Automotive Electronics

Transistors are semiconductor devices that can be used as electronic switches as well as amplifiers.  It can even be used instead of a relay.

This lesson shows how a transistor can be compared to and act like a relay.

In this lesson, I will demonstrate a transistor in a circuit acting like a relay.

This short video explains what the next few lessons will be about.

This lesson explains how power side and ground side switches work.  They provide the information that the modules use to make decisions.

The sensors and switches provide the information, the module makes the decision and controls the outputs.  This lesson illustrates how the process works.

In this lesson I will show you another way that a switch circuit can provide information that is a step above what we have already learned.

Let's see how we can diagnose the door lock information circuit when it is not working properly.

An electronic device called a thermistor is what is used to provide temperature input information to modules on a car.  Let's see how they work. 

Understanding how the temperature sensor works is what this lesson is all about.

If .45 volts to 4.5 volts are the normal readings, what do readings of 5 volts and zero volts mean?

Let's see a thermistor in action in this live demonstration.

In this demo I will use a coolant temperature sensor which has a thermistor inside it.  Let's try heating and cooling it and see if we get results that are in line with the temperature / resistance table used in a previous lesson.

The basic operation of the throttle position is explained in this lesson.

In this lesson, we will look at the abnormal values that we might see on a throttle position sensor circuit, and what code descriptions they might set when a fault is present.

This lesson explains the layout on the trainer board and how I built the circuit to simulate the operation of the throttle position sensor.

This lesson demonstrates the normal operation of a position sensor circuit.

In this lesson we will investigate and demonstrate the possible faults that might occur in a throttle position sensor circuit and what could be wrong if we saw abnormal readings.

Let's circle back to the modules and information circuits that we spoke about earlier. This lesson shows how a module can make a decision whether or not to control an output based on the input circuit status.

This lesson explains how a module might use two inputs to control one output.  Notice how adding inputs makes the internal decision-making circuitry in the module more complex.

Module output control summary and thank you.