Foundations

Start with the basics.

14 short lessons. About an hour total. By the end you will never look at a light bulb the same way.

Progress

0 of 14 read

Unit 1

What's going on?

The big picture — what electricity actually is.

  1. Lesson 15 min

    What is electricity?

    It's like water flowing through pipes — except much, much faster.

  2. Lesson 26 min

    Voltage and current

    Voltage is the push. Current is how many electrons get pushed.

  3. Lesson 36 min

    Resistance

    Sometimes you want to slow electrons down. That's what resistance does.

  4. Lesson 45 min

    A complete loop

    Electrons need a path back home. That's a circuit.

Unit 2

The parts in your toolbox

Resistor, LED, switch, capacitor, sensor, microcontroller.

  1. Lesson 57 min

    The mighty resistor

    A small striped tube whose only job is to slow electrons down.

  2. Lesson 66 min

    The LED, our tiny light

    Light Emitting Diode — only goes one way, glows when it does.

  3. Lesson 75 min

    Switches and buttons

    They open and close the loop, on purpose.

  4. Lesson 86 min

    Capacitors, the tiny batteries

    They hold electricity for a very short time, then release it.

  5. Lesson 96 min

    Sensors — circuits that feel the world

    Resistors that change their value based on what's happening around them.

  6. Lesson 107 min

    Microcontrollers — the brains

    A tiny computer that runs your code and controls every other part.

Unit 3

Putting it together

Breadboards, series vs parallel, schematics.

  1. Lesson 116 min

    The breadboard, your workbench

    A plastic block of holes that lets you try a circuit without soldering.

  2. Lesson 127 min

    Series vs parallel

    Two ways to wire two parts. They behave very differently.

  3. Lesson 136 min

    Reading a schematic

    A schematic is a circuit drawn with symbols instead of pictures.

Unit 4

Staying safe

A short list of rules that keep you (and your battery) happy.

  1. Lesson 145 min

    Working safely

    A short list of rules that keep your circuit, your battery, and you all happy.