Breakthrough quantum-dot transistors create a flexible alternative to conventional electronics

Researchers have created fundamental electronic building blocks out of tiny structures known as quantum dots and used them to assemble functional logic circuits.

Device takes us closer to high-performing wearable and eco-disposable AI electronics

Engineers have unveiled a device with unique functionality that could signal the dawn of a new design philosophy for electronics, including next-generation wearables and eco-disposable sensors.

Tailoring 2D materials to improve electronic and optical devices

New possibilities for future developments in electronic and optical devices have been unlocked by recent advancements in two-dimensional (2D) materials.

On-surface synthesis of graphene nanoribbons could advance quantum devices

Scientists have synthesized graphene nanoribbons -- ultrathin strips of carbon atoms -- on a titanium dioxide surface using an atomically precise method that removes a barrier for custom-designed carbon nanostructures required for quantum information sciences.

Powering the future: New insights into how alkali-metal doped flexible solar cells work

A group of scientists has discovered that the amount of alkali metal introduced into crystals of flexible thin-film solar cells influences the path that charge carriers take to traverse between electrodes, thereby affecting the light-to-electricity conversion efficiency of the solar cell. Given the immense application potential that such solar cells have today, this finding could be key to ushering in a green future.

Arduino Online Course by CircuitsToday

Dear reader, We are so delighted to announce our first online course in partnership with Udemy – the world’s biggest online course platform. We have launched our first course on Arduino with title “Arduino Course [Zero to Hero] – Learn Arduino by Doing Projects”. This is a complete course on Arduino, designed for students with [...]

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Turning streetwear into solar power plants

Researchers have developed a material that works like a luminescent solar concentrator and can even be applied to textiles. This opens up numerous possibilities for producing energy directly where it is needed, i.e. in the use of everyday electronics.

Reviewing multiferroics for future, low-energy data storage

Big data and exponential demands for computations are driving an unsustainable rise in global ICT energy use. A new study reviews the use of the 'multiferroic' material bismuth-ferrite, which allows for low-energy switching in data storage devices and could be applied in a future generation of ultra-low-energy electronics.

A wearable sensor to help ALS patients communicate

Researchers have designed a skin-like device that can be attached to the face and measure small movements such as a twitch or a smile. With this approach, patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) could communicate a variety of sentiments with small movements that are measured and interpreted by the device.

Detecting early-stage failure in electric power conversion devices

Researchers used acoustic emission during power cycling tests to monitor in real time the complete failure process--from the earliest stages -- in silicon carbide Schottsky diodes. This development will help solve wear-out failure problems that are limiting advanced applications in computers, solar cells, and many other devices.

Innovation spins spider web architecture into 3D imaging technology

Innovators are taking cues from nature to develop 3D photodetectors for biomedical imaging. The researchers used some architectural features from spider webs to develop the technology.

Kitchen temperature supercurrents from stacked 2D materials

A 'stack' of 2D materials could allow for supercurrents at ground-breakingly warm temperatures, easily achievable in the household kitchen. An international study opens a new route to high-temperature supercurrents -- at temperatures, as 'warm' as inside your kitchen fridge. (Previously, superconductivity has been difficult even at temperatures as low as -170°C, making superconductivity impractical for many of its most exciting applications.)

Octopus-inspired sucker transfers thin, delicate tissue grafts and biosensors

Thin tissue grafts and flexible electronics have a host of applications for wound healing, regenerative medicine and biosensing. A new device inspired by an octopus's sucker rapidly transfers delicate tissue or electronic sheets to the patient, overcoming a key barrier to clinical application.

Scientists develop 'mini-brains' to help robots recognize pain and to self-repair

Using a brain-inspired approach, scientists have developed a way for robots to have the artificial intelligence (AI) to recognize pain and to self-repair when damaged.

Cap Half Full #6 – Repairing an old amplifier

In this episode, we repair an old Sanyo amplifier. In this episode, we find an old amplifier in the trash and we try to repair it. Will we able to? Listen and find out.

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Palladium catalysts can do it

Palladium catalysts help synthesize key chemicals for many industries. However, direct reaction of two basic reagents, aryl halides and alkyllithium compounds, remains a challenge. Now, a team of scientists have found that a catalyst containing YPhos-type ligands can mediate this reaction even at room temperature. This discovery may contribute to the development of more sustainable processes in the chemical industry.

Engineering team develops novel miniaturized organic semiconductor

An engineering team has made an important breakthrough in developing the staggered structure monolayer Organic Field Effect Transistors, which sets a major cornerstone to reduce the size of OFETs.

Electronic Schematic Symbols

To be able to read schematics you must know the schematic symbols. But you don’t need to memorize them all. To start with, it’s usually enough to know the battery, resistor, capacitor, transistor, diode, LED, and switch.

Later when you come across symbols you don’t know, you can come back here to identify what it is.

Below is an overview of the most used symbols in circuit diagrams.

Battery

The symbol for a battery is shown below.

A large and a small line is suppose to represent one battery cell so that the image below would suggest a two-cell battery of 3 V. But usually people just draw the battery symbol with one or two cells no matter what voltage it is.

Capacitor

Capacitors are either polarized or not. The symbols that are commonly used for the two are shown below.

A polarized capacitor is marked with a “+” sign. It is important to distinguish between these two because the polarized capacitor needs to be placed correctly according to the “+” sign.

Schematic symbols for polarized and non-polarized capacitors

Resistor

The schematic symbol of the resistor are drawn in two different ways. The american style resistor is drawn as a zigzag resistor while the european style resistor is drawn as a rectangular resistor.

Even though I’m from Europe, I like to draw the zigzag version. I think it is easier to draw and looks better.

American style resistor

European style resistor

Potentiometer (Variable resistor)

The potentiometer (or variable resistor) is drawn in several different ways. The symbol is usually drawn as a resistor with an arrow across it or pointing down on it as the one below.

Diode

The diode family has several different symbols because there are several different types of diodes. Below is a standard diode, a Zener diode, a Schottky diode, and a Light-Emitting Diode (LED).

Different diode symbols

Schematic Symbols of a Transistor

The most common transistor types are the Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT), Darlington Transistor, and the Field Effect Transistor (FET). The schematic symbols for these types are shown below:

Transistor symbols

Integrated Circuit

An Integrated Circuit (IC) is usually shown as a rectangular box with pins. Below, an example of the CMOS IC 4017 is shown.

Schematic symbol for a 4017 IC

Logic Gates

Here are the schematic symbols for the logic gates:

Logic Gates

Inductor

The inductor symbol looks like a coiled wire as this is what an inductor essentially is.

Transformer

The symbol of the transformer looks like two inductors with something in between them. Thats’s because that’s basically what a transformer is.

The transformer symbol

Switch

A switch can be represented in numerous ways in a circuit diagram. Below is a few examples:

Three different switch symbols

Operational Amplifier

The operational amplifier or “opamp” is represented as a triangle with two inputs and one output. In some cases, the power supply pins are removed, but you still need to connect them for it to work.

Power symbols

In larger circuit diagrams, you usually have a lot of connections to the power supply. To simplify, it’s common to use power symbols for ground and VDD (or VCC) as shown below.

Power symbols for Ground and VDD

In circuits where you have a dual supply, that is positive, neutral, and negative – you usually have a third power symbol that looks like the VDD symbol, just upside down.

Photoresistor

The symbol for a photoresistor – or Light-Dependent Resistor (LDR) – looks like a resistor in a circle with arrows pointing inwards.

Crystal

The crystal is a component used to create a stable clock frequency, often for microcontrollers. In circuit diagrams it looks like this:

Fuse

Fuses are often used in higher-voltage circuits. The fuse symbol looks like this:

Return from Schematic Symbols to Electronic Schematics

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Intelligent nanomaterials for photonics

2D materials - combined with optical fibers - can enable novel applications in the areas of sensors, non-linear optics, and quantum technologies. However, combining these two components has so far been very laborious. Typically, the atomically thin layers had to be produced separately before being transferred by hand onto optical fibers. Researchers have now succeeded for the first time in growing 2D materials directly on optical fibers. This approach facilitates manufacturing of such hybrids.

Turning diamond into metal

Researchers have discovered a way to tweak tiny needles of diamond in a controlled way to transform their electronic properties, dialing them from insulating, through semiconducting, all the way to highly conductive, or metallic. This can be induced dynamically and reversed at will, with no degradation of the diamond material.

The best of both worlds: A new take on metal-plastic hybrid 3D printing

Current 3D printers employ either plastic or metal only, and the conventional method to coat 3D plastic structures with metal is not environment-friendly and yields poor results. Now, scientists have developed a metal-plastic hybrid 3D printing technique that produces plastic structures with a highly adhesive metal coating on desired areas. This approach extends the use of 3D printers to 3D electronics for future robotics and Internet-of-Things applications.

Physicists build circuit that generates clean, limitless power from graphene

Physicists have successfully generated an electrical current from the atomic motion of graphene, discovering a new source of clean, limitless power.

3D printed 'invisible' fibers can sense breath, sound, and biological cells

From capturing your breath to guiding biological cell movements, 3D printing of tiny, transparent conducting fibers could be used to make devices which can 'smell, hear and touch' -- making it particularly useful for health monitoring, Internet of Things and biosensing applications.

Flexible and biodegradable electronic blood vessels

Researchers have developed electronic blood vessels that can be actively tuned to address subtle changes in the body after implantation. The blood vessels -- made of a metal-polymer conductor membrane that's flexible and biodegradable -- mimic natural blood vessels, were conductive in in vitro experiments, and were able to effectively replace key arteries in rabbits.