How do Transistors work? Almost like a flush toilet #Electronics #EE @startitup_

 

Start it up explores how transistors work, noting it’s similar to a flush toilet!

In a basic amplifier circuit the emitter is connected to a voltage source, such as a battery, while the collector is connected to the ground via a resistor. Injecting a small current into the base (labeled “B”), a large current is observed to flow between the emitter (labeled “E”) and the collector (labeled “C”), such that the voltage output on the right is large, too (see the picture above, on the left).

The net result is that you inject a small current in the base of the transistor and you see a large current flowing out of the collector, as if the input current were multiplied by some factor. In fact, the current observed at the output of the transistor is not the amplified input current, but another current, proportional to the input current, extracted from the voltage source. The transistor acts just as a switch, allowing current flowing from the voltage source to the ground, through the resistor.

An interesting analogy can be made between a transistor amplifier and a toilet (see the right-hand side of the picture above). The emitter is the flush cistern, while the collector is the toilet bowl. Imagine attaching a small bucket to the flush lever, which represents the base. Pouring a little water into the bucket is like injecting a current into the base of the transistor. The weight of the water poured into the bucket activates the lever and the toilet valve opens, allowing the water contained in the emitter/cistern (the analogue of the charges contained in the voltage source attached to the emitter of the transistor) to flow copiously into the collector/bowl, as if the device were multiplying the water poured into the bucket and letting it flow into the pipe (the analogue of the resistor).

Read more about this in the article here


Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat and our Discord!

Join us every Wednesday night at 8pm ET for Ask an Engineer!

Join over 38,000+ makers on Adafruit’s Discord channels and be part of the community! http://adafru.it/discord

CircuitPython – The easiest way to program microcontrollers – CircuitPython.org


New Products – Adafruit Industries – Makers, hackers, artists, designers and engineers! — New Products 11/15/2024 Featuring Adafruit bq25185 USB / DC / Solar Charger with 3.3V Buck Board! (Video)

Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: A New Arduino MicroPython Package Manager, How-Tos and Much More! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi

EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey

Adafruit IoT Monthly — The 2024 Recap Issue!

Maker Business – Adafruit Daily — Apple to build another chip at TSMC Arizona

Electronics – Adafruit Daily — SMT Tip – Stop moving around!

Get the only spam-free daily newsletter about wearables, running a "maker business", electronic tips and more! Subscribe at AdafruitDaily.com !


No Comments

No comments yet.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.