Circuit Basics - The Learning Circuit

Karen makes a simple circuit. This project covers open and closed circuits, switches, incandescent vs LED lighting, and what to check for if it doesn't work. Visit Karen at The Learning Circuit: bit.ly/2xKo9jU
Visit the STEM Academy: bit.ly/2gTTlX4
Visit the Hex Game Build: bit.ly/2z57hWi
If you've never created a circuit before then this is great project to get started. All you need to make a basic circuit is some common materials and components. A circuit is a closed path through which an electric current can flow. A circuit can be closed or open. If the circuit is closed all of the components are connected and the electrical currentz2dqCP can flow. If the circuit is open then the connection is broken and the electrical current cannot flow. Circuits are used to send energy to turn things on like the motor in a drill or a bulb in a flashlight. A lot of things you use everyday contain circuits and circuit boards. A circuit board contains lots of little circuits that each have their own individual function. One circuit might turn on a motor while another circuit might make a buzzer beep. You can make a simple circuit out of just a light bulb, a power source, and some wires. To make this circuit you’ll need some cardboard, some paper clips, some paper fasteners, a battery, some tape, and a light. It’s also useful to have a pair of needlenose pliers and a utility knife.
Circuits typically use wires and circuit traces to send electricity and signals along the circuit. In place of wires she uses paper clips and paper fasteners. If you're going to do the same thing, it’s important to make sure that these items are metal and don’t have any coating. They need to be conductive so that electricity flows through them wherever they touch. For this project, a battery is used as the power source. Batteries have a positive and a negative terminal. Some components only work in one direction so it’s important to note which orientation your battery is being hooked up. This battery supplies 1.5 volts of power. When choosing a light, you want to make sure you use one that is rated for low voltage. If the light is rated for 2 to 3 volts it should still work with one battery. First, Karen tapes down her battery. She adds a paper clip to either side to act as the wires to conduct the electricity, as well as, acting as clips to help hold the battery in place. She’ll use a pair of needlenose pliers to bend it in half, then put it right against the battery, and push a fastener right at the other end to help hold it snugly in place. Next, they’re going to add their light. The length of the paper clips is going to determine where this is going to go and if you need to you can add extra paper clips and fasteners to make sure that it reaches. She makes a loop of tape to put on the bottom of her light. Make sure that the screws of the light are facing out towards your paper clips so that it’s easy to reach. . She makes a loop of tape to put on the bottom of her light. With the last paperclips, loop around the screws of the light socket and then connect the ends over to your other paper clips and secure them with a fastener. If you have everything hooked up correctly your light should be on. If your light is not on then check all of your connections, make sure metal stays touching metal when not being held, make sure you are using a fresh battery, check inside the bulb, and make sure your bulb is screwed all the way in. Karen gives her method for battery testing without tools and suggests making sure the filament inside the bulb is not broken. If the filament is broken then it turns this into an open circuit because electricity cannot flow across it.

[@svendinsvinderlin4569]

Something about heavy guitar shredding followed by "Hi, I'm Karren" is hilarious to me.

[@cfoxplayz5920]

Are U The Official Nord VPN Who MrBeast And Many Others Sponsered

[@Bleepbleepblorbus]

@@cfoxplayz5920 no

[@bocagelandscape]

The sentence: "I'd like to speak to the manager" not following that feels strange and confusing

[@trevorthieme5157]

@@bocagelandscape It's like the very rules of our world were distorted to make it not happen...

[@deejay7339]

W h y t e W o m e n 🤣

[@rotrose7531]

I am a true beginner, and your tutorial is exactly designed for me, amazing, thank you.

[@myekelgreene3517]

Dear Karen, Thank you so much . Your manner , clarity and simple precision is refreshing and greatly appreciated. I have been an electronic technician for many years, and had become so frustrated with the multitude of poorly made and hard to understand videos that I had thought to make my own just to offer some plane common sense as an alternative. SO I am happy to have found your offerings which I find to be superior to the multitudes and , I believe, better than what I might have done. Please continue to make the fine contributions that you are doing . Again , thank you.

[@johnvictor9071]

This is exactly the show I've been hoping for. While I can do basic circuits, I never got into more advanced things. So this should be a nice refresher and tutorial.

[@unknownuser3000]

35 years old and I finally know what the symbols on a power strip mean. I had no clue thanks for the Video!

[@ghenaalharthi3012]

@Unknown User and teachers expect ninth graders to know 🧐

[@Yunkzilla]

36 for me

[@justinbordage4302]

It's actually binary if I'm not mistaken; 1 = true = on, 0 = false = off.

[@SNBfilms]

Great to see high-quality beginner content from a reputable source. Please keep this videos coming so those just starting out have a trustworthy place to learn!

[@MichaelBerthelsen]

More basics are always awesome! Thank you, Karen! Some people have the basics, some have more, but some viewers might watch for the cool maker-stuff, but don't have the basics to get started. I love when you try to be educational for all levels. =) I may not need it, but others might, so I suggest you keep going, and don't listen to the non-constructive critics! ;-)

[@SnowTheKitsune]

Michael Berthelsen I would like to build few electronics :) but ok total noon in this 😂😂😂

[@wattage]

Nice job, Karen. I really like that you used very simple, common, and easy-to-find components. Makes it a really accessible experiment for everyone.

[@devvilboyy676767]

2:04 "If the light is rated for 2-3 volts, it should still work with one 1.v5 battery". I cannot stress how thankful I am that someone actually took the time to explain this. I dislike when "instructors" just assume we know all these minuscule details. I'm here because I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING AND I WANT TO LEARN. I can't learn by just by mimicking. Us newbies NEED TO KNOW ALL THE SILLY DETAILS. THE "WHYS" AND THE "HOWS". It took me 2 weeks to finally find the asnwer. 2 WEEKS of endless research, forums and frustration. If it wasn't for this video I would given up on learning electronics. So thank you Karen. You are an angel. I hope this serves as a reminder to every other "teacher". 90% of your viewers are inexperienced students. By fooling us, you're also fooling yourself.

[@maker_karen1785]

Thank you so much! That's exactly I how I've felt trying to learn electronics, because I am 100% self-taught. So much instruction assumes too much about the student's base knowledge. I try to include those little tidbits that experienced users know, but newbies would have to discover on their own through trial and error.

[@techman2471]

Good job,Karen. As others have said, the basics are good for everyone. Some to learn for the first time and some to get a new way to teach others.

[@danpeikes]

Loving the basics. Can't wait to see where it goes from here!

[@0Fluxor0]

Good video Karen, I'd like to see this series continue. Good job starting with the basics for people that are just trying to figure this electricity thing out. :)

[@kalyanaeverett8449]

I love your teaching style. This is a beautiful example of a simple circuit, yet you just taught so many good circuit concepts -- positive and negative current flow, switches, diodes, etc. I'm an instant fan and subscriber, and I hope you have a lot more of these.

[@maxximumb]

I'm a bit beyond this, but keep it going, am looking forward to future episodes. Great video Karen.

[@ddahstan6876]

Got me hooked at "a cardboard, some paper clips and some fasteners"... just exactly what I need to have fun with my two little nephews!! Can't wait to check out for more basic videos. Thank You!!!

[@RoccoCusumano]

This is awesome! I have 3 little ones that I would love to build this with. Please keep making videos like this. I like the use of common, everday objects so I don't have to get overly complicated stuff that may confuse the lesson for a 5 year old. Thank you so much for this!

[@maker_karen1785]

That's great! People like you are exactly the reason we are starting this series. Let me know if you have any project requests! And make sure to check out the Learning Circuit space on the e14 Community. I'll be posting about more projects and tips that could come in handy with your kids. bit.ly/2A3muq8

[@Rouverius]

Great job, Karen. Looking forward to advanced tutorials in the future.

[@GameplayandTalk]

Great idea for a series. Looking forward to future episodes!

[@skozra]

enjoyed this episode, plus I never knew about the battery bounce test to check to see if it still has power - nice one !

[@RealCousinOkri]

I feel like most people who watch TBHS have already got the basics covered. Nonetheless, I'll never disapprove an attempt to pass knowledge and I'm eager to see more.

[@dhawalsingh1071]

Believe me, I didn't.

[@philsbbs]

nice clear and easy to follow guide. Thank you.

[@RoryOConnor]

Really Fantastic Job Karen! Great to see yous bringing all the different skill levels together, will make a phenomenal playlist/course for anyone interested! Ignore them anonymous butthurts, eventually they will realize they are wasting their lives with their 'poor me' syndrome comments!

[@WilliamTythas]

Tried the "bounce" trick with my car battery ... didn't go well ..j/k

[@dang9059]

WilliamTythas ha ha that actually made me laugh

[@bibousisi5437]

There are many factors in learning circuits. One place I discovered that successfully combines these is the Gregs Electro Blog (google it if you're interested) without a doubt the most incredible info i've heard of. Check out this extraordinary resource.

[@jeremybrews2521]

That was pretty funny

[@sloshmaster9]

I think you're trying to broke it lmao

[@trieucao2328]

If you is interested in electronics the greatest results that I have had was with the Gregs Electro Blog (i found it on google) without a doubt the no.1 course that I've tried.

[@jordanvelazquez6321]

The Ben Heck Show This is just what i needed to know. I have an engineering class that was showing me how to do this and anwered my questions.

[@ky4tgtodd203]

I absolutely love your videos! You’re a great teacher! I decided to go back and watch all of the videos in this series so that I better understand electronic circuits. I’m studying for my General license for amateur radio and I want to really understand how things work. I also have some major chronic health issues so I’m not able to do very much but watching these videos is a pleasant distraction from my chronic pain! Thank you! 73 - KM4OCJ

[@zev.beneliy1771]

Simply amazingly great..... wow! Thank you Karen

[@JediLennon]

I love this video. My 8 year old daughter likes the channel too and has a passion to create. We will probably do this! I think more videos like this would be great!

[@maker_karen1785]

If she has any questions or requests for projects/lessons, you can post those in the Learning Circuit space on the element14 Community. I'll be posting extra stuff there, like projects too short to be a whole video.

[@temporarycreations]

Thanks for all your electronics videos. I would really love to watch the whole playlist, but it is sorted from newest to oldest, so I guess I'll just have to click my way through it then.

[@jjenko6366]

i’m not going lie you just answered some of my oldest curiosity. other circuit videos just jump in without intro.

[@arturogoleman5221]

I have spent months researching into circuits and discovered an awesome website at Gregs Electro Blog (google it if you're interested)

[@jimrobson3453]

This is an ad for a paid course.

[@Technify82]

Finally a series that might be able to help me. Please keep this series going!

[@josephciaravino4115]

These videos make me so happy!

[@hoofheartedicemelted296]

OK that was good. I absorbed everything and understood it. You are a very good teacher Karen. On to the next one.

[@howardleen4182]

Seriously, can we have far more of these? I've always been really interested in getting into electronics and making or modifying stuff myself but I don't have the background, this serious would be very valuable to me and I'm really looking forward to further videos in this series.

[@steamerSama]

can i say something, you have the most soothing voice i've heard in a while.

[@nobytes2]

Boyyyyyy stop being a simp

[@Rico702Vegas]

Funny I was thinking exactly the opposite.. it's weak and crackly and she's nervous fidgeting and shaking all over the place. You probably think spear brittany has a great singing voice too lol.

[@ahmedkebsi3246]

Thank you so much , this is the best way to know how electricity work .

[@eamoncrosby2368]

Fantastic video !! You really helped my daughter understand her homework Thank you . Great tip about life of a battery !! 😊🙏

[@MrKevinp0]

I think this is a good idea, and I hope you stick with it. Not everyone is a brainiac when it comes to electronics, and having the opportunity to pass on the basics is always a good thing. Keep up the great work Karen! Well done!

[@pyrodiscoflash6115]

Awesome stuff , and you are a fantastic teacher\Engineer

[@erikrodriguez8383]

Thank you I got hired to work with repairing electronics and have never worked with circuits so this is useful

[@adonaiblackwood7172]

Yay! I’m so happy I found this video! 🙏👏

[@LoneTaurus82]

I tried to take up electronics at a local community college. I understand the basic theories of it and what not but the application of it in a work environment is a lot harder than I anticipated and it just wasn't for me. Good Video i'll watch more of these to brush up on my knowledge.

[@Hmmmm323]

Thank You, kindly for this offering!

[@javicho1ful]

KAREN THANKS A LOT , YOUR CLASSES AR..E . SO NICE THAT YOUR VIDEOS FORM PART OF MY TEACHWARE

[@jgarale]

Thank you Karen! :)

[@apanapane]

Perfect tutorial!

[@crapforbrains1]

This is fun because you can build it as a fun craft with kids. Great idea.

[@happyf33t58]

Thank you this helped me with my first day of school of automotive technology 🙏💕

[@ZaneDaMagicPufferDragon]

Nice Introduction Karen!!!!

[@colonelbarker]

Thanks for making this, I'm looking forward to watching this series. I would say I'm at an intermediate level, and can put together kits and do some basic repairs where needed and have a basic understanding, and am hoping this series moves on with slightly more complex projects I can do at home using basic components. But I'm very excited where this goes. It might be worth next time talking about voltage vrs amps. Just a thought.

[@maker_karen1785]

I wanted to keep this first lesson simple. I'd like to get more into ohm's law and am looking for a good project that demonstrates it clearly and easily.

[@colonelbarker]

Perfect, it's a great project to start with because it's very simple and gives you something with a tangible result before getting too deep into theory. Thanks again for making this, I'm really looking forward to the second part.

[@ChunkyTomatoPizzeria]

Outstanding introduction to circuits! Great job. If you are in the northeast - I'll bring you to our middle school!

[@maker_karen1785]

I'm in Wisconsin.

[@markowens2577]

I like your videos. U exsplane things really well

[@edwardwray9056]

I know that your trying to reach a wider group of people, but I really miss the old projects like the xbee text radio, raspberry mame portable, and the arduino quadcopter. This just feels way too basic. Though, cool tip about checking how much power a batterry has.

[@efisgpr]

Those sound great! Know what I'm watching next!

[@rajkumarhazra7441]

I like your style!👍

[@SnowTheKitsune]

OH!!!!!!!!!! I would never guess I/O means that !!!! You learn every day :)

[@Bianchi77]

Nice info, thanks :)

[@dailybread7638]

Brilliant explanation, I am a beginner, just for a hobby I want to learn and understand the electronics. I think I got little idea. I wish good luck for everything you do.

[@JasonGroom]

Am I the only one that does not find the last 6 to 12 months of this show nearly as entertaining as the previous shows they made?

[@bigginksu]

You're not the only one, but this makes me wonder if they are running out of ideas or if they are not getting "quality" ideas through the TBHS community/forum page. I was really digging the earlier console-to-laptop projects. The shows haven't been as "entertaining" lately, but they have been educating to some point. I'm still a fan of TBHS, and always patiently looking forward to a kickass project.

[@Liofa73]

Yup, it's all gone a bit meh... I don't mind the tutorials, but there's no wow factor to set off the rest of the show.

[@joost199207]

Excactly my thoughts, i think they're running out of project ideas.

[@moebiusx373]

I had noticed, I mean I think the show has matured and has a lot of good info and good projects. But I miss the geekier and sometimes more superhuman projects that only Ben could build.

[@jessem8928]

Ben is done with the show and doesn’t want to admit it.

[@wowfirebat]

I have been waiting for Karen to get more time in the spot light. I think this series is a really good idea. Yes, this is probably way too basic for most of us, but I have a nephew who could learn from this. I have a lot of friends who aren't engineers who could likely benefit from future episodes as well. I like that you are trying to bridge the gap. This will help more people learn to start making things, which is fantastic.

[@klappstuhl4370]

"Hi, I'm Karen!" Me: "Hi Karen!" * waves at his laptop * NSA: "Wait, is he waving at us?"

[@WaltonPete]

Very basic! But that should never be a problem as those who are more advanced in their knowledge can either stop watching or continue as a refresher. Too many people assume that every viewer knows the basics, which is not always the case. The bit about LED polarity is handy for many as it's always good to have multiple ways to identify the polarity of any such components and lots of people are unaware of these simple techniques.

[@FlippinFunFlips]

Awesome!

[@user-je2yx9ln1g]

good video! I wish to learn digital logic by this series.

[@kabandajamir9844]

NICE AND BEST PRESENTATION

[@lorisrobots]

Thanks for making this series. I am retired and learning about robots for my hobby but my electronics knowledge is really weak. I often find myself not understanding all the jargon used in other tutorials.

[@stolz_ar]

I love this new series. I'll be waiting for more of this!

[@lauraanaya605]

hi guys, the best success that ive had was with the Gregs Electro Blog (i found it on google) without a doubt the most helpful info that I've followed.

[@asoaziz9745]

thank you so much you can describe the lecture very well you will be long live

[@GwEfex7831]

Thanks ,I hope I can learn from you.

[@jdsgotninelives]

Thank you :)

[@miarez93]

I like the concept of this series and I hope that in the future it'll get a little more complicated =) Also voltage is not power even though it was said so in the video.

[@maker_karen1785]

You are correct! Power is not voltage. I was attempting to simplify the concept for beginners, with the idea that down the line they will learn that electricity is more complicated and voltage is not power is not current is not resistance.

[@fahmi245]

Amazing talent

[@razzdazz91]

Where could I find a light like this?

[@jamiehord1009]

This is very interesting. I'm learning to work with circuit boards so I can fix and make my own electronics. I hate to buy somethings new or used if I can make or fix it myself.

[@vimalpatel5770]

Can you please post all the videos of "The learning Circuit" in order keeping in mind for beginners! That way it will be easy for them to learn step by step.

[@garysmith9772]

A good way to demonstrate circuitry wiring is copper foil tape used in Stainglass work you can put one long strip on each side of a piece of posterboard and then crossover from positive to negative to show circuits. Use an X-Acto knife’s to modify the copper foil tape then you can solder to it

[@jehadmohammed8114]

So far so good

[@anthonythe_realtor]

the greatest results that I have had was with the Gregs Electro Blog (i found it on google) definately the most incredible course i've tried.

[@macjess723]

Love it

[@javierferrer4634]

Nice!

[@Dee_Just_Dee]

Karen doing a solo video series? Thumb up! Absolute basics video series? Two emphatic thumbs up! Shame to not see the the signature hoodie and fingerless gloves though. Yeah, damn right that's gonna be my biggest and only complaint. TBHS gang, keep on being awesome!

[@henoknigatu7121]

Hi can you make video on how one port and two port network synthesis applied practically on designing ckts like filters and amplifiers, thank you.

[@Javaman92]

OK! this is what I was looking for. Sure, it starts at the absolute basics, but that is okay with me.

[@unimatrixx001]

I like the premise of teaching electronics but wow was this basic. but good job Karen!

[@jennyrodriguez8229]

Thank you

[@wasimfarooque8748]

Question: what if you connect the wire to the negative terminal, but don't terminate the other end in the positive terminal, will the light bulb still turn on? The electrons are still flowing through the bulb, then would it not light the bulb?

[@mbenitez6722]

thank you :D

[@rustyneuron]

I made a quiz board for science fair when I was like 9. The questions were on the left, answers on the right. When you connected a question to the correct answer with the probes a circuit was completed and the light bulb would come on. I ran out of time on it, but I was going to make it so that any incorrect Q and A pairings would also complete a different circuit which would sound a really loud buzzer that would scare the bejesus out of all present, but alas, (to the everlasting gratitude of my parents I am sure), I ran out of time! Good memories! Now I design electric chairs for the burgeoning international capital punishment market; often people are shocked by what I do.

[@cope-systems]

finally, a nice karen who hasnt asked for the manager yet

[@rogrtorr9886]

Great idea for a series. Looking forward to the next episodes. Karen, you're so pretty. The representation of open/closed circuits at the end of the video makes no sense...I guess it means "zero" for no current, "1" for current.

[@Coltvtx872]

What kind of circuit board is that because I got a big speaker and have a motherboard anatine board in a circuit board so which circuit board do you get that from please tell me I love electronic

[@jerrywi6172]

I recently open up FM radio and clean it. But after it's cleaned the radio is dead. So I find this video... hopefully your videos help me to find the problems.

[@sinjara]

Finally, a Karen that's actually helpful xD

[@jackglossop4859]

By the way Karen, watched your soldering video tutorial and now I’m soldering shit all over the place. Made a crappy remote control robot yesterday. ☺️

[@andrewgluck8740]

You look like Ms. Frizzle, and I love it.

[@jaytomten3782]

I feel like promoting a starter kit with wires and a breadboard, then using it in the video, would be helpful.

[@MOS-MHz]

First of all wow Karen isn't wearing her scarf and gloves :) Back to the topic at hand; sure it's very basic for alot of us, but im sure for some newcomers listening to Ben explaining things could be a little bit daunting. After all even myself, who knows whats going on still needs to rewind once in awhile when Ben explains things. Good to see they cater to all, so others at a beginners level can learn a few things.

[@denv5221]

I really wanted to learn to know how to and how not to build a circuits coz I am aware that I can't use electronic parts( resistor, capacitor, inductor etc etc) as I want in a circuit. I wish to know how to build a circuit for e.g. if my power source is 1.5 volts the components and parts I can or cannot use in the circuit or if my power source is 5v, 12v or even 230v which parts, resistors, capacitors, inductors, transistors, diodes, op-amp/ic, power switch etc. I should stop writing, it's too long. But you got the idea on what I mean. Thx

[@Fnta_discovery]

Hello. can you give me some advice on learning electronics. I have a lot of difficulties. Please

[@Big_Br0]

I tried the bounce check with my significant other. I had to check a few more times cause they sometimes would bounce back up sometimes they’d plant like a battery. The test was concluded after about 5mins

[@miladirani4313]

You speak fast , im weak in english but thank you ,usually good peaples teach things to others