on a single chip. The IC mentioned in the script is the TL074, which contains four independent operational amplifiers (op-amps). ICs are used for their specialized functions and are central to the operation of complex circuits like the ones discussed in the video.

πŸ’‘Op-Amp

An operational amplifier, or op-amp, is a type of IC that has a high gain and is used in various linear and non-linear applications, such as amplifiers, comparators, and oscillators. The video demonstrates how to use an op-amp in a simple inverter circuit and a square wave oscillator, showing the versatility of this component in synthesizer circuits.

Highlights

Introduction to designing synthesizer circuits with a breadboard and components.

Explanation of the practical aspects of using a breadboard without delving into circuit theory.

List of common status items provided in the description for reference.

Use of a standard full-size breadboard with 830 tie points for ample working space.

Recommendation to use 9V batteries as a safe power source for beginners to prevent damage from short circuits.

Use of clips to connect batteries to the breadboard for easy setup.

Importance of jumpers in organizing and cleaning up breadboard layouts.

Options for connecting jack sockets to the breadboard with either soldering or alligator clips.

Introduction of a digital multimeter for troubleshooting and measuring various electrical properties.

Overview of main components used in synthesizer circuits, including resistors, capacitors, LEDs, and ICs.

Identification and handling of different types of capacitors and their voltage ratings.

Building a simple LED circuit as a foundational exercise in breadboarding.

Understanding the internal connections of a breadboard for proper circuit setup.

Creating a voltage inverter circuit using an op-amp to demonstrate basic signal processing.

Using a pinout diagram to understand the powering of an IC and matching it to a schematic.

Building a fixed frequency square wave oscillator to produce audible signals.

Adjusting the oscillator circuit to increase frequency and output through an audio socket.

Using a multimeter to identify connections on an audio jack for proper signal routing.

Final demonstration of a working square wave oscillator and listening to the generated signal.

Encouragement to explore the theory behind the circuits through the creator's DIY VCO series.

Invitation to support the creator on Patreon for additional benefits and community access.

Transcripts

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let's say you want to start designing

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your own synthesizer circuits

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so you bought a breadboard and some

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components but now you're having trouble

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figuring out how to use them properly

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then this video is for you in it i will

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walk you through the absolute basics

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from identifying and handling components

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understanding the breadboard's internals

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to reading schematics and then setting

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up your first

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simple circuits keep in mind that we

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won't dive into the theory behind those

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circuits

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this video is strictly about the

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practical aspects of using a breadboard

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though if you're interested i'm

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regularly doing circuit analysis videos

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on my channel before we begin let's make

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sure we have all the necessary parts and

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tools you can find a list of common

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status items in the description

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so obviously the star of the show is

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going to be your breadboard

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and these come in different shapes and

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sizes but i'm using a standard

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full size variant with 830 tie points

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and this will give us plenty of room to

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play around with

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next we need some sort of power source

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if you're just starting out

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i strongly recommend you use 9v

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batteries here

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two of them to be precise this is

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because batteries

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will only get a little warm if you

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accidentally create a short circuit

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whereas with a wall plug power supply

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you might actually see things go up in

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smoke

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to connect the batteries with our

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breadboard we'll also need

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two of these simple clips here speaking

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of connecting things

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a box of different size jumpers can make

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your life a lot easier

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these are basically just pre-cut solid

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core wires

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so all they do is connect components on

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the breadboard

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but often that can really help clean up

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and organize your layouts

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you could of course also just buy a big

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roll of wire

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and cut jumpers from it yourself but for

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me

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this is way more convenient since we're

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dealing with audio signals here

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we'll also need a few jack sockets to

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get those signals into

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and out of our circuits you can use

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3.5 millimeter once if you prefer but

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i'm going with big

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6.35 millimeter sockets now

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in order to connect these with your

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breadboard you've essentially got two

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options if you're comfortable with a

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soldering iron

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you could simply solder wires to the

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socket connectors

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but in case you're not you can always

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fall back on alligator clips like these

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just attach them to the connectors and

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to a small jumper

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and you're good to go this next tool is

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not exactly necessary

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but it will save you a lot of headaches

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especially while troubleshooting

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a simple digital multimeter with it

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you can measure all kinds of things the

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voltage between two points

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or the amount of current flowing or the

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resistance value

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or even an oscillations frequency super

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useful

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but okay time to talk meat and potatoes

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here are some of the main components

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you'll be dealing with

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when building synthesizer circuits first

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off

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let's check our resistors these come in

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different physical sizes which will

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roughly indicate their power rating

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a bigger resistor can handle more

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electricity flowing through it

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because it dissipates heat better with

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our use case

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we'll rarely be pushing large currents

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through our resistors though

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which is why i'm using these small and

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handy ones that can handle just up to

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0.4 watts

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now you'll probably notice these collet

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rings across

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the resistor's surface and those tell

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you the resistance value

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if you can decipher them but honestly i

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think that's too much of a hassle

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which is why i normally just use my

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multimeter to determine resistances

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for that you simply have to set it to

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the resistance detection mode

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and hold each probe to one end of the

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resistor you want to test

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as you can see i've got a few 100k 10k

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and 1k resistors here now these values

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are not going to be super critical

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so if you've got some that are in the

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same ballpark

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we should be good next we'll look at

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capacitors

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these can be a tad confusing because

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there's a bunch of types that look

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wildly different

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this here for example is an electrolytic

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capacitor

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you can identify them by their cylinder

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shape and silver top

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foil caps on the other hand often come

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in this kind of boxy format

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and ceramic ones have this round

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knob-ish appearance

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now with capacitors you thankfully don't

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need to learn any color codes

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their value is usually printed right on

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the outside somewhere

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so here we have a one microfarad foil

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capacitor

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that can handle up to 63 volts and this

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here

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is a 100 microfarad electrolytic cap

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that's rated for

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50 volts that voltage rating is

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important

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your capacitors can actually explode if

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you exceed it

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but since we are only toying around with

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9 volt batteries here

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we are perfectly safe in that regard and

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like with the resistors the capacitor

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values are not that crucial

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as long as you've got a few different

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ones to play around with

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next up leds these are probably

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self-explanatory

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you can get them in different sizes and

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colors and some of them

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can handle bigger currents than others

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but apart from that

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there's not much to look out for be sure

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to buy more than one though

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you'll probably fry a few along the way

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still happens to me sometimes

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finally we've got an integrated circuit

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here or

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ic for short ics are basically like

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plugins

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they serve a specific specialized

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purpose and encapsulate that in a handy

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little form factor

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this one right here is a tl074

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which has four independent op-amps on a

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single chip

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you can use other op-amp ics this is

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just the one i have laying around

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in spades okay so to get started let's

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check out a very simple schematic

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all this circuit supposed to do is make

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an led

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light up there's three components

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involved

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a power source a resistor and of course

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an led it works like this electricity

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flows from the battery's positive

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terminal

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through a current limiting 1k resistor

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and the led

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and then back to the battery's negative

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terminal making that led

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light up in the process now in most

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schematics you won't find the circuit

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laid out in a circular form like this

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i just drew it this way because it's

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easier to read at first

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in the wild you'd probably see something

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looking more like the schematic over

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here

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semantically these two are completely

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identical

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we just separated the positive and

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negative terminal of our battery

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this way we can lay out our circuit in a

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more compact fashion

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and once you look at more complex

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designs you'll see how much that

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simplifies things

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with this we have all the information

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needed to build the circuit

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the battery connects to the resistor

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which connects to the led

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which leads back to the battery but now

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the question is

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how do we get it onto the breadboard for

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this

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we'll first need to understand how all

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these tie points are connected

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internally

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so here's what we'd see if the

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breadboard was transparent

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you'll notice that there's a clear and

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simple pattern

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on the sides we have what's called the

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power rails

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these run all the way along the

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breadboard's length

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connecting all these tie points together

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and are normally used to distribute

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power to wherever we need it

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that's why they have these plus and

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minus labels

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suggesting that we match them with our

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batteries terminals

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be careful though some breadboards split

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these rails into two isolated sections

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per side

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and this is usually indicated by a gap

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in the red and blue lines like this

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and can give you some mysterious power

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issues if you miss it

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next let's look at our breadboard's

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middle section

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this is split in half by this big rift

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giving us two separate areas to work

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with

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you'll see how that's useful later now

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unlike with the power rails

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the tie points in these sections are

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connected across the breadboard in

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chains of five

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so they run perpendicular to those power

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rails

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okay so now that we know all this

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setting up our circuit should be doable

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first of all i'll connect a battery to

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the power rails on this side

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using one of our clips

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now all the tie points on this rail

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carry nine volts

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while this rail sits at zero volts or

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ground

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looking at the schematic we can see that

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the only thing directly connected to the

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positive rail

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is the resistor so i'll grab a 1k

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and stick it into one of the positive

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rails tie points

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it doesn't matter which one i pick since

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they all connect to our battery's 9v

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terminal

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then i plug the other end into one of

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the middle sections tie points

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and again i'm free to choose whichever i

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like best

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this one seems appealing so now this

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entire five point row

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connects to the positive rail through

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the resistor

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next up we'll need to plug in our led

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there's a small caveat here while for

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the resistor

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the orientation does not matter setting

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up an led

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requires a little more care that's

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because leds

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only let current pass through them in

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this direction

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how do we tell these two connectors

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apart then easy

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you just have to check their length one

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leg is always longer than the other

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and that's the one that connects to our

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resistor

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so i'll just plug it into the same row

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finally

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the short leg needs to loop back to the

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ground rail to complete our circuit

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and while you could just squish it past

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the resistor like this

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i prefer to use a jumper to create a

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cleaner looking layout

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to do that i'll first connect the led's

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short leg to a new row

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then from here i can comfortably use a

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small jumper

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to link that row to the ground rail

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and as if it's telling us we did

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everything right

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the led lights up great next

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we'll tackle a slightly more complex

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circuit idea

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this is a crude op-amp based voltage

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inverter

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the basic idea is this if we apply a

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negative voltage here

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the output led will light up and if we

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apply a positive voltage

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it will turn off now in order to be able

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to translate this

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into a breadboard layout we need a bit

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more information

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information which is only implied in

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this schematic

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looking at the op-amp symbol it's

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actually unclear how it's powered

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we only see two inputs and one output

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this is because the supply pins are only

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implied here

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the schematic assumes that you know you

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have to power

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your op amp sometimes people will draw

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it with the supply pins

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but that's the exception okay but how do

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you power an op-amp ic

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or any ic for that matter simple

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you just google your chip's name in this

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case tl074

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followed by the word pin out this will

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most likely prompt you

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with what we call a pin out diagram

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which shows you what each pin is for and

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also indicates the supply connectors

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if you're now wondering how to match

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your real chips pins

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with the diagram that's what this little

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notch is for

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which you'll find in the diagram as well

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as on the actual component

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okay so now we know that this pin should

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get the positive

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while this one's for the negative supply

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voltage

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only one slight problem there right now

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we only have a positive and a neutral

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or ground rail on our breadboard luckily

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for us

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adding a negative rail is really easy

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when you're using batteries

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all we have to do is get our second

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battery

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attach the clip then plug the positive

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red cable into our ground rail while

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connecting the black one

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to a power rail on the opposite side

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that's it

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now we have an additional negative rail

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right there

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so next we'll set up our op-amp ic and

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this is where this middle rift gets its

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time to shine

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because by plugging the chip in like

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this we ensure that

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all of its pins are isolated from each

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other

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if the rift wasn't there all of these

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pin pairs

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would be connected together which is not

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what we want okay

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time to supply the ic with power from

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the pinout diagram

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we know that this pin should connect to

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the positive rail

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so i'll use a small jumper to link this

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row

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to that positive rail same thing on the

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opposite side

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small jumper connects this row to the

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negative rail

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and with that our ic is powered and

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ready to use

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next we'll have to pick one of the four

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op-amps on the chip

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to build our circuit with it doesn't

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matter which one we choose

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so i'll go with this one here looking at

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the schematic

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we can start by tying the non-inverting

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input

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that's the one level plus to ground so

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i'll use another jumper and connect this

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row to the ground rail

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then i'll set up our output led so we'll

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first need to plug a 1k resistor into

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this row

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connecting it to the op-amp's output

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from here

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i'll route the signal to an unused row

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where we'll have space

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for the led next plug the led's long leg

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into that row and the short leg into the

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ground rail

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almost done now we just need a way to

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send a voltage

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into the op-amp's inverting input that's

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the one labeled minus

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to keep it nice and simple i'll just use

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a long jumper here

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plug it into this row and we're good to

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go

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first let's send in a positive voltage

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as expected the led goes dark but if i

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use

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the negative rail the led lights up

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great

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but to be honest a simple inverter is

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not all that exciting

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so let's pick things up a notch this

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here is a simple

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fixed frequency square wave oscillator

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that will make our leds switch on and

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off automatically

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in regular intervals as you can see

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there's a bunch more components at play

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so let's divide things into smaller

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easier to handle chunks

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since the output led and current

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limiting resistor are set up the exact

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same way as with our previous circuit

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we can simply carry them over no change

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is required

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next we'll deal with the op-amp's

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non-inverting input

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here we have to make two changes we need

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to replace

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the direct connection to ground with a

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100k resistor

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and then we need to connect that

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non-inverting input to the op-amp's

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output

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through another 100k resistor so in

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practice

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i'll first remove the jumper that's

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connecting this row and the ground rail

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next i'll plug in a 100k resistor in its

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place

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finally connect these two rows with

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another 100k resistor

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now all that's left to deal with is the

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op-amp's inverting input

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the setup here is very similar to the

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one down here

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but it exchanges the resistor to ground

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with a one microfarad capacitor

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we have to be a bit cautious here this

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symbol tells

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us that we need to use a non-polarized

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capacitor

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because both of these lines are straight

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if one of them were curved

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we'd know to use a polarized one so

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which type is polarized

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and which one is not easy both the

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foil and ceramic caps are non-polarized

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while the electrolytic one

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is polarized for audio applications

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it's generally a good idea to favor foil

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capacitors

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so let's go with this one setting it up

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is a bit tricky

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because its legs are so close together

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this means that we can't simply connect

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one of them

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to the inverting inputs row while

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plugging the other

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into the ground rail we'll have to find

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another way

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to give us a bit more space to operate

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i'll first use a medium sized jumper to

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connect this row

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to another row further to the left

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now if i connect this row to ground with

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another jumper

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we can comfortably plug in the capacitor

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right here

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so that this side is connected to the

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inverting input

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while this one links straight to ground

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finally we'll have to connect

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inverting input and output through yet

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another 100k resistor

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plug it in right here and as expected

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the light is flashing

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cool but while looking at a flashing

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light is nice

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it would be even better if we could

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listen to our oscillator signal

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for that we'll have to make two

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adjustments first

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we replace the resistor here with a 1k

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this will increase the oscillations

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frequency and make it audible

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and then we'll swap our output led for

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an output audio

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socket to get the signal down to line

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level

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in order to not damage our headphones or

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speakers

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we use a 10k 1k voltage divider between

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our socket and the op amps output let's

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start out by

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swapping the 100k between inverting

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input and output

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for a 1k resistor next i'll remove the

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led

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the 1k resistor here then gets replaced

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with a 10k

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and we can use that 1k to connect this

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row to ground

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finally we'll set up the audio socket

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again looking at the schematic

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we can see that one of its connectors

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should be tied straight to the ground

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rail

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while the other needs to link up to the

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voltage divider

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now the question is how do we identify

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them on the real-life socket

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this is where our multimeter comes in

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handy again

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if we take a look at a standard mono

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audio jack

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we can see that it's split into two

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sections the tip

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and the sleeve now conventionally the

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sleeve should be connected to ground

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while the tip carries the actual signal

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so if we insert the jack into our socket

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we can use the multimeter to check for

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continuity

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which is just a fancy word for saying

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that two points

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are electrically connected for that i

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set the mode dial to this setting which

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in this case

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is a two in one diode testing and

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continuity testing

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to switch it into the latter mode i

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press the function button

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now if i bring the two probes together

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we can hear a loud beeping noise telling

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us that there is

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continuity so if i hold one probe

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to the tip of the jack here i can use

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the other

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to check the sockets connectors

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okay so this one should get the audio

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signal

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i'll attach a red alligator clip cable

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to mark it

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next hold the probe to the jack sleeve

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and test the remaining two connectors

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seems like this one should link to the

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ground rail so i'll attach a black

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alligator clip cable

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now what about the third connector well

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we can safely ignore it this is a

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special kind of switched socket

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but we're not using that feature here

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all that's left to do

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is attach the red and black cables to

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small jumpers

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which we can then plug into their

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respective destinations

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the black one connects to the ground

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rail while the red one

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goes where the led's long leg used to be

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and now we can listen to the signal

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either through headphones

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or anything with an aux input audio

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interfaces work too

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and there you have it a nicely annoying

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fixed frequency square wave oscillation

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if you've made it this far you should

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now be able to translate

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most basic synth schematics into a

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breadboard layout

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now if you're curious about the theory

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behind those schematics

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i'd recommend you take a look at my diy

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vco series

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where i explain and analyze a fully

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featured vco

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also if you've enjoyed this content and

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would like to see

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more of it in the future consider

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supporting me on patreon

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you can get access to a bunch of

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benefits there

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one of which being a private discord

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community where

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patrons can ask for help and share ideas

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anyways thanks for watching and until

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next time

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Related Tags
Synth BuildingBreadboard BasicsCircuit DesignDIY ElectronicsAudio SignalsComponent HandlingSchematic ReadingCircuit AnalysisLED OscillatorDIY Tutorial