Robotics/Design Basics/Electronic Components

Basic Electronics
For basic electronics you may want to consult this wikibook and this section on Microcontrollers.

google has some links on PCB fabrication.

Special Electronic Components
There are many electronic components that aren't described in most electronic textbooks, but are very useful in robotics. Most of these components are covered in other section in this book (e.g Sensors and Motors).

A typical robot needs a heat sink on the power transistors connected to its motors and other actuators, but often does not need a heatsink connected to its CPU.