Newbie to wiring

[Nikita]

Hi, I'm new to this forum and basically to wiring as a whole. I'm just a college student so far.

I know physics, and I know what components do and maybe what they are for, but I still have a very hard time understanding anything but the simplest circuits. I'm better with programming than wiring.

So whatever, I've got some simple questions that you can probably answer even while sleeping. So.

**broken link removed**

Would this make a portable radio? I think this needs grounding/earthing but how is it done on a portable device?

Is there anything bad about using cardboard instead of plastic breadboards?

How can I solder things together if there is a fire detector above my head that goes off even when I try to iron some clothes?


And, generally when you want to make something electronic, what do you do? Do you just make a list of components, see which connect to which, read manuals/datasheets, and then just use math and physics to decide on resistors and other small things?

 

[audioguru]

You are making an extremely simple AM crystal radio with missing parts and its diode and battery connected backwards. It is not a radio, it is a cheap toy.

If you correct the errors then it needs a very long antenna and an earth ground to receive a local AM radio station or all of them at the same time.

Radio circuits do not work if they are made on a breadboard because its capacitance between rows of contacts is too high.
My smoke detector does not care if I am soldering with my temperature-controlled soldering iron. Yours is probably way too hot.

A real AM radio has many more parts to make it much more sensitive.

 

[Nikita]

But what is an earth/ground on a portable device?

 

[audioguru]

The extremely simple AM crystal radio is not a portable radio.
It has no gain (a real AM radio is sensitive with a gain of almost one million) so the crystal radio needs a very long antenna and an earth ground.

A real radio has many parts to do the job properly.

 

[ke5frf]

Audioguru, AKA "Uncle Scrooge" I think he is just trying to study and learn.
He admitted limited understanding of more than basics.
A crystal radio is a good circuit for learning fundamentals. I know I learned much that way. Did you start out with complex circuits?

Crawl before you run, right?

Just saying. Ya know?

 

[audioguru]

My first radio project was a super-heterodyne proper portable AM radio with good sensitivity and selectivity.

My second radio project was a super-heterodyne proper hi-fi FM radio also with good sensitivity and selectivity.

I never made cheap kids toys.