circuit parts help.

[Omegachi]

hmm, i am planning on building a circuit for my ee project and i need help with identifying parts and their use. what circuit part do i use to stop currents from flowing backwards? in other word, make sure the current only goes one direction. (some kind of diode?).
and also, i want to know what a capacitor can be used for besides storing energy.

 

[MeanMeosh]

first part... just a diode of any sort

 

[Colt45]

caps can pass AC and block DC, so you can use it for coupling AC

 

[eliteorange]

i've used capactior near the V+ to give a series of JK flipflops accurate clockrate.... this was a while back... dont remember why or how it works....

 

[dighn]

Originally posted by: Colt45
caps can pass AC and block DC, so you can use it for coupling AC

and for timing, filtering etc

 

[Reel]

Originally posted by: EliteOrange
i've used capactior near the V+ to give a series of JK flipflops accurate clockrate.... this was a while back... dont remember why or how it works....

We did something similar in a lab, we were told to put one across the V and G of a counter chip 74'163. Don't know why but that was the instruction. Makes me kinda curious as to why now.

 

[dighn]

Originally posted by: ReelC00L

Originally posted by: EliteOrange
i've used capactior near the V+ to give a series of JK flipflops accurate clockrate.... this was a while back... dont remember why or how it works....

We did something similar in a lab, we were told to put one across the V and G of a counter chip 74'163. Don't know why but that was the instruction. Makes me kinda curious as to why now.

to filter out high frequency noise? like from the chip's own operations

 

[Omegachi]

hmm, i will be only using DC power. i guess i could make it into a high/low- pass filter and clears the signal.
and for the diode, LEDs would work?

is it also true that if a chip is only suppose to give out signals, and if somehow current accidentally goes into the output of the chip, it will damage the chip.

 

[dighn]

Originally posted by: Omegachi
hmm, i will be only using DC power. i guess i could make it into a high/low- pass filter and clears the signal.
and for the diode, LEDs would work?

you are probably better off with a normal signal diode...

as for the chip question, i'm not sure what you mean. a chip could either send out current or receive current, like an op amp, it shouldn't get damaged unless you overload the output with a very high voltage or virtually no impedance in the case of an op amp but it depends highly on what you are talking aboot

 

[Omegachi]

hmm... not really an OPAMP, more like the output of a CPU.

 

[dighn]

Originally posted by: Omegachi
hmm... not really an OPAMP, more like the output of a CPU.

well it could fry if you have no impedance between the output and a connection to the powersupply (vcc/grnd), and it would probably fry if the voltage of the output is held to be above specs. the latter usually wouldn't happen though unles su have multiple power supply voltages or external voltage sources or something

as for current going in/out, the current can go both ways, even for the output

 

[Reel]

Originally posted by: Omegachi
is it also true that if a chip is only suppose to give out signals, and if somehow current accidentally goes into the output of the chip, it will damage the chip.

If you input a signal into an output pin, you may break that pin. There are certain circuits that can be tri-stated (high, low, Z) so that you can have an input going into an output. But for the most part, it is inadvisable to connect two outputs together. I have accidentally done so out of laziness and gotten lucky but you sure do feel bad if you ruin a pin on an expensive chip because you were lazy.

 

[Analog]

Originally posted by: Omegachi
hmm, i am planning on building a circuit for my ee project and i need help with identifying parts and their use. what circuit part do i use to stop currents from flowing backwards? in other word, make sure the current only goes one direction. (some kind of diode?).

a basic rectifier (1N4001 etc)

and also, i want to know what a capacitor can be used for besides storing energy.

lots, DC block, Filtering, Peak detector (w/diode), voltage doubler (w/diode), etc. etc. etc.