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ElectricPower
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WithGreatPower...
Whydowecareaboutpower?Poweristhemeasurementofenergytransferovertime,andenergycosts
money.Batteriesarentfree,andneitheristhatstuffcomingoutofyourelectricaloutlet.So,powermeasures
howfastthepenniesaredrainingoutofyourwallet!
Also,energyisenergy.Itcomesinmany,potentiallyharmful,formsheat,radiation,sound,nuclear,etc.
,andmorepowermeansmoreenergy.So,itsimportanttohaveanideaofwhatkindofpoweryoureworking
withwhenplayingwithelectronics.Fortunately,inplayingwithArduinos,lightingupLEDs,andspinningsmall
motors,losingtrackofhowmuchpoweryoureusingonlymeanssmokingaresistorormeltinganIC.
Nevertheless,UncleBensadvicedoesntjustapplytosuperheros.

CoveredinthisTutorial
Thedefinitionofpower
Examplesofelectricenergytransfers
Watts,theSIunitofpower
Calculatingpowerusingvoltage,current,andresistance
Maximumpowerratings

SuggestedReading
Powerisoneofthemorefundamentalconceptsinelectronics.Butbeforelearningaboutpower,theremightbe
someothertutorialsyoushouldreadfirst.Ifyourenotfamiliarwithsomethesetopics,considercheckingout
thosetutorialsfirst:
WhatisElectricity
Voltage,Current,Resistance,andOhmsLaw
WhatisaCircuit
HowtouseaMultimeter

WhatisElectricPower?

Therearemanytypesofpowerphysical,social,super,odorblocking,lovebutinthistutorial,wellbe
focusingonelectricpower.Sowhatiselectricpower?
Ingeneralphysicsterms,powerisdefinedastherateatwhichenergyistransferred(ortransformed).
So,first,whatisenergyandhowisittransferred?Itshardtostatesimply,butenergyisbasicallytheability
ofsomethingtomovesomethingelse.Therearemanyformsofenergy:mechanical,electrical,chemical,
electromagnetic,thermal,andmanyothers.

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Energycanneverbecreatedordestroyed,onlytransferredtoanotherform.Alotofwhatweredoingin
electronicsisconvertingdifferentformsofenergytoandfromelectricenergy.LightingLEDsturnselectric
energyintoelectromagneticenergy.Spinningmotorsturnselectricenergyintomechanicalenergy.Buzzing
buzzersmakessoundenergy.Poweringacircuitoffa9Valkalinebatteryturnchemicalenergyintoelectrical
energy.Alloftheseareformsofenergytransfers.

EnergytypeconvertedConvertedby
Mechanical ElectricMotor
Electromagnetic LED
Heat Resistor
Chemical Battery
Wind Windmill
Exampleelectriccomponents,whichtransferelectricenergytoanotherform.
Electricenergyinparticular,beginsaselectricpotentialenergywhatwelovinglyrefertoasvoltage.
Whenelectronsflowthroughthatpotentialenergy,itturnsintoelectricenergy.Inmostusefulcircuits,that
electricenergytransformsintosomeotherformofenergy.Electricpowerismeasuredbycombiningbothhow
muchelectricenergyistransferred,andhowfastthattransferhappens.

ProducersandConsumers
Eachcomponentinacircuiteitherconsumesorproduceselectricenergy.Aconsumertransformselectric
energyintoanotherform.Forexample,whenanLEDlightsup,electricenergyistransformedinto
electromagnetic.Inthiscase,thelightbulbconsumespower.Electricpowerisproducedwhenenergyis
transferredtoelectricfromsomeotherform.Abatterysupplyingpowertoacircuitisanexampleofapower
producer.

Wattage
Energyismeasuredintermsofjoules(J).Sincepowerisameasureofenergyoverasetamountoftime,we
canmeasureitinjoulespersecond.TheSIunitforjoulespersecondisthewattabbreviatedasW.

ItsverycommontoseewattsprecededbyoneofthestandardSIprefixes:microwatts(W),miliwatt(mW),
kilowatt(kW),megawatt(MW),andgigawatts(GW),areallcommondependingonthesituation.

PrefixNamePrefixAbbreviationWeight
Nanowatt nW 109
Microwatt W 106
Milliwatt mW 103
Watt W 100
Kilowatt kW 103
Megawatt MW 106
Gigawatt GW 109

Microcontrollers,liketheArduinowillusuallyoperateinthetheWormWrange.Laptopanddesktop
computersoperateinthestandardwattpowerrange.Energyconsumptionofahouseisusuallyinthekilowatt
range.Largestadiumsmightoperateatthemegawattscale.Andgigawattscomeintoplayforlargescale
powerstationsandtimemachines.

CalculatingPower
Electricpoweristherateatwhichenergyistransferred.Itsmeasuredintermsofjoulespersecond(J/s)a
watt(W).Giventhefewbasicelectricitytermsweknow,howcouldwecalculatepowerinacircuit?Well,weve
gotaverystandardmeasurementinvolvingpotentialenergyvolts(V)whicharedefinedintermsofjoules
perunitofcharge(coulomb)(J/C).Current,anotherofourfavoriteelectricityterms,measureschargeflowover
timeintermsoftheampere(A)coulombspersecond(C/s).Putthetwotogetherandwhatdoweget?!
Power!

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Tocalculatethepowerofanyparticularcomponentinacircuit,multiplythevoltagedropacrossitbythecurrent
runningthroughit.

ForExample
Belowisasimple(thoughnotallthatfunctional)circuit:a9Vbatteryconnectedacrossa10resistor.

Howdowecalculatethepoweracrosstheresistor?Firstwehavetofindthecurrentrunningthroughit.Easy
enoughOhmslaw!

Alright,900mA(0.9A)runningthroughtheresistor,and9Vacrossit.Whatkindofpowerisbeingappliedtothe
resistorthen?

Aresistortransformselectricenergyintoheat.Sothiscircuittransforms8.1joulesofelectricenergytoheat
everysecond.

CalculatingPowerinResistiveCircuits
Whenitcomestocalculatingpowerinapurelyresistivecircuit,knowingtwoofthreevalues(voltage,current,
and/orresistance)isallyoureallyneed.

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BypluggingOhmslaw(V=IRorI=V/R)intoourtraditionalpowerequationwecancreatetwonewequations.
Thefirst,purelyintermsofvoltageandresistance:

So,inourpreviousexample,9V2/10(V2/R)is8.1W,andweneverhavetocalculatethecurrentrunning
throughtheresistor.
Asecondpowerequationcanbeformedsolelyintermsofcurrentandresistance:

Whydowecareaboutthepowerdroppedonaresistor?Oranyothercomponentforthatmatter.Remember
thatpoweristhetransferofenergyfromonetypetoanother.Whenthatelectricalenergyrunningfromthe
powersourcehitstheresistor,theenergytransformsintoheat.Possiblymoreheatthantheresistorcanhandle.
Whichleadsustopowerratings.

PowerRatings
Allelectroniccomponentstransferenergyfromonetypetoanother.Someenergytransfersaredesired:LEDs
emittinglight,motorsspinning,batteriescharging.Otherenergytransfersareundesirable,butalso
unavoidable.Theseunwantedenergytransfersarepowerlosses,whichusuallyshowupintheformofheat.
Toomuchpowerlosstoomuchheatonacomponentcanbecomeveryundesirable.
Evenwhenenergytransfersarethemaingoalofacomponent,therellstillbelossestootherformsofenergy.
LEDsandmotors,forexample,willstillproduceheatasabyproductoftheirotherenergytransfers.
Mostcomponentshavearatingformaximumpowertheycandissipate,anditsimportanttokeepthem
operatingunderthatvalue.Thisllhelpyouavoidwhatwelovinglyrefertoaslettingthemagicsmokeout.

ResistorPowerRatings
Resistorsaresomeofthemorenotoriousculpritsofpowerloss.Whenyoudropsomevoltageacrossaresistor,
yourealsogoingtoinducecurrentflowacrossit.Morevoltage,meansmorecurrent,meansmorepower.
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Rememberbacktoourfirstpowercalculationexample,wherewefoundthatif9Vweredroppedacrossa10
resistor,thatresistorwoulddissipate8.1W.8.1isalotofwattsformostresistors.Mostresistorsareratedfor
anywherefromW(0.125W)toW(0.5W).Ifyoudrop8WacrossastandardWresistor,readyafire
extinguisher.

Ifyouveseenresistorsbefore,youveprobablyseenthese.TopisaWresistorandbelowthataW.These
arentbuilttodissipateverymuchpower.
Thereareresistorsbuilttohandlelargepowerdrops.Thesearespecificallycalledoutaspowerresistors.

Theselargeresistorsarebuilttodissipatelotsofpower.Fromlefttoright:two3W22kresistors,two5W0.1
resistors,and25W3and2resistors.
Ifyoueverfindyourselfpickingoutaresistorvalue.Keepitspowerratinginmindaswell.And,unlessyourgoal
istoheatsomethingup(heatingelementsarebasicallyreallyhighpowerresistors),trytominimizepowerloss
inaresistor.
ForExample
ResistorpowerratingscancomeintoplaywhenyouretryingtodecideonavalueforanLEDcurrentlimiting
resistor.Say,forexample,youwanttolightupa10mmsuperbrightredLEDatmaximumbrightness,usinga
9Vbattery.

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ThatLEDhasamaximumforwardcurrentof80mA,andaforwardvoltageofabout2.2V.Sotodeliver80mAto
theLED,youdneedan85resistortodoso.

6.8Vdroppedontheresistor,and80mArunningthroughitmeans0.544W(6.8V*0.08A)ofpowerlostonit.A
halfwattresistorisntgoingtolikethatverymuch!Itprobablywontmelt,butitllgethot.Playitsafeandmove
uptoa1Wresistor(orsavepoweranduseadedicatedLEDdriver).

Resistorscertainlyarenttheonlycomponentswheremaximumpowerratingsmustbeconsidered.Any
componentwitharesistivepropertytoitisgoingtoproducethermalpowerlosses.Workingwithcomponents
thatarecommonlysubjectedtohighpowervoltageregulators,diodes,amplifiers,andmotordrivers,for
examplemeanspayingextraspecialattentiontopowerlossandthermalstress.

ResourcesandGoingFurther
Nowthatyourefamiliarwiththeconceptofelectricpower,checkoutsomeoftheserelatedtutorials!
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HowtoPowerYourProjectWell,youknowwhatpoweris.Buthowdoyougetittoyourproject?
LightLightisausefultoolfortheelectricalengineer.Understandinghowlightrelatestoelectronicsisa
fundamentalskillformanyprojects.
WhatisanArduinoWetalkedaboutthisArduinothingalotinthistutorial.Ifyourestillunclearabout
whatthatis,checkthistutorialout!
DiodesWhethertheyreconvertingACtoDC,orjustlightingupapowerindicatorLED,diodesarean
especiallyhandycomponentforpoweringprojects.
ResistorsThemostbasicofelectroniccomponents,resistorsarearequirementinjustaboutevery
circuitthereis.
MP3PlayerShieldMusicBoxTalkaboutenergytransfer!Thisprojectcombineselectricity,motion,and
soundtomakeaDoctorWhothemedmusicbox.

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