The Engineering Projects

Introduction to BC182L

Hi Guys! We welcome you on board. Electronic components play an important role in the designing and working of electronic projects. I have already discussed a number of articles on electronic components covering transistors, MOSFET, and FETs. I am going to continue the thread relating to transistors, because they are the building blocks for amplification and switching purpose. Today, I am going to cover the details on the Introduction to BC182L. It is an NPN (negative-positive-negative) general purpose bipolar transistor which is mainly used for switching and amplification purpose for the low demanding workloads. I'll try to highlight the main features of this component, so you can grab the main concept, what is this about and what are its main applications? Let's get started.

Introduction to BC182L

• BC182L is an NPN bipolar general purpose transistor which is mainly used for switching and amplification purpose at a collector current to 100mA.
• It is a bipolar transistor, means conduction is carried out by the movements of both charge carriers i.e electrons and holes, however, majority charge carriers are electrons.
• It consists of three terminals called emitter, base, and collector. Each terminal comes with a specific function associated with it.
• BC182L is an NPN transistor, where a base is positive with respect to emitter and voltage at the collector side is more than base. Emitter, base, and collector are different in terms of size and doping concentration.

• An emitter is highly doped as compared to collector and base, while a base is lightly doped.
• It is a current controlled device where small current at the base side is used to control large current at the emitter and collector side.
• When a voltage is applied at the base terminal, it gets biased and draws current which is used to control large current at the other terminals.
• The emitter emits the electrons which are then collected by the collector; the base is mainly used for controlling the number of electrons.
• Actually, free movement of electrons acts like a bridge between emitter and collector.
• Transistor is nothing but a combination of diodes joined back to back.

BC182L Pinout

BC182L mainly consists of three terminals. 1. Emitter 2. Collector 3. Base

• Movement of electrons plays an important role in the conductivity of the transistor.
• And electron reaction starts when a voltage is applied at the base terminal.

Circuit Diagram of BC182L

Following figure shows the circuit diagram of the BC182L.

• We can see from the figure, emitter current is equal to the sum of base and collector current. Because emitter is bigger than collector and base in terms of doping concentration.
• BC182L is an NPN transistor and it will source the base current to the transistor.
• The measure of a number of electrons that pass from base to collector is called transistor efficiency.
• The base is lightly doped and an emitter is heavily doped that will allow the electron to move from the emitter to base more than it will allow the holes from base to emitter.
• Forward current gain plays an important role for amplification purpose. It is called beta, denoted by ß, and it is a ratio between collector current and base current. Beta value ranges between 20 to 1000, however, it has standard value 200.
• Current gain is another important factor which is called alpha, denoted by a, and it is a ratio between collector current and emitter current. Alpha value ranges between 0.95 to 0.99 however, most of the time alpha value is considered as a unity.
• Almost all the transistors operate in forward biased mode. If we interchange emitter and collector and makes them reverse biased, then the value of alpha and beta will be much lesser than they will be in forward biased mode.
• This NPN transistor comes with electrons as major charge carriers while PNP transistor comes with holes as majority charge carriers.

Absolute Maximum Ratings

Following figure shows the absolute maximum ratings of this component.

• These are the stress ratings, which if exceeded from the absolute maximum ratings, can damage the device severely and affect the overall quality of the component.
• If these stresses are applied for the extended period of time, they can affect the reliability of the device.
• In order to avoid any loss or damage, it is recommended to follow the operating conditions given by the manufacturer. Taking measures and following proper protocols in the early stage of your project can save you both cost and time.
• I'd suggest you have a look at 2n3903 if you require different ratings as compared to this transistor.

Applications

• It is mainly used for amplification and switching purpose.
• Audio and signal processing makes use of this transistor.

That’s all for today. I have tried my best to explain each and everything regarding this BC182L transistor. However, if you still find any difficulty in understanding the concept of this transistor, you can ask me in the comment section below. I’d love to help you in this regard. Thanks for reading the article. Stay tuned!

Introduction to Raspberry Pi 3

Hey Friends! Electronic experts always strive to develop new electronic devices that meet the needs and requirements of the customers. Technology has been evolved remarkably well where devices are becoming compact and composed. Using old conventional ways to develop electronic devices are becoming obsolete that occupied more weight and space, turned out to be expensive and capable of doing fewer number of operations. Today, I am going to discuss the details on the Introduction to Raspberry Pi 3. It is just like a small computer that comes with CPU, GPU, USB ports and i/o pins and can be connected with external peripherals and helps in running number of operations like regular computer. First generation Raspberry Pi was developed in 2012, with the intention of making computer learning easy for school students. Learning advanced computer functions in the beginning of computer learning process is not easy for everyone. This tine computer was introduced, so everyone can get a hint of some initial functions advanced computer is capable of doing. Let's dive in and explore each and every feature of Raspberry Pi 3.

Introduction to Raspberry Pi 3

• Raspberry Pi 3 is tiny single board computer, introduced by Raspberry Pi Foundation, that comes with CPU, GPU, USB ports and i/o pins and capable of doing some simple functions like regular computer.
• This tiny computer was developed with the purpose of making computer learning process easy so an average student can get benefit and anticipate what an advanced computer can do.
• Raspberry Pi 1(first generation Model B) came into play in 2012, and soon got a renowned reputation in terms of ease of use and availability. Similarly, Raspberry Pi 2 was introduced in Feb,2015 will little improvement in design with added RAM than its previous version.
• Introduced in 2016, Raspberry Pi 3 Model B comes with a quad core processor that shows robust performance which is 10 times more than Raspberry Pi 1. And speed exhibits by Raspberry Pi 3 is 80% more than Raspberry Pi 2.

• The Raspberry hardware has gone through a number of variations in terms of peripheral device support and memory capacity. Every new addition comes with a little improvement in terms of design where advance features are added in the device so it can do as many function as possible like a regular computer.
• WiFi and Bluetooth that lack in older versions(Pi 1 and Pi 2), are added in the new addition of this device(Pi 3), allowing to maintain the connection with the peripherals without the involvement of any physical connection.
• Raspberry Pi Foundation recently launched Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ on 14 March 2018, which is the most recent version of Raspberry Pi 3 that exhibits all the specifications introduced in Pi 3 Model B, with the additional improvement including Network boot, USB boot, and Power over Ethernet which make the device useful in hard to reach places.

Raspberry Pi 3 Pinout

Following figure shows the pinout of Pi 3.  

• These are the 40 GPIO pins that are used for connection with other devices.
• You can see from the figure above, the UART pins are the serial input output pins that are used for serial communication for data and for the conversion of debugging code.

Hardware Specifications

• Raspberry Pi 3 Model B comes with 64 bit quad core processor, on board WiFi and Bluetooth and USB features.
• It has a processing speed ranging from 700 MHz to 1.4 GHz where RAM memory ranges from 256 to 1GB.
• The CPU of this device is considered as the brain of the device which is responsible for executing numbers of instructions based on mathematical and logical operation.
• The GPU is another advanced chip incorporated in the board that carries out function of image calculation. The board is equipped with Broadcam video core cable that is mainly used for playing video games through the device.
• The Pi 3 comes with GPIO (General Purpose Input Output) pins that are essential to maintain connection with other electronic devices. These input output pins receive commands and work based on the programming of the device.
• The Ethernet port is incorporated on this device that sets a pathway for communicating with other devices. You can connect Ethernet port to the router to maintain a connection for internet.
• The Board has four USB ports that are used for communication and SD card is added for storing the operating system.
• Power source connector is a basic part of the board that is used to provide 5 V power to the board. You can use any source to set up a power for the board, however, it is preferred you connect power cable through laptop USB port for providing 5 V.
• The Pi 3 supports two connection options including HDMI and composite. The HDMI connector is used to connect LCD or TV, that can support 1.3 and 1.4 version cables. Composite video connection is used to connect the older version of TV with the device that uses the 3.5mm jack socket for the audio production.
• The new device comes with a video core multimedia 3D graphics which is capable of playing 1080 MP video. This feature puts this advice ahead of its predecessors where video quality was not that much upgraded.
• The USB hard drive incorporated on the board is used to boot the device, similar to PC hard drive where windows is used to boot the computer hard drive.

Browser Used

• Recent addition of Raspberry Pi comes with a Chromium browser which is quick and robust than the browser available in its predecessors, but still it gets stuck when it comes to opening number of heavy duty sites, however, YouTube video buffering is too quick that you don't need to wait too long before video comes into play.
• Opening number of sites at once can take more time than you anticipate, which ultimately hangs the device, causing the device memory to freeze or stuck.
• Although, experts are in constant struggle to add more advanced features with every new addition, still Pi 3 doesn't support number of advanced applications.

 

Operating System

• The official Raspbian Linux operating system runs on Pi 3. Other third party OS that can operate on this device are RISC, Kodi Media Center, Windows 10 loT core, Ubuntu Mate and classroom management.
• There are other non-Linux based systems that can run on this device which you can pick based on your needs and requirements.
• Windows 10, the latest version of windows, can run remarkably well on the desktop computer, but running windows 10 on the Pi 3 is a whole new experience, not as good as desktop computer, but still you can get a little glimpse of running windows 10 on a tiny device like Pi 3.
• The windows 10 that run on this device is not a full version of windows 10, but a reduced version that is called windows 10 loT core, capable of running only one single full screen windows app at a time, however, still it supports number of software running on the background.
• Running windows 10 on Pi 3 is not a good option though, it can make use of more processing power than required for other operating system.
• Raspberry Pi 3 is a 64 bit device, which is capable of running official Raspbian operating system. The Raspbian Pi Foundation is also looking to modifying the Raspbian operating system to make it compatible for 32 bit devices that were introduced a while ago.

Points of Consideration

• If you want to remain in constant touch with this device, it is better to enclose in a case, it will help prolong the lifetime of the device, also covers it from heat and other external factors.
• You can run number of operating systems including Linux or Non-Linux based systems, but if you are highly concerned about performance and stability of device, then running official Raspbian operating system would be an effective choice, which supports the decent amount of programming and office software.
• In case you are feeling skeptical about the functions and setting it up, you can get valuable information from the Raspberry Pi site. They will go extra mile to help you out in order to resolve your questions and queries.
• The power consumption of Pi 3 is more than Pi 2, however it turns out to be almost identical in case of less demanding work loads. Turning Pi 3 into low level laptop is bit of interesting task, which can be achieved in few bucks only.
• Pi 3 can support up to SanDisk 64GB SD card. Before making purchase of this high speed memory card, make sure you are in dire need of this card for your project as it costs more than the actual Pi 3 device. If you intend to run official Raspbian operating system, 8GG SD card would be suffice to meet your needs.
• Making a purchase in only $35 would be a worth investment for a tiny computer like this. However, there are multiple Pi kits are available which you can select from, that are modified for performing different functions based on your needs and requirements, costing you little bit extra than simple Pi 3.
• Most of the Raspberry Pi devices come with an overclocking option, means they can be configured to operate faster than defined the by the manufacturer. This can be achieved by the software command without effecting the warranty.
• Overclocking may subject to rising temperature, which ultimately can damage the device. This is the reason some devices automatically stops the overclocking at the certain temperature in order to avoid the rising temperature that can effect both quality and performance of the device. However, in severe cases heat sink is added in the device to avoid overheating.

Features of Raspberry Pi 3

• 1.4 GHz 64 bit, Broadcom BCM2387 ARM Cortex-A53 Quad Core Processor, which is 10 times faster than Raspberry Pi 1.
• 1GB RAM (LPDDR2 SDRAM) which allows you to run more advanced applications
• On-board wireless LAN, used to connect device through wireless
• On-board Bluetooth
• 4 USB ports for communication
• 300Mbit/s ethernet
• 40 GPIO pins
• Full size HDMI 1.3a port
• 10/100 BaseT Ethernet socketbr
• Fully HAT compatible
• Combined 3.5mm analog audio and composite video jack
• Camera interface (CSI), for connecting camera
• Display interface (DSI) used for connecting Raspberry Pi touch screen display
• microSD slot for storing data
• Micro USB power source
• Full size HDMI
• VideoCore IV multimedia/3D graphics core @ 400MHz/300MHz

Comparison between Raspberry Pi 3  and Computer

• Raspberry Pi 3 is identical to regular computer in terms performing many valuable functions. But it has a leg over desktop PC when it comes to cost, and approaching to hard to reach places. Spending huge amount of money on advanced computer, when you are in a beginning phase of learning computer skills, would not be good choice. It is better to invest in a tiny device like Pi 3, so you can get a glimpse of what actual PC can do.
• This device can be modified into any module like a robot or laptop, based on your needs and requirements.
• If you are obsessed with games, then this device can turn out to be a very useful gaming console, as it can run low demanding vantage games, allowing you to get rid of spending huge amount of money on laptop.
• No doubt, Raspberry Pi 3 has so many functions identical to regular PC, but it is not as fast as desktop computer when it comes to uploading or handling heavy sites.
• Gamers can find this device addictive, because it can be capable of supporting number of vintage games, however, playing more advanced games will be little bit difficult than playing on the regular PC.

Applications of Raspberry Pi 3

The Pi 3 comes with a wide range of applications with the purpose of performing most of the functions like a desktop computer. Following are the main applications of the Pi 3

• Arcade Machine
• Media Streamer
• Tablet Computer
• Home Automation
• Controlling Robots
• Internet Radio
• Coffee Projects
• Cosmic Computer

That's all for today. I hope you have enjoyed the article. However, if you have any question, you can ask me in the comment section below. I'd love to help you according to best of my expertise. Feel free to keep us updated with your feedback and suggestions, they help us to give you quality work that resonates with your needs and requirements. Thanks for reading the article. Stay Tuned!