Electronics for Mechanical

Engineers

Conductors
Materials that allow the flow of electrons are called
conductors. Some good conductors are:
Gold
Silver
Aluminium
Copper
Most metals

Resistors
A resistor

is a two-terminal electrical or
electronic component that resists an
electric current by producing a voltage drop
between its terminals in accordance with
Ohm's law.

Voltage & Current

Current is the flow of electrons in an electric circuit.

Current can be compared to the flow of water in a pipe.
The basic unit of current is the ampere.
Electromotive Force or Voltage is the force that pushes the
electrons thru the circuit.
Voltage can be compared to pressure that pushes water
thru a pipe.
The basic unit of voltage is the volt.

Resistance

Resistance

opposes the flow

of electrons in a material.
Resistance limits the current
that can flow thru a circuit.
Resistance can be compared
to a restriction in a water pipe.
The ohm is the basic unit of
resistance.

Fixedvalue
resistor

Variable
resistor or
potentiometer

Types Of Resistors
Fixed

Resistors
Some resistors are cylindrical, with the actual
resistive material in the center (composition
resistors, now obsolete) or on the surface of
the cylinder (film) resistors, and a conducting
metal lead projecting along the axis of the
cylinder at each end(axial lead). There are
carbon film and metal film resistors

Types of Resistors
Variable

Resistors
The variable resistor is a resistor whose
value can be adjusted by turning a shaft or
sliding a control. They are also called
potentiometers or rheostats and allow the
resistance of the device to be altered by
hand. The term rheostat is usually reserved
for higher-powered devices, above about 1/2
watt.

Adding Resistors
The total resistance of
two
resistors in series is
the
sum of their individual
values.
of
RThe
= total
R1 +resistance
R2
t
two resistors in parallel
is the product over the
sum.
R = R1 x R2

Voltage and Current?

+
E

It is possible to have voltage without current, as

in
the case of a battery by itself. In order to have
current, there must be an electrical path
(circuit) from the positive to the negative

Ohms Law
Ohms Law is a formula that shows the
relationship between Voltage (E), Current
(I), and Resistance (R).
E=IxR
Ohms Law is applicable to all
electrical circuits.

Inductors

Air Core

Variable

Iron Core

Capacitors
A capacitor is made by
separating two
conductive plates by an
insulator or dielectric.
Capacitors store energy
electrostatically.
Capacitors tend to block
DC and pass AC.

Transistors
A transistor

is a semiconductor device that

uses a small amount of voltage or electrical
current to control a larger change in voltage
or current. The transistor is the fundamental
building block of the circuitry that governs the
operation of computers, cellular phones, and
all other modern electronics.

Types of transistor

Transistor circuit symbols. There are two types of

standard transistors, NPN and PNP, with different circuit
symbols. The letters refer to the layers of semiconductor
material used to make the transistor. Most transistors used
today are NPN because this is the easiest type to make
from silicon.
.

The leads are labeled base (B), collector (C) and emitter (E).

Transistors

Transistors amplify signal

using low voltages and
currents.
Base

Collecto
r
Emitter

This is a PNP transistor.

Integrated Circuits (IC's)

An IC (Integrated Circuit)
combines several functions
into one package.

Relay
Relay

is an electrical switch that opens and

closes under control of another electrical
circuit. In the original form, the switch is
operated by an electromagnet to open or
close one or many sets of contacts.

Relay construction

An

electric current through a conductor will

produce a magnetic field at right angles to
the direction of electron flow. If that
conductor is wrapped into a coil shape, the
magnetic field produced will be oriented
along the length of the coil. The greater the
current, the greater the strength of the
magnetic field, all other factors being equal

Working of a Relay

In the above schematic, the relay's coil is energized

by the low-voltage (12 VDC) source, while the singlepole, single-throw (SPST) contact interrupts the
high-voltage (480 VAC) circuit. It is quite likely that
the current required to energize the relay coil will be
hundreds of times less than the current rating of the
contact. Typical relay coil currents are well below 1
amp, while typical contact ratings for industrial relays
are at least 10 amps

Relay Panel

Shown

here are three small relays (about two

inches in height, each), installed on a panel
as part of an electrical control system

REVIEW:

A solenoid is a device that produces mechanical motion from

the energization of an electromagnet coil. The movable portion
of a solenoid is called an armature.
A relay is a solenoid set up to actuate switch contacts when its
coil is energized.
Pull-in current is the minimum amount of coil current needed to
actuate a solenoid or relay from its "normal" (de-energized)
position.
Drop-out current is the maximum coil current below which an
energized relay will return to its "normal" state.

Contactors

When a relay is used to switch a large amount of

electrical power through its contacts, it is
designated by a special name: contactor.
Contactors typically have multiple contacts, and
those contacts are usually (but not always)
normally-open, so that power to the load is shut
off when the coil is de-energized. Perhaps the
most common industrial use for contactors is
the control of electric motors.

REVIEW:

A contactor is a large relay, usually used to switch

current to an electric motor or other high-power load.
Large electric motors can be protected from over
current damage through the use of overload heaters
and overload contacts. If the series-connected
heaters get too hot from excessive current, the
normally-closed overload contact will open, deenergizing the contactor sending power to the motor.

Types of Relays
Electromechanical
Time

Relays

Delay Relays
Solid-State Relays
Programmable Logic Relay Arrays

Time-delay relays

Some

relays are constructed with a kind of

"shock absorber" mechanism attached to the
armature which prevents immediate, full
motion when the coil is either energized or
de-energized. This addition gives the relay
the property of time-delay actuation. Timedelay relays can be constructed to delay
armature motion on coil energization, deenergization, or both.

Protective relays

special type of relay is one which

monitors the current, voltage, frequency,
or any other type of electric power
measurement either from a generating
source or to a load for the purpose of
triggering a circuit breaker to open in the
event of an abnormal condition. These
relays are referred to in the electrical
power industry as protective relays

Solid-state relays

As versatile as electromechanical relays can be, they do suffer

many limitations. They can be expensive to build, have a
limited contact cycle life, take up a lot of room, and switch
slowly, compared to modern semiconductor devices. These
limitations are especially true for large power contactor relays.
To address these limitations, many relay manufacturers offer
"solid-state" relays, which use an SCR, TRIAC, or transistor
output instead of mechanical contacts to switch the controlled
power. The output device (SCR, TRIAC, or transistor) is
optically-coupled to an LED light source inside the relay. The
relay is turned on by energizing this LED, usually with lowvoltage DC power.

REVIEW:

Large

electric circuit breakers do not contain

within themselves the necessary
mechanisms to automatically trip (open) in
the event of overcurrent conditions. They
must be "told" to trip by external devices.
Protective relays are devices built to
automatically trigger the actuation coils of
large electric circuit breakers under certain
conditions.

Schematic Symbols You Need to Know

Fixedvalue ironcore
inductor

Fixedvalue
capacitor

Single-cell
battery

Single-pole,
double-throw
switch

NPN
transistor

Fixedvalue
resistor

Double-pole,
single-throw
switch

Variable
resistor or
potentiometer

Programmable Logic Relays

An

Introduction

What is a PLC?
A PLC

(i.e. Programmable Logic Controller)

is a device that was invented to replace the
necessary sequential relay circuits for
machine control. The PLC works by looking
at its inputs and depending upon their state,
turning on/off its outputs. The user enters a
program, usually via software, that gives the
desired results.

PLC

How They are Developed ?

Programmable Logic Controllers were developed to

provide a replacement for large relay based control
panels. These systems were inflexible requiring
major rewiring or replacement whenever the control
sequence was to be changed.
The development of the micro processor from the
mid 1970's have allowed Programmable Logic
Controllers to take on more complex tasks and larger
functions as the speed of the processor increased.

How a PLC works?

Modern PLCs are quite complex with many possible

functions all programmed in a step/ladder program.
A typical manual will comprize many pages. Most
manufactures have their manuals downloadable at
their respective web pages and are to the fresh user
a heck of a hand full to follow. 50 to 150 pages is not
uncommon. So as you said, start simple and work
your way up the "ladder".

LADDER LOGIC
Ladder

Logic
PLC had to be maintainable by technicians
and electrical personnel. To support this the
programming language of Ladder Logic was
developed. Ladder Logic is based on the
relay and contact symbols technicians were
used to through wiring diagrams of electrical
control panels.