The main electronic components of a pc

Inside any of our PCs there is a great variety of basic electronic components, which are found in the circuits of practically all the pieces of hardware and peripherals that we can find in the market. These electrical components are the building blocks of electrical circuits, and can be found in large numbers on motherboards, hard drive logic boards, graphics cards, and almost anywhere on the PC, including places that may surprise you.

All of these components can be used and combined with each other and with dozens of others in many different ways. There are such a number of electronic components, that describing them all is an almost impossible task. Still, it's helpful to know a little about how it works, so we provide you with a basis to recognize something of what you see on those boards, and perhaps understand the fundamentals of electronic circuit schematics. All the most important information has been summarized in simple words to understand, as we do not intend to make anyone an electronics specialist.

For each component, a sample photo is provided, as well as an illustration of the component symbol in an electrical schematic to make it easier to identify. There are many variants of each of the components shown below, they are all just examples.

Index of contents

Battery

It is a source of direct current electricity of a specific voltage, which is mainly used in small circuits that do not require a large amount and current power. All motherboards carry a battery, which is responsible for keeping the system clock and BIOS memory running even when you turn off the computer. This battery can last 10 years or even longer without changing it.

Resistance

A resistance is an element that increases the resistance of a circuit to the passage of electricity. Your primary goal of this is to reduce the flow of electricity in a circuit for various purposes that vary with each type of circuit. The resistors come in different shapes and sizes to suit all usage needs, all of them heat as a result of their opposite electricity and are therefore classified both in terms of resistance (how much they oppose the flow of electrons) and their power capacity (how much energy can they dissipate before being damaged). Generally, larger resistors can handle more electrical power, although this is not always the case, and there are also variable resistors, which can be adjusted by turning a knob or other device. These are sometimes called potentiometers.

Condenser

A capacitor is an element made of two conductive plates with an insulator that is placed between them to prevent them from touching. When a direct current is applied through a capacitor, the positive charge accumulates on one plate and the negative charge accumulates on the other, this accumulated charge will remain until the capacitor is discharged. When an alternating current is applied through the capacitor, it will charge one plate positively and the other negatively when the voltage is positive; When the voltage is reversed in the second half of the cycle, the capacitor will release what it previously charged, and then charge in the opposite direction, meaning that the plate that had been positively charged will now charge negatively and vice versa. This is repeated for each cycle of the alternating current.

Since it has the opposite charge stored every time the voltage changes, the capacitor tends to oppose the voltage change. If you apply a mixed DC and AC signal through a capacitor, the capacitor will tend to block the DC and let the AC flow. The power of a capacitor is called capacitance and is measured in farads (F). They are used in all types of electronic circuits, especially combined with resistors and inductors, and are commonly found in all components of a PC. As you can see, it is one of the most used and most necessary electronic components in any hardware of our computer.

Inductor

An inductor is essentially a coil of wire that creates a magnetic field when current flows through it. When current flows through an inductor, a magnetic field is created, and the inductor stores this magnetic energy until it is released. While a capacitor stores voltage as electrical energy, an inductor stores current as magnetic energy. Therefore, a capacitor opposes a change in the voltage of a circuit, while an inductor opposes a change in its current. This causes capacitors to block direct current and allow alternating current to pass, while inductors do the opposite. The power of an inductor is measured in henrys (H). Inductors can have an air core in the middle of their coils or a ferrous core. The iron core increases the inductance value, which is also affected by the material used in the cable and the number of turns in the coil. Some inductor nuclei have a straight shape, and others are closed circles called toroids. This latter type of inductor is highly efficient because the closed shape is conducive to creating a stronger magnetic field. Inductors are used in all types of electronic circuits, particularly in combination with resistors and capacitors.

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Transformer

A transformer is an inductor with an iron core that has two lengths of wire wound around it instead of one. The two coils of cable are not electrically connected, and are normally connected to different circuits. It is one of the most important components in the world of energy, and is used to change an AC voltage to another AC voltage. When a coil is traversed by a current, a magnetic field proportional to the number of turns in the coil is established. This principle also works in reverse: if you create a magnetic field in a coil, a current will be induced in it, proportional to the number of turns of the coil. A transformer with more turns in its primary coil than in the secondary will reduce the voltage and is called a reducing transformer. One with more turns in the secondary than the primary is called the step-up transformer.

If a transformer is created with 100 turns on the first coil and 50 turns on the second, and applying 240 VAC to the first coil, a current of 120 VAC will be induced into the second coil. A transformer with more turns in its primary coil than in the secondary will reduce the voltage and is called a reducing transformer. Transformers come in sizes ranging from small ones to large ones that weigh hundreds of kilos or more, depending on the voltage and current they must handle.

Transformers are one of the main reasons why we use AC electricity in our homes, since DC voltages cannot be changed with transformers. They come in sizes ranging from the little ones of an inch wide, to the big ones that weigh hundreds of pounds or more, depending on the voltage and current they must handle.

LED diode

A diode is a device made of semiconductor material, which restricts the flow of current in a circuit in only one direction, thanks to it it will block most of any current that tries to go against the flow in a cable. Diodes have a multitude of uses, for example, they are often used in circuits that convert alternating current to direct current, as they can block the passage of half of alternating current. A variant of the common diode is the light emitting diode or LED, these are the most well-known and commonly found types of diodes as they are used in everything from keyboards to hard drives and television remote controls.

An LED is a diode that is designed to emit light of a particular frequency when current is applied to it. They are very useful as status indicators in computers and electronic devices that run on batteries, since they can be left on for hours or days at a time because they work with direct current, require little power to operate, generate very little heat and last for many years, even work continually.

Fuse

A fuse is a device designed to protect other components from accidental damage due to excessive current flowing through them. Each type of fuse is designed for a specific amount of current. As long as the current in the circuit stays below this value, the fuse passes the current with little opposition. On the other hand, if the current rises above the rating of the fuse, due to a malfunction of some kind or an accidental short circuit, the fuse will "blow" and disconnect the circuit.

Fuses are heroes that literally burn out or blow out from the high current, causing a physical breach in the circuit and saving other devices from the high current. They can then be replaced when the problem condition has been corrected. All fuses are rated by the amount of current they can tolerate before blowing; They are also rated for the maximum voltage they can tolerate. You should always replace a blown fuse with one of the same current and voltage rating, otherwise protection is not guaranteed.

This ends our post on the main electronic components of a PC and their importance in hardware, you can leave a comment if you have something else to add.