Basic electronics - the diode

OK, we're trying to cover the basic components of radio circuits in order to get to grips with the heavier stuff to come - circuit diagrams etc.

I tried Wikipedia for a definition of a diode, but it was a bit long-winded. Because I'm new to this stuff, and because many of you will be too, I prefer straightforward descriptions to help us more easily understand what these wee things do.

After a very quick websearch, I found the following from this website:

Diodes allow electricity to flow in only one direction. The arrow of the circuit symbol shows the direction in which the current can flow. Diodes are the electrical version of a valve and early diodes were actually called valves.

More later . . .

A new day, a new task - time to do some Binging

Countdown timer: 10 weeks 1 day to go

Right, now that I've been able to score 93% in the QADV test on receivers, I can move on a bit to something new. I thought that might be transmitters, but I have to leave that for a bit because I've been set a new task by Jedi Master Tony EI4DIB.

Tony wants me to "research" the different components in a circuit, ie resistors, variable resistors, capacitors, variable capacitors, diodes, transistors (PNP & NPN types) etc etc.

I'm going to do a bit of Googling on this one. Or perhaps a bit of Binging. You've heard of the new Microsoft search site, I presume? (Bing link)

I spent a bit of time on Friday learning about electrical pressure (volts), resistance (ohms), current and coulombs etc. Handy to know these basic things at the start.

But learning about the components themselves should act as a foundation for all the stuff to come, including circuit diagrams. I'll be honest, it all seems a bit daunting right now. Bloody heck, there's so much to learn. But I keep telling myself, if Brian EI7GVB did it in 8 weeks, I can do it in 10 !

Right, time to Bing . . .