Electronics

Transistor NPN BJT BC547

AED 1.05

1

Description

The BC547 is a general-purpose NPN bipolar junction transistor (BJT) commonly used in electronic circuits for amplification and switching purposes. It has a maximum current rating of 100 mA and a maximum voltage rating of 65 V. The BC547 has three terminals - emitter, base, and collector - and is commonly used in small signal amplification and switching applications. It is widely available and is considered a standard transistor in the electronics industry.

 

Package Includes:

  • 1 x BC547 NPN Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT)

 

Features:

  1. High Current Gain: The BC547 has a high current gain, which makes it useful in applications requiring the amplification of weak signals.
  2. Low Noise: The transistor has a low noise characteristic, which makes it suitable for use in audio amplifiers and other sensitive circuits.
  3. Low Voltage Drop: The BC547 has a low voltage drop, which makes it ideal for use in power supply circuits.
  4. High Switching Speed: The transistor has a high switching speed, which makes it useful in applications that require fast switching.
  5. Low Power Consumption: The BC547 has a low power consumption, which makes it useful in applications where power efficiency is important.
  6. Low Cost: The transistor is inexpensive, which makes it a popular choice for a wide range of applications.
  7. Small Size: The BC547 has a small size, which makes it ideal for use in applications where space is limited.
  8. Good Linearity: The transistor has good linearity, which makes it suitable for use in linear circuits such as voltage regulators and oscillators.

 

Description:

The BC547 is a small signal, low-power, general-purpose NPN bipolar junction transistor (BJT). It is commonly used in electronic circuits as an amplifier or switch. The transistor has three pins: the emitter, base, and collector. The BC547 has a maximum collector current of 100 mA, a maximum collector-emitter voltage of 45V, and a maximum power dissipation of 625 mW. The gain or amplification factor of the transistor is typically between 110 and 800, making it suitable for small signal amplification. The BC547 is often used in applications where low noise and high gain are required, such as in audio amplifiers, radio frequency (RF) circuits, and oscillator circuits. It is also commonly used as a switch in digital circuits. The BC547 is a popular transistor due to its low cost, wide availability, and ease of use. It is compatible with many other electronic components and is widely used in hobbyist and educational projects.

 

Principle of Work:

The BC547 transistor is a three-layered semiconductor device that works as an electronic switch or amplifier. It consists of three regions, the emitter, the base, and the collector, which are doped with different materials to achieve specific electronic properties. In normal operation, the emitter is connected to a higher potential than the collector, and the base region acts as a control electrode. By applying a small current to the base, the transistor can be turned on or off, allowing a larger current to flow between the collector and the emitter. When the transistor is turned on, it operates in active mode, and the collector current is proportional to the base current. This property makes the transistor useful as an amplifier in electronic circuits, as small changes in the base current can produce significant changes in the collector current. The BC547 transistor can also be used as a switch, where it is operated in the saturation region, allowing a large current to flow between the collector and emitter when the base is turned on, and almost no current to flow when the base is turned off.

 

Pinout of the Module:

 

  1. Collector (C): This is the pin that connects to the positive supply voltage. When a positive voltage is applied to the collector, the transistor allows current to flow from the collector to the emitter.
  2. Base (B): This is the pin that controls the flow of current between the collector and emitter. When a small current is applied to the base, it allows a larger current to flow between the collector and emitter.
  3. Emitter (E): This is the pin that connects to the negative supply voltage or ground. When a current flows from the collector to the emitter, it passes through the emitter and out to the ground.

 

Applications:

  1. Amplifiers: The BC547 transistor can be used as an amplifier in audio circuits, RF circuits, and other applications where small signals need to be amplified.
  2. Switching: The BC547 transistor can be used as a switch in digital circuits, such as logic gates and flip-flops. It can also be used to control the flow of current in high-power applications, such as motor control circuits.
  3. Oscillators: The BC547 transistor can be used in oscillator circuits to generate signals at a specific frequency.
  4. Voltage regulation: The BC547 transistor can be used in voltage regulator circuits to stabilize the output voltage of a power supply.
  5. LED drivers: The BC547 transistor can be used to drive LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) in lighting applications.

 

Circuit:

 Connect the base of the transistor to pin 13 through a 4.7k or 1k ohm resistor 

Library: 

No Library is Needed.

 

Code:

An example code to drive a small DC motor using an Arduino, a transistor, and the Serial Monitor. The motor will be connected to pin 13:
  1. In the Serial Monitor, type a number between 0 and 255 and press Enter. This will set the speed of the motor.
  2. The motor will start running at the specified speed.
int motorPin = 13;    // Pin to control the motor
int motorSpeed = 0;   // Motor speed (0-255)

void setup() {
  pinMode(motorPin, OUTPUT);   // Set the motor pin as output
  Serial.begin(9600);   // Initialize serial communication at 9600 bps
}

void loop() {
  // Read motor speed from Serial Monitor
  if (Serial.available()) {
    motorSpeed = Serial.parseInt();   // Read integer from Serial Monitor
  }
  
  // Limit motor speed to range 0-255
  motorSpeed = constrain(motorSpeed, 0, 255);
  
  // Set motor speed using PWM
  analogWrite(motorPin, motorSpeed);
  
  // Print motor speed to Serial Monitor
  Serial.print("Motor speed: ");
  Serial.println(motorSpeed);
  
  delay(10);   // Delay for stability
}


  • int motorPin = 13; // Pin to control the motor
  • This line declares an integer variable named motorPin and assigns it the value of 13. This is the pin that will be used to control the DC motor.
  • int motorSpeed = 0; // Motor speed (0-255)
  • This line declares another integer variable named motorSpeed and assigns it the value of 0. This variable will be used to store the speed of the DC motor, which will be set using PWM.
  • void setup() {
  • This is the beginning of the setup() function, which is a special function that is called once when the Arduino is powered on or reset.
  • pinMode(motorPin, OUTPUT); // Set the motor pin as output
  • This line sets the motorPin as an output pin, which means that it will be used to send signals to the transistor that will control the DC motor.
  • Serial.begin(9600); // Initialize serial communication at 9600 bps
  • This line initializes the serial communication with a baud rate of 9600. This allows the Arduino to communicate with a computer over a USB cable and display information on the Serial Monitor.
  • void loop() {
  • This is the beginning of the loop() function, which is the main function of the Arduino code that runs repeatedly as long as the Arduino is powered on.
  • if (Serial.available()) {
  • This line checks if there is any data available on the Serial Monitor. If there is, the following lines of code will be executed.
  • motorSpeed = Serial.parseInt(); // Read integer from Serial Monitor
  • This line reads an integer value from the Serial Monitor and stores it in the motorSpeed variable.
  • motorSpeed = constrain(motorSpeed, 0, 255);
  • This line uses the constrain() function to make sure that the motorSpeed value is between 0 and 255. This is because the analogWrite() function that will be used to set the motor speed accepts values in this range.
  • analogWrite(motorPin, motorSpeed);
  • This line sets the speed of the motor by sending a PWM signal to the motorPin using the analogWrite() function. The value of motorSpeed determines the duty cycle of the PWM signal, which in turn determines the speed of the motor.
  • Serial.print("Motor speed: ");
  • This line sends the string "Motor speed: " to the Serial Monitor.
  • Serial.println(motorSpeed);
  • This line sends the value of motorSpeed to the Serial Monitor on a new line.
  • delay(10); // Delay for stability
  • This line adds a delay of 10 milliseconds between iterations of the loop() function to ensure stability and prevent the code from executing too quickly.

 

Technical Details: 

  • Maximum Collector-Emitter Voltage: 45V
  • Maximum Collector-Base Voltage: 50V
  • Maximum Emitter-Base Voltage: 6V
  • Maximum Collector Current: 100mA
  • Maximum Power Dissipation: 500mW
  • DC Current Gain (hFE): 110 - 800
  • Transition Frequency (fT): 150MHz
  • Input Capacitance (Cib): 5pF
  • Output Capacitance (Cob): 35pF
  • Emitter Capacitance (Ceb): 5pF

 

Resources:

 

Comparisons:

The BC547 and 2N2222 are both commonly used NPN bipolar junction transistors, but there are some differences between them:

  • Maximum Ratings: The maximum ratings for the BC547 and 2N2222 are slightly different. For example, the maximum collector current for the BC547 is 100mA, while for the 2N2222 it's 800mA.
  • Gain (hFE): The gain or amplification factor of the BC547 is generally between 110 and 800, while for the 2N2222 it's between 100 and 300. This means that the BC547 can provide slightly more amplification than the 2N2222.
  • Frequency Response: The 2N2222 is typically faster than the BC547, with a maximum frequency of around 300 MHz compared to the BC547's maximum of around 100 MHz.
  • Availability: The BC547 is more widely available and often less expensive than the 2N2222.

both transistors are useful for a variety of low to medium-power applications and can be interchangeable in some cases. However, the choice between the two may depend on the specific requirements of the circuit and the availability of the component.