{"id":919,"date":"2017-05-01T08:00:52","date_gmt":"2017-05-01T15:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/eagle\/blog\/?p=919"},"modified":"2023-09-26T10:30:56","modified_gmt":"2023-09-26T17:30:56","slug":"transistors-world-modern-electrons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/transistors-world-modern-electrons\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a Transistors: The World of Modern Electrons"},"content":{"rendered":"

The World of Modern Electronics, Presented by the Transistor<\/span><\/h1>\n

Welcome to the World of Modern Electronics! We\u2019ve got <\/span>self-landing rocketships<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>drones that will deliver packages to your doorstep in minutes<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>rovers scouring the farthest reaches of our galaxy<\/span><\/a>. Without the famous transistor, none of these modern marvels would have ever been possible! Millions of these transistors are squeezed into the microprocessor powering your computer, but what in the world are they doing in there?<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s find out.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just a Glorified Switch?<\/h2>\n

The transistor has been compared to the simple switch, but don\u2019t be deceived; it\u2019s much more than that. The transistor has two important jobs to accomplish, including:<\/span><\/p>\n

Amplifying Current<\/h3>\n

A transistor can take a small current and turn it into a huge one! Think about hearing aids; they contain a miniature microphone that picks up sound from our everyday environment, which then gets gobbled up by a transistor and turned into a powerful sound that an ailing human ear can hear. My grandpa sends his regards, Transistor. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"First-Hearing-Aid\"

Oh my, how far the hearing aid has come, thanks to the transistor. (Image source<\/a>)<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Switching Current<\/h3>\n

Transistors also work as a powerful switch, allowing current to flow through only when specific conditions are met. When current is allowed to flow through, this creates an \u201con\u201d state, or 1. When current can\u2019t flow through, then the transistor is in an \u201coff\u201d state, or 0. This binary system of 1s and 0s form the building blocks to our World of Modern Electronics.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The-Matrix-Code\"

This famous scene from The Matrix takes on new life when you understand how transistors make it happen! (Image source<\/a>)<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Making the Transistor Work<\/h2>\n

If you combined two <\/span>diodes<\/span><\/a>, then you would get a transistor! Transistors have three terminals, each with their own specialized functions. \u00a0For demonstration purposes, we will focus on an NPN transistor. \u00a0We will explain more below.<\/span><\/p>\n