Dennis Royette S. Mu

Electronics is the branch of physics and technology that deals with circuits, transistors, microchips, and the behaviour and movement of electrons. It handles electric circuits containing active and passive elements and uses underlying techniques. It is an important part of engineering.

History of Electronics

The first electronic device was introduced by an American scientist, Sir Joseph Henry, in the year 1835. He invented a remote switch that was controlled by electricity.

However, the credit for this invention was given to an English inventor Edward Davy in his electric telegraph c. 1835.

Some Other Inventions are

Vacuum Diode – It was invented by John Ambrose Fleming (1897). After that, Lee De Forest invented the Vacuum Triode which was used to amplify electrical signals. And that paved the way for tetrode as well as pentode tubes.

Transistor – It was invented by the combined effort of John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley. The invention of the junction transistor in 1948 led to the transistor era.

IC (Integrated Circuit) – Jack Kilby invented this. A precursor concept to the integrated circuit was proposed by Kilby to the US Army in 1957. But soon as that project of his started gaining momentum, he came up with the revolutionary design of an integrated circuit.

Functions of Electronics

Electronic devices tend to perform the following main functions:

Rectification

The process of converting an alternating current (A.C.) to a direct current (D.C.) is known as rectification. Electronic devices can convert A.C. power into D.C. power which has various uses like charging storage batteries, electroplating, etc., with great ease as well as efficiency.

Amplification

A weak signal can be strengthened through the process of amplification and this process can be very easily achieved by electronic devices. A good example would be the usage of an amplifier in a radio set so that it is heard more loudly.

Control

Electronic devices tend to find quite a wide range of applications when it comes to automatic control. For instance, the voltage across a refrigerator can be controlled with said devices.

Generation

Electronic devices are also capable of converting A.C. power into D.C. power of any given frequency. And when these devices perform this particular function, they are commonly referred to as oscillators.

Applications of Electronics in Daily Life

1. Consumer Electronics

Common people are highly benefited by this industry. Consumer electronics are electric devices meant for everyday use. Consumer electronics are further categorized as:

Office Gadgets like calculators, scanners, personal computers, printers, fax machines, front projectors, etc.

Home appliances such as refrigerators, a/c, washing machine, vacuum cleaner, microwave oven, etc.

Audio and Video Systems like headphones, DVD players, VCRs, microphones, colour TVs, loudspeakers, video game consoles, etc.

Advanced consumer devices like setup box, dishwasher, ATM, PDA(personal digital assistant), smartphones, barcode scanners, POS-terminals, etc.

Storage devices like DVDs, HDD jukebox, mp3 players, memory cards, etc.

2. Industrial Electronics

This industry basically focuses on making real-time automation.

This includes:

Industrial automation and motion control, motor drive control, machine learning, robotics and mechatronics, the power converting technologies, renewable energy applications, photovoltaic systems, power electronics, and biomechanics.

3. Smart Grid Systems

Smart electric systems take information from communication technology and work accordingly based on the desired power consumption.

It is an application of artificial intelligence, computing, and networked electric system. Smart meters are the best example of a smart grid system.

Features of Smart Grid

They are based on two-way communication.
They have interactive sensors.
They are Self-monitoring and Debugging.
Electricity is distributed validly.

4. Industrial Automation and Motion Control

Machines have increased productivity and efficiency, and hence are saving time and cost. Machines are also safe to use in unmanageable works. That's why the delegation of human-automation has become a preferable choice in industries.

5. Image Processing

3D images have evolved from multiple 2D images. Algorithms are developed to extract 3D information from 2D patterns.

6. Medical Applications

Advanced medical instruments are being developed for data recording and physiological analysis. They are mainly used to diagnose diseases and other healing purposes.

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