Your Electronic Parts Supply
chapter
W
hen I began to bend circuits, I had no real idea as to what the components actually did. I would choose one resistor over the other because it had a lavender band instead of less exciting colors. I’d choose a component because it had a weird shape, not knowing or caring whether it was a resistor or capacitor, a coil, transistor, or photocell. All I knew was that it might change the sound in an interesting way when included in the circuit-bending path. So I tried it. Ridiculous, I suppose, and downright foolhardy if you’re dealing with anything other than very low voltage. But had I not, we wouldn’t be here today, and the monkey would still be at the typewriter (he said, checking his knuckles for hair).
in this chapter ˛ Switches ˛ Resistors ˛ Potentiometers
What Are All These Things?
˛ Capacitors
Let’s take a look at the menagerie of components you’re most likely to use in the projects ahead, and the most common in bending. Just about all of them will be used in the middle of the new circuit-bending paths you’ll discover, so don’t get excited about not knowing what to do with this or that. Read on and get comfortable. This stuff is really cool (see Figure 6-1).
˛ LEDs ˛ Wire it up ˛ Jacks of all trades