4. Transistors

Transistors are active components and are found everywhere in electronic circuits. They are used as amplifiers and switching devices. As amplifiers, they are used in high and low frequency stages, oscillators, modulators, detectors and in any circuit needing to perform a function. In digital circuits they are used as switches. There is a large number of manufacturers around the world who produce semiconductors (transistors are members of this family of components), so there are literally thousands of different types. There are low, medium and high power transistors, for working with high and low frequencies, for working with very high current and/or high voltages. Several different transistors are shown on 4.1.The most common type of transistor is called bipolar and these are divided into NPN and PNP types.Their construction-material is most commonly silicon (their marking has the letter B) or germanium (their marking has the letter A). Original transistor were made from germanium, but they were very temperature-sensitive. Silicon transistors are much more temperature-tolerant and much cheaper to manufacture.

Fig. 4.1: Different transistors

Fig. 4.2: Transistor symbols: a - bipolar, b - FET, c - MOSFET, d - dual gate MOSFET, e - inductive channel MOSFET, f - single connection transistor

The second letter in transistor’s marking describes its primary use:C - low and medium power LF transistor,D - high power LF transistor,F - low power HF transistor,G - other transistors,L - high power HF transistors,P - photo transistor,S - switch transistor,U - high voltage transistor.Here are few examples:AC540 - germanium core, LF, low power,AF125 - germanium core, HF, low power,BC107 - silicon, LF, low power (0.3W),BD675 - silicon, LF, high power (40W),BF199 - silicon, HF (to 550 MHz), BU208 - silicon (for voltages up to 700V),BSY54 - silicon, switching transistor.There is a possibility of a third letter (R and Q - microwave transistors, or X - switch transistor), but these letters vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.The number following the letter is of no importance to users.American transistor manufacturers have different marks, with a 2N prefix followed by a number (2N3055, for example). This mark is similar to diode marks, which have a 1N prefix (e.g. 1N4004).Japanese bipolar transistor are prefixed with a: 2SA, 2SB, 2SC or 2SD, and FET-s with 3S:2SA - PNP, HF transistors,2SB - PNP, LF transistors,2SC - NPN, HF transistors,2SD - NPN, HF transistors.Several different transistors are shown in photo 4.1, and symbols for schematics are on 4.2. Low power transistors are housed in a small plastic or metallic cases of various shapes. Bipolar transistors have three leads: for base (B), emitter (E), and for collector (C). Sometimes, HF transistors have another lead which is connected to the metal housing. This lead is connected to the ground of the circuit, to protect the transistor from possible external electrical interference. Four leads emerge from some other types, such as two-gate FETs. High power transistors are different from low-to-medium power, both in size and in shape.It is important to have the manufacturer’s catalog or a datasheet to know which lead is connected to what part of the transistor. These documents hold the information about the component's correct use (maximum current rating, power, amplification, etc.) as well as a diagram of the pinout. Placement of leads and different housing types for some commonly used transistors are in diagram 4.3.

Fig. 4.3: Pinouts of some common packages

It might be useful to remember the pinout for TO-1, TO-5, TO-18 and TO-72 packages and compare them with the drawing 4.2 (a). These transistors are the ones you will come across frequently in everyday work.The TO-3 package, which is used to house high-power transistors, has only two pins, one for base, and one for emitter. The collector is connected to the package, and this is connected to the rest of the circuit via one of the screws which fasten the transistor to the heat-sink.Transistors used with very high frequencies (like BFR14) have pins shaped differently. One of the breakthroughs in the field of electronic components was the invention of SMD (surface mount devices) circuits. This technology allowed manufacturers to achieve tiny components with the same properties as their larger counterparts, and therefore reduce the size and cost of the design. One of the SMD housings is the SOT23 package. There is, however, a trade-off to this, SMD components are difficult to solder to the PC board and they usually need special soldering equipment.As we said, there are literally thousands of different transistors, many of them have similar characteristics, which makes it possible to replace a faulty transistor with a different one. The characteristics and similarities can be found in comparison charts. If you do not have one these charts, you can try some of the transistors you already have. If the circuit continues to operate correctly, everything is ok. You can only replace an NPN transistor with an NPN transistor. The same goes if the transistor is PNP or a FET. It is also necessary to make sure the pinout is correct, before you solder it in place and power up the project.As a helpful guide, there is a chart in this chapter which shows a list of replacements for some frequently used transistors.