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Basic Electronics for Arduino Makers

An introduction to electronics to help you make the most from your Arduino or other prototyping platform.

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Are you an Arduino maker, able to make things by following how-to guides and are confident with writing or modifying sketches, yet you are not so confident about things like calculating transistor currents, voltage drops and using capacitors as filters?

You are not alone. I have been teaching Arduino and Raspberry Pi topics for years. During this time I have realized that while these platforms are great for helping you to start tinkering with electronics, you will not be able to truly enjoy their power until you have understood basic electronics.
This is what this course is about. It is about helping you achieve a better level of understanding of the basic electronics principles and components that are commonly used in making on platforms like the Arduino and the Raspberry Pi.
I have designed this course for anyone with a basic understanding of electronics, who has already spent time tinkering with Arduinos.
By the end of this course, you will have learned how to use commonly used components found in Arduino projects. You will also have learned how to do the relevant measurements and calculations to help you select appropriate components for your projects.
To complete this course, you will need a few cheap and common components and tools: resistors, capacitors, transistors, LED, diodes, and batteries. You will also need a multimeter, a small breadboard and jumper wires. All of these are probably things that you already have.

What are the requirements?

  • Small circuits controlled by an Arduino
  • A basic understanding of electricity and electronics
  • Have assorted resistors, capacitors, LEDs, diodes, transistors, voltage regulators (see section 1 for details, free to view)
  • A breadboard, jumper wires and a battery (see section 1 for details, free to view)
  • A multimeter (see section 1 for details, free to view)

What am I going to get from this course?

  • Understand the concepts of voltage, resistance and current
  • Use Ohm's Law to calculate voltage, current and resistance
  • Use Kirchhoff's Laws to calculate voltage and current
  • Understand the meaning of and calculate energy and power
  • Use resistors in various configurations, like in voltage dividers and voltage ladders
  • Read the value of a resistor from its package
  • Use pull-up and pull-down resistors
  • Understand the use of capacitors
  • Use capacitors as energy stores and filters
  • Calculate the RC time constant of a capacitor
  • Understand diodes
  • Measure a diode's voltage drop
  • Understand how to use rectifier and zener diodes
  • Protect a circuit from reverse polarity
  • Understand how to use a transistor to control low and high power loads
  • Calculate the currents and base resistor for a bipolar transistor
  • Use the correct voltage regulator for any circuit

What is the target audience?

  • Anyone with minimal experience using an Arduino
  • Anyone with minimal experience using any prototyping platform
  • Anyone with a need to brush up their knowledge of basic electronics

Class Curriculum

Your Instructor


Dr Peter Dalmaris
Dr Peter Dalmaris

Peter Dalmaris is an educator, electrical engineer, electronics hobbyist, and Maker. Creator of online video courses on DIY electronics and author of three technical books, and has recently released his book Maker Education Revolution.

As a Chief Tech Explorer since 2013 at Tech Explorations, the company he founded in Sydney, Australia, Peter’s mission is to explore technology and help educate the world.

Tech Explorations offers educational courses and Bootcamps for electronics hobbyists, STEM students and STEM teachers.

A life-long learner, Peter’s core skill is in explaining difficult concepts through video and text. With over 15 years of tertiary teaching experience, Peter has developed a simple yet comprehensive style in teaching that students from all around the world appreciate.

His passion for technology and in particular for the world of DIY open source hardware has been a dominant driver that has guided his personal development and his work through Tech Explorations.

Peter’s current online courses have helped over 60,000 people from around the world to be better Makers.

For more information on Peter's work, please go to his web site.


Frequently Asked Questions

When does the course start and finish?
The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
How long do I have access to the course?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We would never want you to be unhappy! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 30 days and we will give you a full refund.

Get started now!