Robotics
Robotics and Electronics Basics Study Book
The complete study notes, practice questions and glossary for Robotics and Electronics Basics
Robotics & Coding
Robotics for KG to class 2
Short, hands-on sessions building simple moving models with lights, switches, magnets and motors.
Suits: KG to class 2
Batch timings and fees are shared on WhatsApp.
The study book of this course
- Robotics and Electronics Basics
- Lessons
- 7
- Practice questions
- 35
- Free ebooks
- 2
About the course
About robotics for KG to class 2
Robotics and coding classes for the youngest learners. Sessions are short and hands-on: children build simple moving models with lights, switches, magnets and motors, guided step by step by a trainer.
The robotics study book in the student portal starts with a lesson written for little learners, What Is a Robot?, which parents can read with their child.
What they learn
From the robotics class page.
- 01
Build simple circuits that light up, buzz and move
- 02
Learn how a switch, a battery and a motor work through play
- 03
Take home the model they built in each session
What you will learn
7 lessons, 21 exercises
Every lesson of the study book that comes with this course in the student portal, with the key points of each lesson and exercises to try. What students build in class is listed further down this page.
Study book
Robotics and Electronics Basics
Learn how electricity, circuits and electronic parts work, then use motors, sensors and batteries safely to understand how simple robots such as line followers and obstacle avoiders think and move.
1Little Learners: What Is a Robot?4 min read · 5 key points · 3 exercises
Key points
- A robot is a machine that can do a job by itself.
- A robot senses with sensors, thinks with a controller and moves with motors.
- A battery gives electricity and has a plus end and a minus end.
- Electricity flows only around a complete, round path called a circuit.
- Never touch a wall socket, and play with batteries only with a grown-up.
Try this
- Draw a robot and colour in its sensors (eyes), its controller (brain) and its motors (muscles), then tell a friend what each part does.
- With your teacher, connect a battery holder, a switch and a small bulb or LED module, and turn the switch on and off to make and break the circuit.
- With a grown-up, walk around your home and make a list of three things that run on batteries.
2Voltage, Current, Resistance and Ohm's Law4 min read · 5 key points · 3 exercises
Key points
- Voltage (volts) is the push, current (amperes) is the flow and resistance (ohms) opposes the flow.
- Ohm's law is V = I × R, so I = V ÷ R and R = V ÷ I.
- Convert mA to A and kΩ to Ω before you calculate.
- Power is P = V × I, and every part has a maximum power rating.
- Measure voltage across a part and current in series with it.
Try this
- Use Ohm's law to find the current when 6 V is connected across a 300 Ω resistor, then check your answer of 20 mA with a multimeter at the centre.
- Measure the voltage of a new AA cell and of a used one with a multimeter and compare the readings.
- Make a table of five voltage and resistance pairs of your choice and calculate the current and the power for each.
3Series and Parallel Circuits on a Breadboard4 min read · 5 key points · 3 exercises
Key points
- A breadboard joins the five holes of each row on one side of the centre gap; the edge strips are power rails.
- Series: one path, the same current everywhere, and voltages and resistances add.
- Parallel: separate branches, the same voltage on each, currents add, and the total resistance is below the smallest branch.
- Home wiring is parallel so each appliance works on its own.
- Cells in series add their voltages.
Try this
- On a breadboard, connect a 1 kΩ and a 2.2 kΩ resistor in series, calculate the total (3.2 kΩ), then measure it with a multimeter.
- Calculate the total resistance of two 470 Ω resistors in parallel (235 Ω) and check it with a multimeter.
- Build two LEDs, each with its own 220 Ω resistor, in parallel across a 5 V supply, then remove one LED and observe that the other keeps glowing.
4Electronic Components: From Resistors to Relays4 min read · 5 key points · 3 exercises
Key points
- Resistor bands give two digits, then the number of zeros, then the tolerance (gold is ±5%).
- An LED needs a series resistor: R = (supply voltage − forward voltage) ÷ current.
- A diode conducts one way only, and its stripe marks the cathode.
- Electrolytic capacitors are polarised and need a voltage rating above the circuit voltage.
- A transistor or a relay lets a small signal switch a bigger load.
Try this
- Pick five resistors from the kit, read each colour code, and check your answers with a multimeter.
- Calculate the resistor for a red LED (about 2 V) on a 9 V battery at 15 mA, then build the circuit with the nearest standard value above your answer (470 Ω).
- Find the COM, NO and NC terminals on a relay module, then use the multimeter's continuity mode to see which pair is connected while the relay is off.
5Motors, Batteries and Power Safety4 min read · 5 key points · 3 exercises
Key points
- Reversing a DC motor's wires reverses its direction; voltage or PWM sets its speed.
- A BO motor is a DC motor with a gearbox that trades speed for torque.
- A servo turns to a commanded angle; a stepper moves in exact, fixed steps.
- Motors are powered through a driver, never straight from a controller pin.
- Never short a battery, never mix cells, and keep projects away from mains.
Try this
- Connect a BO motor to a holder of two AA cells, note which way the wheel turns, then swap the wires and note the change.
- Read the labels of three different batteries at the centre and write down each one's voltage and, where shown, its capacity in mAh.
- Make a safety poster for your lab that lists the battery rules from this lesson.
6Sensors: IR, Ultrasonic, LDR and Touch4 min read · 5 key points · 3 exercises
Key points
- Digital sensors give HIGH or LOW; analog sensors give a smoothly changing voltage.
- IR modules detect reflected infrared: white surfaces reflect it and black surfaces absorb it.
- HC-SR04 distance = echo time × speed of sound ÷ 2.
- An LDR's resistance falls in brighter light, and it is read through a voltage divider.
- A capacitive touch module senses a finger and gives a digital output.
Try this
- Hold an IR module over white paper and then over black tape, watch its indicator LED, and adjust the potentiometer until it switches cleanly between the two.
- Calculate the distance for echo times of 580 µs and 2,900 µs (about 10 cm and 50 cm).
- Measure an LDR's resistance with a multimeter in room light, under a torch and covered by your hand, and record the three readings.
7How Simple Robots Work: Line Followers and Obstacle Avoiders4 min read · 5 key points · 3 exercises
Key points
- A robot repeats a sense, think, act loop many times a second.
- Differential drive steers by running the two wheels at different speeds or directions.
- A two-sensor line follower turns towards whichever sensor sees the line.
- An obstacle avoider stops, backs off and turns when the distance falls below a set limit.
- Test motors and each sensor separately before running the whole robot.
Try this
- On paper, draw a robot and a black line, and act out with a partner what the robot does in each of the four sensor cases.
- Mark a 20 cm line with tape, push a robot towards a wall by hand, and note when its ultrasonic reading falls below 20.
- Write your own rules, as steps, for a robot that stops when its touch sensor is pressed and starts again when it is pressed a second time.
Glossary: 25 key terms of Robotics and Electronics Basics
- Ampere
- The unit of electric current, written A, where 1 A equals 1000 mA.
- Anode
- The positive leg of a diode or LED, through which conventional current enters.
- Breadboard
- A reusable board with connected rows of holes for building circuits without soldering.
- Capacitor
- A component that stores electric charge, measured in farads.
- Cathode
- The negative leg of a diode or LED, marked by a stripe on a diode and by the shorter leg on an LED.
- Circuit
- A complete, closed path around which electric current can flow.
- Current
- The rate of flow of electric charge, measured in amperes.
- Differential drive
- A way of steering a robot by running its left and right wheels at different speeds or in different directions.
- Diode
- A component that lets current flow in one direction only.
- LDR
- A light-dependent resistor, whose resistance falls as the light on it gets brighter.
- LED
- A light-emitting diode, which glows when current flows from its anode to its cathode.
- Motor driver
- A circuit, such as the L298N, that supplies the large current a motor needs under the control of a small signal.
- Ohm
- The unit of resistance, written with the symbol Ω.
- Ohm's law
- The rule V = I × R that links voltage, current and resistance.
- Parallel circuit
- A circuit in which each part has its own branch across the same voltage.
- Relay
- A switch worked by an electromagnet, which lets a small current control a separate circuit.
- Resistor
- A component that limits the current in a circuit.
- Sensor
- A device that turns something in its surroundings, such as light or distance, into an electrical signal.
- Series circuit
- A circuit with a single path, in which the same current flows through every part.
- Servo motor
- A motor with built-in control that turns to and holds a commanded angle.
- Short circuit
- An accidental path of very low resistance that lets a dangerously large current flow.
- Stepper motor
- A motor that turns in fixed, equal steps so that its position can be set exactly.
- Transistor
- A semiconductor device that uses a small current to switch or amplify a larger one.
- Ultrasonic sensor
- A sensor that measures distance by timing the echo of sound too high-pitched for people to hear.
- Voltage
- The electrical push between two points, measured in volts.
In class
What children do
Maximum practical, minimum theory. All components and kits are provided by the institute. See the full class page.
- 01
Build simple circuits that light up, buzz and move
- 02
Learn how a switch, a battery and a motor work through play
- 03
Take home the model they built in each session
Practice and study material
Study books and timed practice tests in the student portal
Students sign in to read the study books lesson by lesson, print them, mark lessons as done and test themselves with timed practice tests, every answer explained.
- 1study book
- 7lessons
- 35practice questions
- 25glossary terms
How the practice tests work
- Fresh questions each time
Up to 20 questions are picked at random from the subject’s question bank.
- One minute per question
A timer counts down. When it reaches zero, your answers are sent automatically.
- Move around freely
Skip a question, flag it, and come back to change your answer before you submit.
- Learn from every answer
At the end you see the right answer and an explanation for each question.
- Read, print and keep track
Each study book has its lessons, key points, exercises and a glossary. Print a lesson, or mark it as done.
Student login
The institute gives each student a login when they enrol.
Try 3 practice questions
Real questions from this course’s question banks. Pick an answer to see the explanation.
Why does the bulb in a simple battery circuit go off when the switch is turned off?
Show the answer
Answer: B. The switch breaks the path, so the circuit is incomplete
Electricity flows only around a complete loop, and an open switch breaks that loop.
Why are the lights and fans in a home wired in parallel?
Show the answer
Answer: A. So each one works on its own at the full voltage
Parallel branches share the same voltage and work independently, so switching off one does not affect the others.
Which type of motor moves in fixed steps, such as 1.8° each, so its position can be set by counting steps?
Show the answer
Answer: D. Stepper motor
A stepper motor turns one fixed step each time its driver switches the coils to the next position, so counting steps gives an exact position.
Free ebooks
2 free ebooks for this course
Branded PDF books to read on your phone or print: the study books of this course and more. Free for anyone, no sign-in needed.
Careers
Where this interest can lead
Robotics is where many engineers and makers start. Read about the work these fields involve and how people get into them.
Robotics and electronics
Designing and building circuits, sensors and robots, and programming microcontrollers such as the Arduino.
How admission works
From your first message to the first build.
Classes are held at the institute in Delhi, A-10, Chief Commissioner Colony, opposite Rana Pratap Bagh.
- Who can join
- Children in KG to class 2. No previous experience is needed.
- Where
- A-10, Chief Commissioner Colony, opposite Rana Pratap Bagh, Delhi 110007
- Fees and timings
- On WhatsApp at +91 97116 99511, or by phone on 011 2721 1512.
- 1
Ask about batches
Message the institute on WhatsApp for the current batch timings and fees, or to visit the institute before joining.
- 2
Choose a batch
Batches for this age group are formed on request. Weekday and weekend batches run in the evening, so they fit around school and tuition, and a summer workshop runs in the holidays.
- 3
Build in every session
Every child builds a working project in each session. All components and kits are provided by the institute.
- 4
Take it home
Every child takes home the project they build. No previous coding or robotics experience is needed.
Who can join robotics for KG to class 2?
Children in KG to class 2. No previous coding or robotics experience is needed. The institute runs separate classes for KG to class 2, class 3 to 8 and class 8 to 12, and robotics workshops inside schools.
My child is in KG. Is this too early?
This class is made for KG to class 2. Sessions are short and hands-on, and a trainer guides the children step by step. Message the institute on WhatsApp if you would like to visit before joining.
When are the batches and what is the fee?
Batches for this age group are formed on request. Weekday and weekend batches run in the evening so they fit around school and tuition, and a summer workshop runs in the holidays. Message the institute on WhatsApp for the current batch timings and fees.
Where are the classes?
At Gurukul Technicals Institute, A-10, Chief Commissioner Colony, opposite Rana Pratap Bagh, Delhi 110007. Robotics workshops and weekly programmes are also run inside schools; see robotics for schools.
Do we need to buy a kit?
No. All components and kits are provided by the institute, and the model your child builds is theirs to take home.
What do I need to use the study books and practice tests?
A phone or a computer with an internet connection, and the login the institute gives at enrolment. The student portal opens in an ordinary web browser, so there is nothing to install. Student login.
How do the practice tests work?
Sign in to the student portal and choose a subject. Each test picks up to 20 questions at random from that subject’s question bank and gives you one minute per question, with a timer that sends your answers automatically when it reaches zero. You can skip a question, flag it and come back before you submit, and at the end you see the right answer and an explanation for every question. This course has 35 practice questions across 1 subject, and you can take the tests as often as you like.
How is a Gurukul Technicals Institute certificate verified?
On the verify certificate page, anyone can enter a certificate number and check it against the institute’s online register, which covers certificates issued through the portal. For older certificates, or if there is any doubt, send a copy to the head office by email or WhatsApp; the reply comes within 2 working days.
Are the ebooks on this page really free?
Yes. The 2 ebooks for this course are free PDF downloads for anyone, whether or not you join. The whole library has 100 free ebooks: browse them all.
Book a place in the next batch.
Message the institute on WhatsApp for batch timings and fees, or visit A-10, Chief Commissioner Colony, opposite Rana Pratap Bagh, Delhi.