5 Electronic Components You Might Find Inside IoT Devices This Season

Find Out How Crystal Components Play a Key Role On Your Wishlist

As the holiday season approaches, people are making gift lists for themselves and others. In today’s world, that usually means one thing: consumer electronics. The modern consumer electronics market is inundated with gift options. In fact, for some, gifts that would have been considered luxury items not too long ago have become staple necessities for our day-to-day lives.

It is hard to remember a time when we didn’t have the luxury of Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to bring us connectivity; now, however, it is hard to find products without electronic components that perform key functions, such as connecting to the internet or sending and receiving communication data. For IoT devices, interconnectivity has become an integral part of product designs that have greatly improved overall functionality and user experience.

A quick look at any gift guide for the holidays ahead will likely include these must-have electronics:

• Fitness wearables
• Smart home appliances
• Portable wireless speakers
• Phones and headphones
• Virtual reality headsets

For consumers, it may seem like an interesting new product with fun packaging, but what is more intriguing is the story behind what’s inside. If we opened the casing of every electronic device, we would find design circuitry within them that includes dozens, even hundreds, of electronic components. The key selection and placement of electronic components, whether they are for automotive use, toys or tablets have been strategically designed and tested to ensure optimal performance and function.

Get to Know the 5 Electronic Components Wrapped Up Inside This Year’s Best Gifts

The following components are used throughout the electronics manufacturing world, and they are likely being integrated into the items you’ll see on the shelves as you start your holiday shopping.

1. Power Inductors

   Home appliances, power tools and other outlet powered products are common products that one might give this holiday season. Inductors play a key role in these products providing the necessary shift from AC to DC voltage. Power inductors protect electronics from voltage spikes and current noise, so that the circuitry inside is not affected. Power inductors designed by ECS Inc. are built with precision and care to ensure your gift delivers the exact functions you expect.

2. Crystal Components

   Crystal components, such as quartz crystal oscillators, provide fundamental solutions for a wide range of electronic products, including the ones you unwrap during the holidays and those you rely on for everyday life. Quartz crystal is the most dependable, highest-performing material used for emitting a strong, clean and stable frequency. These frequencies are required in electronic devices for the transmission of data and communications, as well as the internal signals necessary for a product to function as intended.

   ECS Inc. specializes in timing solutions, including quartz crystal products, that fit a broad range of use cases, including wearables that connect with phones to store data on your step count or a brand-new thermostat that monitors your arrivals and departures to maintain a comfortable environment.

3. AEC-Q200-Qualified Automotive Electronic Components

   If you are hoping to walk out to your driveway and see a new car with a bow on top, you will not be able to take that first holiday drive without essential automotive components playing their important role. Superior electronics manufacturers create components that are compliance-qualified for their use in automotive applications. These components exist in the electronics you rely on in your car, including safety features and infotainment.

   Electronic circuitry in a vehicle needs to withstand high and low temperatures, as well as wear and tear. AEC-Q200 specifications certify that the electronic components in your vehicle meet these capabilities. Automotive electronic components distributors stock components that meet today’s qualification standards.

4. Diodes

   Made up of an anode and a cathode, a diode is an essential component for any electronic device. Its job is to ensure that the circuit’s voltage current flows in the right direction. A diode that you are likely most familiar with is the light-emitting diode (LED) which lets the user know, for example, when an electronic device is powered on with a small colored light. When voltage is applied to this type of diode, it produces light to communicate that your gift is ready for use, among many other light-dependent features. LED diodes are a front-line component for user experience, as we primarily depend upon light to signify that a device works.

5. Microprocessors

   Microprocessors are essentially “the brains” of your electronic device. These electronic components store the programming that communicates a device’s functions to other components, so they can be executed exactly as planned.If microprocessors are analogous to the brain, crystal components function much like a heartbeat, ensuring that a microprocessor’s commands function precisely on time. When you slip on a smartwatch for the first time and it signals that it is now connected to your home’s internet, you can thank a microprocessor and surrounding components for this functionality, among thousands of others.

Electronic Components Provide the Solutions that Power Our World – And Our Holidays

There is a lot to appreciate about what is behind the scenes of creating our most beloved electronic products. If your eye is on the latest smart products for the home and entertainment, make sure to express your gratitude to the person who bought the gift, but also say a quick thank you to the microprocessors, crystal components and more that provide your device’s essential functions.

While the holidays are mainly focused on the electronics we use for entertainment, information and communication, it’s important to know that the most trusted manufacturers for superior quality components are developing solutions that are desirable throughout the year, not just during the holiday season.ECS Inc.’s crystal components provide the clocking devices required by most IoT electronic devices for a wide range of end products such as wearables, speakers, power tools, smart home devices and much more.

Find out more about the sectors that are supported by ECS Inc. and browse our list of authorized electronic components distributors.