Watch Understanding Modern Electronics

Name: Understanding Modern Electronics
Released: 2014-06-27
Cast: Richard Wolfson

2014
1 Season

Understanding Modern Electronics is a comprehensive and engaging course from The Great Courses Signature Collection hosted by Richard Wolfson. This course is designed for anyone who wants to deepen their understanding of the basic principles of electronics and who enjoys learning how things work.

The course starts with an overview of the basic principles of electricity and magnetism. Professor Wolfson explains the fundamental concepts of charge, electric fields, and magnetic fields, and how they are related to each other. He also covers the important concept of electric potential, which is essential for understanding the behavior of circuits.

The course then moves on to cover the fundamentals of circuits, including resistance, capacitance, and inductance. Professor Wolfson explains how circuits work, how they are built, and how they can be used for a variety of different applications. He also covers some common circuit components like resistors, capacitors, and inductors, and explains how they are used in circuits.

The course then moves on to cover more advanced topics like transistors and integrated circuits. Professor Wolfson explains how these components are used in modern electronics, and how they have revolutionized the way we live our lives. He explains the basic operation of transistors and how they can be used to amplify signals and switch circuits on and off. He also covers the basics of logic circuits and how they are used in digital electronics.

The course then moves on to cover topics like oscillators, digital electronics, and communication systems. Professor Wolfson explains how oscillators work and how they are used in different applications like clocks and radios. He also covers digital electronics and explains how binary arithmetic works and how it is used in computers. Finally, he covers communication systems and explains how wireless communication works and how it has transformed the way we communicate with each other.

Overall, Understanding Modern Electronics is an excellent course for anyone who wants to learn more about the fundamentals of electronics. Professor Wolfson does an excellent job of explaining complex concepts in a clear and engaging manner, and the course is well-structured and easy to follow. Whether you are a complete beginner or already have some knowledge of the subject, this course is sure to deepen your understanding and enhance your appreciation of the incredible world of modern electronics.

Understanding Modern Electronics is a series that is currently running and has 1 seasons (24 episodes). The series first aired on June 27, 2014.

Filter by Source

Rent or Buy Subscription

Amazon Prime Amazon

Do you have Apple TV?

What are you waiting for?

Nice! Browse Apple TV with Yidio.

Ad Info

Seasons

24. Your Future in Electronics

June 27, 2014

With some final tips, an introduction to the microcontroller, and a demonstration of an amazing circuit aimed at improving the efficiency of photovoltaic panels, Professor Wolfson leaves you with an enhanced appreciation for the complexity of essential modern electronics. You are now well equipped to embark on your own journey through the fascinating world of electronics!

23. Analog to Digital

June 27, 2014

Observe how circuit designers have formulated a wide array of schemes for converting analog signals to digitally encoded information. See how flash converters, integrating converters, and feedback converters use very different methods to accomplish the same goal, and weigh the situational costs and benefits of each.

22. Digital to Analog

January 1, 1970

Because we live in an analog world - sound, time, temperature, speed, and light are all analog phenomena - it's important to be able to convert outputs of digital circuits into analog signals that we can perceive. Discover two digital-to-analog converters (DACs): weighted-resistor DACs, and the delta-sigma DACs that provide high-resolution audio for our smartphones and mp3 players.

21. Digital Counters

June 27, 2014

Flip-flops can be connected together to create counting circuits. Examine the circuitry behind 2-bit, n-bit, and decade counters, then see how the interruption of a light beam can be used in conjunction with such a circuit to keep count of people walking by or products moving along an assembly line.

20. Digital Memory

June 27, 2014

Examine the circuits that enable your devices to "remember" everything from contact information to your browsing history to the keystrokes you type on your computer. Compare random-access memory versus sequential memory as well as volatile and non-volatile memory.

19. Shift and Divide - Your USB and Your Watch

June 27, 2014

Learn how electronic devices "talk" to each other by using flip-flops to send computer "words" one bit at a time, and observe how recipient devices reassemble incoming bits using serial-to-parallel conversions. See how Universal Serial Bus (USB) connections transmit communications between devices, and how the T flip-flop is utilized as a frequency divider in quartz watches.

18. Flip-Flop Circuits

June 27, 2014

By combining logic gates and positive feedback, obtain circuits with two stable states. These "flip-flop" circuits "remember" their current states until they are forced into the opposite state. Learn the inner workings of several types of flip-flops as they lay the foundations for memory circuits.

17. Electronics Goes Digital

June 27, 2014

See how distinctly different electrical circuits can implement basic logic operations, and how simple logic gates come together to form complex logic circuits, ultimately including computers. Return to transistors to see how both BJTs and MOSFETs are used to implement logic gates, the latter in an arrangement called Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS).

16. Digital Versus Analog

June 27, 2014

Explore the difference between the analog and digital realms. Learn how the two states "0" and "1" can be used to represent numbers or textual information. Enter the digital age with binary numbers and operations that are the basis of computer logic, and discover logic gates and their truth tables for common logical operators.

15. Using Op-Amps with Capacitors

June 27, 2014

By introducing capacitors to op-amp circuits, you will see how feedback capacitors can be used to introduce time-dependent behavior such as gradual voltage increases, and to generate useful waveforms. Learn in the process how op-amp circuits with capacitors can perform the mathematical operation called integration.

14. More Fun with Op-Amps

June 27, 2014

Explore peak detectors that "remember" the maximum voltage reached, as well as Schmitt triggers whose output retain their value until the input changes sufficiently to "trigger" a change in the output. Use these concepts to design a practical circuit: an alarm to warn if your freezer's temperature has been above freezing.

13. Amplifier Circuits Using Op-Amps

June 27, 2014

Now that the versatility of negative feedback has been demonstrated, adjust the strength of negative feedback in op-amp circuits to build amplifiers with whatever gain you choose. Create an amplifier that sums two or more inputs, see a circuit that converts current to voltage, and explore the design and operation of an op-amp-based light meter.

12. Electronic Feedback

June 27, 2014

Understand the math behind two basic rules that allow op-amps to leverage the magic of negative feedback: no current flows into op-amp inputs, and with negative feedback, V+ = V -. See how these rules allow op-amps to tame near-infinite gain in a circuit down to the exact amplification you want.

11. Feedback Magic

June 27, 2014

Define what "feedback" means in electronics, and how it can be used in a circuit. Learn how negative feedback utilizes communication between the output and input of an amplifier, and how operational amplifiers use this phenomenon to create thought-controlled robotic arms, intelligent light bulbs, and optical tracking systems.

10. The Ideal Amplifier

June 27, 2014

Learn why large gain - infinite gain, in fact - as well as low output resistance and high input resistance are characteristics of the ideal amplifier. See how an integrated-circuit operational amplifier, or "op-amp," puts all these things together and also how the op-amp can be used as a simple comparator.

9. Building an Audio Amplifier

June 27, 2014

Put your knowledge to use by building a complete audio amplifier. First, create a two-stage amplifier, then add capacitors to increase the amplification, or gain. Add a power output stage to drive a loudspeaker. Finally, add a volume control. In addition, learn how biasing with diodes can eliminate a subtle form of distortion.

8. Transistors as Amplifiers

June 27, 2014

Discover how transistors can be used to increase voltage, current, or power of an electronic signal while faithfully reproducing the signal's time variation. See how biasing and load-line analysis play key roles in amplifiers, and help prevent distortion. Learn to design a simple one-transistor audio amplifier that increases the voltage of audio-frequency signals.

7. Transistors and How They Work

June 27, 2014

Transistors in all forms fundamentally do the same thing: they allow one electronic circuit to control another. Review the concept of electronic control, and study field effect transistors (FETs) as well as bipolar junction transistors (BJTs). See how the bipolar junction transistor can be used as a simple switch.

6. Semiconductors - The Miracle Material

June 27, 2014

Semiconductors make possible the transistors at the heart of electronics, including integrated circuits and computers. Learn how the atomic configuration of semiconductors makes them unique, and how engineers adjust their properties to make two types of semiconductors - P and N. Witness the critical role that PN-junctions play in semiconductor devices.

5. Up the Treble, Down the Bass!

June 27, 2014

From familiar audio equalizers we use to crank the bass or reduce hiss, to cell phone towers that need to separate calls coming in on adjacent channels, filtering electronic signals is often essential. Dive further into the critical role that capacitors play in electronic filters.

4. AC versus DC

June 27, 2014

Examine the nuances of alternating and direct currents, see how transformers use electromagnetic induction to transform voltage levels in AC circuits, and observe the role of diodes and capacitors in regulating current. See how the DC power supplies that charge our cell phones are constructed so that they convert alternating to direct current.

3. Instruments and Measurement

June 27, 2014

As you grow familiar with physical properties of electric circuits, become acquainted with the instruments used to measure these quantities: voltmeters, ammeters, ohmmeters, multimeters, and the oscilloscope. See how each of these instruments interacts with a circuit to test circuit behavior or measure quantities that may vary over time.

2. Circuits and Symbols

June 27, 2014

Meet the battery! This lecture marks your introduction to circuit diagrams, displaying the interconnected assemblages of electronic components that make a circuit function. Learn how to decipher these drawings, and see how components assembled in series or in parallel may interact differently depending on their configuration.

1. Electricity and Electronics

June 27, 2014

What is the difference between electricity and electronics? Begin your study of modern electronics by examining this distinction, and observe how electronics use the basic properties of electric circuits in a more sophisticated way. Witness firsthand how resistance is described with Ohm's law, and learn how to measure electric power. #Science & Mathematics

Description

Where to Watch Understanding Modern Electronics

Understanding Modern Electronics is available for streaming on the The Great Courses Signature Collection website, both individual episodes and full seasons. You can also watch Understanding Modern Electronics on demand at Amazon Prime, Amazon and Hoopla.