There’s no doubt that technology has made our lives easier and more convenient. Almost everything and anything we need or want to do, from simple chores to painstaking and time-consuming labor, can now be accomplished with the press of a button or the flick of a switch. Whether it’s something as leisurely as having a face-to-face conversation with someone from thousands of miles away or as tedious as drilling tiny holes into solid granite, technology has got our back.
But have you ever wondered just what makes these technological marvels work? Let’s take a peek behind the curtain with this list of electrical components that has made our lives more comfortable.
1. The Brushed DC Motor.
Many of today’s appliances, gadgets, machines, and even modes of transportation require the power or miniature motors to help them function properly. For example, your computer’s hard disk drive needs a small motor to help it spin so the data imprinted on the disks could be read. A power drill also requires the power of a motor that’s small enough to fit inside its hand-held frame so it can bore holes in rock and steel.
The high-speed brush DC motor, one of the greatest technological advancements ever made, is the primary kind of mini motor used for these applications. While a newer and more “improved” version came along in the form of the brushless DC motor, this does not mean that the brushed DC motor has gone obsolete. It’s still very much in use, due to its lower costs. Brush DC motors are also used for specialized power tools and other machinery that demands a lot of torque and precision.
2. The Battery.
No list of life-changing electrical components would ever be complete without the battery. While not necessarily invisible – it’s one of the main features that everyone takes into consideration when buying their gadgets, after all – it is a bit under-appreciated in the sense that it helped start the trend of portable technology. Invented in the 1800 by Italian chemist and physicist Alessandro Volta, the battery allowed technology to become less confined to the general vicinity of a power outlet and made it so that a huge number of electrical appliances can be taken anywhere. In this sense, we can also thank the battery for allowing technology to become miniaturized as well. Where before, computers take an entire room’s worth of space, now they can be shrunk so that they can fit comfortably in our pockets.
3. The Semiconductor C
High-powered smartphones and other pieces of digital technology of today wouldn’t exist without the semiconductor chip, or the microchip as it is more commonly known. In simple terms, the microchip is basically hundreds or even thousands of circuits packed into something as small as a human fingernail – hence the name. With so many circuits compressed into such a tiny space, this means that the electric currents going through a microchip can flow much faster than in a regular circuit. Their arrangement also allows the transmission of information within a shorter amount of time. This made modern, high-speed computing technology possible, which also sparked a digital revolution. Nowadays, almost everything contains a digital component, from toys and gadgets to cars, appliances, and even construction equipment. The integration of microchips to our daily tools made allowed them to do much more tasks and made it easier for us to use them.
Without these components, the technology we rely upon for our everyday utility and comfort may not have been as effective or convenient as they are now – in fact, they probably wouldn’t even be possible in the first place. We should be appreciative, then, that these components are working silently in the background so that we can all enjoy our lives in the degree of comfort we do today.
