Touch Sensor using

a TRANSISTOR

Name: Devarsh C. Vayeda

Class: XII-F Roll no: 27
School: Rainbow International
Subject: Physics (CBSE)
Year: 2024-25
Topics Covered
Certificate
Acknowledgement
Transistor in history
Working of a transistor
Circuit
Procedure
Possible errors
Bibliography
 Acknowledgement
I want to express my gratitude towards our
teachers, who have graciously helped us every step
of the way.

To our principal, Mrs Vimlesh mam, our Vice-

principal Mrs Fauzia mam and our physics teacher
Ms Sitara mam,
Thank you for your unwavering support and
encouragement.

To my teammates, thank you for being supportive

and helpful. To my parents, thank you for
providing the available resources and uplifting us in
stressful times.
Transistor in History
A transistor is an electronic component that can be used
as part of an amplifier, or as a switch. It is made of
semiconductor material and is found in most electronic
devices.

The transistor was a major advancement after the triode

tube. It used much less electricity and lasted many years
longer to switch or amplify another electronic current.

The transistor was not the first three-terminal device. The

triode served the same purpose as the transistor 50 years
earlier. Vacuum tubes were important in household
technology before transistors. Unfortunately, tubes were
big and fragile, used a lot of power, and didn't last very
long.

The transistor can be used for a variety of different

things including amplifiers and digital switches for
computer microprocessors. Digital work mostly uses
MOSFETs. Some transistors are individually packaged,
mainly to handle high power. Most transistors are inside
integrated circuits.
 Julius Edgar Lilienfeld
proposed the concept
of a field-effect
transistor in 1925.

A replica of the
first working
transistor, a point-
contact transistor
invented in 1947.
Working of a Transistor
Transistors have three terminals: the gate, the drain,
and the source (on a bipolar transistor, the wires can be
called the emitter, the collector, and the base).

[Bipolar Transistor: Bipolar transistors are a type of

transistor composed of pn junctions, which are also
called bipolar junction transistors. A bipolar transistor is
so named because its operation involves two kinds of
charge carriers, holes and electrons.]

When the source (or emitter) is connected to the

negative terminal of the battery, and the drain (or
collector) to the positive terminal, no electricity will
flow in the circuit (if you have only a lamp in series with
the transistor). But when power flows through the gate
(or base), the transistor will allow electricity through.

This is because when the gate is positively charged, the

positive electrons will push other positive electrons in
the transistor letting the negative electrons flow
through. The transistor can also work when the gate is
just positively charged, so it doesn't need to be
touching the drain.
 Simple touch sensor
Human Body has electric resistance. The resistance
can be checked using a multimeter on your finger.

So when wires of the touchpad are touched, the

human body behaves as a resistor. This means a small
amount of current can flow from the plus of the
battery, through the transistor’s base, and turn on the
transistor.
When the transistor is on, current can flow from the
collector to the emitter of the transistor and the LED
will turn on.

circuit connections
 Circuit connections
Materials required :
9V Battery
9V Battery Clip
Breadboard
Jumper Wires
1000Ω Resistor
LED
NPN Transistor (BC546)

circuit diagram
 Assembly
Step 1: Connect The Transistor
Start by connecting the transistor a little bit down on the
board.
The transistor BC546 connections : the collector goes
into row 10, the base in row 11, and the emitter in row 12.

Step 2: Connect The Resistor

Next, connect the resistor. Connect it from row 1 to row
9.

Step 3: Place The LED And Touchpad

Connect the LED and the touch-sensing part. For the
touch-sensing part, 2 exposed wires are required.
Place one on row 4 between column A and D. And one on
row 6 between column A and D. This leaves room for a
jumper wire to be connected later.
Insert the LED with its positive side on row 9 column F,
and the other side on row 10 column F. Now the LED is
connected between the resistor and the collector of the
transistor, just like in the schematics of this circuit.
 Assembly

Step 4: Connect The Touchpad

Connect the two touch wires to the correct points in the
circuit, using jumper wires. Connect one jumper wire from
row 1 column F to row 4 column E. And one jumper wire
from row 6 column E to row 11 column I.

Step 5: Touch It
Next, connect a jumper wire from row 1 column J to the
positive supply column on the right. Then connect a
jumper wire from row 12 column I to the negative supply
column on the right.
Connect the battery connector and plug in the battery.
 Possible errors
IIn this circuit there are three common errors:
the orientation of the LED is wrong
the orientation of the transistor is wrong
Using a PNP transistor instead of an NPN transistor
The finger being too dry

The NPN and the PNP transistors look exactly the same,
so the only way to distinguish them is to look at what is
written on the transistor.

If it says BC557, it’s a PNP transistor, which is *not*

correct. If it says BC546 (or BC547 or BC548) it’s NPN and
it’s correct.

If all of the above suggestions are tried and it’s still not
working, check the resistance value of your resistor.
Bibliography
https://www.build-electronic-circuits.com/touch-
sensor-circuit/

wikipedia.org