Choosing Transistor Replacements

When working with electronics equipment, either to design, build or repair it is sometimes necessary to choose a replacement transistor. Either the type of transistor may not be to hand, or it may not be available. Fortunately it is normally possible to use a replacement transistor type as there is often a considerable degree of overlap between the specifications of different types of transistor, and by looking at the basic specifications it is normally possible to choose the correct transistor replacements.

This explanation is focussed on bipolar transistors, but it is possible to apply similar logic to field effect transistors to ensure that suitable replacements can be found.

When looking for suitable transistor replacements it is necessary to look at the main specifications for the transistor. Once the transistor specifications and parameters have been ascertained, it is possible to check for other replacement transistor types with similar parameters that will be able to operate within the circuit in question.

When considering any possible replacement transistors, it is necessary to look at a variety of parameters. These will include the basic parameters of the transistor operation performance. They will also include the environmentally related parameters, and the physical parameters. All these need to be taken into account when choosing a suitable replacement transistor.