But, how does the transistor _REALLY_ work?
 

After studying (mainly BJTs, but with FETs in the final year) at Uni,
I was conversant with all the models, Hybrid-Pi, etc, and the use
of various matrical parameters, h, y, s, etc, for describing and predicting
transistor behaviour in circuit, but was puzzled on how it actually worked,
by which I mean, how did the base current control the collector current?

(So many of the textbooks just glibly say that the part of the emitter
current
divides off to become the base current, but this does not describe the
low-level controlling action)

I found the answer about 18 years ago in these NG (ISTR sci.electronics
before its unnecessary split), but I wonder whether anyone else puzzled
over this, and what was their answer?

But, how does the transistor _REALLY_ work?
 

"gareth" wrote in
:

After studying (mainly BJTs, but with FETs in the final year) at Uni,
I was conversant with all the models, Hybrid-Pi, etc, and the use
of various matrical parameters, h, y, s, etc, for describing and
predicting transistor behaviour in circuit, but was puzzled on how it
actually worked, by which I mean, how did the base current control the
collector current?

(So many of the textbooks just glibly say that the part of the emitter
current
divides off to become the base current, but this does not describe the
low-level controlling action)

I found the answer about 18 years ago in these NG (ISTR
sci.electronics before its unnecessary split), but I wonder whether
anyone else puzzled over this, and what was their answer?



It's all perfectly simple: holes are just electrons with negative mass.

But, how does the transistor _REALLY_ work?
 

On 15/05/2014 15:57, gareth wrote:
After studying (mainly BJTs, but with FETs in the final year) at Uni,
I was conversant with all the models, Hybrid-Pi, etc, and the use
of various matrical parameters, h, y, s, etc, for describing and predicting
transistor behaviour in circuit, but was puzzled on how it actually worked,
by which I mean, how did the base current control the collector current?

(So many of the textbooks just glibly say that the part of the emitter
current
divides off to become the base current, but this does not describe the
low-level controlling action)

I found the answer about 18 years ago in these NG (ISTR sci.electronics
before its unnecessary split), but I wonder whether anyone else puzzled
over this, and what was their answer?

A polymath once described it thus: http://tinyurl.com/k74cndj

Personally, I think he probably needs a check-up from the neck up.

But, how does the transistor _REALLY_ work?
 

On 15/05/14 16:20, Custos Custodum wrote:



After studying (mainly BJTs, but with FETs in the final year) at Uni,
I was conversant with all the models, Hybrid-Pi, etc, and the use
of various matrical parameters, h, y, s, etc, for describing and
predicting transistor behaviour in circuit, but was puzzled on how it
actually worked, by which I mean, how did the base current control the
collector current?

(So many of the textbooks just glibly say that the part of the emitter
current
divides off to become the base current, but this does not describe the
low-level controlling action)

I found the answer about 18 years ago in these NG (ISTR
sci.electronics before its unnecessary split), but I wonder whether
anyone else puzzled over this, and what was their answer?



It's all perfectly simple: holes are just electrons with negative mass.

LOL

Here we have another example of a supposed long standing area of lack of
understanding, dragged up as a vehicle for him to hurl abuse.

One wonders why, with so many areas of poor understanding, remedial
action was not taken earlier? Or indeed how they arose in the first
place. Were lectures skipped? Assignments completed? How could someone
with such gaps work in a professional engineering environment and
maintain the confidence of his colleague and superiors?

But, how does the transistor _REALLY_ work?
 

On Thu, 15 May 2014 17:20:13 +0100, Brian Reay wrote:

One wonders why, with so many areas of poor understanding, remedial
action was not taken earlier? Or indeed how they arose in the first
place. Were lectures skipped? Assignments completed? How could someone
with such gaps work in a professional engineering environment and
maintain the confidence of his colleague and superiors?

The Kurious Kase of the half-baked Bean?

But, how does the transistor _REALLY_ work?
 

"Brian Reay" wrote in message
...
Here we have another example of a supposed long standing area of lack of
understanding, dragged up as a vehicle for him to hurl abuse.

20 21 39

Once again, it is from your keyboard, and your keyboard alone, that
the abuse originates.



One wonders why, with so many areas of poor understanding, remedial action
was not taken earlier? Or indeed how they arose in the first place. Were
lectures skipped? Assignments completed? How could someone with such gaps
work in a professional engineering environment and maintain the confidence
of his colleague and superiors?

11 16 17

For heaven's sake, Brian, are you on a one-man campaign to discourage
newcomers from asking technical questions in this NG, for it is by openly
discussing
those areas that we had problems in that we can encourage newcomers
to put their own technical questions?

If you are trying to dissuade newcomers from joining in discussion, then
you are succeeding, no doubt.

But, how does the transistor _REALLY_ work?
 

"Brian Reay" wrote in message
...

One wonders why, with so many areas of poor understanding, remedial action
was not taken earlier? Or indeed how they arose in the first place. Were
lectures skipped? Assignments completed? How could someone with such gaps
work in a professional engineering environment and maintain the confidence
of his colleague and superiors?


You mean that you don't know the answer?

But, how does the transistor _REALLY_ work?
 

Brian Reay wrote in :

On 15/05/14 16:20, Custos Custodum wrote:



After studying (mainly BJTs, but with FETs in the final year) at
Uni,
I was conversant with all the models, Hybrid-Pi, etc, and the use
of various matrical parameters, h, y, s, etc, for describing and
predicting transistor behaviour in circuit, but was puzzled on how
it
actually worked, by which I mean, how did the base current control
the
collector current?

(So many of the textbooks just glibly say that the part of the
emitter
current
divides off to become the base current, but this does not describe
the
low-level controlling action)

I found the answer about 18 years ago in these NG (ISTR
sci.electronics before its unnecessary split), but I wonder whether
anyone else puzzled over this, and what was their answer?



It's all perfectly simple: holes are just electrons with negative
mass.

LOL

Actually, I wasn't kidding. (Well maybe just a little.) I've forgotten
most of this stuff in the 45 years since I studied solid state physics,
but ISTR that it was a useful theoretical device when analysing charge
carrier mobility or something like that.

But, how does the transistor _REALLY_ work?
 

"Brian Reay" wrote in message
...

Cue the usual dross from our resident wannabe.

39

But, how does the transistor _REALLY_ work?
 

On 15/05/2014 15:57, gareth wrote:
After studying (mainly BJTs, but with FETs in the final year) at Uni,
I was conversant with all the models, Hybrid-Pi, etc, and the use
of various matrical parameters, h, y, s, etc, for describing and predicting
transistor behaviour in circuit, but was puzzled on how it actually worked,
by which I mean, how did the base current control the collector current?

(So many of the textbooks just glibly say that the part of the emitter
current
divides off to become the base current, but this does not describe the
low-level controlling action)

I found the answer about 18 years ago in these NG (ISTR sci.electronics
before its unnecessary split), but I wonder whether anyone else puzzled
over this, and what was their answer?

It does rather depend on the depth you wish to go to and the model you
wish to utilise as all of them. To a certain extent all the explanations
have flaws and, IMHO, you don't need to know how it works to use it. All
you need is and analogy and the transfer functions and hfe etc to bias
and use it.

Once you get to the quantum models it all gets a bit silly and
confusing to be honest. The quantum model was my limit. I stayed away
from quantum models in physics and stuck to engineering physics.

Transistor theory is like the explanation how a wing works - a lot the
explanations are designed to give people an explanation that they are
comfortable with so that they can get on with actually using it.

Andy