The Engineering Projects

Introduction to BD140

Hello Friends! Hope this finds you well. I welcome you on board. Thank you for clicking this read. In this post today, I’ll walk you through the Introduction to BD140. BD140 is a medium power bipolar junction transistor that is mainly used for switching and amplification purpose. It belongs to the PNP transistor category and comes in the TO-126 package. It is made up of silicon material with collector current 1.5A which indicates it can support loads under 1.5A. The collector-base and collector-emitter terminal voltages are 80V and emitter-base voltage is 5V which is used to bias the transistor. In this post, I’ll be detailing the complete introduction to BD140 covering pinout, working, absolute maximum ratings, physical dimensions, alternatives, and applications. Let’s jump right in.

Introduction to BD140

• BD140 is a PNP bipolar junction transistor that is used to drive loads under 1.5A.
• It comes with three terminals known as emitter, collector, and base. The small current at the base side is used to produce large output current at the emitter and collector terminals.
• The reason it is mainly known as a current-controlled device for controlling the input current in contrast to FETs (field-effect transistors) that are voltage-controlled devices.
• BD140 carries three layers where one is the n-doped layer that stands between the two p-doped layers. The n-layer represents the base pin while the other two layers represent the emitter and collector terminals.

• As this a PNP transistor, here majority carriers are holes. Though both electrons and holes are necessary for the conductivity process inside the transistor, here in case of PNP transistor electrons are minority carriers and holes are majority carriers in contrast to NPN transistors where holes are minority carriers and electrons are majority carriers.

• Both NPN and PNP are termed as bipolar junction transistors and are used for amplification and switching purposes.
• NPN transistors, however, are preferred over PNP transistors for amplification purposes. Why? Because the movement of electrons inside the transistor is faster than the movement of holes in the PNP transistor.
• In rare cases, PNP and its complementary NPN are incorporated into a single electrical circuit.

BD140 Datasheet

Datasheet helps you understand the main and common characteristics of the transistor BD140. Before you install this component into your project, check the datasheet to get a hold of the main features of the transistor. Click below to download the datasheet of BD140.

BD140 Pinout

The BD140 consists of three pins named: 1: Emitter 2: Collector 3: Base The following figure shows the pinout of the BD140 transistor.

• These pins are also called terminals which are used for the external connection with the electrical circuit. All these terminals come with different functionality and different doping concentration.
• The emitter terminal is highly doped as compared to collector and base terminals. Moreover, this emitter pin consists of the entire transistor current.

BD140 Working Principle

• Whether it’s NPN or PNP transistor, the base pin is used to control the current. This base terminal controls the number of electrons in NPN transistors, and the number of holes in PNP transistors.
• In the case of this BD140 PNP transistor, when there is no current at the base side, the transistor is turned ON and both collector and emitter pins, in this case, are forward biased.

• And when there is current present at the base side, the transistor is turned OFF, leaving both collector and emitter terminals reverse biased.

Difference between NPN and PNP transistors

• Recall the base terminal is used to bias the transistor in both NPN and PNP transistors. There are, however, differ in terms of current directions and voltage polarities.

• In PNP transistor the flow of current is from emitter to collector terminal while it is opposite in NPN transistor i.e. collector to emitter terminal.

• In PNP transistor the current flows from emitter to collector terminal when a negative voltage supply is given to the base side and current flows from collector to emitter terminal in NPN transistor when positive supply is given to the base pin.

BD140 Power Ratings

The following figure shows the absolute maximum ratings of BD140.

Absolute Maximum Ratings BD140
No.	Rating	Symbol	Value	Unit
1	Collector-Emitter Voltage	Vce	80	V
2	Collector-Base Voltage	Vcb	80	V
3	Emitter-Base Voltage	Veb	5	V
4	Collector Current	Ic	1.5	A
5	Current Gain	hfe	40 to 250
6	Power Dissipation	Ptot	12.5	W
7	Storage Temperature	Tstg	-55 to 150	C

• • These are known as stress ratings. While working with the component, make sure ratings don’t cross the absolute maximum ratings, else they can severely damage the component and ultimately the entire project.
  • The collector-emitter and collector-base voltages are 80V and only 5V are needed for the emitter-base terminals.
  • This 5V voltage indicates that only 5V is required to bias the transistor and start the overall transistor action.

• The collector-current carries 1.5A which signals the amount of loads it can support.
• The power dissipation is 12.5W which illustrates the amount of energy it releases during its operation.

BD140 Alternatives

• The BD136 and BD138 are the alternatives to BD140.
• Before you incorporate these alternatives into your project, check the pinout of the alternatives. At times, the pinout of the BD140 differs from the pinout of the alternatives.
• The complementary NPN transistor to BD140 is BD139.

BD140 Applications

BD140 is used in the following applications.

• Used for amplification and switching purposes.
• Used to drive loads under 1.5A.
• Used in H-bridge circuits and motor control circuits.
• Used in Astable and Bistable multivibrators.

BD140 Physical dimensions

• The following figure shows the physical dimensions of transistor BD140.
• By looking at these dimensions, you can audit the total space required for the entire electrical project and you can install this component in the desired place.

That’s all for today. I hope you enjoyed the article. If you have any question, you can reach me in the comment section below, I’d love to help you according to the best of my knowledge. You are most welcome to pop your feedback and suggestions regarding the content I’m sharing, they will help us craft content based on your needs and requirements. Thanks for reading the article.

Software Can Be Customized to Fit the Need of Your Company

Hi Friends! Hope you're well today. I welcome you on board. In this post today, I'll walk you through how software can be customized to fit the need of your company. Industries require complicated applications that make creating and keeping sensitive data quick and easy. Creating data pertinent to a specific business plays a critical role in today's world. We are living in a data-driven world. There are options to make the utilization of these complicated applications easier. One of the most popular options for managing the applications is called software as a service or SaaS for short. What SaaS does is provide and manage all the software a business needs. The software is tailored and customized to the business’s needs. SaaS platform developers will oversee the building of the system for a company. Recall, almost all industries need software that creates and stores the data to audit stored information and help in the strategic planning of the industries, ultimately assisting to meet their goals. Let’s have an insight into a few examples.

What Industries Need SaaS

The healthcare industry has gone through a data revolution in recent decades. No longer is a patient's individual history stored in some file cabinet in a hospital. Hospitals and healthcare professionals can now share a patient's history on the fly, thanks to the SaaS software, making information easy to reach, easy to store, and easy to handle. SaaS developers can implement a system that will collect advanced scans like cardiology or radiology. The scans will be stored and easily accessed in the software provided. SaaS developers can also create mobile apps that will use this data to track a patient's wellness. Another industry that SaaS can benefit is the financial sector. There are scores of companies that fall into the realm of the financial sector. Banking may be the largest and most well known but stock broker’s and investment companies also carry a big need for data handling software. SaaS developers can build a system that tracks stocks throughout the trading day or week and populate graphs and other files that aid traders in deciding where to invest. The popular FOREX software is just one example. For banking, SaaS developers can design software that tracks the bank's transactions and make sure they are legally compliant with the Sabanes-Oxley Act of 2002. This software can save a bank from government sanctions and fines. The online retail and e-commerce market has had a growing need for SaaS developers in recent years. Online shopping is blowing up with consumers turning increasingly to shopping from the comfort of their homes. Coming with all that extra commerce is thousands of online retailers competing for the business. SaaS developers can create systems for both B2B and B2C platforms. Their software can do anything from tracking inventory, sales to analyzing the best way to proceed in marketing. A few other industries that require SaaS software are engineering, utility, energy, and media for tracking the number of audiences they can hook to the television screens. SaaS can also help streamline the human resources department of any company. SaaS software, no doubt, proves handy for plenty of businesses and is capable to handle and store information as per the company’s needs and requirements. That's all for today. I hope you find this post helpful. If you have any question, you can approach me in the section below, I'd love to help you the best way I can. Thank you for reading the article.

Arduino Mini Library for Proteus

Update: Here are the latest versions of this library: Arduino Mini Library for Proteus V3.0 and Arduino Mini Library for Proteus V2.0.

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Hello everyone! Hope you’re well. I welcome you on board. In this post today, I’ll explain the Arduino Mini Library for Proteus. I’ve been creating and adding new libraries for the Proteus to help you better understand the working of Sensors and Arduino Boards. You can use these libraries in your Embedded projects. They are easy to understand and you can download and run these libraries yourself quite easily.

Before I proceed further let’s get to know what’s Arduino Mini and how it’s different from other boards. Arduino board is an open-source platform carrying both a ready-made hardware kit and software IDE (Integrated Development Environment) that we run to compute, program and control our boards.

Arduino Mini is a type of Arduino Board, available in two models i.e. 3.3V/8MHz and 5V/16MHz. The latter is almost similar to Arduino Micro and Nano and carries the same speed and voltage, while Arduino Mini 3.3V runs at a slower speed. Another difference is that Arduino Nano contains an FTDI chip that mainly includes a USB serial port while Arduino Mini doesn’t. Moreover, the Arduino Mini doesn’t contain USB and comes with fewer analog pins, but it carries more flash memory compared to both micro and nano since the Bootloader uses only 0.5kb of memory.

We've already detailed the Arduino Mega 2560 Library for Proteus and Arduino Mega 1280 Library for Proteus. And if your system doesn't contain proteus software, check this post that explains how to download and install proteus software. I hope you’ve got a brief introduction to Arduino Mini, let’s now dive in and learn how to get Arduino Mini Library for Proteus.

Arduino Mini Library for Proteus

• Click the link given below and download the Arduino Mini Library for Proteus.
• This downloaded file will come in zip format.

Arduino Mini Library for Proteus

• When you extract this zip file, it will return two further files named as ArduinoMiniTEP.IDX and ArduinoMiniTEP.LIB.
• Copy these two files given above and place them in the proteus library folder.

• Now you’ve placed these files in the proteus library folder. After doing this, start your proteus software and if it’s running already… restart again.

Note: We've already shared the Arduino Library for Proteus which contains six Arduino Boards in a single library.

• The next thing we do is search for our library in the pick libraries option of the proteus software. To do so, click the ‘P’ button of the proteus workspace and search Arduino Mini.

Select ‘Arduino Mini’ and click OK. When you press the OK button, your cursor will start appearing with the blinking Arduino board, indicating that you can place this Arduino board anywhere in the given proteus workspace. When you place your board in the proteus workspace, it will return the figure below. Let's now look into the Arduino Mini description.

Arduino Mini Description

• Arduino Mini contains an Atmega328 microcontroller mounted on the board.
• It carries 14 digital I/O pins where 8 are analog pins and 6 are PWM output pins. Arduino Mini is a tiny board i.e. 1/6^th of the total size of Arduino Uno.
• There are two versions available one regulated at 3.3V with 8MHz frequency and the other 5V with 16MHz frequency.
• This board contains no USB port and a built-in programmer. You can also identify the board by measuring the voltage between the GND and Vcc pin.
• Moreover, no built-in connectors are available. You can solder the connectors anywhere you like better depending on the available space and requirements of the project.
• This board is protected against overcurrent i.e. if the current exceeds the required limits it doesn’t harm the board.
• Arduino Mini carries 32KB flash memory where 0.5KB is required for the Bootloader. Flash memory is the place that stores the Arduino code. SRAM is 2KB and EEPROM is 1 KB.

Adding HEX File

The next task is to upload the HEX file on the Arduino board. To upload the HEX file, right-click the board and get to the ‘edit properties’ or double-click the board to reach the edit properties panel. As you do this, you will get the figure below.

• Now go to the ‘PROGRAM FILE’ option and browse for the HEX file in the library folder of Proteus software.

• Check this post covering how to get the HEX file from the Arduino board.

This is it. I hope you understand how to get the Arduino Library for Proteus. If you have any questions, you can ask me in the section given below, I’ll help you the best way I can. You’re most welcome to share your valuable suggestions and feedback, they help us create quality content. Thanks for reading this post.

MOSFET WHAT A MOSFET IS AND HOW IT WORKS

Hi Guys! Hope this finds you well. Thank you for clicking this read. In this post today, I'll walk you through the Mosfet what the Mosfet is and how it works. The MOSFET (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) transistor is a semiconductor device widely used for switching and amplifying electronic signals. The MOSFET is a core of integrated circuit and it can be designed and fabricated in a single chip as they come in small sizes. The MOSFET carries four-terminal called: source(S), gate (G), drain (D) and body (B) terminals. The body of the MOSFET is connected to the source terminal, making it a three-terminal device like a field-effect transistor. The MOSFET is a common transistor that is used in both analog and digital circuits. The MOSFET works by electronically varying the width of a channel that contains charge carriers i.e. electrons or holes.  The charge carriers enter the channel at the source terminal and exit via the drain terminal. The width of the channel is controlled by the voltage on a gate terminal that is located between source and drain. It is insulated with an extremely thin layer of metal oxide.

The MOSFET can function in two ways

• Depletion Mode
• Enhancement Mode

Depletion Mode:

When there is no voltage on the gate, the channel shows its maximum conductance. As the voltage on the gate is either positive or negative, the channel conductivity decreases.

Enhancement mode:

When there is no voltage on the gate the device does not conduct. More the voltage on the gate, the better the device can conduct.
Video courtesy of Teko Broadcast.

Working Principle of MOSFET

• The MOSFET controls the voltage and current flow between the source and drain. It works almost as a switch. The working of MOSFET depends on the MOS capacitor. The MOS capacitor is a critical part of the MOSFET.
• The semiconductor surface at the below oxide layer is located between source and drain terminals. It can be inverted from p-type to n-type by applying positive or negative gate voltages respectively.

• When we apply the positive gate voltage the holes present under the oxide layer are pushed downward with the substrate. The depletion region is populated by the bound negative charges which are associated with the acceptor atoms, thus forming the electron reach channel.

• The positive voltage also attracts electrons from the n+ source and drain regions into the channel.
• Now, if a voltage is applied between the drain and source, the current flows freely between the source and drain and the gate voltage controls the electrons in the channel.
• Instead of a positive voltage, if we apply a negative voltage, a hole channel will be formed under the oxide layer.

• P-Channel MOSFET:

• The P-channel MOSFET has a P-channel region between source and drain. It is a four-terminal device such as a gate, drain, source, body.
• The drain and source are heavily doped p+ region and the body or substrate is n-type. The flow of current is due to positively charged holes.

• When we apply the negative gate voltage, the electrons present under the oxide layer are pushed downward into the substrate with a repulsive force.
• The depletion region is populated by the bound positive charges which are associated with the donor atoms. The negative gate voltage also attracts holes from p+ source and drain regions into the channel region.

• N- Channel MOSFET:

• The N-Channel MOSFET has an N-channel region between the source and drain. It is a four-terminal device such as a gate, drain, source, body.
• In this type of MOSFET, the drain and source terminals are heavily doped n+ region and the substrate or body is P-type. The current flows due to the negatively charged electrons. When we apply the positive gate voltage, the holes present under the oxide layer pushed downward into the substrate with a repulsive force.
• The depletion region is populated by the bound negative charges which are associated with the acceptor atoms, thereby forming the electron reach channel.

• The positive voltage also attracts electrons from the n+ source and drain regions into the channel.
• Now, if a voltage is applied between the drain and source, the current flows freely between the source and drain and the gate voltage controls the electrons in the channel.
• And if we apply a negative voltage, a hole channel will be formed under the oxide layer.

MOSFET SWITCH

• In this circuit arrangement, an enhanced mode and N-channel MOSFET is being used to switch a sample lamp ON and OFF. The positive gate voltage is applied to the base of the transistor and the lamp is ON (VGS =+v) or at zero voltage level the device turns off (VGS=0).

• In the above circuit, it is a very simple circuit for switching a resistive load such as a lamp or LED. But when using MOSFET to switch either inductive or capacitive load, protection is required to contain the MOSFET device.
• For the MOSFET to operate as an analog switching device, it needs to be switched between its cutoff region where VGS =0 and saturation region where VGS =+v.
• MOSFET is also a transistor. We abbreviate it as Metal Oxide Silicon Field Effect Transistor. It will have P-channel and N-channel. It consists of a source, gate, and drain. Here we connected a resistive load of 24O in series with an ammeter, and a voltage meter connected across the MOSFET.

• In the transistor, the current flow in the gate is in a positive direction and the source goes to ground. In BJT’s, the current flow is the base-to-emitter circuit. But in MOSFET there is no current flow because there is a capacitor at the beginning of the gate, it just requires a voltage.
• We will get to know this by doing the simulation process by switching ON/OFF. When the switch is ON there is no current flow in the circuit, when we have taken a resistance of 24O and 0.29 of ammeter voltage then we find the negligible voltage drop across the source because there is +0.21V across MOSFET.
• The resistance between drain and source is called RDS. Because of RDS, the voltage drop appears while current flow in the circuit. RDS varies depending on the type of MOSFET (it could be 0.001, 0.005, and 0.05 depending on the voltage type).
• Finally, we will conclude that the transistor requires current whereas MOSFET requires a voltage. The driving requirement for the MOSFET is much better and simpler as compared to a BJT.

What is a Semiconductor? Types, Examples & Applications

Hello Friends, I hope you’re well today. Today, we are going to start a new tutorial series on Semiconductors. In this series, we will discuss the semiconductor components, devices, etc. in detail. We will start from the very basics and will gradually move towards complex concepts.

As today's our first tutorial in this series, we will discuss the basics of semiconductors. So, let's get started:

What is a Semiconductor?

• A Semiconductor Material is defined by its ability to conduct electricity and its conductive properties lie between conductor and insulator, normally ranging between 10^-6 to 10^-4 (Ωm)^-1.
• Under specific conditions, Semiconductors have the ability to act either as a pure conductor or a pure insulator.
• Examples of Semiconductor materials are Silicon, Germanium, Gallium Arsenide etc., where Silicon is the most commonly used.
• Gallium arsenide stands as the second-best semiconductor material and is used in solar cells, laser diodes, microwave frequency integrated circuits etc.

Why Semiconductors?

The main advantage of a semiconductor is its ability to control the flow of electrical current(electrical charges) by creating a PN Junction. The conductors lack this ability as they allow current to flow in both directions. We will discuss PN Junction in our next lecture.

In order to understand the conductive behavior of semiconductors, we need to understand their construction and Energy Levels:

Electrical Properties of Solids

After the discovery of electricity(credit goes to Benjamin Franklin), scientists have divided earthly materials into 3 main categories, depending on their electrical conductivity, titled:

1. Conductor: has the ability to conduct electricity i.e. Copper, Silver, Gold, Aluminium etc.
2. Insulator: doesn't allow electrical charges to flow through it i.e. Plastic, Diamond, Rubber etc.
3. Semiconductor: A material whose properties stand between conductor and insulator i.e. silicon, germanium, gallium arsenide etc.

This diversity in the conductive behavior of solids failed Bohr's model of free electrons. Instead, the Energy Band Theory based on Wave Mechanical Model was used to explain it.

So, in order to understand the conductive behavior of solids, we need to first have a look at the Energy Band Theory:

Energy Band Theory

As we know, a solid atom has various energy bands filled with electrons. In all these energy bands, the electrons remain bound to the nucleus and have distinct energy levels. The electrons present in the outermost energy band of an atom are called valence electrons and the outermost band itself is called valence band.

Above the valance band, we have another band called Conduction Band. The Conduction Band also has electrons but these electrons are not bound to the Nucleus of the atom and are thus called Free Electrons or Conductive Electrons. The electricity passes through solids because of these free electrons present in the Conduction Band.

There's an empty space present between the Valance Band and Conduction Band, which has no electrons and is called Forbidden Energy Gap. The arrangement of the Valence Band, Conduction Band, and Forbidden Gap is shown in the below figure:

Now let's have a look at the effect of this Energy Band Theory on Solids' Electrical Behavior:

Conductive Behavior of Solids

The valance electrons in the outermost shell(valance band) keep on trying to escape to the conduction band but because of their low energy levels and the forbidden gap in between, they couldn't escape. So, in order to move the electrons from the Valence Band to the Conduction band, we need to provide external energy to these electrons.

As you can see in the above figure, there's no Forbidden Gap in the Conductors and the Valence & Conduction Bands are overlapping. That's why, when we provide external energy i.e. electricity, the current easily passes through it. The conductivity behavior of conductors is normally 10⁷ (Ωm)^-1.

In the case of Inductors, the forbidden energy gap is quite big(several eV) and thus the conduction band has no free electrons. Even if we provide external energy to it, the electrons from the Valance Band won't be able to cross the forbidden gap. The Inductors have conductivity ranging between 10^-10 to 10^-20 (Ωm)^-1.

In Semiconductors, we have a very small forbidden energy gap(around 1eV) and that's why we have few free electrons present in the Conduction Band. At 0K temperature, the Conduction Band of the Semiconductor has no electrons, as all electrons are present in its valance shell. But on increasing the temperature, the electrons get sufficient energy to jump from the valance to the conduction band. So, at 0K, the semiconductor will behave as an insulator but at room temperature, it will behave as a semiconductor. The conductivity of semiconductors lies between 10^-6 to 10^-4 (Ωm)^-1.

I hope, now you have a complete understanding of Semiconductors' electrical behavior.

What are semiconductors used for?

Semiconductors have brought a revolution in the field of electronics. Semiconductors are used for designing electronic/embedded components. Let's have a look at a few of its applications:

• The most commonly used semiconductor component is the Diode., which allows the flow of current in one direction only and thus acts as a one-way electronic valve.
• After the diode, transistor was invented, which is used for fast switching and current amplification.
• The invention of the diode & transistor opened the door to nanotechnology and new integrated chips were designed i.e. MAX232, ULN2003, CD4050 etc.
• All the integrated chips used in Embedded Systems(i.e. Microcontrollers, Microprocessors etc.) have semiconductor components embedded in them.
• Semiconductor has brought automatic control in electronic circuits, which isn't possible with conductors.

Types of Semiconductors

Engineers have divided Semiconductors into two main types, named:

1. Intrinsic Semiconductors.
2. Extrinsic Semiconductors.

Let's discuss both of them, one by one:

Intrinsic Semiconductors

• Semiconductors in their pure form are called Intrinsic Semiconductors and are barely useful as they are neither good conductors nor good insulators.
• In the pure form, the valence shell(of semiconductor material) carries an equal number of holes & electrons(silicon has 4 valence electrons).

Extrinsic Semiconductors

• Impurities(i.e. Boron, Arsenic, Antimony etc.) are added to the pure Semiconductors by a method called Doping, which increases the conductive behavior of semiconductors and such doped semiconductors are known as Extrinsic Semiconductors. (We will discuss doping shortly)

Depending on the doping material used, extrinsic semiconductors are further divided into two types, named:

• N-Type Semiconductors.
• P-Type Semiconductors.

N-Type Semiconductors

• When a Pentavalent Material(having 5 valence electrons) is used as a doping agent, four of its electrons in the valence shell create covalent bonds with the neighboring Si atoms, while the 5th electron(of the Pentavalent element) becomes a Free Electron. Such extrinsic semiconductors are called N-Type Semiconductors.

• In N-Type Semiconductors, the majority charge carriers are electrons(negatively charged).
• Pentavalent Elements normally used in the doping process are Antimony, Arsenic, Phosphorous etc.
• As a semiconductor is accepting a free electron, it is termed an Acceptor, while the pentavalent element is termed a Donor, as it's donating its electron.

P-Type Semiconductors

• When a semiconductor material is doped with a Trivalent Material(having 3 valence electrons), the 3 electrons of the trivalent element create covalent bonds with the Si atoms nearby but it couldn't provide the 4th electron and thus creates a hole(positively charged), which is actually a vacancy & waits for an electron to join. Such doped semiconductors are called P-Type Semiconductors.

• In P-Type Semiconductors, the majority charge carriers are holes(positively charged).
• Examples of Trivalent Elements used in the doping process are Boron, Gallium, Aluminium, Indium etc.
• The trivalent element is Acceptor here, while the semiconductor is Donor.

Doping of Semiconductors

• As we have discussed earlier, a semiconductor in its pure form acts as an insulator as it has an equal number of electrons and holes in its outermost shell(called the valence shell) .
• So, in order to generate conductive properties in semiconductors, a strictly controlled quantity of impurity(i.e. arsenic, boron etc.) is added by a method called Doping. (We will discuss Doping in detail in our next lecture on PN Junction)
  
• The intensity of conductive behavior depends on the type & quantity of impurity added.
• Two types of impurity elements are normally used, which are:
  • Pentavalent: Creates N-Type Semiconductors.
  • Trivalent: Creates P-Type Semiconductors.

PN Junction in Semiconductors

• If a single semiconductor material is doped with both trivalent & pentavalent impurities, both P-Type & N-Type regions are created in a single substance.
• As a result, a special barrier is created at the boundary of these two regions, which stops the flow of charge carriers and is called the PN Junction.
• This PN Junction formulated the basis of the first semiconductor component called the Diode. (We will discuss in the next lecture)
  
• Different variations of PN junction resulted in the creation of other basic components i.e. transistor, FET, MOSFET etc.(We will cover all of these in our upcoming lectures)

Now, let's have a look at a few examples of Semiconductor materials:

Semiconductor Materials

There are numerous Semiconductor materials available, a few of them are as follows:

1. Group IV of Periodic Table

• In modern IUPAC notation, it's termed as Group 14 of the Periodic Table while in semiconductor circle, it's still considered as Group IV.
• Group IV elements are the most commonly used semiconductors but few elements of this group have large band gaps and thus act as insulators.
• Semiconductors present in this group are Carbon, Silicon, Germanium, tin.

2. Compound Semiconductors

• Compound Semiconductors are designed by the chemical combination of two different elements.
• Compound semiconductors are normally designed by using elements from Group III & V of the periodic table.
• A few examples of compound semiconductors are Gallium Arsenide, Silicon Carbide etc.

3. Organic Semiconductors

• Organic semiconductors contain polymer structures, normally composed of carbon or hydrogen.
• The first organic semiconductor discovered was Bechgaard salt (TMTSF)₂ PF₆ in 1980.

4. Liquid/Amorphous Semiconductors

• Normally semiconductors are available in solid-state but few liquid/amorphous semiconductors are also discovered i.e. hydrogenated amorphous silicon.
• Few oxides and alloys also depict semiconductor behavior.

Applications of Semiconductor Materials

In today's world, electronics (especially embedded) will simply die if we remove semiconductor components from it. The semiconductor has applications in almost every sector of electronics. Let's have a look at a few applications of Semiconductors :

1. Consumer Goods(Electronics)

• We can't think of a world without Electronic devices(i.e. mobile phones, laptops, microwaves, refrigerators etc.).
• All these appliances are using semiconductor components(i.e. diode, transistor, MOSFET, integrated chip etc.) in their electronic control units.

2. Embedded Systems

• Microcontrollers/Microprocessors have revolutionized the world and are considered the base of Embedded Systems.
• These embedded controllers have nano transistors(semiconductor components) embedded in them, acting as smart switches.
• So, semiconductors play an important role in embedded systems as well.

3. Thermal Conductivity

• A few semiconductors have high thermal conductivity and are thus used as a cooling agent in thermoelectric applications.

4. Light Emitting Diode

• Instead of heat, a few semiconductors also produce light and are thus used in LEDs, OLEDs etc.
• These semiconductors are normally available in liquid or amorphous form and are used as a thin-coated film.

That’s all for today. I hope you find this article helpful. Today, we discussed the basics of Semiconductors i.e. what are semiconductors, why semiconductors? Semiconductor examples, semiconductors applications, properties of semiconductors, semiconductor companies, most commonly used semiconductor materials etc. in detail. If you have any questions you can approach me in the section below. I’d love to help you the best way I can. You are most welcome to pop your suggestions in the comment section below, they help us create quality content. Thanks for reading this post. :)

A 21st Century Tire Industry Will Revolutionize The Market

Hi Friends! Hope you’re well today. I welcome you on board. In this post today, I’ll explain how a 21st century tire industry will revolutionize the market. Tire changing and purchasing is a controversial issue for many Americans, with non-insurance purchases that are often arguably expensive. This is set to change with the rise of Tire Agent, who TechCrunch highlighted as receiving $5m in new financing in their bid to remove the mystique from tire purchasing and installation. Using smart data, they’re aiming to pull together buyers, sellers, and mechanics across the country and provide a truly equitable purchase map for those in need. With this data, the industry will be revolutionized, and technology will change how motorists deal with their tires forever in much the same way solar energy has transformed the market already.

Hidden information

One of the aims of the startup is to provide engineering information directly to customers. This would be a huge overhaul for American drivers; the NY Post estimates that 68% of motorists are not only lacking knowledge about their vehicle, but they're scared of repairing it too. With the data on offer from these startups, motorists will have the confidence to do tire changes, know how to efficiently check tire pressure, and potentially tackle more challenging costs – or at least run diagnostics before they get to the shutters of the mechanics' shop. Straight away, this will lead to changes in how tire engineering is viewed, with a movement towards the consumer market required, and less focus is given to the needs of mechanic shops and the closed-shop market.

Better pricing, better innovation

Arguably, the cost of tires and the labor that goes into replacing older models stymies innovation. If the tires work, and the market is enjoying the profit margin, there is less impetus for engineers to invent new forms of the tire and get them into that consumer market. With the impetus shifted away from costly mechanic shops and into the consumer’s wallet, it’s likely that more innovation will be seen – after all, with the wealth of information available to them, consumers will make the smartest and most long-term pick available to them as opposed to simply working from time-tested recommendations from the shop or the manufacturer. This is already creating the need for innovation in tires.

Changing with the weather

A primary reason for road users to get into the garage is to have weather-hit tires repaired or adapted. Think snowshoe and chain in winter, or rubber reinforcements on particularly hot asphalt. Increasingly, tires are starting to actively adapt to the weather, reducing the necessity for any changes at all off the road. According to CNET, Continental has been market leaders with this innovation though many businesses have created their own variants. What does this mean for consumers? Once again, putting the entire functionality and adaptability of the vehicle back into their hands will mean less time with the mechanic and a greater degree of control over what their car is going to do and how it performs. It might even help consumers to get more involved with the technology behind tire engineering.

A self-sealing future?

Self-sealing tires are common these days, but they have their drawbacks. In August 2019, CNBC raised the prospect of fully self-repairing, smart tires. Similarly, Michelin debuted a tire that doesn’t need to be inflated at all. With these smart tires on the market, the engineering outlook for tires and vehicles, in general, will be completely changed – the focus will be shifted onto improving these innovations and making them suitable for a wider market, and easily accessible for vehicles of all types. This once again gives more power to the consumer, pulling them away from mechanics and towards being positive about the technology they can deploy their vehicles to keep them on the road and healthy for longer

Ultimate energy efficiency

Pairing with the sustainable goals of the seal-sealing tire is the car-charging tire. As tires produce motion and potential energy that has the potential to be turned into actual efficient energy for the car to deploy. According to Interesting Engineering, this is becoming a reality that will help to see cars self-powered to an even greater degree. Goodyear’s BH03 concept is nothing new that was released in 2015 and has seen huge developments since then. Now, the concept is being plugged for active use, first in electric vehicles to give primary drive power but also, potentially, in combustion vehicles, to provide plenty of ways of charging the car battery that relies on sustainable tools.

Holistic benefits

Whatever form cars take, it’s undeniable that they add emissions to the world – this is true whether from a classic combustion engine emissions, or the carbon cycle of producing any other vehicle. Can tires combat this? Another Goodyear concept focuses on their ‘Oxygene’ concept, which adds biological material to the outside of the tires. The purpose of this is to actively filter onrushing air from the car as it travels, producing net benefits for the air around the vehicle as it moves. This seems like wishful thinking but these ‘green benefits’ are being used across a wide range of industries – for instance, green roofing has been a norm in many American cities for years now. It might not be too long until the average road user sees hundreds of green hubcaps and tires as they take their drive across the nation’s roads – and that they’ll enjoy the benefits, too, with clean air on the way. With this new generation of tires being green energy focused, this could easily mean a wholesale shift in tire production. A relatively static market can start to fully utilize materials science to innovate new products. This will be demonstrated in a huge range of products, but with sustainability often the goal, expect innovation hours and cash to be plunged into the likes of self-sealing tires and sustainable EV products. This will ultimately benefit the wider market and thus the engineers looking to make their name in the auto industry.

Introduction to BC558

Hello Everyone! Happy to see you here. I welcome you on board. In this post today, I’ll be discussing the Introduction to BC558. BC558 is a bipolar junction transistor used for amplification and switching purposes. It belongs to the PNP transistor family and is available in a TO-92 package. It contains collector current 100mA, indicating it can drive load under 100mA. I've previously detailed the Introduction to BC640 & BC327. I suggest you read this entire post as I will cover a complete introduction to BC558 explaining pinout, working, power ratings, physical dimensions, datasheet, and applications of BC558.   Let’s jump right in. Continue reading.

Introduction to BC558

• BC558 is a PNP bipolar junction transistor mainly used for switching and amplification purpose.
• It is made up of three terminals called collector, base, and emitter. All these terminals are different in terms of size, functions, and doping concentrations.

• The small current change at the base side is used to induce large current change across other terminals. This phenomenon is used for amplification purposes.
• BC558 is composed of three layers where one is an n-doped layer and others are p-doped layers. The n-doped layer is sandwiched between two p-doped layers.

• Both electrons and holes play a crucial rule for the transistor conductivity because here in the case of PNP transistor holes are majority carriers in contrast to NPN transistors where electrons are majority carriers.
• BC558 is also known as a current-controlled device where small current at the base terminal produces a large current change across the remaining terminals.
• This PNP transistor encompasses amplification factors ranging from 110 to 800. This factor actually predicts the amplification capability of the transistor. Simply put, it defines the capacity of the transistor it can amplify the input signal.
• BC558 is composed of silicon material and comes in a TO-92 package.
• The peak collector current is recorded 200mA that makes it a suitable pick for the amplification purpose.

BC558 Datasheet

While working with the electronic component, it’s wise to look at the datasheet that helps you better understand the main characteristic of the component. Click below to download the datasheet of BC558.

BC558 Pinout

BC558 contains three pins named:

• 1: Collector
• 2: Base
• 3: Emitter

As this is a PNP transistor, here current flows from emitter to collector as opposed to NPN transistors where current flows from the collector to emitter.

• And in both cases, the base terminal is the component that plays a vital role in the overall transistor action.

The following figure shows the pinout of BC558.

• In this case of PNP transistor, the base terminal controls the number of holes in contrast to the NPN transistor where it controls the number of electrons.
• And base terminal is negative in PNP transistors where it's positive in NPN transistors.

BC558 Working Principle

• When there is no current at the base side, both emitter and collector will be closed and the transistor is turned ON, indicating the forward-biased mode of the transistor.
• And when there is current at the base terminal both emitter and collector will remain opened indicating reverse biased mode of the transistor.

• The base terminal controls the conductivity of the transistor while the emitter terminal carries the whole current of the transistor.
• The emitter terminal is highly doped as compared to the other two terminals. The base is negative while both emitter and collector are positive.

BC558 Power Ratings

The following table represents the absolute maximum ratings of the BC558 transistors.

Absolute Maximum Ratings BC558
No.	Rating	Symbol	Value	Unit
1	Collector-Emitter Voltage	Vce	80	V
2	Collector-Base Voltage	Vcb	80	V
3	Emitter-Base Voltage	Veb	5	V
4	Collector Current	Ic	100	mA
5	Collector Peak Current	Icm	200	mA
6	Power Dissipation	Ptot	500	mW
7	Storage Temperature	Tstg	150	C

• These are the stress ratings. Before you install this component in your project, make sure these ratings don’t exceed the recommended ratings, else they can severely affect the overall working of the component and in the worst cases, can damage the entire project.
• Plus, if these ratings are applied for an extended time, the device reliability can be severely damaged.

Difference between PNP and NPN transistors

• Both transistors almost operate similarly with few exceptions. The voltage polarities and current directions will be reversed.
• In NPN transistor current flows from collector to emitter and from emitter to collector in case of PNP transistor. And holes are the majority charge carriers in PNP transistors and electrons are major charge carriers in the NPN transistors.

• And in both cases, the base terminal is responsible for the transistor conductivity i.e. it controls the number of electrons in case of NPN transistor and the number of holes in the case of PNP transistors.
• It is important to mention NPN are preferred over PNP transistors for amplification purpose because the mobility of electrons is far better and quicker than the movement of holes in PNP transistors.

• In some cases, however, both are incorporated into a single project to attain amplification.

BC558 Alternatives

The following are a few alternatives to the BC558 transistor.

• TIP127
• BC157
• 2N3906
• BC556
• BD140
• 2SA1943
• S8550
• TIP42

Before you incorporate these alternatives into your projects, pay careful heed to the pinout of these alternative transistors, as it’s possible the pinout of the alternatives may differ from the BC558 pinout.

BC558 Applications

The following are some applications of BC558:

• Used for amplification and switching purposes.
• Used to control motor.
• Employed for impedance buffering.
• Employed to drive loads under 100mA.
• Incorporated in robotics and instrumentation projects.
• Used in H- Bridge circuits and current mirror circuits.
• Used for constructing Astable bistable and Bistable multivibrators.
• Used in comparator and oscillator circuits.

BC558 Physical dimensions

The following figure shows the physical dimensions of the BC558 transistor. I hope you understand what is BC558 transistor and why it is used for. If you are unsure or have any question in your mind, you can leave your comment in the section below, I’ll help you out with the best of my knowledge. Feel free to keep us updated with your valuable suggestions and feedback, they prove handy and help us create quality work as per your requirements. Thank you for reading this article.

Introduction to BC559

Hi Guys! Hope this finds you well. I welcome you on board. Thank you for clicking this read. In this post today, I’ll be explaining the Introduction to BC559. BC559 is a bipolar junction transistor used to drive loads under 100mA. It falls under the family of PNP transistors and is mainly known as a current-controlled device. Where small current at one terminal is used to drive large current change at the remaining two terminals. Read this post all the way through, as I’ll be touching pinout, working, datasheet, physical dimensions, power ratings, and applications of a BC559 transistor. Let’s get started.

Introduction to BC559

• BC559 is a PNP bipolar junction transistor mainly employed for amplification and switching applications.
• It is composed of silicon material and comes in TO-92 packaging. Based on the nature of applications and electronic projects, these transistors are also manufactured in TO-18 configuration.

• BC559 carries three terminals that are emitter, base, and collector. All these terminals are used for external connection with the circuit.

• There are three layers inside the PNP BC559 transistor where one n-doped layer stands between two p-doped layers. Here N layer represents the base terminal that is negative and the remaining two terminals are positive.
• The base terminal is still considered as the main terminal responsible for transistor action.
• Here base terminal controls the number of holes in contrast to the NPN transistor where the base is positive and controls the number of electrons.
• The emitter terminal emits the holes which are then collected by the collector terminal.

BC559 Datasheet

The datasheet gives you an overview of the main characteristics of the component. You can check the datasheet of this tiny component by clicking the link below.

BC559 Pinout

BC559 is incorporated with three terminals named:

• 1: Collector
• 2: Base
• 3: Emitter

The following figure represents BC559 pinout.

• Each terminal carries different doping concentrations and functionality as compared to the remaining two terminals. The emitter side is highly doped in contrast to the other two terminals.

BC559 Working Principle

• The working principle is simple and straight forward. When there is no current present at the base side, the transistor is turned ON and both emitter and collector are forward biased.

• And when current flows from the base terminal, the transistor is turned OFF and both emitter and collector terminals will be reverse biased.

• Though both electrons and holes contribute to conductivity, holes are major carriers in the case of this PNP transistor as opposed to NPN transistors where electrons are major carriers.
• It is important to note that NPN is preferred over PNP transistors for amplification purposes because the mobility of electrons is far better than the mobility of holes.

BC559 Power Ratings

The table given below contains the absolute maximum ratings of the BC559.

Absolute Maximum Ratings BC559
No.	Rating	Symbol	Value	Unit
1	Collector-Emitter Voltage	Vce	30	V
2	Collector-Base Voltage	Vcb	30	V
3	Emitter-Base Voltage	Veb	5	V
4	Collector Current	Ic	100	mA
5	Power Dissipation	Pd	625	mW
6	DC Current Gain	hfe	120 to 800
7	Storage Temperature	Tstg	-55 to 150	C

• Both collector-emitter and collector-base voltage is 30V while emitter-base voltage is 5V indicating the only 5V is required to bias the transistor and start the transistor action.
• The collector current is 100mA means it can support loads under 100mA. Total device dissipation is 625mW and storage junction temperature is -55 to 155 C.
• You need to be very careful while taking these readings into consideration. If ratings exceed the desired ratings, they can terribly affect the device.
• And make sure these ratings you don’t apply for more than the required time, else they hurt the device reliability.

Difference between PNP and NPN Transistors

• Both transistors almost operate in a similar fashion i.e. base is the main terminal responsible for transistor action in both cases and emitter contains the entire current of the transistor.
• And the emitter terminal is highly doped as compared to other terminals in both cases.

• There are, however, some exceptions. The voltage polarities and current directions are reversed in both cases. Current flows from emitter to collector in case of PNP transistors while it moves from collector to emitter in case of NPN transistor.

• The base terminal is negative in PNP transistor while it’s positive in the case of NPN transistor. It acts as a control valve.
• Recall NPN transistors are preferred over PNP transistors for amplification purposes because the mobility of electrons is better than the mobility of holes.
• While base terminal controls the electrons in the case of NPN transistors and it controls the holes in the case of PNP transistors.
• It is important to note that both NPN and PNP transistors are interchangeable given that if a bipolar transistor is composed of two back-to-back diodes with the base terminal being the common terminal.

 

BC559 Alternatives

Following transistors can be used as alternatives to BC559.

• BC859 (SOT-23)
• BC858 (SOT-23)
• BC859W (SOT-323)
• BC858W (SOT-323)

While you aim to incorporate these alternatives into your project, check the pinout of the alternatives as it’s likely the pinout of the BC559 might differ from the pinout of the alternatives.

• Be on the safe side and do your due diligence before starting the project.

Complementary NPN transistors of BC559 are BC546 & BC548.

BC559 Applications

BC559 is used in the following applications.

• Finds applications in current mirror circuits.
• Used in H- Bridge circuits.
• Used for constructing Astable bistable multivibrators.
• Used to drive loads under 100mA.
• Finds application in comparator and oscillator circuits.
• Employed for switching and amplification purpose.
• Incorporated for impedance buffering.

 

BC559 Physical dimensions

BC559 comes in weight approx. 0.18g. The following figure represents the BC559 physical dimensions, helping you evaluate the space given for your project. That was all about Introduction to BC559 transistor. I hope you find this article useful. If you are unsure or have any question, you can approach me in the section below, I’ll help you the best way I can. You are most welcome to pop your valuable feedback and suggestions in the comment section below, they help us produce quality content. Thank you for reading the post.

Introduction to BC560

Hello Friends! Hope this finds you well. I welcome you to another addition to the introduction series. In this post today, I’ll be discussing the Introduction to BC560.

BC560 is a general-purpose transistor mainly used to drive loads under 100mA as it carries collector current 100mA. It falls under the category of PNP transistors and is mainly used for amplification and switching purposes. I suggest you read this entire post as I’ll detail everything about BC560 transistor covering pinout, working, power ratings, applications, and physical dimensions. Continue reading.

Introduction to BC560

• BC560 is a PNP transistor mainly used for switching and amplification purpose. It comes with transition frequency 150MHz and junction temperature of 150 C.
• This PNP transistor contains three pins called emitter, base, and collector. These pins are used for external connections with the electronic circuit. The small current at the base side is used to produce large current change across other terminals.
• BC560 carries three layers where one is the n-doped layer that represents the base terminal and the other two are p-doped layers that represent emitter and collector respectively. The n-doped layer stands between two p-doped layers.

• As this is a PNP transistor, here current flows from emitter to collector as opposed to NPN transistor where current flows from collector to emitter.
• Also, here in PNP transistor holes are majority carriers… even though both electrons and holes play a key role in the conductivity of PNP transistors, here holes are majority carriers in contrast to NPN transistors where electrons are majority carriers.

• In both cases, however, the base terminal is the main component responsible for the overall electron action. Which is positive in the case of NPN transistor and is negative in the case of PNP transistor.
• Moreover, all these terminals are different in terms of their functionality and doping concentrations. The emitter side is more doped as compared to the other two terminals.
• Plus, the emitter terminal contains the overall transistor current. The emitter current is a sum of both collector and base current.

BC560 Datasheet

While scanning the datasheet of the component, you can get a hold of the main characteristics of the component. If you want to download the datasheet of the BC560 transistor, click below.

BC560 Pinout

BC560 carries three main terminals known as: 1: Collector 2: Base 3: Emitter

• These terminals are used for external connection with the circuit.
• The following figure shows the pinout of the BC560 transistor.

• It is wise to pay special heed to the pinout of the transistor before employing it in your project.
• Installing the component with the wrong configuration can damage the component and thus the entire project.

BC560 Working Principle

• The working principle of this PNP transistor is almost similar to NPN. In both cases, the base terminal triggers the transistor action.
• When there is no current available at the base terminal, the transistor is turned ON and both collector and emitter terminals are forward biased.
• And when current flows from the base side, the transistor is turned OFF, indicating both emitter and collector pins are reverse biased.

• It is important to note that… even though NPN and PNP transistors are used for amplification purposes, NPN transistors are preferred over PNP transistors since the mobility of electrons is far better and quicker than the mobility of holes.

BC560 Power Ratings

The table below carries the absolute maximum ratings of the BC560.

Absolute Maximum Ratings BC560
No.	Rating	Symbol	Value	Unit
1	Collector-Emitter Voltage	Vce	45	V
2	Collector-Base Voltage	Vcb	50	V
3	Emitter-Base Voltage	Veb	5	V
4	Collector Current	Ic	100	mA
5	Power Dissipation	Pd	625	mW
6	Transition Frequency	ft	100	MHz
7	Storage Temperature	Tstg	-55 to 150	C

• The collector-emitter and collector-base voltages are 45V & 50V respectively. While emitter-base voltage is 5V that means the only 5V is required to start the transistor action.
• The transition frequency is 100MHz and junction temperature is 150 C. The collector current is 100mA, projecting it can support loads under 100mA.

• These are the stress ratings which if exceed the required ratings, can hurt the device. And if you apply these ratings more than the required time they can damage the device reliability.

Difference between PNP and NPN Transistors

• Both NPN and PNP transistors operate almost in a similar fashion. The base pin is the main terminal that plays a key role in triggering the transistor action in both cases.
• The emitter side is highly doped and contains the entire current of the transistor.
• Voltage polarities and current directions create a difference between both NPN and PNP transistors.
• Current flows from collector to emitter in case of NPN transistor while it flows from emitter to collector in case of PNP transistors. The base is negative in PNP transistor while it’s positive in the case of NPN transistor.

• Recall, mobility of electrons is better than the mobility of holes, the reason NPN are preferred over PNP for amplification purposes.
• The base terminal acts as a control value in both cases where it controls the holes in PNP transistor and it controls the electrons in case of NPN transistor.

• Note that, both PNP and NPN transistors are interchangeable only if a bipolar junction transistor is made up of two back-to-back diodes with the base terminal as the common terminal.

 

BC560 Alternatives

The following are the SMD alternatives of BC560:

• BC860W (SOT-323)
• BC857W (SOT-323)
• BC857 (SOT-23)
• BC860 (SOT-23)

The complementary NPN to the BC560 transistor is BC550.

BC560 Applications

BC560 can be employed in the following applications.

• Used in current mirror circuits.
• Used for switching and amplification purpose.
• Employed for constructing Astable bistable multivibrators.
• Employed for impedance buffering.
• Incorporated to drive loads under 100mA.
• Finds applications in H- Bridge circuits.
• Used in comparator and oscillator circuits.

BC560 Physical dimensions

The following figure represents the physical dimensions of the transistor BC560. While getting a hold of these dimensions you can evaluate the space required for your entire electrical project. That’s all for today. I hope you’ve got a clear insight into the Introduction to BC560 transistor. If you have any question, you can pop your query in the section below, I’ll help you the best way I can. You are most welcome to share your valuable feedback and suggestions in the comment section below, they help us produce quality content. Thank you for reading the article.

Introduction to BC517

Hi folks! Hope you’re well today. I welcome you on board. In this post today, I’ll detail the complete Introduction to BC517. BC517 is an NPN bipolar junction transistor made up of silicon material and comes in a TO-92 package. It carries collector-current 1A, projecting it can drive loads under 1A. Total power dissipation is 625mW, indicating it releases power around 625mW while working. Collector-emitter and collector-base voltages are 30 and 40 respectively. The emitter-base voltage is 10V which means it requires only 10V to trigger the electron action inside the transistor. Read this post all the way through as I’ll be documenting pinout, working, power ratings, alternatives, applications, and physical dimensions of transistor BC517. Let’s get started.

Introduction to BC517

• BC517 is a bipolar junction transistor that belongs to the NPN transistor family. It comes in the TO-92 package and is composed of silicon material.
• It contains three pins known as collector, base, and emitter. The small input current at the base side is used to produce large current at the remaining two terminals. This phenomenon is used for amplification purposes.
• BC517 comes with three layers where two are n-doped layers and one is a p-doped layer that stands between the two n-doped layers. The p-doped layer represents the base terminal which is positive while the other two terminals are negative.

• One important feature that makes this transistor unique is its high amplification factor. It carries the current gain or amplification factor around 30,000.
• The amplification factor is the capacity of any transistor it can amplify the input current. Simply put, the factor by which the current at the base terminal is amplified at the other two terminals.

BC517 Datasheet

• Before working with any component, it is wise to get a hold of the datasheet of that component that highlights the main characteristic of the device, helping you better understand the component.
• Click below to download the datasheet of the transistor BC517.

BC517 Pinout

The BC517 comes with three pins called: 1: Collector 2: Base 3: Emitter The following figure shows the pinout of BC517.

• These are also called transistor terminals that are mainly used for external connection with the electrical circuit. All these pins are different in terms of functionality and doping concentration.
• Both base and collector terminals are less doped compared to the emitter terminal. Plus, the emitter terminal carries the 100% transistor current. It is a sum of both base and collector current.

BC517 Pin Configuration

BC517 transistor comes in the following three main configurations: 1: Common emitter configuration 2: Common collector configuration 3: Common base configuration

• Common emitter configuration carries the suitable voltage and current ratings required for amplification purposes. The reasons this configuration is preferred for amplification over the remaining two configurations.
• The amplification factor or current gain is an important factor of the transistor that mainly projects the capacity of any transistor it can amplify the current. It is denoted by ß.
• In BC517, the amplification factor is 30,000 which is far high than other transistors in the market. It is a ratio between output energy and input energy i.e. ratio between collector current and the base current.

• The current gain is another important factor used to describe the nature of the transistor. It is denoted by a and is known as alpha. It is a ratio between collector current and emitter current. The alpha value is always less than 1, commonly stands from 0.5 to 1.

BC517 Working Principle

• The base side is the key terminal responsible for the overall transistor action. The base terminal gets biased when a voltage is applied to this terminal.
• The base terminal acts like an electron valve that controls the number of electrons passing through the base pin. The base terminal operates similarly in the PNP transistor but here it controls the number of holes passing through it.
• During the amplification process, the small current at the base side is amplified and produced across the other terminals.

• And when BC517 acts like a switch, it converts the small current available at one side of the transistor into a larger current across the other terminals of the transistor.
• As this is an NPN transistor, here the base terminal is positive with respect to the emitter side and the emitter voltage is less positive than the collector voltage.

Moreover, the collector terminal is laced with the resistor to limit the flow of current.

BC517 Power Ratings

The following table shows the absolute maximum ratings of transistor BC517.

Absolute Maximum Ratings BC517
No.	Rating	Symbol	Value	Unit
1	Collector-Emitter Voltage	Vce	30	V
2	Collector-Base Voltage	Vcb	40	V
3	Emitter-Base Voltage	Veb	10	V
4	Collector Current	Ic	1	A
5	Current Gain	hfe	30,000
6	Power Dissipation	Pd	625	mW
7	Storage Temperature	Tstg	-55 to 150	C

• Collector-emitter and collector-base voltages are 30 & 40 respectively. While the emitter-base voltage is 10V i.e. it needs 10V to start the electron action in the transistor.
• The power dissipation is 625mW and junction temperature varies from -55C to 150C. The collector-current is 1A which means it can drive loads under 1A.
• Be careful while considering these ratings as ratings above these absolute maximum ratings can adversely affect the performance of the component. Also, don’t apply these ratings for more than the required time, else it might affect the device reliability.

BC517 Alternatives

The PNP complementary to BC517 is BC516.

BC517 Applications

It is used in the following applications.

• Used for amplification and switching purposes.
• Used in sensor circuits.
• Employed as an audio preamplifier and amplifier stages.
• Can drive loads under 1A.
• Used in battery chargers.
• Used in H-bridge and Astable and Bistable multivibrators.
• Used to control motor.

 

BC517 Physical dimensions

The following diagram shows the physical dimensions of transistor BC517. It will help you identify the space required for your electrical project. That’s all for today. I hope you find this article useful. If you have any queries, you can pop your question in the section below and I’ll try my best to help you the best way I can. Moreover, share your feedback and suggestions in the section below, they help us produce quality work. Thanks for reading this post.