Common Circuit Components in Maker Projects Part 2

2024-09-13 | By Eric Ho

Voltage Regulators Displays LCD / TFT Microcontrollers Drivers / Controllers DC Motor

In the last blog post, I talked about different common circuit components that can help you get acclimated to working with hardware and making projects. However, these functions can quickly become limited, or simply inefficient to recreate something that already exists in an efficient, affordable, and flexible package. In this blog post, we will explore some more commonly used circuit components that will greatly expand your ability to create.

1. Microcontrollers

Microcontrollers are compact integrated circuits designed to govern a specific operation in an embedded system. People often confuse them with full-fledged computers. However, the difference lies in their function. Microcontrollers contain flash-programmable memory to execute a task on command, while computers are much more customizable. That being said, microcontrollers can be used for much more than what may seem like “one” program and are often the backbone of any project. Examples include the Arduino or ESP32.

2. Sensors

Sensors are the main conduit to interact with the physical world and often allow you to prompt/actuate a response conditioned on something happening. For instance, based on a capacitive touch sensor, you could trigger a signal to open a door or turn on a motor!

3. Digital Communication Modules (Bluetooth, WiFi)

Components like these allow you to communicate with your projects without the use of a physical wire connection. They are often built into other devices, such as a microcontroller, but they need to be programmed and configured to your specific settings. These devices open up a range of possibilities, and devices and projects using the Internet or Bluetooth are referred to as IoT devices (Internet of Things).

4. Voltage Regulators

Voltage regulators allow a constant voltage level to be supplied to a device. This is crucial as voltage drops when powering a component could critically reduce its function or introduce unwanted noise in readings.

5. Displays

Displays are another way to interface with the real world and often provide applications to a project beyond what is seen on the computer screen. Common types of displays are LCD displays or OLED displays, both of which can either be touchscreen or not. The underlying construction of each of these displays differs, but they can often be used interchangeably.

6. Motor Drivers

Motors give your projects the ability to move and impact the physical world. Often associated with robotics, motors can be used to spin wheels, maneuver a robotic arm, or even swim underwater, depending on their use and construction. They can also be used to move other connected components.

Conclusion

Once again, whether you're an enthusiast or an experienced practitioner, diving deep into these components on a breadboard provides a hands-on, technical approach to designing innovative electronic projects. I encourage you to explore maker.io to see the variety of fun, insightful projects that can be built using these components!