Passive vs. Active ComponentsAs you have figured out by now, there are many different types of electronic components, and you must be familiar with all of these. They all act differently with reference to voltage, current, temperature, pressure, and other outside influences. In order to make learning electronic components easier, they have been divided into two categories: PASSIVE COMPONENTS and ACTIVE COMPONENTS. While possibly not the best definition, the key difference between active and passive components, is that active components have the ability to produce gain, or amplify a signal, and passive components do not. Some would argue that a component's ability to switch a signal makes it an active component, but I don't see a toggle switch as being active. I may modify this definition later, but for now, this one is enough for you to grasp the concept. So far, all the components we have discussed are resistors, capacitors, and coils. These are passive components. Now we are going to begin learning about active components. Some examples of Active components include Vacuum Tubes, Transistors, Integrated Circuits, etc. We will first study Vacuum tubes, as they are a fundamental building block in the understanding of other active components.  Many "modern" schools today are skipping right over tubes. I plan on EMPHASIZING them, as I see them as a very viable technology. There are new tubes being developed and used every day, because up 'till now, we simply haven't found a device which is more capable of linear amplification at high power and high frequency levels. Some examples would be the klystron, magnetron, Inductive Output Tube (IOT), Travelling Wave Tube (TWT) et al. I'll be willing to bet that you have at LEAST 2 vacuum tube devices that you use on a regular basis in your home right now! Your TV and possibly your computer monitor has a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT). You probably cook meals in a Microwave Oven, which uses a magnetron. And should we, someday, find a way to replicate food or transport people as in "Star Trek", I believe it will be developed using technology similar in nature to vacuum tubes. |
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And for what it's worth... this page was last updated HexDate 01-11--7D1
