Electronics 1: Laboratory

NEC 2105

ECE 1

Frogosa, Shaira Mae M.

Juani, Jan Vincent P.
Manipol, Marklynn Jay R.

August 22, 2020

Engr. Ronnie Martin Yu

Submitted to:

I. Title
NPN 2N3904 Transistor Experiment
II. Objective
 In this experiment you will
• Learn how to design the bias network for a common-emitter amplifier.
• Observe how close actual circuit currents and voltages compare to design values.
• Become familiar with the laboratory layout and equipment.
III. Introduction
Transistors are the most important example of an active component. They are 3 terminal
devices, which can amplify signals producing an output signal with more power than the input
signal. They have distinct advantages over their predecessor, the vacuum tube, namely
smaller size, no heat producing filament and a much longer life. In combination with resistors
and capacitors they make up the components in an integrated circuit.
IV. Materials
1. Multimeter
2. Topward power supply
3. 2 - 2.2 k and 1 - 1 k resistors
4. Breadboard
5. 12 volt - 5-Watt zener diode
6. 1 npn high power transistor
7. Various high power resistors
V. Procedure

Part 1. Determination of the Transistor’s Type, Terminals, and Material

The following procedure will determine the type, terminals, and material of a transistor. The
procedure will utilize the diode testing scale found on many modern multimeters. If no such scale is
available, the resistance scales of the meter may be used.
a. Label the transistors terminals of Fig 5.1 as 1, 2, and 3. Use the transistor without terminal
identification for this part of the experiment.

Figure 5.1 Determination of the identities of BJT leads.

b. Set the selector switch of the multimeter to the diode scale (or to the 2-kΩ range if the
diode scale is unavailable).

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 c. Connect the positive load of the meter to terminal 1 and the negative lead to terminal 2.
Record your reading in Table 5.1.
d. Reverse the leads and record your reading.
e. Connect the positive lead to terminal 1 and the negative lead to terminal 3. Record your
reading.
f. Reverse the lead and record your reading.
g. Connect the positive lead to terminal 2 and the negative lead to terminal 3. Record your
reading.
h. Reverse the leads and record your reading.

Part 2. The Collector Characteristics

a. Construct the network of Fig 5.2.
b. Set the voltage to 3.3 V by varying the 1-MΩ potentiometer. This adjustment will set

to 10 µA as indicated in Table 5.3.

c. Then set to 2 V by varying the 5-kΩ potentiometer as required by the first line of Table
5.3.
d. Record the voltages and in Table 5.3.

e. Vary the 5-kΩ potentiometer to increase from 2 V to the values appearing in Table 5.3.

Note that is maintained at 10 µA for the range of levels.

f. For each value of measure and record . Use the mV scale for .

g. Repeat steps 2(b) through 2(f) for all values of indicated in Table 8.3. Each value of

will establish a different level of for the sequence of values.

h. After all data have been obtained, compute the values of from = and from

. Use the measured resistor value for .

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 i. Using the data of Table 8.3, plot the collector characteristics of the transistor on the graph
of Fig 8.3. That is, plot versus for the various values of . Choose an appropriate

scale for and label each curve.

Part 3. Varation of α and ß

a. For each line of Table 8.3 calculate the corresponding levels of α and ß using α =

and ß = and complte the table.

b. Is there a significant variation in α and ß from one region of the characteristics to
another?
The variations for α and ß for the tested transistor are not really significant, resulting
in an almost ideal current source which is independent of the voltage .
c. Find the smallest and largest levels of ß and marked their locations on the plot of
Fig. 8.3 using the notation and .

The highest Beta’s are found for relatively large values of and . This is
generally a well known factor.
d. In general, did ß increase or decrease with increase in ?

Beta did increase with increasing levels of .

e. In general, did ß increase or decrease with increase in ? Was the effect of

on ß greater or less than the effect of ?

Beta did increase with increasing levels of .

VI. Pictorial Diagram of the Experimental Setup

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VII. Observation
2N3904 is a NPN transistor hence the collector and emitter will be left open (Reverse biased)
when the base pin is held at ground and will be closed (Forward biased) when a signal is provided
to base pin. 2N3904 has a gain value of 300; this value determines the amplification capacity of
the transistor. The maximum amount of current that could flow through the Collector pin is 200mA,
hence we cannot connect loads that consume more than 200mA using this transistor. To bias a
transistor, we have to supply current to base pin, this current (IB) should be limited to 5mA.
VIII. Conclusion
2N3904 is a NPN transistor hence the collector and emitter will be left open (Reverse biased)
when the base pin is held at ground and will be closed (Forward biased) when a signal is provided
to base pin. 2N3904 has a gain value of 300; this value determines the amplification capacity of
the transistor.
IX. Recommendation
 

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X. Questions

1. Discuss the steps in determining the three electrodes in a transistor.

Using these 3 terminals the transistor can be connected in a circuit with one terminal common
to both input and output in a 3 different possible configurations. The three types of
configurations are Common Base, Common Emitter and Common Collector configurations.
The Common Base Amplifier is another type of bipolar junction transistor,
(BJT) configuration where the base terminal of the transistor is a common terminal to both the
input and output signals, hence its name common base.
The configuration in which the emitter is connected between the collector and base is known
as a common emitter configuration. The input circuit is connected between emitter and base,
and the output circuit is taken from the collector and emitter. 

2. Discuss the operation for them BJT.

Basic BJT Operation. In order for a bipolar junction transistor to operate as an amplifier, its
base-emitter junction must be forward-biased while the base-collector junction is reverse-
biased - please note that this means that an npn transistor and a pnp transistor are backwards
compared to each other.
3.  How do you if the transistor is in active, saturated or cut-off region theoretically and
mathematically.
Monitor the collector-emitter voltage of your circuit with a DMM. If the reading is below 0.3V,
the transistor is at saturation. Transistors are having saturation voltage range from 0.7V and
below but for a circuit designed for hard saturation, the VCE will be lower.