Voltage across components and max amps

thokennedy

Hello - thanks in advance for any help.

I wanted ask if anyone knows how to find out how much voltage goes across a particular component. For example, in the appendix of the 'Whats a Microcontoller' regarding more on electricity, if specifically says that the voltage across the·LED 1.6 V. This is useful in calculating the amps in my circuit. But how would I know that for other components other than resistors - say a servo or a display?
Also - do the specs normally indicate what the max number of amps the component can take?

What I'm trying to do is get to the point where I can build circuits on my own without doing too much damage [noparse]:)[/noparse]



Thanks!



Post Edited (thokennedy) : 1/5/2010 7:34:20 PM GMT

Mike Green

It's called a datasheet. This is a brief document for any given device that gives its electrical characteristics. For a servo, it would give some information on the current drain under different conditions, on the voltage range for proper operation, and on the mechanical characteristics of the servo. For a display, it would give information on the current drain, acceptable voltage range, and a description of the I/O pins and commands accepted by the display.

Parts vendors like DigiKey have links to manufacturer's datasheets on their website under the particular product.