Electronics Resources

Electricity

What is Electricity? from Getting Started with Arduino by Massimo Banzi

Fundamentals of Electricity (Detailed, Technical)

Essential Electronics Concepts

Ohm's Law - Everything starts here!

Polarity (+ & -)

Series v. Parallel

Analog v. Digital

Pull-up Resistors (essential info for using sensors)

Voltage Divider (THIS IS WAY MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOU MIGHT THINK)

POWER! (watts & stuff, or "how to not blow up stuff")

Tools and Calculators

Resistor Colour Code & Calculator

Voltage Divider Calculator

Simple Voltage Divider Calculator

Components

A List of Components, Symbols, and Functions: http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/symbol.htm

The Electronics Club: http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/

Resistors: http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/components/resist.htm

Resistance Calculator:http://www.dannyg.com/examples/res2/resistor.htm

Switches: http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/components/switch.htm

Capacitors: http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/components/capac.htm

Diodes: http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/components/diode.htm

Transistors: http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/components/tran.htm

Relays: http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/components/relay.htm

LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes): http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/components/led.htm

Variable Resistors and Potentiometers: http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/components/vres.htm

Mail Order Electronics Suppliers

Digikey: http://www.digikey.ca (wholesale components)

Mouser: http://ca.mouser.com/ (wholesale components)

Newark/Element14: http://canada.newark.com/ (wholesale components)

Sparkfun Electronics: http://www.Sparkfun.com (parts, kits, tutorials, breakouts, modules - USA)

Adafruit: http://www.adafruit.com/ (parts, kits, tutorials, breakouts, modules - USA)

Robot Shop Canada: http://www.robotshop.com/ca/en/ (parts, kits, modules)

Pololu: http://www.pololu.com/ (parts, modules - usually very small and cheap - USA)

Diigiit Robotics: http://www.ca.diigiit.com/ (parts, kits, modules - small but might have hard to find stuff)

Solarbotics: http://solarbotics.com/ (parts, kits, modules, breakouts - in Calgary)

ABRA: http://abra-electronics.com/ (components, parts, kits, modules, etc - in Montreal)

Spikenzie: http://www.spikenzielabs.com/ (components, kits, modules, breakouts - in Montreal)

Servo CIty: http://www.servocity.com/ (servos, robot parts, structural parts - USA)

Local Suppliers

Lee's Electronics: http://www.leeselectronic.com/

RP Electronics: http://www.rpelectronics.com/

Main Electronics: http://www.mainelectronics.com/ 

Metal Supermarkets: http://metalsupermarkets.com/ (low quantity metals)