Instructions for this lab are available at http://itp.nyu.edu/physcomp/Labs/Electronics.
1) Measuring Voltage

I felt a little bit like one of the primates from 2001 during this part of the lab. I’ve never used a multimeter before, so I looked at How to Use a Multimeter from Make Magazine. I was still confused. Then I realized, duh! I need to plug power into the DC power jack! I was still confused, but I decided to continue and see if things became clearer.

2)A Basic LED Circuit

I hooked up my breadboard, but my LED didn’t light. The regulator was getting hot, so I know power was coming in, but I was pretty mystified. Aha! Both tails from my switch were in the same row! Victory! Control over the LED is mine!

3) Components in Series

I tried to follow the photo in the lab, and both of my LEDs lit up for a moment, but then they refused to light again. When I added a third LED, they flickered, but wouldn’t stay lit. The regulator is quite hot, and I’m confused by the multimeter’s lack of change when I try to measure the voltage across the LEDs. I think maybe I should plan on coming to the PComp help session on Friday.

4)Components in Parallel; Measuring Amperage and 5)Generating a Variable Voltage with a Potentiometer

Same conclusion as number 3 (i.e. time for some extra help)! I clearly am missing something.