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RDA 112

Practical Electronics

Circuits, Components, Instruments and Smart Circuits without Code

Every robot, drone and smart device runs on electronics. Sensors turn light, heat, motion and moisture into voltages; amplifiers, comparators and logic make decisions from them; transistors, relays and motor drivers act on those decisions; and batteries, solar panels and regulators keep the whole system powered. An engineer who understands these circuits can build a working product, find out why one has stopped working, and choose components that survive heat, dust and an unreliable mains supply.

15 chapters in 5 parts, 229 pages. Editor-in-Chief: Olusola Sayeed Ayoola. Published by RAIN, Ibadan, 2026.

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Contents

Open a chapter to see its sections. Each chapter ends with a QR code for its free assessment.

1Safety and the Lab Bench
  • 1.1 Electrical safety: shock, fire and ESD
  • 1.2 The bench power supply
  • 1.3 Breadboards and prototyping practice
  • 1.4 Reading schematics
  • 1.5 Case study

Take the Chapter 1 assessment

2Measuring Instruments
  • 2.1 The digital multimeter
  • 2.2 The oscilloscope
  • 2.3 Function generators
  • 2.4 Soldering
  • 2.5 Worked example: measuring a ripple voltage

Take the Chapter 2 assessment

3Charge, Current, Voltage and Power
  • 3.1 SI units and prefixes
  • 3.2 Charge, current and voltage
  • 3.3 Energy and power
  • 3.4 Resistance and Ohm's law
  • 3.5 Series and parallel resistors
  • 3.6 Voltage and current dividers
  • 3.7 Case study

Take the Chapter 3 assessment

4Circuit Analysis Methods
  • 4.1 Kirchhoff's current and voltage laws
  • 4.2 Nodal analysis
  • 4.3 Mesh analysis
  • 4.4 Thevenin and Norton equivalents
  • 4.5 Superposition and maximum power transfer
  • 4.6 Case study: a strain-gauge bridge

Take the Chapter 4 assessment

5Capacitors, Inductors and Transients
  • 5.1 Capacitance
  • 5.2 Inductance
  • 5.3 First-order circuits
  • 5.4 Inductive kickback
  • 5.5 Case study: switching a relay coil

Take the Chapter 5 assessment

6Alternating Current
  • 6.1 Sinusoids, RMS and phase
  • 6.2 Phasors and impedance
  • 6.3 Filters: low-pass, high-pass and cut-off frequency
  • 6.4 Transformers and mains safety
  • 6.5 Case study: filtering a sensor signal

Take the Chapter 6 assessment

7Passive Components
  • 7.1 Resistor types and colour codes
  • 7.2 Capacitor types and ratings
  • 7.3 Potentiometers, LDRs and thermistors
  • 7.4 Case study: a thermistor thermometer and capacitor life

Take the Chapter 7 assessment

8Diodes and Power Supplies
  • 8.1 The PN junction
  • 8.2 Rectifiers and smoothing
  • 8.3 Zener regulation and linear regulators
  • 8.4 LEDs and current-limiting resistors
  • 8.5 Case study: a 5 V supply for a robot controller

Take the Chapter 8 assessment

9Transistors
  • 9.1 Bipolar junction transistors
  • 9.2 MOSFETs for switching loads
  • 9.3 Relays and driving motors
  • 9.4 Darlington pairs and driver ICs
  • 9.5 Case study: switching a pump from a microcontroller

Take the Chapter 9 assessment

10Operational Amplifiers
  • 10.1 The ideal op-amp
  • 10.2 Inverting, non-inverting and voltage-follower amplifiers
  • 10.3 Comparators and Schmitt triggers
  • 10.4 Summing and difference amplifiers
  • 10.5 Real op-amps
  • 10.6 Case study: simulating op-amp circuits

Take the Chapter 10 assessment

11The 555 Timer
  • 11.1 Internal block diagram
  • 11.2 Monostable mode
  • 11.3 Astable mode
  • 11.4 Projects: flashers, tone generators and delay switches
  • 11.5 Case study: simulating the 555

Take the Chapter 11 assessment

12Digital Logic
  • 12.1 Number systems and Boolean algebra
  • 12.2 Logic gates and truth tables
  • 12.3 Karnaugh maps
  • 12.4 Combinational circuits: decoders and multiplexers
  • 12.5 Flip-flops, counters (CD4017) and shift registers
  • 12.6 Logic families and interfacing
  • 12.7 Case study: a tank and pump controller in logic

Take the Chapter 12 assessment

13Sensor-Driven Automation
  • 13.1 Light-activated, temperature-activated and water-level circuits
  • 13.2 Motion detection with PIR modules
  • 13.3 Hysteresis, delays and wear
  • 13.4 Case study: an automatic street light
  • 13.5 Case study: an automatic water-pump controller

Take the Chapter 13 assessment

14Power Systems for Projects
  • 14.1 Batteries: chemistries, capacity and charging
  • 14.2 Solar panels and charge controllers
  • 14.3 DC-DC converters (buck and boost)
  • 14.4 Case study: powering the street light

Take the Chapter 14 assessment

15Printed Circuit Boards
  • 15.1 From schematic to PCB layout (KiCad)
  • 15.2 Track width, clearance and grounding
  • 15.3 Fabrication and assembly
  • 15.4 Troubleshooting methodology
  • 15.5 Case study: laying out the pump controller

Take the Chapter 15 assessment

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