On an ongoing project of building a Kitchen Timer, there are many things that I do not know what they are or what they are for. Here is a an explanation for four of these things:

My Capacitors

• Capacitor: a capacitor is in a way like a battery. It stores passing energy on a circuit. Unlike a battery, which creates new electrons to store them, a capacitor just stores already existing electrons. Also unlike a battery, a capacitor can completely empty itself within milliseconds. A battery would take at least a few minutes. Capacitors are used in camera flashes because of their ability to charge and decharge quickly. For the flash to be effective, the capacitor gets full, and when the picture gets taken, the capacitor lets all it’s electricity out to create that sudden bright light. A capacitor’s storage can vary and it also depends on the number of volts on the current: a low storage capacitor would be much more efective on a low voltage current, and a high storage capacitor would be better on a high voltage current.
  

  My Integrated Circuit

• Integrated Circuit: an integrated circuit, or most commonly known as a chip, or microchip, is a mini electronic circuit built on a wafer of pure silicon crystals. On top of the wafers are millions or thousands of tiny resistors, transistors and capacitors. They are used in almost all electronic devices and are also in some cars.


My Resistors

• Resistor: resistors restrict the amount of current flowing through a circuit. This could be used for a light, to make the bulb shine brightly, and then to make it dim. Resistors can only ‘resist’ up until a certain number of ohms (SI unit of resistance). To know how much the resistor can stop, colour codes are used. There are bands of colour around the resistors which are used to know each digit in the amount of ohms able to resist. For example, one of the resistors in my kit has the colours: ‘orange’ ‘orange’ ‘brown’ ‘gold’. This should turn out as 3.3 ohms using the colour code here.


My Transistor

• Transistor: a transistor is a device used to 1) amplify or 2) switch electronic currents. 1, when it amplifies, it takes in a feeble, or small, current on one side and transforms it into a stronger, bigger current and it goes out the opposite way it came. It basically boosts up the input current to create a larger output current. 2, when it switches, the small current entering has the ability to allow or deny a larger current from entering the transistor. Basically, the smaller current can turn the bigger current on or off, like a switch.

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Dion and the Belmonts is an American vocal group formed in the late 1950′s. The group consisted of Dion DiMucci, Carlo Mastrangelo, Freddie Milano, and Angelo D’Aleo.
Dion DiMucci is from an Italian-American family in the Bronx. He would gather local singers to sing and he also sang in local clubs. In early 1957, he auditioned for Bob and Gene Schwartz, from Mohawk Records. They recorded him with the Timberlanes and the single ‘The Chosen Few’ was released.

Left to right: Carlo Mastrangelo, Freddie Milano, Dion DiMucci, Angelo D'Aleo

It was a minor regional hit. The Belmonts was a group of doo-wop vocalists. They got their name from Belmont Avenue in the Bronx. The Belmonts first recorded with Mohawk Records, where singer Dion was also recording. Dion joined the group as lead singer and it was then known as ‘Dion and the Belmonts’ in 1957. The new group signed to Laurie Records and their first real breakthrough was from their single: ‘I Wonder Why’, and for the first time, they appeared on American Bandstand. Their success won them their first major tour in 1958. This tour was followed by ‘The Winter Dance Party’, with Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. There was a special plane for the performers of The Winter Dance Party, but there was a fee of $36, and Dion couldn’t and wouldn’t pay it. After a first show in Clear Lake Iowa, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper headed to the airport and took their special plane to Fargo, North Dakota. Unfortunately, their plane crashed and all three singers, including the pilot, were killed. The tour still continued with replacements. In March 1959, a next single was released by Dion and the Belmonts. ‘A Teenager in Love‘ made #5 in the Billboard Hot 100 and #28 in the UK Singles Chart. This was followed by their first album, ‘Presenting Dion and the Belmonts‘ as well as their biggest hit, ‘Where or When‘, which was #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. In early 1960, Dion was administered to hospital for heroin addiction, apparently since his mid teens. He also had musical and financial disputes with the Belmonts. In October 1960, Dion quit and started a solo career. The Belmonts continued recording, but with less success. The group tried reuniting in 1966, but separated again when their album, ‘Together Again’, was unsuccessful. They sang together again in 1972, for a once-off show, which was recorded and released as a live album. In 2000, Dion and the Belmonts were integrated into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame.

In ‘Peggy Sue got Married‘, there are many references to Dion and the Belmonts. It shows actual footage of Dion and the Belmonts performing ‘A Teenager in Love’, while two characters watch part of the live show on television. There is also a girl saying “Wow! Charlie can really sing! (other girl) Yeah, Maybe he’s gonna be the next Dion and the Belmonts!”, and during that same scene, Charlie sings ‘I Wonder Why’ with his friends, reenacting almost the same performance that the actual group did.

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