This Time I Really Dial It Up
This project continues on from my last circuit, but replaces the resistor with a 2 kiloohm potentiometer, which basically acts like a tunable resistor. The book instructed me to pull it apart and see what was inside. This is something I've often done with non-functional electronics, but it felt sacrilegious to do it to a brand new part. The inside was as I anticipated, and I managed to put the thing back together without incident.
I was instructed to turn the potentiometer to it's most resistive setting, then wire up the circuit as before. The LED was glowing dimly. Then, I slowly twisted the pot, and the light got brighter and brighter, and then pssft! A blue puff, a horrible stink, and the LED was no more.
I've learned about electricity before, but it definitely feels more meaningful when you're twisting a knob and risking breaking the circuit. I wouldn't say I've completely internalized how current, resistance, and voltage fit together, but the object lesson of destroying the LED feels like it's going to stick with me.
I also scribbled some things down in my notebook to help make sense of what I was seeing. I look forward to doing more of this as the projects become increasingly complex. Current and resistance seem pretty straight forward, but voltage still confuses me a little. The book describes it as "pressure", I'm feeling it's more like "potential", or "differential" or something? Hopefully this will become clear with time.
The next project looks like it'll make a mess.