TRANSISTOR

A. How to determine a PNP and NPN type of Transistor?

Identifying both NPN and PNP:
Both NPN and PNP transistor looks similar in physical appearance. We can not differentiate by seeing them. We need a multimeter to identify the type of BJT.
Remember the following points:
1. The transistor internally has two diodes (NPN ≡ N - P - N ≡ NP Junction + PN Junction and PNP ≡ P - N - P ≡ PN Junction + NP Junction).
ie,Emitter to base is one PN junction ( diode) and Base to collector another PN junction (diode).
2. In the diode mode, the multimeter will show the voltage when we keep the positive probe of the multimeter to the anode of the diode and negative probe to the
cathode.
3. If the multimeter positive probe is connected to the cathode of the diode and the negative probe to the anode, then it will not give any voltage (showing zero).
Steps to identify the NPN type transistor:
1. Keep the Multimeter in the Diode mode.
2. Keep the positive probe to the center pin (Base) of the transistor.
3. Touch the negative probe to the pin-1 (Emitter). You will see some voltage in the multimeter.
4. Similarly touch the negative probe to the pin-3 (collector) with respect to the pin-2. You will see some voltage in the multimeter.
5. It will ensure that it is a NPN transistor. The logic behind this is, in NPN transistor
Emitter (E) - N type material - Equivalent to cathode of the diode
Base (B) - P type material - Equivalent to anode of the diode
Collector(C) - N type material - Equivalent to cathode of the diode
6. If the multimeter positive probe is connected to anode and negative probe is connected to cathode, then it will show voltage. If the connections are interchanged
it will not show any value.
Steps to identify the PNP type transistor:
1. Keep the Multimeter in the Diode mode.
2. Keep the positive probe to the pin-1 (Emitter) of the transistor.
3. Touch the negative probe to the center pin (Base). You will see some voltage in the multimeter.
4. Similarly touch the negative probe to the center pin (Base) with respect to the pin-3 (collector). You will see some voltage in the multimeter.
5. It will ensure that it is a PNP transistor. The logic behind this is, in PNP transistor
Emitter (E) - P type material - Equivalent to anode of the diode
Base (B) - N type material - Equivalent to cathode of the diode
Collector(C) - P type material - Equivalent to anode of the diode
• If the multimeter positive probe is connected to anode and negative probe is connected to cathode, then it will show voltage. If the connections are interchanged
it will not show any value.

SCHOOL: ACTIVITY TITLE: NAME:

UC - METC TRANSISTOR ASSIGNMENT ROGER P. BARCENAS JR.
EDP & SUBJECT (SCHED): DATE: DUE DATE: COURSE-GRADE-SECTION:
56887 – ELECTRO 212 10/03/22 10/03/22 BSMARE - 2 - M2B
TRANSISTOR
B. How to determine the Emitter, Base and Collector of a Transistor?
In a bipolar transistor, each "PN" junction is essentially a diode. Consequently, you can use a multimeter to test each pair of pins of the device (with the third pin left floating in
each test) to determine the location and orientation of each diode. Not surprisingly, this task is simplified if you have a "diode test" function on your multimeter. Regardless, it
is relatively easy to find the "base" of the transistor, but disambiguating which of the two other pins is the collector or the emitter is more difficult. Still, it's possible. I outline
methods for finding the base and then methods for finding the other two pins below.

Finding the Base

For example, in an NPN bipolar transistor, there is a PN junction formed from base to collector, and another PN junction formed from base to emitter. So by testing each
"diode candidate", you can determine which pin is the base. Some digital multimeters have a "diode" test function that can determine whether a diode is forward biased. In
general, any multimeter should have an ohmmeter function to measure resistance (set to a low setting to detect short circuits (low resistance) or open circuits (high
resistance)). Test each of the 3 pairs (pins 1+2, 1+3, and 2+3) in both orientations (forward and reversed) to find the two PN diodes (which are forward biased (i.e., low
resistance) with + connected to P and - connected to N). The common "P" will be the base. The other two pins will be the collector and emitter. For a little graphical help in
the NPN case, see:

Determining Collector and Emitter Pins

Unfortunately, there is no easy way to reliably tell the difference between the two using a conventional multimeter. Because both PN junctions are diodes with steep non-
linear current--voltage relationships, you cannot reliably test the "resistance" (which is not well defined in this case) of each PN junction to determine which one is which. So
you have two options to disambiguate the collector and emitter:
• If your multimeter does have a "diode test" function that gives you the voltage drop across the forward-biased diode being tested, you can compare the
voltage drop across the two diode candidates. The one with the higher voltage drop will correspond with the emitter of the transistor.
• If you do not have a sophisticated multimeter, you will need a little extra setup to determine which pin is the emitter and which pin is the collector. You
need to build a simple circuit to effectively test the "gain" of the BJT for the two possibilities.
For example (in the NPN case), to determine which one is the collector and which is the emitter, you can setup a simple degenerated common-emitter
circuit. You can follow these steps:
a. Connect one of the collector/emitter candidates to a 2kOhm resistor that is connected to 5V on its other end. This pin is your "guess" at
which is the collector.
b. Connect the other collector/emitter candidates to a 2kOhm resistor that is connected to 0V on its other end. This pin is your "guess" at which
is the emitter.
c. Connect the discovered base to a DC voltage source of 1V.
d. Measure the voltage across EACH of the two resistors. If they are both approximately 0.3V (i.e., 1V minus a 0.7V diode drop), then you
guessed correctly. The emitter follows behind the base by 0.7V, and the current through the emitter matches the current through the
collector, and so both resistors carry the same voltage drop. However, if the resistor connected to 0V has a much larger drop across it, then
you guessed incorrectly and your transistor is "upside down."
SCHOOL: ACTIVITY TITLE: NAME:
UC - METC TRANSISTOR ASSIGNMENT ROGER P. BARCENAS JR.
EDP & SUBJECT (SCHED): DATE: DUE DATE: COURSE-GRADE-SECTION:
56887 – ELECTRO 212 10/03/22 10/03/22 BSMARE - 2 - M2B