Good resource to learn circuit-side of Arduino?

[remedemic]

I've been studying circuitry from http://allaboutcircuits.com in hopes of experimenting with the arduino. I have read the majority of the DC volume and believe I have enough knowledge to begin working with the arduino board, however, I haven't actually built any circuits on my own yet.

Are there any resources that you can recommend that will assist me in the transition from understanding how circuits function and their components, to actually creating some on the arduino board? Most of the resources I can find revolve around the programming-side of the arduino, which for me is no problem to learn. I need something that is focused on learning how to build the circuit itself.

 

[CraigH]

When you buy an Arduino you will buy the whole micro-processor, not just the chip, so the circuitry is quite simple.
If you buy a breadboard for testing purposes and then a vero board for a more permanent circuit, all you really have to do is plug wires from the pins to the components you want to control.

Here are some things you might want to read up on:

http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_3/chpt_8/1.html
If you are having an input to your Arduino, (e.g some sort of sensor), you will probably want to amplify it before you plug it into the Ardiuno. Negative feedback op amps are important because they stabilize the op amp.

http://www.absorblearning.com/advancedphysics/demo/units/020202.html
This is another usefull signal conditioning technique.

You will also want to learn about pull down and pull up resistors, this website explains them quite well
http://www.ladyada.net/learn/arduino/lesson5.html

The other use of resistors is to limit current going to a component. This is fairly simple though. Just use ohms law to calculate the resistor you need to get an appropriate current.

For uses of component like servo motors the Arduino website has a full tutorial.
http://arduino.cc/en/Reference/Servo

Just type into google "Arduino (the component you want to know about)"
e.g
"Arduino Servo"

This website is another useful resource
http://arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/HomePage

Hope that helps!

 

[CraigH]

Also important:
http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_1/chpt_6/1.html

If you want 2.5V across a component you will need to use a potential divider.

The Arduino board comes with a 5V power source, so your circuit will probably be powered by this. However if you want less than 5V across a component you will need to use a potential divider.

If you are using a different power supply and not the Arduinos built in one, it may be noisy, in which case you will want to read up on opto isolators.