69. Field Guide to Components
Or, how to recognize various electronics from quite a long
way away. Here's a quick visual reference guide to the major
types of components used in the Pinscape expansion boards.
We'll cover each category in greater detail in the chapters
that follow, but I think it'll help to start with some visual
examples of what the parts typically look like.
Note that the example photos are just that - examples. All of these
parts come in a wider variety of shapes, sizes, and colors than what
we can show here. These photos should at least look similar to most
of the parts used in the Pinscape projects, but there's a lot of
variation even in that limited scope, so don't worry if you don't see
an exact picture of one of the parts you're using.
| Description | Examples | Schematic symbols |
|---|---|---|
| Resistor
Resistance value in Ohms (Ω)
|
 |
 |
| Capacitor (ceramic disc)
Capacitance value in Farads (F);
ceramic capacitors are unpolarized
|
|
 |
| Capacitor (electrolytic)
Capacitance value in Farads (F);
electrolytic capacitors are polarized
(one lead is "+", the other is "-")
|
|
 |
| LED (light-emitting diode) |  |
 |
