Robotics
Electronic Components Handbook
Resistors, capacitors, LEDs, diodes, transistors and more, with how to use each
Learning path
Robotics: from circuits to Arduino and IoT
From the first LED on a breadboard to a connected device and a flying machine.
- Who it is for
- Children from class 3 to 12, and anyone who wants to build things that move
- Where it ends
- Read and build circuits, program an Arduino to follow a line and avoid obstacles, design your own parts, and connect a sensor to the internet.
- Stages
- 5 courses, in this order
About this path
Robotics is electronics plus code plus a body. This path starts with circuits and the multimeter, moves through the robotics classes where the Arduino and the first robots are built, adds 3D design so students can make their own brackets and cases, and ends with connected devices and drones.
The free project guides (the bristlebot, the hydraulic arm, the electromagnet crane) and the electronics calculators on this site go with every stage. The institute suggests the right age group.
Your centre gives the schedule for each stage. This page does not quote durations or fees.
The stages, in order
Stage 1: Basic electronics
Circuits, components, Ohm’s law, the multimeter and safe soldering: the base of everything that follows.
After this stage you can
- Read circuit symbols and diagrams and calculate with Ohm’s law
- Identify resistors, capacitors, diodes, LEDs and transistors
- Build a circuit on a breadboard, solder it and trace a fault
Course pageStudy book and practice test (student login)Free project: cardboard circuit boardLED resistor calculatorResistor colour code
Free ebooks for this stage
Hardware & repair
Using a Digital Multimeter
Measure voltage, current, resistance and continuity safely
Stage 2: Robotics, class 3 to 8
The first robots: a fire alarm, a robotic car and the first Arduino projects, in small batches.
After this stage you can
- Read resistor colour codes and capacitor values and place components on a board
- Explain how transistors, switches, sensors and motors work
- Take the first steps in coding with two Arduino projects
Course pageStudy book and practice test (student login)Free project: bristlebot vibration robotFree project: electromagnet crane
Free ebooks for this stage
Robotics
Motors, Gears and Motor Drivers
Make things move: DC motors, servos, steppers and how to drive them
Stage 3: Robotics, class 8 to 12
Advanced robotics: the Arduino IDE, sensors, line followers, obstacle avoiders and embedded systems.
After this stage you can
- Use the Arduino IDE, digital and analog signals, ADC and serial communication
- Calibrate sensors and build robots that follow lines and avoid obstacles
- Work from a circuit diagram to a finished, working project
Course pageStudy book and practice test (student login)Free project: hydraulic robotic armGear ratio calculator
Free ebooks for this stage
Robotics
Build a Line Follower Robot
A complete build guide with two IR sensors, an L298N driver and Arduino
Robotics
Build an Obstacle-Avoiding Robot
An ultrasonic sensor robot that finds its own way, step by step
Robotics
Build a Bluetooth-Controlled Car
Drive a robot car from a phone with an HC-05 module and Arduino
Stage 4: 3D design with Tinkercad
Parts of your own design: a bracket, a case or a chassis, measured to fit and ready for a 3D printer.
After this stage you can
- Build objects from shapes and holes and align them precisely
- Measure a real object and allow clearance and wall thickness
- Export an STL for printing and wire a circuit in Tinkercad Circuits
Course pageStudy book and practice test (student login)Unit converter
Free ebooks for this stage
Science projects
Mini and Major Project Guide
For diploma and BTech students: choose, plan, build, document and present
Science projects
Tools, Materials and Safety for Model Making
Everything you need to build neat, strong and safe science models
Stage 5: Drone and IoT basics
Connected devices and flight: sensors on a Wi-Fi board, dashboards, and how a multirotor is built and flown responsibly.
After this stage you can
- Explain how a sensor, a board and a network work together, and show sensor data on a dashboard
- Name the parts of a multirotor and explain roll, pitch, yaw and thrust
- Handle batteries safely and check the rules before any flight
Course pageStudy book and practice test (student login)Battery life calculatorCareer guide: robotics and electronics
Free ebooks for this stage
Ready to start?
Tell the head office where you are now and they will suggest the first stage and the nearest centre.