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Component 1 Principles of Electronics

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How is a continuous analogue signal turned into a digital code, and what sets its accuracy?

Analogue-to-digital conversion: sampling, quantisation and resolution, the sampling theorem and aliasing, quantisation error, and the trade-off between resolution and data rate.
An Eduqas A-Level Electronics answer on analogue-to-digital conversion: sampling a continuous signal, quantisation and resolution, the Nyquist sampling theorem and aliasing, quantisation error, and the trade-off between resolution, sampling rate and the data rate produced.
13 min answer →

How is a binary code turned back into an analogue voltage, and how is the staircase output smoothed?

Digital-to-analogue conversion: the summing-amplifier (binary-weighted) DAC, the R-2R ladder, resolution and the analogue output, and reconstruction filtering.
An Eduqas A-Level Electronics answer on digital-to-analogue conversion: the binary-weighted summing-amplifier DAC, the R-2R ladder DAC, how the binary input sets the analogue output and its resolution, the staircase output, and the reconstruction (smoothing) filter.
13 min answer →

Why must a signal be modulated onto a carrier to be transmitted, and how do AM, FM and digital modulation work?

Communications and wireless transmission: the need for a carrier, amplitude and frequency modulation, bandwidth, digital modulation (ASK, FSK), and the radio transmitter and receiver chain.
An Eduqas A-Level Electronics answer on communications and wireless transmission: why a high-frequency carrier is needed, amplitude modulation and frequency modulation, the bandwidth they occupy, digital modulation (amplitude-shift and frequency-shift keying), and the transmitter and receiver chain.
13 min answer →

How is digital data sent over a link, and how do many signals share one channel?

Digital communications: serial and parallel transmission, the data rate (bit rate and baud), multiplexing (time-division and frequency-division), and error detection with parity and checksums.
An Eduqas A-Level Electronics answer on digital communications: serial and parallel transmission and their trade-offs, the bit rate and baud, time-division and frequency-division multiplexing to share a channel, and error detection using parity bits and checksums.
13 min answer →

How is information sent as light along an optical fibre, and why does it outperform copper?

Optical communication: the optical link (LED or laser source, fibre, photodiode receiver), total internal reflection, attenuation and bandwidth, and the advantages over copper.
An Eduqas A-Level Electronics answer on optical communication: the optical link of an LED or laser source, an optical fibre and a photodiode receiver, total internal reflection that guides the light, attenuation and bandwidth, and the advantages of fibre over copper cable.
13 min answer →