If you are interested in learning everything about electricity, you should start by understanding the basic components that make up any electrical design and how they work. Think about how the great pyramids of Egypt were built using just blocks of rock. The rocks themselves were nothing, but when combined with careful design they formed such grand structures!

Similarly, you need to know about the basic electrical components and how they work together to create wonderful modern electrical systems. Below you will find information about the most common electrical components:

The very first component that you should know about is the resistor. It is fairly easy to assume that a resistor, as the name suggests, will resist electricity that flows through it, and you would be correct in that assumption too! Any situation that demands the flow of current to be controlled at a desired level will require a resistor.

Here are two scenarios that better explain what a resistor does. In both cases, we will be turning on a LED:

Scenario 1 – Without Resistor

Scenario 2 – With Resistor

If a resistor is like a cushion that is used to control the flow of electricity, then capacitors are like small rechargeable batteries that store small amounts of charge in them. Capacitors do two things at the same time:

By so doing, they are able to stabilize almost any circuit. There are two types of capacitors that are primarily used:

I briefly alluded to LEDs in the scenarios that were used under “Resistors” above. LEDs are just like bulbs except that they are extremely reliable. You can find them on practically every appliance in your home that features some kind of an indicator light. A typical LED bulb can last decades with no sign of dying.

Since they are so reliable, they are used to indicate the state of current at any point in a circuit. An important task like checking the output voltage or current on a circuit becomes simpler with these light-based indicators.

The resistors, capacitors, and LEDs are the simple stuff in electrical circuits. Now, let us talk about the first complicated component – the transistor. Transistors are used to build complex electrical systems, such as amplifiers for instance. A simple way to understand transistors is to think of a switch. A basic switch has an “on” and an “off” state. These are controlled by the position of the switch, which is changed manually.

A transistor is a more advanced switch that has multiple output states. Unlike a switch, you cannot change these states manually. The only way to switch the transistor between various states is to run current through it. By controlling the current that flows through the transistor, you can control the output state to achieve the results you desire.

Almost everything that we use on a daily basis operates on electricity. Every modern convenience that we have become used to relies on this fundamental utility. Without having a constant and reliable supply of this incredible technology, the world as we know it would grind to a screeching halt. In order to provide this powerful utility to our devices, two different forms of electricity have arisen: AC and DC.

AC means alternating current. This is the type of electricity that is used most frequently in devices that require a lot of power to operate. DC means Direct Current. It is most frequently found in devices that do not require a large amount of electricity to operate.

What’s The Difference?

DC was the original form of electricity that was generated by Thomas Edison. This form of electricity will send its current in a single direction only. This forms a direct loop. In most cases, DC current is only used in devices that use batteries. This means that any device that you have in your home that uses batteries operates on a DC system. When we charge these batteries, they transform the AC current from your wall into DC current.

AC power is the most common type of electricity, and is the form that your electrician in Burbank works with most frequently. The way that alternating current has been designed, it can move in both directions at the same time. This means that current will be present at every single point on the grid at any given time. If you use electricity from the power grid, then you plug into AC current every single day.

While you may not always think about it, having this reliable AC current is paramount to our everyday lives. For any further questions, or for help with any electrical issues that you have, don’t hesitate to get in touch with a technician at The Electric Connection. We also have a variety of additional resources available in our website at www.theelectricconnection.com.

How do tripped circuit breakers happen in the first place? An overloaded circuit is the most common reason for a breaker tripping and usually happens when a circuit has more electrical load connected to it than it really should have. Let’s say you have a 15 Amp circuit breaker that is protecting a 15 Amp circuit. If 20 Amps of current start flowing through it because a toaster, TV, radio and space heater were all connected to the same circuit and were on at the same time, then what you’re left with are tripped circuit breakers aimed to prevent overheating of the circuit.

Allow Kolb Electric, one of the premier electricians in Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax and all of Northern VA, to guide you through the process of resetting tripped circuit breakers, which is actually quite easy.

If your breaker continues to trip immediately after you’ve reset it, this is indicative of a direct short. Do not try to reset your breakers at this point. If these steps don’t help you resolve your tripped circuit breaker problem, it’s time for you to contact a quality electrician in Virginia who can uncover the source of the problem, which could be due to one of the following:

LED Tubes and LED Panels become the best solution for the office workplace environment. They are cost effective lighting solutions, provide good lighting quality, last longer and contain or emit no harmful compounds while leaving an ecological footprint in each building. This article is going to explain the difference between tube fixtures and panel fixtures. They are both different, but often times get mixed up when talked about. Let’s clarify any confusions you may have about the two fixtures…

LED Panels are installed in dropped paneled ceilings. perfect replacement for expensive shatterproof fluorescent lamps. MyLEDLightingGuide LED tubes do not contain glass and will not shatter if dropped. Fluorescent tubes contain mercury, some projects decide for LED versions because they want to remove mercury out of the building.

All LED tubes use drivers that power the LEDs. The ballast is converting the AC power from the utility company into LED’s DC power. Some manufacturers incorporate the drivers in the LED tubes. Some decide to use an external driver outside of the tube. There are some subtle differences between the two designs. Retrofitting to LED tubes with internal drivers involves removing the ballast and rewiring the line source. Retrofitting external driver tubes involves removing the ballast, the line source gets wired to the external LED driver that is connected to the tubes. More and more people ask for LED tubes that can be just installed as a plug and play version into existing fixtures without removing or rewiring the existing ballast. While the installation of these tubes is simple, they are compatible with most ballast, but not all ballasts. Contact the lighting experts at MyLEDLightingGuide.com to ensure the tubes will run properly.

Changing the light at work and in offices is easily done by LED tubes. They are readily set up and use considerably less power. LED tube light sources offer smooth, stable and clear lighting conditions.