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digital electronics
Hello to our dear subscribers, welcome to the first article that will be your gateway to learning electronics in all its aspects. This article will give you a preliminary idea to understand digital electronics, which is one of the most important fields derived from the vast domain of electronics. We will study digital electronics in detail in upcoming articles, but for now, I will provide you with a general introduction to this topic and its main branches that we will explore in the future.
What is the field of electronics?
Electronics is a science fundamentally based on electricity, and therefore, we can say that the field of electronics is the study of electrical circuits. To better understand the concept, it is necessary to know what electricity is. Electricity is the movement of electrons within metallic materials such as gold, silver, and copper, which contain free electrons, meaning electrons capable of moving from one atom to another. Thus, electronics is the control of the path and movement of electrons or, in other words, the control of the path of electric current through a set of electrical elements and components called electronic components, such as resistors, capacitors, diodes, transistors, and operational amplifiers…
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Difference between digital and analog electronics
The science of electronics is a vast field encompassing several branches, among which the most important are analog electronics and digital electronics. So, what is the difference between the two?
To understand digital electronics, it is necessary to have an understanding of analog electronics. Let’s start by revisiting the general definition of electronics. We said that electronics is the control of the path and movement of electric current or electrical signals. The type, nature, and values of these electrical signals determine the difference between digital and analog electronics. Regarding analog electronics, it is a branch that studies electrical signals with many positive and negative values, encompassing various measurements such as current, voltage, charge, resistance, and inductance. Circuits in analog electronics contain multiple electronic components, such as resistors, diodes, and inductors...
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| analog electrical signal |
As for digital electronics, the situation is completely different because its electronic circuits contain elements called integrated circuits, which are primarily composed of logic gates that form the basis of digital electronics. Regarding electrical signals, there are only two voltage values: the first is zero, or 0 volts, which we represent with the digit 0; the second is a positive voltage value, typically 5 volts, which we represent with the digit 1. These two digits, 0 and 1, form the binary system that we will study in detail in digital electronics, as it is considered the language of digital electronics.
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| digital electrical signal |
Applications of digital electronics
Digital electronics is also a vast science with many applications that we will study in detail. As we mentioned earlier, digital electronics is based on the binary system, which is referred to as machine language or computer language. We know that the two most important components of a computer are the processor and the memory, and these are precisely the two most significant applications of digital electronics. Digital electronics enables us to convert real-world information into digital information that can be stored in memories, which are integrated circuits designed and manufactured through digital electronics, and we will study this branch in detail.
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| the digital memories |
It also enables us to create integrated circuits capable of processing data, called processors, as well as to manufacture integrated circuits with specific functions such as multiplexers and adders, and others that are programmable, like microcontrollers.
The beginnings of digital electronics
Historically, there were three main reasons for the emergence and development of digital electronics: the first was scientists' attempts to invent a calculator powered by electricity. The second reason was war, as armies sought to encrypt messages and also decrypt enemy messages. The third reason was the development of the industrial sector, which became entirely dependent on electricity, creating an urgent need for electronics to facilitate the control and management of industrial machines.
the logic state
If we start with the industrial sector, we have electric motors, and as we know, an electric motor has two states: either it is running and thus connected to electricity, or it is stopped, meaning disconnected from electricity. The same applies to a light bulb, which has two states: either on or off. If we want to control the motor and electricity through electronics, we will need a system that understands two states, one that sometimes provides electricity and sometimes cuts it off. In other words, we need an electronic system that deals with two electrical values to operate a component with two operational states, and this is exactly the principle of digital electronics.
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| logical state of an electric machine |
binary system
As I mentioned earlier, one of the reasons for the establishment of electronics was scientists' attempts to invent an electric calculator. Therefore, it was necessary to convert numbers understood by humans into electrical signals that could be controlled to perform mathematical operations. Consequently, we have a new numbering system different from the decimal system known to humans, which is based on two values: zero and one. 0 represents the absence of electric current, and 1 represents the presence of electric current. Thus, we have the binary system.
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