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Lesson 2 - White noise generator

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I decided to try following synthnerd's blog to create a white noise generator. It worked! In the process, I learned several things. NPN bipolar junction transistors (BJT) As a brief recap, here's an illustration of an NPN transistor (the position of collector and emitter may be swapped in some models, always check the datasheet *and* with the tester in the multimeter): The collector-to-emitter path conducts only if there is some positive current at the base (very few mA are sufficient); further, the voltages must satisfy $V_C>V_B>V_E$. Once the transistor conducts, one  gets an amplified current $I_C \gg I_B$ and then $I_E = I_C+I_B \approx I_C$. At this point, I thought one would put the load at the emitter; however, in all the examples I have seen so far, people ground the emitter and connect the load to the collector. This seems to be called the common emitter configuration , where "common" here means "ground". Reverse bias leads to electrical brea
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Lesson 1 - The first lesson

So, where to start? After some random walk, what I found that worked best for me is reading the following book: "Make: Electronics - 3rd ed." by Charles Platt The book is designed for someone who has no idea about electronics at all. It is very hands-on, and you get your hands dirty from day one.  I am also using the following excellent books as reference manuals: "The art of electronics - 3rd ed." by Paul Horowitz and Winfield Hill "Practical electronics for inventors - 4th ed." by Paul Scherz and Simon Monk So far, here are some topics that do not scare me as much anymore (covering Section 1 and Section 2 of Make: Electronics): How to use a multimeter : I think I got the basics right. Someone who doesn't know what they're doing might fry something! For example, measuring current requires the multimeter to become part of the circuit so that current flows through it, while measuring voltage is done by putting the multimeter in parallel with t
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The first of possibly just two or three posts

 Let's be serious: blogs don't last. I'm creating this out of frustration with learning electronics. The more I study, the more I gather doubts and forget what I thought I had learned. Therefore, I'm trying to teach myself instead of studying. I'll use this blog in its literal meaning, namely as a log of what I try, learn and discover. This way I hope I won't forget, plus it'll be a fun read if the journey lasts more than a couple of weeks. My main goals: To be confident around electronics; To create my own synth and show off with friends; To have a new hobby where sky is the limit! Let's start then!
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