I'm following an intro to electronics book and working with the attached diagram. I'm trying to understand how this circuit works. For simplicity, I'll refer to the current as flowing from positive-to-negative poles. I'll start by describing what I observe when breadboarding the circuit.
If I press the button momentarily and release it:
- the green LED lights up for a (barely perceivable) instant
- I hear the relay engage (click) as the yellow LED lights for an instant
- The yellow LED goes out, the Green LED lights up and fades out, and I hear the relay disengage
I'm trying to understand, step-by-step (on a 4-year-old's level) what is happening in my circuit. Here's what I can gather so far:
- When the button is NOT depressed, there is zero current flowing through the circuit, and so, nothing happens.
- As soon as I depress the button, current flows from 12V source, through the button, through the relay's pole, to terminal-1 (t1), through path (b) - energizing the coil, and simultaneously through path (c), lighting the green LED for an instant
- Once the coil is energized, the relay engages severing the connection between pole-and-(t1) which causes the green LED to go out, and engaging (t2) which lights the yellow LED.
What I don't understand is what's happening hereafter and more importantly, why. Any insight would be greatly appreciated, keeping in mind my knowledge/skill levels.
If I press the button momentarily and release it:
- the green LED lights up for a (barely perceivable) instant
- I hear the relay engage (click) as the yellow LED lights for an instant
- The yellow LED goes out, the Green LED lights up and fades out, and I hear the relay disengage
I'm trying to understand, step-by-step (on a 4-year-old's level) what is happening in my circuit. Here's what I can gather so far:
- When the button is NOT depressed, there is zero current flowing through the circuit, and so, nothing happens.
- As soon as I depress the button, current flows from 12V source, through the button, through the relay's pole, to terminal-1 (t1), through path (b) - energizing the coil, and simultaneously through path (c), lighting the green LED for an instant
- Once the coil is energized, the relay engages severing the connection between pole-and-(t1) which causes the green LED to go out, and engaging (t2) which lights the yellow LED.
What I don't understand is what's happening hereafter and more importantly, why. Any insight would be greatly appreciated, keeping in mind my knowledge/skill levels.