Schroeder Industries presents... Industry
Fundamentals of Electronics and Electro-Hydraulics:
Electricity BASICS. This e-learning is intended
to provide a basic level of knowledge and
terms that apply to electronics and electro-hydraulics.
Electricity is the most versatile energy source
that we have. But, it is also one of the newest:
homes and businesses have been using it for
not much more than 100 years. Within those
100 years, we have found multiple ways to
harness raw energy sources and turn them into
electricity!
Let us first look into what really is Electricity?
If you have ever seen a thunderstorm that
had lightning bolts dashing around the sky
paired with the sound of a powerful thunder,
then you have some idea of the raw power of electricity.
A bolt of lightning is a sudden, mass surge
of electricity between the sky and the ground
beneath. If you could harness the power of
one lightening bolt, you’d have enough power
to light more than 100 lamps for a whole day!
Electricity as a whole, has a lot of potential.
Here are just some of the topics we will be
covering today in the module:
What is electricity?
AC vs. DC
Differences between Voltage and Current
What is 3 phase Power?
What is electro-hydaulics and how does it
pair with IoT?
and also Analog vs Digital
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So, what really is electricty?
Simply put, it is a type of energy fueled
by the transfer of electrons from positive
and negative points within a conductor. Electricity can
also mean the energy you get when electrons
flow from one place to another.
Remember, lightning is nothing but a large
number of electrons flowing through air all
at once, releasing a huge amount of energy.
The flow of electrical power has two different
currents. Direct Current (DC) is a constant
flow from negative to positive, while Alternating
Current (AC) flows in a wave pattern that
vibrates at a specific hertz (Hz). That means
it cycles from negative to positive a certain
number of times per second.
Now let's talk about the wave forms of AC
and DC power.
Alternating Current (AC) is current where
the flow of electric charge is constantly
changing directions. Alternating Current is
mostly used to transmit power on power lines.
In the United States, the frequency at which
the current alternates is 60 Hz. Some other
countries use 50 Hz as the standard.
Let's quickly talk about Hertz (Hz).
The hertz (symbol: Hz) is a unit to measure
frequency. It tells how often something happens.
A frequency of 1 Hz means that something
happens once a second.
Now let's talk about Direct Current (DC).
It's the constant flow of electric charge
in one direction. Batteries generate direct
current to power handheld items mostly. Most
electronics use Direct Current for internal
power often converting Alternating Current
(AC) to Direct Current (DC) using a transformer.
Now let's dive a little deeper into the differences
between voltage and current.
Current is the rate at which electric charge
flows past a point in a circuit. It is an
important quantity in electronic circuits. Current flows
through a circuit when a voltage is placed
across two points of a conductor. Current
is often referred to in terms of “flow”,
just like the flow of a liquid through a hollow
pipe.
Simply put: in an electrical circuits, the current is
the flow of electrons.
Now for voltage. Voltage is the potential
difference in charge between two points in
an electrical field. Voltage is usually the
cause and current is always the effect.
Just like water needs pressure to force it
through a hose, electrical current needs some
force to make it flow. A volt is the measure
of electric pressure.
Now let's talk about measuring voltage and
current.
To measure voltage on an electric circuit,
you don't have to insert the meter into the circuit.
Instead, all you have to do is touch the leads
of the multimeter to two (2) points on the circuit.
When you do that, the multimeter will display
the voltage that exists between those two
points.
To measure current, you must connect the
two leads of the multimeter into the circuit so
that the current flows through the multimeter.
In other words, the multimeter must become
a part of the circuit itself. The only way
to measure the current flowing through
a simple circuit is to insert your multimeter.
Now to talk about calculating voltage and
current.
In the simple Ohm's Law Pyramid, V= Voltage,
I= Current, and R= Resistance.
To calculate voltage, all you need to know
is I x R.
To calculate resistance, all you need to know
is V / I.
And to calculate current, all you need to
know is V / R.
This is just a simple overview of calculating
voltages and currents and also resistance.
In the industrial world, three-phase is everywhere!
Nowadays, the three-phase system serves as
a basis of most electrical systems, which
consist of energy generation, transmission,
and consumption.
A simple explanation of three-phase power
is, it provides three alternating currents—usually three separate
electrical services—uniformly separated in phase angle.
This is, the point in time at which each leg
of alternating current reaches a maximum voltage
are separated by 1/3 of the time in a full
cycle (as shown on the graph).
Let's now talk about analog vs. digital.
In theory, we can use the term “analog signal”
to describe any continuous signal that uses
one time-variable quantity to represent another
(such as a mechanical system like a dial thermometer).
But for our purposes, we will use it most
commonly to describe electrical signals, which
are usually constant.
Digital signals, by contrast, express variation
in the system’s variable in response to
a set of discrete values (more like a light
with an “on/off” switch or a three-way
light bulb with multiple, discrete levels
of output). Digital signals are not constant.
They usually have a time variable built in
unlike analog signals that have 1 time variable
constantly.
The continuous-time signal can be represented
and defined at any instance of time in its
sequence. The continuous-time signal, also
termed as analog signal, it is a continuous
function of time defined on a line. It has
continuous amplitude and time. That is, the
continuous-time signals will have certain
value at any instant of time.
Unlike the Discrete-time signal, which has
a countable or finite set of numbers in its
sequence. It is a digital representation of
continuous-time signal. The Discrete-time
signal can be represented and defined at certain
instants of time in its sequence.
How does electronics intertwine with hydraulics?
The real question is, What is Electro-Hydraulics?
Typically, an electro-hydraulic system is
one in which a feedback-controlled parameter
regulates a hydraulic actuator or hydraulic
movement.
Electro-Hydraulics are very flexible for pre-programmed
loads or displacement parameters. The range
of loads applied are wide in variety and the
displacements are precise.
Hydraulic components are adapting more and
more to electronics for precision movements
and functions.
The next step to all of this is to add and
have sensors for gathering operational data
values, offline or online via the web and
cloud functions.
Analysis of this data is the key concept for
condition monitoring, predictive maintenance,
and machine-to-machine communication.
All of these topics here are future topics
that will be addressed in upcoming modules!
