Questions tagged [npn]

A type of bipolar transistor comprised of n-type semiconductor in contact with p-type semiconductor which in turn is in contact with a n-type semiconductor -> thus NPN. The transistor has three terminals, the Emitter, Base and the Collector. Current injected into the base controls the flow of current from Emitter to Collector enabling amplification and switching.

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LED still on when transistor is closed with Arduino

When simulating the following circuit, there is no problem. However, when I do it in real life, with a BC558 transistor, the LED stays on even when the Arduino is not sending any voltage. The resistor ...
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To BJT or not to BJT: That is the question [duplicate]

Practically speaking, when is it better to use a BJT vs a FET for swtiching (not as a linear amp)? Given that FETs have both N-channel and P-channel forms, and BJTs come in NPN or PNP, it seems that ...
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Need help driving the enable pin on a TPS2595 with a voltage divider; not exactly sure which method is better to use

I'm a hobbyist at best, and am trying to overcome the learning curve as far as pull-up and pull-down resistors, N channel transistors and P channel transistors, etc, etc. I've got a USB Type-C charge ...
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Switching 9V using a NPN transistor and 5V alarm output

I am needing to trigger a relay with the alarm output of a fluke DAQ. The alarm is only outputting 5V 0.15mA which is not enough current to trigger the relay I am using, a Data Loggers IoT Relay II. I ...
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Maximum voltage range for input in emitter follower

In Horowitz - Hill's The Art of Electronics, 2nd edition, paragraph 2.03, an emitter follower with an npn BJT is presented. Figure 2.8 uses a symmetrical power supply: simulate this circuit – ...
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I have a schematic where the bases of two transistors are connected with each other. I don't understand how it is supposed to perform any function

I'm reverse engineering a MPPT charge controller. I looked at its PCB and I drew the schematic from it and I've been as thorough as I can (checking and cross-checking many times). I know the "...
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Can someone explain this circuit to me? I'm especially confused about how the transistors work with their bases connected to each other

This circuit is from this video. I'm confused about how the transistors work in this circuit.
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Why is base current needed after transistor is switched on?

If there already is a current flowing from the collector to the emitter, can’t the electrons just keep jumping over the PN junction? Why does killing the base current make that impossible?
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The motor barely spins in this H-Bridge circuit?

The motor barely spins in this H-Bridge circuit. So I put together this schematic with 4x Tip41c NPN transistors. I also tried tip120 NPN. The resistors were 1k ohms. Running off the RaspberryPi 3.3V ...
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Can I use a CA3081 NPN transistor array instead of a bunch of 2N3904 transistors to drive a bunch of MOSFETs?

I was going to drive a MOSFET from an ESP32 (3.3 V output) with a 2N3904 NPN transistor like this: I will need 24 MOSFETs in my project, and that is a lot of soldering. I found the CA3081 general ...
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C1815 NPN transistor output voltage doesn't exceed 5 V

The connections are as follows: [+5 V from arduino pin] => 680 Ω resistor => C1815 transistor's base pin (3) [+14 V from variable power supply] => C1815 transistor's collector pin (2) [C1815 ...
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How do I saturate an NPN transistor for switching?

I want to use a 12F675 to turn on two LEDs. After a little research, I decided to use a 2N2222A NPN transistor and 2 LEDs in series (2V-drop 20mA consumption.) As I read in datasheet, microcontroller ...
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NPN transistor not emitting anticipated voltage [closed]

I have 12 V connected to the collector of an NPN transistor. I have a pin of an ESP8255 (which emits 3.3 V) connected to the base. I'm trying to power a 7-segment display with it, but the emitter ...
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Creating a 3.3 V audio amplifier using an NPN 2N2222 transistor

It has been way too long since I did anything with transistor amplifiers. I am trying to find an example of a 3.3 V NPN transistor amplifier preferably based around a 2N2222 transistor. I have lost ...
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NPN BJT on voltage

I'm in the process of designing this small circuit using an SS8050 NPN transistor. I have an input base voltage of 1.28V and I'd like it to be working as a switch to turn on a little buzzer. According ...
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Unexpected voltages on home-made OR gate

I've created some home-made gates using discreet components onto strip board. So far I have an OR gates, an AND gate and 4 NOR gates. Logically they all work as expected but on only one of my 4 NOR ...
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NPN transistor seems on even though base is grounded with resistor

I have this very simple circuit, which behaves strangely. OC0A is a ~64kHz/50% PWM signal coming from an ATmega328P. With the circuit as pictured, the LED lights up EXTREMELY dim even though R2 ...
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1 answer
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How do I create this circuit using NPN instead of PNP transistors

Due to reasons and curiosity, I want to know if I can recreate this circuit using NPN transistors instead of PNP transistors. I know functionally that they can be the same if we invert the polarities; ...
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Layperson asking intuitive question about bipolar junction transistor

I am a layperson trying to understand how the bipolar junction transistor works from this excellent article: https://spectrum.ieee.org/transistor-history The relevant paragraphs are as follows: ...
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NPN transistors, LED strip and Arduino

I'm trying to control an LED-strip with an Arduino like an 8x8 matrix with a common anode (pic 1). I put 2 NPN-transistors in the circuit and a LED-strip between them. The first transistors in pic 2 ...
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1 answer
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What is the purpose of these transistor pairs

This picture is part of a circuit designed to measure capacitance. The control circuit would apply +12V or -12V on "DTR pin 20" and the two resistors give a minimum and maximum voltage ...
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Operating point for high current transistors

I'm a neophyte self-thaught learning electronics. I'm trying to amplify a DC current from a little less than 1 to 8 A using an NPN transistor. Currently I'm trying to figure out how even could I ...
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ESP32 opto-isolated relay board not working - PC817 opto-isolator, 2N3904 NPN BJT and SRD-05VDC-SL-C relay

I have just finished soldering my "custom designed" ESP32 PCB board that I'd like to use for management of 6 x 24 Vac irrigation valves. Given my limited electronics knowledge, for ...
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Voltage measured across transistor and transistor base current don't match calculated values

This is a newbie question regarding my second electrical circuit. I've built a switch on a breadboard using NPN transistor SS8050 and it works though voltage across transistor's collector and emitter ...
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What are junctions in a transistor and how does current flow in them?

I want to clarify what "junctions" are in an NPN transistor and how current flows in them. Is the area inside the blue circle considered the "BC" junction? According to wikipedia ...
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Clarifying how a NPN transistor can act as a switch with a LED in a circuit

I'm experimenting with a simple transistor/LED circuit but after reading many articles online I still can't tell if I have a faulty transistor or things are working as expected. Power source = 5V DC ...
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Can an NPN transistor have its base connected to the same power input as the collector?

All the tutorials I have seen on using an NPN transistor as a switch have base and collector attached to two different power inputs with two different resistors: My question is, can the base just be ...
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High-voltage (48 V typ.) switching circuit

I am working on a design where the input (48 VDC) has to be supplied to I/O when a particular condition is met and the rest of the time it should be grounded. A relay is ideal for this, but the PCB ...
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What are the invisible reasons why many discrete transistors do not qualify for automotive use?

I looked today at the datasheets of this unqualified and this qualified product (per the AEC-Q101 automotive standard) and found no substantial difference, but I assume some stress damages only the ...
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NPN transistor small output voltage

I just learned about measuring the base resistor of a transistor but I think I did something wrong. I wired everything up like this, but when I measure it I only get around 2.7V out of my device. Is ...
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Time delay of LED dimmer circuit problem

I made a LED flip flop circuit using NPN transistor, it works pretty fine. But my problem now is I don't know how to control the on and off time delay for the LEDs using potentiometer. I tried putting ...
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How does T3 turn on?

This is a part of a well known product created by Markus Frejek and now maintained by Karl-Heinz Kübbeler (more info). It is the famous "transistor tester" or "component tester" (...
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Use of MOSFET or BJT

I'm trying to fix this water dispensing pump, and got stuck in between MOSFET vs transistor working principles. For some reason the MOSFET stopped working and the pump as well. Now I am trying to ...
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My Tesla coil is not working

I made a Tesla coil, but it doesn't not work. I used this circuit: I used 200 turns for the primary coil with 0.5 mm wire and 5 turns for the secondary coil with 1 mm wire on a wooden rod. Back to ...
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How do I invert transistor output?

I have a transistor circuit as shown. There is a gate signal (in red). When the gate is HIGH (3.3 V), it is supposed to allow the signal to pass and the output should match the input. When the gate is ...
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Transistor parameter in Proteus

I am just learning the electronics and by the help of proteus I am learning the behaviors of different components. Could someone please tell me how do I change the Emitter current values of a ...
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IOREF default voltage reference circuit with two NPN transistors

I'm trying to build a small circuit to sense when a voltage ref (for IO output) is supplied otherwise set a default voltage reference. A bit of context - This is common within the Arduino ecosystem ...
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4 answers
163 views

An NPN transistor without its collector-base voltage [closed]

What would happen if I remove the base-collector voltage from an NPN transistor and put a wire connecting two ends of the voltage source? I believe that it it will work nicely. As the collector ...
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P MOSFET without gate resistor. Why is this not burning up?

I have used this circuit several times and it appears to function as intended, but looking at it I am not sure why it doesn't fail. The intention was for MCU GPIO on the NPN transistor's base to make ...
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Voltage amplitude of Hartley oscillator

I am trying to follow these videos to learn about oscillator circuits; Hartley, Colpitts, and Clapp oscillators and they're all helpful to understand the LC relationship for frequency. I am concerned ...
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Self biased transistor current limiter

I am analysing the below self biased transistor circuit and have some questions: Why does the transistor in self biased arrangement never go into saturation for a light load? When the emitter ...
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Why do you put the load of a transistor on the collector side and not the emitter side? [duplicate]

Everything that I have read has said to put the load on the collector side and connect the emitter to ground directly, but I am having a hard time understanding why this is. Why do both PNP and NPN ...
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Weird NPN transistor symbol with a box connecting all three pins?

I've come across this symbol in the datasheet (link below) of a transistor for a halogen "electronic transformer" that uses two in a half-bridge operating at about 35KHz. The datasheet ...
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NPN high-edge flipflop [closed]

I'm looking for a design of an NPN flip-flop that reverses its output when the input is brought high. I'm looking to use the 2N2222 for this purpose.
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1 answer
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5V Input and Output interfacing with 3.3V GPIO [closed]

I have a device (a motor drive) with 5V logic. My controller is 3.3V. I draw the two circuits. The right sides are fixed in the device. I have some exact questions about calculations. -...
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1 answer
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Shift register does not output voltage [closed]

I am building a 8x8x8 LED cubic matrix based on an Arduino. My schematic and PCB design was based on the one posted by Tapendra Mandal on Youtube. When I finally connected everything and try to write ...
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2 answers
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Stopping reverse flow of current

The above circuit has two sections. Section A is a simple transistor as a switch circuit using BC547 NPN transistor which triggers a LED1 as well as section B. Section B is a NOT gate circuit using ...
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Increasing the forward voltage required of the PNP transistor?

I am a newbie and was reading about the uses of a 555 TIMER. I came across a project to create 40 LED Bicycle Light in Led Circuits. I can understand the diagram and most of the explanation except ...
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NPN transistor to turn ON an ATTiny85 from a pinout of an ATTiny85

I have 2 ATTiny85 and a NPN CS-9011 used as a switch. They are both powered by the same 3.3V. I use pin 1 to run the base of the transistor with a 1K resistor. This is not working after an afternoon ...
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Advantages of using 2 NPN transistor NOT gate

Is there any benefit using 2 NPN transistors for a NOT gate rather than one NPN transistor?
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