The Engineering Projects

Introduction to BC182L

Hi Guys! We welcome you on board. Electronic components play an important role in the designing and working of electronic projects. I have already discussed a number of articles on electronic components covering transistors, MOSFET, and FETs. I am going to continue the thread relating to transistors, because they are the building blocks for amplification and switching purpose. Today, I am going to cover the details on the Introduction to BC182L. It is an NPN (negative-positive-negative) general purpose bipolar transistor which is mainly used for switching and amplification purpose for the low demanding workloads. I'll try to highlight the main features of this component, so you can grab the main concept, what is this about and what are its main applications? Let's get started.

Introduction to BC182L

• BC182L is an NPN bipolar general purpose transistor which is mainly used for switching and amplification purpose at a collector current to 100mA.
• It is a bipolar transistor, means conduction is carried out by the movements of both charge carriers i.e electrons and holes, however, majority charge carriers are electrons.
• It consists of three terminals called emitter, base, and collector. Each terminal comes with a specific function associated with it.
• BC182L is an NPN transistor, where a base is positive with respect to emitter and voltage at the collector side is more than base. Emitter, base, and collector are different in terms of size and doping concentration.

• An emitter is highly doped as compared to collector and base, while a base is lightly doped.
• It is a current controlled device where small current at the base side is used to control large current at the emitter and collector side.
• When a voltage is applied at the base terminal, it gets biased and draws current which is used to control large current at the other terminals.
• The emitter emits the electrons which are then collected by the collector; the base is mainly used for controlling the number of electrons.
• Actually, free movement of electrons acts like a bridge between emitter and collector.
• Transistor is nothing but a combination of diodes joined back to back.

BC182L Pinout

BC182L mainly consists of three terminals. 1. Emitter 2. Collector 3. Base

• Movement of electrons plays an important role in the conductivity of the transistor.
• And electron reaction starts when a voltage is applied at the base terminal.

Circuit Diagram of BC182L

Following figure shows the circuit diagram of the BC182L.

• We can see from the figure, emitter current is equal to the sum of base and collector current. Because emitter is bigger than collector and base in terms of doping concentration.
• BC182L is an NPN transistor and it will source the base current to the transistor.
• The measure of a number of electrons that pass from base to collector is called transistor efficiency.
• The base is lightly doped and an emitter is heavily doped that will allow the electron to move from the emitter to base more than it will allow the holes from base to emitter.
• Forward current gain plays an important role for amplification purpose. It is called beta, denoted by ß, and it is a ratio between collector current and base current. Beta value ranges between 20 to 1000, however, it has standard value 200.
• Current gain is another important factor which is called alpha, denoted by a, and it is a ratio between collector current and emitter current. Alpha value ranges between 0.95 to 0.99 however, most of the time alpha value is considered as a unity.
• Almost all the transistors operate in forward biased mode. If we interchange emitter and collector and makes them reverse biased, then the value of alpha and beta will be much lesser than they will be in forward biased mode.
• This NPN transistor comes with electrons as major charge carriers while PNP transistor comes with holes as majority charge carriers.

Absolute Maximum Ratings

Following figure shows the absolute maximum ratings of this component.

• These are the stress ratings, which if exceeded from the absolute maximum ratings, can damage the device severely and affect the overall quality of the component.
• If these stresses are applied for the extended period of time, they can affect the reliability of the device.
• In order to avoid any loss or damage, it is recommended to follow the operating conditions given by the manufacturer. Taking measures and following proper protocols in the early stage of your project can save you both cost and time.
• I'd suggest you have a look at 2n3903 if you require different ratings as compared to this transistor.

Applications

• It is mainly used for amplification and switching purpose.
• Audio and signal processing makes use of this transistor.

That’s all for today. I have tried my best to explain each and everything regarding this BC182L transistor. However, if you still find any difficulty in understanding the concept of this transistor, you can ask me in the comment section below. I’d love to help you in this regard. Thanks for reading the article. Stay tuned!

Introduction to Raspberry Pi 3

Hey Friends! Electronic experts always strive to develop new electronic devices that meet the needs and requirements of the customers. Technology has been evolved remarkably well where devices are becoming compact and composed. Using old conventional ways to develop electronic devices are becoming obsolete that occupied more weight and space, turned out to be expensive and capable of doing fewer number of operations. Today, I am going to discuss the details on the Introduction to Raspberry Pi 3. It is just like a small computer that comes with CPU, GPU, USB ports and i/o pins and can be connected with external peripherals and helps in running number of operations like regular computer. First generation Raspberry Pi was developed in 2012, with the intention of making computer learning easy for school students. Learning advanced computer functions in the beginning of computer learning process is not easy for everyone. This tine computer was introduced, so everyone can get a hint of some initial functions advanced computer is capable of doing. Let's dive in and explore each and every feature of Raspberry Pi 3.

Introduction to Raspberry Pi 3

• Raspberry Pi 3 is tiny single board computer, introduced by Raspberry Pi Foundation, that comes with CPU, GPU, USB ports and i/o pins and capable of doing some simple functions like regular computer.
• This tiny computer was developed with the purpose of making computer learning process easy so an average student can get benefit and anticipate what an advanced computer can do.
• Raspberry Pi 1(first generation Model B) came into play in 2012, and soon got a renowned reputation in terms of ease of use and availability. Similarly, Raspberry Pi 2 was introduced in Feb,2015 will little improvement in design with added RAM than its previous version.
• Introduced in 2016, Raspberry Pi 3 Model B comes with a quad core processor that shows robust performance which is 10 times more than Raspberry Pi 1. And speed exhibits by Raspberry Pi 3 is 80% more than Raspberry Pi 2.

• The Raspberry hardware has gone through a number of variations in terms of peripheral device support and memory capacity. Every new addition comes with a little improvement in terms of design where advance features are added in the device so it can do as many function as possible like a regular computer.
• WiFi and Bluetooth that lack in older versions(Pi 1 and Pi 2), are added in the new addition of this device(Pi 3), allowing to maintain the connection with the peripherals without the involvement of any physical connection.
• Raspberry Pi Foundation recently launched Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ on 14 March 2018, which is the most recent version of Raspberry Pi 3 that exhibits all the specifications introduced in Pi 3 Model B, with the additional improvement including Network boot, USB boot, and Power over Ethernet which make the device useful in hard to reach places.

Raspberry Pi 3 Pinout

Following figure shows the pinout of Pi 3.  

• These are the 40 GPIO pins that are used for connection with other devices.
• You can see from the figure above, the UART pins are the serial input output pins that are used for serial communication for data and for the conversion of debugging code.

Hardware Specifications

• Raspberry Pi 3 Model B comes with 64 bit quad core processor, on board WiFi and Bluetooth and USB features.
• It has a processing speed ranging from 700 MHz to 1.4 GHz where RAM memory ranges from 256 to 1GB.
• The CPU of this device is considered as the brain of the device which is responsible for executing numbers of instructions based on mathematical and logical operation.
• The GPU is another advanced chip incorporated in the board that carries out function of image calculation. The board is equipped with Broadcam video core cable that is mainly used for playing video games through the device.
• The Pi 3 comes with GPIO (General Purpose Input Output) pins that are essential to maintain connection with other electronic devices. These input output pins receive commands and work based on the programming of the device.
• The Ethernet port is incorporated on this device that sets a pathway for communicating with other devices. You can connect Ethernet port to the router to maintain a connection for internet.
• The Board has four USB ports that are used for communication and SD card is added for storing the operating system.
• Power source connector is a basic part of the board that is used to provide 5 V power to the board. You can use any source to set up a power for the board, however, it is preferred you connect power cable through laptop USB port for providing 5 V.
• The Pi 3 supports two connection options including HDMI and composite. The HDMI connector is used to connect LCD or TV, that can support 1.3 and 1.4 version cables. Composite video connection is used to connect the older version of TV with the device that uses the 3.5mm jack socket for the audio production.
• The new device comes with a video core multimedia 3D graphics which is capable of playing 1080 MP video. This feature puts this advice ahead of its predecessors where video quality was not that much upgraded.
• The USB hard drive incorporated on the board is used to boot the device, similar to PC hard drive where windows is used to boot the computer hard drive.

Browser Used

• Recent addition of Raspberry Pi comes with a Chromium browser which is quick and robust than the browser available in its predecessors, but still it gets stuck when it comes to opening number of heavy duty sites, however, YouTube video buffering is too quick that you don't need to wait too long before video comes into play.
• Opening number of sites at once can take more time than you anticipate, which ultimately hangs the device, causing the device memory to freeze or stuck.
• Although, experts are in constant struggle to add more advanced features with every new addition, still Pi 3 doesn't support number of advanced applications.

 

Operating System

• The official Raspbian Linux operating system runs on Pi 3. Other third party OS that can operate on this device are RISC, Kodi Media Center, Windows 10 loT core, Ubuntu Mate and classroom management.
• There are other non-Linux based systems that can run on this device which you can pick based on your needs and requirements.
• Windows 10, the latest version of windows, can run remarkably well on the desktop computer, but running windows 10 on the Pi 3 is a whole new experience, not as good as desktop computer, but still you can get a little glimpse of running windows 10 on a tiny device like Pi 3.
• The windows 10 that run on this device is not a full version of windows 10, but a reduced version that is called windows 10 loT core, capable of running only one single full screen windows app at a time, however, still it supports number of software running on the background.
• Running windows 10 on Pi 3 is not a good option though, it can make use of more processing power than required for other operating system.
• Raspberry Pi 3 is a 64 bit device, which is capable of running official Raspbian operating system. The Raspbian Pi Foundation is also looking to modifying the Raspbian operating system to make it compatible for 32 bit devices that were introduced a while ago.

Points of Consideration

• If you want to remain in constant touch with this device, it is better to enclose in a case, it will help prolong the lifetime of the device, also covers it from heat and other external factors.
• You can run number of operating systems including Linux or Non-Linux based systems, but if you are highly concerned about performance and stability of device, then running official Raspbian operating system would be an effective choice, which supports the decent amount of programming and office software.
• In case you are feeling skeptical about the functions and setting it up, you can get valuable information from the Raspberry Pi site. They will go extra mile to help you out in order to resolve your questions and queries.
• The power consumption of Pi 3 is more than Pi 2, however it turns out to be almost identical in case of less demanding work loads. Turning Pi 3 into low level laptop is bit of interesting task, which can be achieved in few bucks only.
• Pi 3 can support up to SanDisk 64GB SD card. Before making purchase of this high speed memory card, make sure you are in dire need of this card for your project as it costs more than the actual Pi 3 device. If you intend to run official Raspbian operating system, 8GG SD card would be suffice to meet your needs.
• Making a purchase in only $35 would be a worth investment for a tiny computer like this. However, there are multiple Pi kits are available which you can select from, that are modified for performing different functions based on your needs and requirements, costing you little bit extra than simple Pi 3.
• Most of the Raspberry Pi devices come with an overclocking option, means they can be configured to operate faster than defined the by the manufacturer. This can be achieved by the software command without effecting the warranty.
• Overclocking may subject to rising temperature, which ultimately can damage the device. This is the reason some devices automatically stops the overclocking at the certain temperature in order to avoid the rising temperature that can effect both quality and performance of the device. However, in severe cases heat sink is added in the device to avoid overheating.

Features of Raspberry Pi 3

• 1.4 GHz 64 bit, Broadcom BCM2387 ARM Cortex-A53 Quad Core Processor, which is 10 times faster than Raspberry Pi 1.
• 1GB RAM (LPDDR2 SDRAM) which allows you to run more advanced applications
• On-board wireless LAN, used to connect device through wireless
• On-board Bluetooth
• 4 USB ports for communication
• 300Mbit/s ethernet
• 40 GPIO pins
• Full size HDMI 1.3a port
• 10/100 BaseT Ethernet socketbr
• Fully HAT compatible
• Combined 3.5mm analog audio and composite video jack
• Camera interface (CSI), for connecting camera
• Display interface (DSI) used for connecting Raspberry Pi touch screen display
• microSD slot for storing data
• Micro USB power source
• Full size HDMI
• VideoCore IV multimedia/3D graphics core @ 400MHz/300MHz

Comparison between Raspberry Pi 3  and Computer

• Raspberry Pi 3 is identical to regular computer in terms performing many valuable functions. But it has a leg over desktop PC when it comes to cost, and approaching to hard to reach places. Spending huge amount of money on advanced computer, when you are in a beginning phase of learning computer skills, would not be good choice. It is better to invest in a tiny device like Pi 3, so you can get a glimpse of what actual PC can do.
• This device can be modified into any module like a robot or laptop, based on your needs and requirements.
• If you are obsessed with games, then this device can turn out to be a very useful gaming console, as it can run low demanding vantage games, allowing you to get rid of spending huge amount of money on laptop.
• No doubt, Raspberry Pi 3 has so many functions identical to regular PC, but it is not as fast as desktop computer when it comes to uploading or handling heavy sites.
• Gamers can find this device addictive, because it can be capable of supporting number of vintage games, however, playing more advanced games will be little bit difficult than playing on the regular PC.

Applications of Raspberry Pi 3

The Pi 3 comes with a wide range of applications with the purpose of performing most of the functions like a desktop computer. Following are the main applications of the Pi 3

• Arcade Machine
• Media Streamer
• Tablet Computer
• Home Automation
• Controlling Robots
• Internet Radio
• Coffee Projects
• Cosmic Computer

That's all for today. I hope you have enjoyed the article. However, if you have any question, you can ask me in the comment section below. I'd love to help you according to best of my expertise. Feel free to keep us updated with your feedback and suggestions, they help us to give you quality work that resonates with your needs and requirements. Thanks for reading the article. Stay Tuned!

Introduction to 2n5551

Hi Fellas! I hope you all are doing great and having fun with your lives. We always strive to give you quality work that resonates with your needs and allows you to come back again and again. I am back to give you a daily dose of useful information so you can excel and grow in your relevant field. Today, I am going to discuss the details on the Introduction to 2n5551. It is an NPN (negative-positive-negative) bipolar junction transistor BJT which is mainly designed for gas discharge display drivers and general purpose amplification. I'll try to cover each and every aspect related to this transistor so you don't need to go anywhere and you find all information in one place. You can also have a look at Introduction to 2n5401 which is a complementary PNP transistor of this NPN 2n5551 transistor. Let's dive in and explore what is it about and what are its main applications?

Introduction to 2n5551

• 2n5551 is an NPN bipolar junction transistor which is mainly used for general purpose amplification and gas discharge display drivers.
• It consists of three terminals known as the emitter, base, and collector and comes in a TO-92 package.
• Unlike FETs, this NPN transistor is a current controlled device where small current at the base side is used to control large current at the emitter and collector side.
• As it is an NPN transistor so the base will be positive with respect to the emitter.
• It features high breakdown voltage, low leakage current, capacity and beta value which are very useful over a wide range of current.

• Movement of electron plays an important role in defining the conducting nature of any transistor. This NPN transistor is known as BJT (bipolar junction transistor) because conduction is carried out by both electrons and holes but majority charge carriers are electrons.
• Whenever a voltage is applied at the base, it gets biased and controls the current at the emitter and collector side.
• The emitter emits the electrons which are collected by the collector. A base is used to control the number of electrons.
• The ability of the base to control the number of electrons is used for amplification purpose.

2n5551 Pinout

2n5551 is an NPN transistor, also known as a current controlled device which contains three terminals as follow. 1. Emitter 2. Base 3. Collector

• It is different than JFET which is a unipolar transistor, also known as a voltage controlled device.
• Transistor action is triggered when a voltage is applied at the base side which allows the free movement of electrons.
• Movement of free electrons is nothing but a bridge between emitter and collector.

Circuit Diagram of 2n5551

The circuit diagram of 2n5551 is shown in the figure below.

• The emitter current is equal to the sum of collector and base current.
• The voltage at the base side must be positive with respect to the emitter for current flow from emitter to collector.
• Forward current gain is an important factor in determining the characteristics of this transistor. It is called Beta and represented by ß. It is a ratio between collector current to the base current. As it is a ratio between two current so it exhibits no unit.
• Beta value is also known as amplification factor which determines the value of current being amplified.
• Beta value ranges between 20 to 1000 but it comes with a standard value of 200.
• The current gain of the transistor is another important factor which is called alpha and represented by a. It is a ratio between collector current and emitter current. Alpha value ranges between 0.95 to 0.99 but most of the time its value is taken as unity.
• The NPN transistor mainly consists of two diodes combined back to back.

Absolute Maximum Ratings

Following figure shows the absolute maximum ratings of 2n5551.

• Collector-Emitter and Collector-Base voltages are 160 and 180 respectively.
• And maximum power it can dissipate is 630 mW.
• These are the stress ratings which if exceeded from absolute maximum ratings, can damage the device at large.
• Similarly, if stresses are applied for an extended period of time, they can affect the overall reliability of the device.

Difference between NPN and PNP Transistors

• The main difference between these two transistors is the type of charge carrier.
• Electrons are main charge carriers in case of NPN transistors while holes are main charge carriers in case of PNP transistors.
• Most of the experts prefer NPN transistors for most of the applications because they consider conduction through electrons is better than conduction through holes.

Applications

• 2n5551 comes with high breakdown voltage and is mainly used in gas discharge display drivers.
• General purpose amplification is another feature of this NPN transistor which makes it an ideal choice for most of the professionals.

That's all for today. I hope you have found this article useful. However, if you have any question you can ask me in the comment section below. I'd love to guide you according to best of my expertise. We really appreciate if you keep us updated with your feedback and suggestions, they allow us to give you quality work. Thanks very much for reading the article. Stay Tuned!

This Is Why You're Unsafe Without A Password Manager

Lots of people have really bad password habits. This is not because they haven't been educated on how to choose a good password. Every new account gives you a number of requirements to adhere to their passwords standards, after all. Yet, having different, difficult passwords for every single account is almost impossible. It’s easier to hope for the best and use variations on the same password you've been using for all your accounts for the past twenty years. But there's a piece of software that you can use to solve your password problems. A password manager offers more than just safe storage for your passwords – good browsers do that anyway. You can choose a password manager based on Bestonlinereviews. Here is why you need one.

It creates your passwords

No matter how hard you try to create a good password, you're going to get stumped at some point. And, despite your best efforts, your results won’t be as good as they can be. A password manager saves you the trouble, creating the most secure passwords for you without you ever even having to see what they are. Not only does this take some stress out of your life, but it also improves your online security. No matter how many accounts you'll have, none of them will have the same password or even a variation on the same theme.

Your keyboard can be hacked

A lot of people believe that it’s better to type their password every time rather than saving them somewhere. But that belief is flawed, as one of the best ways to get a password is by hacking a person’s keyboard. Because of this, the more often you type your password the more likely it is to be stolen.

We can all fall prey to scams

As much as I hate to admit it, I’ve fallen prey to more than one phishing scam. These are scams that take you to a website that looks like something you know (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) and asks you to enter your username and password. Of course, once you’ve done so, you've given your details directly to scammers. Password managers take the power to self-destruct away from us. They won’t input our passwords without verifying that the sites we’re using are the real thing. We can’t enter the password ourselves, as we never knew it to begin with.

Our passwords should change often

When was the last time you changed a password? Probably when you forgot the password for an account you hadn’t used in a while. Changing passwords is work that none of us have time for. Password managers, however, have time for it. You can set them to change your passwords on a regular basis. You don’t even have to know about it. Changing passwords prevents software from having enough time to decipher them in the first place. A password manager is a must in this day and age. Don’t put your most personal information in the hands of your shaky memory!

3 iOS Apps Every iPhone User Needs In 2018

When we continue using the same smartphone brand for years on end, we tend to get stuck in habits. This is especially true regarding the apps we use. Most people reading this are using the same apps in 2018 that they were using in 2015. There’s nothing wrong with that. Certain apps are incredibly useful, and they continue updating with added features and functionality. For the most part, you probably have everything you need. But you're also missing out on some apps which will make your smartphone experience much better. To get you started, here are 3 of the best iPhone apps available in 2018.

1. Gboard

Google’s search app has been improving through the years, and if you remember it as nothing more than a gratuitous platform to search with instead of a browser, you're in for a surprise. But it’s a related app (or feature that comes with the app) that you may not realize you need. Gboard, Google’s keyboard, is far better than any other 3rd party app, and a lot more useful than iOS’s own keyboard. Gboard has capabilities of “swiping” rather than typing and has easy access to emojis without changing your keyboard. Those are basic features on a 3rd party keyboard, and Gboard goes much further. Searching through emojis and gifs can be done within the keyboard. Before you've typed a word, you're given the option to start with one of the two. Then there’s the search function itself, allowing you to search for anything from the answer to a question to a good place to eat, and send the results straight to the person you're texting. Get the app and play around with it, and I guarantee it will become your number 1 keyboard.

2. ExpressVPN

Whether you know it or not, you've needed a VPN for the past few years. A VPN keeps you safe from hackers and surveillance, while giving you access to content from other countries. I recently switched to ExpressVPN, and was quite surprised to find out I’d been settling for an option that was less than perfect. ExpressVPN is the best VPN for iPhone for a number of reasons. It makes it easy to connect either from the app or straight from settings. It lets you switch easily between servers in many different countries. It will also stop your phone from connecting to websites if the VPN sleeps, and will connect again when you pick up your phone. It also works with the Netflix app, which my old VPN did not do. You'll need to buy a subscription, but their prices are low, and it will cover 3 devices simultaneously.

3. Google Photos

As a confirmed Apple fan, I’m as surprised as you are that 2 out of 3 apps here are made by Google. The fact is, Google’s iPhone apps can give you the best of both worlds. Google photos does a lot more than Apple’s native app. The lens feature, just introduced for iOS, lets you search for anything you've taken a photo of. In the past week, I’ve used this feature to identify a type of tree, as well as to get the Korean text from a mug at a coffee shop which I then translated to English. Google Photos has other cool features. It will take your photos and offer to turn them into collages, animations, movies, and panoramas. Yes, it actually detects photos of one setting and stitches them together to create panoramas better than you'd be able to using the feature on the camera. It is a wonderful app to have, whether you're a regular Instagrammer or just like to screenshot memes.

A Tour to JLCPCB - Fabrication House

Demand of PCB is on the rise in recent electronics where devices are becoming more compact and composed. PCB came into spotlight a while ago and made a renowned name in the development of advance technology within few years. Recent PCBs used in many electronics allow you to get rid of most conventional ways of connecting different components on the boards. Poor fabrication and board design can scare the hell out of your customers and severely effect your overall reputation in the market. Taking proper measurements and following ideal protocols can help you save bunch of time in the early stages of a project. What company you choose for fabricating your PCB widely impacts the overall nature and quality of your project. These are many fabrications houses out there but only few actually deliver what they truly promise, JLCPCB is one of them.

A Quick Review about JLCPCB

JLCPCB turns out to be an ideal choice for meeting  your needs and expectations when it comes to providing quality product. They don't brag about their skills and ability to fabricate an accurate PCB, but their excellence does. Customer satisfaction is their first priority rather than achieving financial goals Getting new customers is not a big deal unless you have an ability to retain your previous customers which JLCPCB truly understands and provides flawless customer service, allowing customers keep coming back for what they have to offer. There are many reasons you must prefer JLCPCB but I can cover few of them including flawless customer service, quality product, delivery assurance, and affordable price. Every company comes with drawbacks and limitations but what matter is how nicely they handle the problems and queries of the customers and provide a definite solution that resonates with customer's needs and expectations. JLCPCB comes with skilled professionals who exactly know what they do and are proficient in their craft. This is the reason almost 200,000 customers around the world prefer them over others. Your brand is all about trust and reputation that you get from the regular customers by meeting their demands and pushing the limits of the work place that provides flawless service. Whatever company you pick for PCB fabrication, just go through a quick review about the company that makes your decision process easy and helps you avoid the remaking of PCB  in the later stages of your project. Every kind of PCB can be fabricated in their house ranging from single layer to double layer to multilayer to aluminum backed to high frequency PCBs. You can see above diagram in which number of layer, material used, delivery time, everything is mentioned with price.

How PCBs are Fabricated?

Some terms are essential to know for your better understanding JLCPCB uses for fabricating a simple board. A simple PCB is composed of different layers and each layer comes with its own specific function. These layers are joined together with the help of adhesive and heat which incorporate a single board capable of connecting different components electrically. The base material is composed of fiber glass and FR4 is the most common fiber glass used in recent times. However, phenolics and epoxies are also used but they are not as durable as FR4. There resides a copper layer on the substrate. Heat and adhesives are used to laminate copper layer on the substrate. Some boards come with copper layers on both side of the board, however, it depends which type of board you intend to fabricate. Single layer PCB have copper tracks on one side of the board while double layer PCB comes with tracks on both side of the board. Multilayer PCB comes with a combination of single sided and double sided PCB, where multiple layers are joined together to connect components on the board. Soldermask layer resides over a copper layer which is used to insulate copper tracks in order to avoid any conduction in case any direct contact happens with some metal. Silkscreen layer exists on the top of all layers which is used to print symbols or numbers on the board that give better understanding of the board.

Through Hole and Surface Mount Technology

PCBs are fabricated using two technologies i.e Through Hole Technology and Surface Mount Technology. Using through hole technology they fabricate a PCB that comes with accurate hole, you can see from the diagram below, where vias are accurate and precise. Leads are used to pass through the holes which are then soldered on the other side of the board. In the Surface Mount Technology, PCB is fabricated in such a way where components are directly placed on the surface of the board. You can make use of any technology based on your needs and requirements.

Quality Assurance

What I like most about JLCPCB, they don't compromise on quality no matter how many PCB pieces you intend to fabricate. Advanced production lines are installed in their fabricating house that results in precise and an accurate board. PCBs are 100% AOI tested and fabricated using A level boards material.

Advanced Tracking System

Getting a quote is very easy and hassle free, you just need to upload gerber file in order to get instant quote. You don't need to worry about the status of your order, as they come with advanced ERP system that allows you to keep the track record of order processing status, setting you free from the fabricating process and allows you to keep focus on more preferable tasks like designing or other processes that make the PCB suitable for installing in the electronic project.

Quick Follow Up

Managing 8000 online orders daily seems like a hectic task but they come with a skilled staff that handles these orders very beautifully and keeps customers engage with regular follow up in the whole process of fabricating PCB.

Economical Price

JLCPCB keeps an eye on the fabricating cost and provides an effective solution to your needs in an affordable price. Based on my personal experience, I'd highly recommend JLCPCB house for fabricating your PCB. They will provide best experience as they believe in maintaining a long lasting relationship with the customers by providing flawless service. That's all about review. I hope you have got a clear idea about this company and why you should prefer them over others. However, if still you feel skeptical or have any question, you can ask me in the comment section below, I'd love to guide you according to best of my expertise. Thanks for reading the article. Stay Tuned!

Introduction to 1n5819

Hi Guys! We always feel happy when you come over to browse useful information that meets with your needs and requirements. Electronic components used in electronic industry are the backbone of recent technology that make our lives easy and help us get rid of the most conventional ways of running electronic projects. Today,  I am going to discuss the details on the Introduction to 1n5819. This is a metal to silicon power diode, also termed as Schottky Rectifier, that applies Schottky Barrier Principle. It is mainly used as rectifiers in high frequency low voltage inverters, polarity protection diodes and free wheeling diodes. I'll try to cover each and everything related to this transistor so you don't need to go anywhere and find all information in one place. Let's dive in and unlock the properties of this diode.

Introduction to 1n5819

• 1n5819 is a metal to silicon power diode that applies Schottky Barrier Principle. It is also referred as Schottky Rectifier(named after Scientist Walter H. Schottky), surface barrier diode, hot electron diode or hot carrier diode.
• This diode is mainly used as a rectifier in many devices including high frequency low voltage inverters, polarity protection diodes, free wheeling diodes and radio frequency applications.
• It is little bit different than normal PN junction diode where metal like platinum or aluminium are used in place of P-Type semiconductor.
• In Schottky diode, semiconductor and metal joined together, forming a metal-semiconductor junction where semiconductor side acts as an cathode and metal side acts as a anode.
• When metal-semiconductor junction formed between metal and semiconductor, they result in depletion layer also referred as Schottky barrier.
• Schottky comes with low stored charge and exhibits low power loss and high efficiency mechanical characteristics.

• It is manufactured in such a way that all external surfaces are corrosion resistant and terminals are easily solderable where current flows in one direction only and it stops the current flowing in other direction.
• Maximum temperature it can withstand for soldering purpose is 260 °C.
• Guard ring die construction gives it transient protection and high surge capability.
• The power drop occurred in this diode is lower than PN junction diodes.
• The Schottky diode is a semiconductor diode that comes with fast switching applications and it pertains to less unwanted noise as compared to PN junction diode which makes it an ideal choice for most of the switching applications.
• When voltage is applied across the diode terminals, current starts to flow which results is small voltage drop across the terminals.
• The voltage drop in this diode lies around 0.15 to 0.45 which is very low as compared to regular diode where voltage drop lies between around 0.6 to 1.7 V.
• The lower voltage drop results in higher efficiency and higher switching speed.
• The voltage drop is actually referred as a voltage required to turn on the diode.
• The voltage required to turn on the germanium is same as Schottky diode, but germanium diodes are not used in most of the applications because they feature very less switching speed as compared to germanium diode.

How Schottky Diode 1n5819 Works

• Working of Schottky diode is slightly different than normal PN junction diode where P-Type semiconductor is replaced by metal.
• When metal and semiconductor are joined together, they shape a metal-semiconductor junction which allows the flow of electron from higher energy level to lower energy level.
• As the electrons available in N-Type semiconductor exhibit more energy and start flowing from semiconductor to the metal region.
• We know when atom loses an electron, it results in positive ion and when atom gains electrons it results in negative ion.
• Similarly, when N-Type semiconductor loses electron, it clothes positive charge on it and the electrons that go to the metal allow it to cloth negative charge on it.

• The positive and negative charges appearing on the metal and semiconductor region are nothing but the depletion region.
• The electronic width available in the n-type semiconductor is much larger than the electronic width that allows the electron to move from semiconductor to the metal.
• Basically built-in-voltage houses inside the semiconductor that can be seen by the conduction bands when electrons try to move to the metal region.
• In order to move electrons from semiconductor to the metal region, the positional energy of the electrons must be greater than the built-in-voltage.
• We are referring unbiased Schottky diode where only small number of electrons pass from semiconductor to metal region because built-in-voltage creates a barrier which refrains the large movement of electrons from semiconductor to the metal region.

Absolute Maximum Ratings of 1n5819

Following figure shows the absolute maximum ratings of 1n5819.

• It is important to note that these are the stress ratings, which if exceed from absolute maximum ratings, can damage the device severely.
• Similarly, if stresses are applied for extended period of time, they can effect the reliability of the device.

Comparison between Schottky Diode and PN junction Diode

• There are number of differences between Schottky diode and PN junction diode. The Schottky diode is a uni-polar device because conduction is carried out by the movement of electrons only. Conduction through holes is very negligible as compared to conduction through electrons.
• PN junction diode is a bipolar device where conduction is carried by the movement of both charge carriers i.e. electrons and holes.
• In Schottky diode, the reverse breakdown voltage and depletion region is very small or negligible as compared to silicon PN junction diode.
• Similarly, the voltage drop across Schottky is very low as compared to PN junction diode which makes it suitable for many switching applications.

Applications

Schottky diodes come with a number of applications including

• General purpose rectifier
• Radio frequency applications
• Detect signals and power supplies
• Logic Circuits
• Polarity protection diodes
• Free wheeling diodes

That's all for today. I hope you have enjoyed the article. We love to keep you updated with relevant information that helps you resolve your questions and queries. However, if you feel skeptical or have any question you can approach in the comment section below.I'll get back to you as soon as possible and help you with best of my expertise. Thanks for reading the article. Stay Tuned!

Introduction to TIP120

Hi Friends! We welcome you on board. Electronic industry is already filled with a number of devices and components that help ease the daily life of a common man. However, there is always much room for innovation in the electronics industry when it comes to facilitating the customers. When there comes a requirement for switching and amplification, there is a need for transistors. Today, I am going to unlock the details on the Introduction to TIP120. This is an NPN Darlington transistor which is mainly used for general purpose amplification and medium power switching applications. It comes with a Darlington pair in which two transistors are connected in such a way, the current amplified by the one transistor is being amplified further by the other transistor. This configuration features much higher current gain as compared to if each transistor is taken separately. Before we move on, you must have a look at BJT (Bipolar Junction Transistor) that I have updated recently. Let's get started.

Introduction to TIP120

• TIP120 is an NPN Darlington transistor which is mainly used for general purpose amplification and medium power switching applications.
• It mainly consists of an emitter, base, and collector which are the basic parts of any transistor. This is a bipolar power transistor where conduction is carried out by both charge carriers i.e. electrons and holes but main charge carriers are electrons as this an NPN transistor.
• TIP120 comes with a Darlington pair in which two transistors are connected in such a way, the current amplified by the one transistor is being amplified further by the other transistor. This configuration features much higher current gain as compared to if each transistor is taken separately.
• In this NPN Darlington configuration, the emitter of the first transistor is connected to the base of the second transistor which allows the current amplify.

• Transistors are electronic switches that fulfill the power requirement of the project. When normal transistors are not enough to meet the power requirement of the projects, we replace normal transistors with Darlington transistor that are same as regular transistors with some exceptions i.e they are capable of driving a much larger load.
• When a voltage is applied at the base side, it gets biased and draws small current which is used to control large current at the collector and emitter side.
• This transistor comes with a DC current gain of 1000 and can switch up to 60 V with a peak current of 8A.
• This device is developed using planar technology and incorporated into a monolithic Darlington configuration. It exhibits exceptional high gain performance and low saturation voltage.
• It comes with a much higher current gain which means a small amount of current from a microcontroller or sensor can be used to drive a much large load.
• This is an NPN transistor that comes with electrons as major charge carriers. While PNP transistor comes with holes as major charge carriers.

TIP120 Pinout

This transistor mainly comes with three terminals as follow 1. Base 2. Collector 3. Emitter

• Movement of electrons plays an important role in defining the nature of conductivity of the transistor. In this transistor main charge carriers are electrons.
• As it is an NPN transistor so the base is positive with respect to the emitter. And collector voltage is much larger than base voltage.

Circuit Diagram of TIP120 to Control Motor

Following figure shows the circuit diagram of TIP120 to control motor

• This is the circuit to control 5 V motor which draws 1 A of current.
• TIP120 doesn't appear to be very efficient while controlling 5 V motor because it is not a regular transistor but a pair of transistors which are connected together to shape a single product which allows driving a larger load.
• However, achieving high gain comes with some drawback and limitations as results in a higher voltage drop.
• Higher current designs cause more heat that can melt the components involving in the project. In order to remain in a safer side, you can add a heatsink, that helps in the heat dissipation and prevents the circuits from catching fire.
• This transistor is a current controlled device which is different than MOSFET that is voltage controlled device.

Absolute Maximum Ratings

Following figure shows the absolute maximum ratings of TIP120 Darlington transistor.

• These are the stress ratings. In view of these stress ratings, you must keep few things into consideration.
• These stress ratings must not exceed the absolute maximum ratings otherwise they can damage the device.
• Similarly, if these stresses are applied for a maximum period of time, they can affect the device reliability.

Applications

• This transistor is mainly used for general purpose amplification.
• Medium power switching applications make use of this transistor because it exhibits more power than a regular transistor.
• Darlington transistors are used in high current circuits, especially in computer control of motor applications where current is being amplified from the computer to the level required for the connected device.

That's all for today. I hope you have enjoyed the article. However, if you feel skeptical or have any question you can approach me in the comment section below. I'd love to help you according to best of my expertise. Keep us updated with your feedback and suggestions, they allow us to give you quality work that resonates with your needs and expectations and helps you keep coming back for what we have to offer. Thanks for reading the article. Stay Blessed!

High Frequency PCB

Hi Guys! I hope you are enjoying life and getting most out of it. In terms of ease of use and availability, some components and devices become the integral part of electronics, PCB is one of them. PCB not only removes the need of end to end wiring, but it also covers less space and weight and turns out to be less costly. Today, I am going to add High Frequency PCB in our descriptive list of articles related to PCB and its types. High Frequency PCB is a type of PCB which is widely used in applications involving special signal transmission between objects. It is available in frequency range of 500MHz to 2GHz and is an ideal choice for mobile, microwave, radio frequency and high speed design applications. If you are interested in embedded system, then you can use Proteus Ares to design your PCB. I'll try to cover whole topic related to High Frequency PCB from every aspect so you can grab the main concept very easily. Let's dive in and explore what is High Frequency PCB and how it has affected electronic industry?

High Frequency PCB

• We are familiar with the word PCB, some of you who are not, it is an acronym of Printed Circuit Board which uses conductive tracks and paths to electronically connect different components on the board.
• Copper is used to provide conductive path on the board which is laminated on the substrate material which is mostly made up of epoxy resin.
• Signal communication plays a vital role in electronic projects specially when it comes to WiFi and satellite system.
• Where there is a need of signal communication between two objects, there is a need of high frequency boards.
• High Frequency PCB is a type of PCB used for signal transmission  in the variety of applications including mobile, microwave, radio frequency and high speed design applications.
• High Frequency boards come with high frequency laminates are difficult to fabricate because they need to maintain thermal heat transfer of the application, in view of the sensitivity of the signal.
• Special materials are used to attain the high frequency given by the High Frequency PCB.
• Characteristics of the high frequency board can effect the overall performance of the signal, similarly any change in the Er value of the materials used can widely impact the impedance of the board.
• Most of the professionals prefer rogers dielectric material because it turns out to be less expensive, have low DK and DF value, reduced signal loss and appears to be suitable for fabrication and prototyping applications.
• Teflon is another common material used in the manufacturing process of the high frequency PCB, which comes with frequency of 5GHz.
• Some people are concerned about if FR4 can be used for RF applications? FR4 can be used in many applications requiring 1GHz to 10GHz frequency. But these FR4 based products come with their own drawbacks and limitations, they fail badly when high frequency is required for the signal transmission.

• In terms of DK, DF and water absorption factor, Teflon is the best, but more expensive than FR4.
• If your projects requires frequency more than 10GHz with higher quality and stable signal, then Teflon is the best choice.
• High frequency signals are vulnerable to noise and come with much tighter impedance tolerance as compared to conventional circuit boards.
• However, proper bend radius and accurate ground plans on impedance traces can help you design a product that can work in an effective way.
• By considering the certain parameters like coefficient of thermal expansion, dielectric constant, dissipation factor, temperature coefficient, thermal coefficient and quality of the material used can help the manufacturer design a final product that resonates with the client's needs and expectations.
• Ground plane is an important part in high speed design applications, because it not only retains the quality of the signal but also helps in reducing EMI emissions. It works nicely by providing controlled impedance traces that resonate with load and electrical source. It plays an important role in keep the signal connected with their return path.
• If you are interested to make PCB design by yourself, you can choose any of these top 10 PCB designing software. 

Prior Considerations

• The development of layout design is the most crucial part in making high speed products.
• If you are not expert in designing a layout design, you must have few words with the person who is going to make your layout design.
• Simple measures taken in the early stage can save you bunch of time in the later stage in case any remaking of the layout design is required.
• Give proper instructions and guidance to the layout designer so he can incorporate your idea in real time.
• Your instructions must include the sketch of the board, number of layers and signal layers on the board, thickness of the board, location of critical components on the board, location of bypassing components and the nature of critical traces, and the distance between the traces and the components, infact each and every thing you must keep in handy before you look for layout designer.

How to Pick a PCB Material

• Before you pick High Frequency PCB and suitable material for your project, you must take few things into considerations:
• Dielectric constant is the ability of material to store energy in the electric field. It is dependent on the direction of the material i.e. it will change as the axis of the material changes. It must be small enough so it delivers stable input in order to avoid any delay in the transmission signal.
• Similarly, Dissipation Factor must be small, because high DF can severely effect the quality of the transmission signal. So less DF will pertain to less signal wastage.
• Loss Tangent is another factor based on the moleculer structure of the material that can effect the RF material containing high frequencies. However, it is not of much concern for the low frequency signals.
• Proper spacing is very important in terms of cross talk and skineffect. Crosstalk happens when board starts interacting with itself and pertains to undesired coupling with their own components. In order to avoid crosstalk, distance between trace and plane must be minimum.
• Skineffect is directly connected with the resistance of the traces. It starts increasing when resistance increases which ultimately results in warming the board.So trace width and length must be selected in a way that it can not effect the board at higher frequencies.

• Smaller diameter vias come with low conductance and are most suitable as frequency go higher.
• Higher the value of Peel off resistance, impact endurance, and heat resistance, the better the quality of the signal.
• Coefficient of thermal expansion defines the effect of temperature on the size of the material. It widely effects on the drilling and assembly process of the PCB, because slight change in temperature can severely alter the size of the material. The thermal expansion of the copper foil must be same, because difference in thermal expansion may result in the separation of copper foil, in case material is subjected to changing temperature.
• Environment is a big concern in which your device is operating. If your device is going to be used in Lab or indoor environment then moisture won't be a big issue. Problem arises when your device exposes in wet environment. So, water absorption of the material should be low, because high absorption factor may alter the DF and DK value in the moisture.

Following are some materials that can be used for high frequency:

• Rogers 4350B HF
• Rogers RO3001
• Rogers RO3003
• Taconic RF-35 Ceramic
• Taconic TLX
• ISOLA IS620 E-fibre glass
• ARLON 85N

Once the design and material selection have been completed, designers strive to start a manufacturing process while keeping the key process variables in consideration such as maintaining the line width and dielectric spacing to ensure the robust design that resonates with the design requirements and delivers consistent performance in most effective and reliable way. You can also get benefit of online PCB design services, here are top online PCB design services. 

How to Create Controlled Impedance Transmission Lines

• Development of controlled impedance transmission lines is very important in order to avoid any signal loss.
• There are two common ways to make controlled impedance transmission lines named as Microstrip and Stripline methods.
• Microstrip is the existence of the trace on the top layer that comes with a ground plane below.
• Calculating the impedance of a mircostrip is little bit tricky and complex though and depends on various factors including relative permitivity of the board material, thickness and width of the trace and its height above the plane. In order to achieve better result, ground plane must be closer to the top layer.

• Stripline is another addition to control impedance which is quite identical to microstirp with one exception i.e.it comes with an extra group plane on the top of the trace.
• In this case, trace must be placed between the layers of two planes.
• Stripline is better as compared to microstrip because it has an ability to contain EMI radiation within the two planes.

Applications

• High Frequency Products can be observed in number of applications including advanced communications systems, and industrial and medical applications.
• Similarly cell phones, GPS receiver, RF remote control, ZigBee make use of high speed products for better signal transmission.
• High speed test equipments are comprised of high speed products that provide better performance throughout the life span of the application.
• Airborne and Ground based radar systems are a true example of high speed circuits.

The demand of high speed products is on the rise in electronic industry. They meet the requirements of the customers where regular circuit boards fail to deliver efficiently. However, you can choose any of these different types of PCBs based on your needs and requirements. If you feel skeptical or have any question you can approach me in the comment section below. We go extra mile to help resolve the queries of the visitors. Feel feel to keep us updated with your valuable feedback and suggestions, they allow us to give your quality work so you keep coming back for what we have to offer. Stay Tuned!

What is Aluminum PCB

Hey Guys! We welcome you on board. Technology evolves every day with the addition of advanced components and devices that make our lives easy. A few years back we were dependent on end-to-end wiring and connectors to electrically connect different electronic components. The inception of PCB substantially removed the need of an end to end wiring and gave an entirely new look to the electronic industry.

In this article, I'll give you a detailed Introduction to Aluminum PCB. It is a type of PCB that uses dielectric thermally conductive and electrically insulated material between the copper layer and aluminum metal. This PCB is a highly effective choice for applications that involve heat dissipation or high temperature. You must have a quick look at Multilayer PCB and Different Types of PCB that I have updated previously.

Let's dive in and explore what is Aluminum PCB? what are its advantages over regular PCB and its main applications.

What is Aluminum PCB?

Before we look into aluminum PCB, we must have a clear concept of what is PCB? PCB is an acronym of Printed Circuit Board, which uses conductive paths and traces incorporated on a single board that electrically connects different electronic components on the board. Copper is used to provide a conductive path that is laminated on the substrate material.

• Aluminum PCB, also referred as metal base PCB, is a type of PCB that consists of copper-clad laminate and a thin dielectric thermally conductive and electrically insulating layer of Aluminium.
• The copper foil adopts the desired circuit pattern while the aluminum base allows the heat-dissipating with the help of a dielectric placed between the layers.
• Aluminum constructions are mainly divided into three layers

1. Circuit Layer: It is a copper layer that comes with a thickness of around 1 to 10 oz.
2. Insulating Layer: A dielectric layer of thermally conductive and electrically insulating material
3. Base Aluminum Layer: This is mainly composed of copper or aluminum metal substrate. There are multiple thicknesses available, however the most common thickness is 1mm.

Types of Aluminum PCB

There are a number of types of aluminum PCBs which are used in many applications based on their construction and design. However, the main purpose of all the aluminum PCBs is almost the same; providing heat dissipation solutions for applications involving high temperature. Following are the main types of aluminum PCBs.

Flexible Aluminum PCB

• Flexible dielectric is a new addition in the development of aluminum products.
• These materials come with polyimide resin integrated with ceramic filters which exhibit high flexibility, thermal efficiency and excellent electrical insulation.
• When these materials are applied to an aluminum material, they result in a final product that eliminates the need for costly cables and connectors.
• The amount of flexibility allows these products to fold, twist or shape into any form before they remain in place.
• Once they adopt a specific shape, they can not be altered or modified like regular flexible PCBs.

Hybrid Aluminum PCB

• In hybrid aluminum construction, non-thermal material is processed and refined separately before it is applied to the thermal materials with an aluminum base.
• The most common practice is developing 2 layers or 4 layers structure that comprises of FR4 material normally.
• A non-thermal material that is bonded with thermal material and the aluminum base provides rigidity and helps in the dissipation of heat.
• This non-thermal bonding is preferred over using all thermal materials because it features less cost and encompasses efficient thermal conductance over regular FR4 products.
• No heat sinks or assembly steps are required for the development of this product.
• Through-hole components can be easily adjusted using component windows on the aluminum base.
• This helps in passing the cables and connectors through the substrate. Also, the seal created by the solder fillet eliminates the need for costly adapters.

Multilayer Aluminum PCB

• Multilayer Aluminum PCBs are very common in power supply products and come with multiple layers of thermally conductive dielectrics.
• These materials are very useful when they are combined with one or more layers of circuitry in which thermally conductive dielectric is buried between the layers with the help of blind vias which also act as a signal or thermal vias.
• Single-layer construction of these designs is not very effective, however, when they come with more complex designs they provide an ideal solution for many applications involving heat dissipation.

Through-Hole Aluminum PCB

• • When it comes to most complex constructions, a single layer of aluminum is back-filled and pre-drilled with before applying lamination, forming a Core of multilayer constructions.
  • Thermal bonding materials are then used to laminate the thermal materials on both sides of the aluminum.
  • Once lamination is done, drilling is applied to the assembly.
  • In order to maintain proper electrical insulation, the plated through holes created as the result of drilling must pass through aluminum clearances.

Advantages of Aluminum PCB

• The high level of heat dissipation provided by aluminum PCB makes them an ideal choice for applications involving high temperature and running hours.
• Low cost is another benefit that makes aluminum effective and economical. Aluminum is a common metal, easily available that can be mined and refined at a very low cost.
• The non-toxic nature of aluminum makes it environmentally friendly and an ideal choice for applications that involve the recycling of products.
• The strength and durability provided by aluminum-based products are much higher than fiberglass and ceramic materials.
• Aluminum material is very strong and sturdy in nature that makes it capable of enduring more pressure and stress when it comes to manufacturing and material handling as compared to other metals.
• Aluminum is very lightweight. It adds strength and durability to the product without adding additional weight.
• The thermal conductance of dielectric used is 5 to 10 times higher than old epoxy glass.
• Thermal transfer is more efficient and reliable than regular PCB.

Applications of Aluminum PCB

• These products were mainly developed for high-power switching applications but they gained enough popularity when they are introduced in LED applications.
• The aluminum design operates at a higher current for mounted LEDs, keeping the temperature tolerance within specified limits.
• The automotive and RF industries go the extra mile to utilize the advantages of these products and make them available for the common man.
• Aluminum PCBs are an effective choice for applications involving heat dissipation because they provide an ideal exit of the heat with the help of dielectric, maintaining the overall temperature of the project design.

That's all for today. I hope you have found this article useful and effective. If you intend to work online, you must look at the top online PCB design service. I have tried my best to provide you most relevant and useful information that resonates with your field of interest. If you feel skeptical or have any questions, you can ask me in the comment section below without any hesitation. I'd love to help you according to the best of my expertise. Feel free to keep up updated with your valuable feedback and suggestions, they allow us to give you quality work so that you keep coming back for what we have to offer. Thanks very much for reading the article. Stay Tuned!