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Electrical components
Resistors are electronic components which have a specific, never-changing electrical resistance. The resistor’s resistance limits the flow of electrons through a circuit. Resistors are the most ubiquitous of electronic components. They are a critical piece in just about every circuit.
Batteries are a collection of one or more cells whose chemical reactions create a flow of electrons in a circuit. All batteries are made up of three basic components: an anode (the ‘-’ side), a cathode (the ‘+’ side), and some kind of electrolyte (a substance that chemically reacts with the anode and cathode). When the anode and cathode of a battery is connected to a circuit, a chemical reaction takes place between the anode and the electrolyte. This reaction causes electrons to flow through the circuit and back into the cathode where another chemical reaction takes place. When the material in the cathode or anode is consumed or no longer able to be used in the reaction, the battery is unable to produce electricity. At that point, your battery is “dead.”
A crocodile clip (also alligator clip) is a sprung metal clip with long, serrated jaws which is used for creating a temporary electrical connection. It gets its name from the resemblance of its jaws to that of an alligator’s or crocodile’s. It is very useful when working with e-textiles, as textile components do not have standardised connection points. A crocodile clip can be easily clipped to a fabric.
Jumper wires are simply wires that have connector pins at each end, allowing them to be used to connect two points to each other without soldering. Jumper wires are typically used with breadboards (see next page) and other prototyping tools in order to make it easy to change a circuit as needed.
Great having all these components, but how to stick them together? That’s what a breadboard is for - simple and quick prototyping to test if your circuit works. Breadboards have a standardised layout of connections (see below right).