What is Digital Electronics?

In today’s era, digital electronics are an essential part. Digital electronics work with a digital format that further works on data and codes. It is safe to say that digital electronics is the basis of modern computers and digital communications and includes phones, computers, etc. Digital electronics consists of many complex digital logic circuits that help build a single circuit, popularly known as a microprocessor. These circuits further perform thousands of operations at the same time.

In this article, we will learn about the basics of digital electronics and what can be considered electronic digital notes. Let’s see what basic storage elements are used in a digital system.

Definition of Digital Electronics

Digital electronics is a branch that studies digital signals and the setup of different devices that use them. This concept only translates and communicates information in binary format, i.e. one and zero. It is noise-immune, flexible, and best suited for digital devices. This concept is entirely different from analogue, which has an extra dimension, is exposed to noise, is less flexible, and is mostly used for audio and video. There are the fundamentals of digital electronics.

Binary Format

Advantages of Digital Electronics Over the Analog Electronics

It is much easier and more convenient to store information in the digital system than in the analogue system.

• As the digital system has a noise-immunity feature, the data can be stored and later retrieved without destruction or degradation.

• Even though multiple circuits are required to manage the signals in a digital system, every digit is handled by the corresponding hardware components.

• Digital signals are more secure because encryption and compression of signals are easier in digital systems than in analogue systems.

Components of Digital Electronics

Digital electronics consist of numerous components that are used for performing specific functions. These components are divided into two categories, namely:

• Active Components

• Passive Components

Active and Passive Components

Active Components

An electrical circuit element that may provide the circuit with power or increase the circuit's power is referred to as an active element or active component.

Energy sources (voltage or current sources), alternators or generators, and semiconductor devices like transistors, photodiodes, etc., are typical examples of active circuit elements.

The circuit component, known as the active elements, is entirely in charge of the circuit's electric current flow.

Passive Components

A passive circuit component, or simply passive component, is a circuit part that can only receive electrical energy and dissipate it as heat or store it in either a magnetic field or an electric field.

As a result, in an electric circuit, a passive component cannot produce electric power or power amplification. The resistor, inductor, capacitor, and transformer, among other components, are typical examples of passive circuit components.

Advantages of Digital Electronics

The advantages of digital electronics are as under:

• It is easier to design digital electronics circuits. Technology today has made it comparatively easy to design digital circuits. The person designing the component does not need to know the basic operation of the required features.

• Digital electronic circuits are quite reliable. When a digital circuit is designed, it will always produce the same output at any given point in time.

• It is highly flexible. One can easily change the working of the digital circuit without even changing the program.

• It is pocket-friendly. With the help of existing technology, it is possible to produce complex digital circuits at lower costs.

Disadvantages of Digital Electronics

The disadvantages of digital electronics are as under:

• In comparison to the analogue system, the digital system uses more energy. Calculations and signal processing use up this energy, which causes heat to be generated.

• These systems cost a lot of money.

• The electronic systems are brittle. In other words, the final results will radically change if one digital data is misinterpreted.

• As analogue components are included in the design of the digital system, dealing with analogue concerns in digital systems may be challenging.

Summary

From the digital electronics notes, we have learnt that the main component in digital electronics is digital circuits composed of large assemblies of logic gates. A digital system is a system that processes discrete values. We need digital electronics for the generation of accurate representations of signals digitally. In today’s time, our household is full of digital electronics like laptops, televisions, remote controls, and kitchen appliances like dishwashers and washing machines. Download fundamentals of digital electronics pdf to clear any other doubts.