A Glossary

It has been brought to my attention that some of the terms within the pages of my blog are not clearly defined. This is where I will endeavour to define them for you. If you find anything you are unsure of, please either email me, or post a comment with your request underneath this entry. Thanking you, and I hope I can clarify anything that is unclear.

Acronyms:

DC- Direct Current. The current flows only one way.
LDR- Light Dependent Resistor. A resistor whose resistance changes depending on the amount of light falling on the surface.
PCB- Printed Circuit Board. A sheet of fibre glass with copper traces stuck to the surface. The copper traces are the connections between all the components.

Components:

Collection of numbers and letters: Component identification code (usually arbitrary, sometimes following a pattern). eg. LM7805, LM7812. LM has no meaning to me, 78 denotes a 1 Amp limit, the last number, '05', '12' denotes the voltage output.

Voltage regulator: Takes a DC voltage in at one end, and outputs a regulated voltage at the other, as well as a limited current.
Transistor: These switch, and amplify. Information about their markings can be found here, and further information here.