A Rock Band Analogy of a Current Source Circuit  

Created by Rakesh Prabhakara

I have decided to renovate the very basic foundation of pedagogy of electronics so that the aspirers get a better hold of the subject and be confident when they are asked to deal with larger or complex analog and digital circuits. I am thankful to a Bulgarian Analog circuit design guru named Prof. Cyril Mechkov, who has been the kind of person I’ve been looking for, to seek world-class education via Internet, through his web resources. I shall interpret few Analog circuit design concepts oftentimes through this blog, in a format understandable by a novice analog circuit designer, or even a Financier of a Rock Concert.

Well, did I say ‘Rock concert’? Yes I did. So, let me take up a Rock Concert organized by a crew not more than Seven members. Each crew member has his/her own role to play in order to run the show successfully. Let me introduce the crew:

1. The Financier is very important since not only will he finance the Organizer, but the entire crew. The Financier is the ‘VOLTAGE SUPPLY’ (could be variable; during Recession/Boom).

2. The Organizer is the key crew member who is highly unpredictable: he either runs the show or the show must run for him. The organizer is none other than the ‘LOAD RESISTOR’ (variable, of course).


3. The Band Manager: The Band Manager is a Variable Resistor (a potentiometer) who shall take care of the Rock Band (power them accordingly). He sets the BASE CURRENT.

4. The Bodyguards: The Bodyguards are Shielding RESISTORS in series with Organizer and Band Manager in case someone tries to mess with them (creating a short/open circuit since they are variable resistors).

5. The Rock Band: The ROCK BAND is our one and only, world famous, life transforming, TRANSISTOR (BJT) with BASE being the drummer, EMITTER being the Guitarist and the COLLECTOR being the Vocalist.

6. The Watchmen: The Watchmen are VOLTMETERS who keep a watch on (Voltage across) the Organizer and the Rock band, only during the show.

7. The Undercover: The Undercover is an Ammeter keeping an eye on the very purpose of the show, the COLLECTOR CURRENT, the very MUSIC driving the Rock Band and the Organizer, irrespective of the pressure from the Organizer or the Financier himself.

The following is the ramification of the Rock Concert crews in the form of a circuit, or vice versa:


The day of the ConcertJustify Full
Few sponsors this time and the Organizer has his fingers crossed on the Rock Band.

CASE I: A call from an Ad agency, an altercation and the Organizer is very angry, he builds up pressure (the LOAD RESISTANCE increases), The watchman 1 is alert (Voltmeter 1 shows rise in Voltage across the Load resistor: As Mr. Ohm once said “Resistance builds pressure”).

  1. The Rock Band is called upon and instructed by the Organizers to give their best on the stage (The BJT must perform well to keep the flow, to keep the game ticking, to keep the current through the load constant).
  2. The Manager instructs the Rock Band to perform the way he wants (The Potentiometer sets the BASE current).
  3. The show begins, the Rock Band gives their best and ease the tension, the Watchman 2 is relieved (The Voltage drop across the CE decreases since it has to compensate with the increase in voltage across Load resistor) and the overall situation is normal (Since Voltage across CE decreases, the Resistance across them decreases too, thus compensating the increased Load resistance).
  4. The Undercover sees no problem and ensures that everything is fine (The Ammeter shows constant current throughout the show). A successful concert at last!





CASE II: Wait a minute, what would happen if the Organizer showed no interest in the Band? (What if the Load resistance decreases?) The watchman 1 is relieved (the voltage drop across Load resistor decreases). The Rock band needs to pace up a little, the watchman 2 is alert now (the voltage drop across the CE of BJT increases thus increasing the CE resistance: so the overall resistance is constant, hence constant Current) thus keeping the show prevailing. The concert would be successful in this case too.

CASE III: Convinced are you? You shouldn’t be because the recession is showing up and the Financier seems trembling. The financier needs to cut cost by financing every crew members but the Manager and his Body Guard. So, Irrespective of how efficient or inefficient the Organizer be, how famous the Rock Band be, when the financier trembles, everyone trembles (Since the main voltage is supplying voltage for every component including the Potentiometer and the shielding resistance in series with it, with a variation in main voltage, even the current through the Potentiometer is affected and so is the BJT, the Rock Band).

As is said by great men, only Technology and Strategy can beat Recession, only a good conceptualization can help the Rock Concerts give their best all the time. Now a Separate financier is needed for the Manager and his Bodyguard. Manager is Important because he plays with the contracts and endorsements with various organizers, he promotes the Band. The Manager is clever, he knows that he can’t rely on the financier of his organizers; he knows he needs to be equipped in any case. What does he do? What is the new concept implemented? Until next time........

Filed under 0 comments

Kudremukh: A bizarre Repercussion of an infant in me  

Created by Rakesh Prabhakara



Coagulated with reminiscence, archived with colorful pictures of my childhood memories, and having been desperate to unleash the kind of attachments I have had with this stunningly beautiful, serene and enchanting place called Kudremukh, I have decided to discharge some of the electrifying moments I have had over there. Nonetheless, My verbatim shall not be able to exceed the limitless beauty of her, yet I shall try my best to emulate her.

A snapshot from the Google Earth showing the complete Kudremukh range:






Overlooking the Arabian sea, situated near a mountainous range of Chikamagalur district lies, yet, a secluded town that most of you people aren’t aware of. Kudremukh, being the largest reserve of tropical wet evergreen forest in Karnataka and also my birth place, is situated right in the middle of a relatively dense and wild basin (10th standard Geography :), famously known for its wildlife reserve. I spent most of my summer holidays during my school days with my cousins over there and It has always been a pleasant trip whatsoever.







Being calculative of number of days of stays over there, I would pack my clothes accordingly. My bus journey would be scheduled during nights wherein the departure time would be around 9:30 pm. Seated near the window, I would stare outside and see chaos, a chaos of mumbling passengers, distinctive voice of a lady announcing the bus schedules which no one could understand, and a faint smell of freshly loaded Diesel. With two 50 paisa coins in my hand, in the mean time of departure, I would get off the bus and run towards the weighing machine, a machine with colorful LEDs blinking with kaleidoscopic patters. As I stand on this machine, I would be asked to insert a 50 paisa coin and out comes a cardboard slip apparently showing wrong weight, but with a phrase quoted by some famous personality which is worth Crores of rupees. The diesel streaming towards the preheated engine, mixed with the air of busy Bangalore Bus stand, ignited by auspicious prayers of the passengers sitting beside me, including me, compressed by the force of mother Nature, and a sustaining torque ensured by a familiar Driver and a conductor, shall voyage me towards my destination for the next 9 hours, during which I shall do anything but be awake.



The dim light of a typical 6’o’clock in the morning occluded by the aromatic spell of the eucalyptus trees, making fringes on my covered eyelid, would wake me up to present herself in the form of a cool perennial breeze and hair pin curves impeding the throttle totter, the driver, wearing a scarf covering his ears and neck from the chilling cold aboard the altitude 1894 meters above the seal level. People of familiar attires of Uttar Kannada walking besides the road, with tethered cows and calves in their hands, smoking tobacco buds and greeting one another, is more than that meets the eye.





My uncle, Aunt, Grandma with a stick in her hand trying to scare away the oxens and cows from the garden full of blooming flowers and unusual herbs, and my three Cousin sisters would wait outside with anticipation and exhilaration. Hard water, derived mainly from the surrounding mountain lakes, rich of Calcium and Magnesium with depressed traces of Iron, Aluminum and manganese, may sound like a mineral booster but having a bath would be a disappointment due to the hydrophobic dispute between the soap lather and the skin. Leeches, crabs and red ants have been my acquaintances during my course of stay.

My cousins house:


The day life would be spent with Cartoon network with yogi bear, Scooby doo, and Laff-A-Lympics followed by Star TV, Sony TV and Zee TV soaps. The fun would begin after the sunset when we would head towards the Sports club. A bedazing group of Adults with their young ones trying to flap their tiny little arms in the swimming pool located just besides an expatriate, a group of old ladies with their glasses on their nose, pen in their hands and anticipation in their thoughts, playing the game of Lotto in the ballroom and we would either head towards the indoor badminton court or the downstairs Table Tennis court, the place where I saw the demise of one of my maxillary Lateral Incisors when a gentleman pounded his Table tennis racket onto my mouth while giving a smash to the opponent. After a ho-hum evening, we would have a chatty walk-n-talk either to a tacit Krishna Temple with a bonny pair of Marble sculpted Radha and Krisha floored at an altitude, or head back to the pavilion. The night is playacted in the nearby Nehru Circle where we, along with the neighbors, would play the I-Spy. An erected statue of Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru in the middle of the circle is the counting spot where I, being the youngest one, would be victimized all the time, for making the first count to ten. A whistle from the watchman (we also call him Goorkah) and we would run back home without making even a bit of noise.

The Nehru Circle:


The expatriate amalgamated with the club:


A bridge taking us to the circle below: The river below is dried up most of the times except in monsoon.


The main circle:


A view from the expatriate:


A fruits n vegetables market nearby:


Just a few steps from the house and we are closer to the Kendria Vidyalaya Kudremukh (KVK) and a few Kilometers into the cross roads and we have waterfalls, caves, Sanctuary, Bridges and importantly Lakhya Dam and Kudremukh Children park. Most of the times, with paltry inhabitants around, we rule the spot. Whatever it be, these noisome tourists are ironically the ones who mess up the places with polythene bags, empty whiskey bottles and cigarette buds; they are the perfect killjoys.





The same waterfall as above,but with me in it: Believe me, the mountain water was so chilly and pure that I spent an hour there: I found colorful and weathered stones, I saw eggs of Hornets on the wet rock. Placing my feet in the flowing water, I felt something that I can't really explain.



Kudremukh Park:



Soft stones weathered by aeonic mountain water carbureted with magic spells of coniferous ambiance, I cannot put more words than this for it shall remain by itself without my expressions. They are Mother Nature’s formula and I have no rights to interpose into describing her. You have to give her a visit and you shall know the density of my words. I am proud to be born here. Thank you.


Filed under 0 comments

Videos of the month: JULY  

Created by Rakesh Prabhakara

Future is one thinking away:



A laptop wanting to slim down after watching Mac book Aero (Awesome music) :



I was flattened by this video, I guess I'll have to start UPGRADING myself right here, RIGHT NOW!!!:



Ever wondered carrying your car in your purse?



Theory of Evolution simplified.

Filed under 0 comments

My Grandson rocks! What about me?  

Created by Rakesh Prabhakara



A lazy Sunday afternoon. Rain pouring down supressing the faint music of "The Importance of being Idle" by Oasis, in the earphones, one plugged in and the outher lying out and I, staring out and window watching the wet sprouting shrubs and briskly walking students with Umbrellas in their hands, am wondering where am I? What really am I doing?.

The society I've been living with has been an eclectic combination of traditional sense and modern senselessness; A misrepresentation of certain protocols which makes no sense at all, like the most intellingent species suceeded by us Humans, the 'ants' wandering around with no definite goal other than taking care of their Queens. A burgeoning population, people with no patience, no traffic regulations, people slogging on boring Microsoft Excel sheets with glittering Identity cards tugged to their new Denim blue OZ jeans and claiming that they are Professionals, Chaos, Chaos and Chaos!!!. I, on the other hand, am neither expecting nor expediting any progress and invariably am being haunted by stigmas' of gratuity. Thanks to the stupid society, for it thought me to CHANGE.



Firstly education fooled me by narrowing down my understanding to a bunch of mathematical expressions and chemical reactions, during which I could have build a Ham-Radio powered by hand drill, in the backyard of my home. Very late that I felt the hormonal reactions when I first hovered the mouse watching the pointer on the computer screen, during which I should have been watching artificial arms giving me the fingers, of coures I programmed them.


I danced for my heart beats when I was chased by a Stray Dog while riding my new Hero Ranger Bicycle, when I was supposed to be bitten by genetically mutated baby veloci-raptors in the newly built Jurassic park (above) just few Kilometers away from my home. My grandson surely rocks!



Now that I am 24, I happen to hear the natures premeditated news that a company from Massachusettes is releasing the first ever flying car. I shall soon hear that a Blah Blah lab successfully demonstrated a robot that could soon replace your lazy project lead, or manager. Study, Graduate, Earn, Marry, Conceive, Stock exchange, relatives, mid sized car, a 3BHK condo and life insurance: these are phrases which shall be hardwired into every contemporary fools besides me, BUT NOT ME.



How can I compete my Grandson then? If I happen to pen down a book of mine, it would make no sense untill after 200 years, during which a cataclysmic Extinction Level Event (ELE) would show herself unexpectedly and the successfully surviving civilization would later unearth my book and make it their CONSTITUTION. Of course my Grandson would cover up remaining chapters and, maybe, revamp the Preamble. What I mean to say is that I would not see any transformations in my life and be jinxed by emotions and serendipity.

In the wars of Science and religion, wit and wisdom, husbands and wives; we spend our life with newspapers in which we never bother to read the contents and be satisfied with highlighted headings; This is an everyday routine, but at other hemispheres of sentiency, it would be in the form of a business phones or answering machines and life is just as analog as it can be. What would my grandson do when he would have celebrated his 54th birthday? He would stare outside through the window and see a faintly transparent geodesic dome covering the entire city he is living in, with global warming at its fullest throttle. He would prefer taking his grand daughter to a flight cruise (shown below) around the valleys of New Zealand which would be a minute drive from Bangalore,


rather than taking her to a walk in the downtown with fears of crashing space cars. Get back home and he shall drink a cocktail of Organic fruits juice prepared by his android maid.



His Bathroom:



His car in the garage:



His wash basin, ain't bad:



"Oh, the monday fever":



His wife's car, An Audi Calamaro:



His Son's 15th year birthday gift:


I would like to end up saying, sitting besides the same window, watching the same wet sprouting shrubs and students walking with their umbrellas in their hands, that my life rocks in a different way!.


Filed under 0 comments
Newer Posts Older Posts

Blog theme music