Universal transistors and diodes
The abbreviations TUP, TUN, DUG, DUS are terms from the field of hobby electronics for universal transistors and diodes and stand for the terms " Transistor -Universal-PNP", "Transistor-Universal-NPN", " Diode -Universal- Germanium " and "Diode universal silicon ". They were introduced by Elektor magazine in 1971 .
These components have the "universal" in their names because they can be used in a very wide range of applications and at the same time relieve the user of a large part of his procurement problems for certain semiconductor types, as numerous specific component types meet the defined minimum requirements, between which then freely Price or availability can be chosen. It also means a simplification on the part of suppliers who offer component sets according to the published articles, as well as when writing building instructions in electronics hobby magazines.
background
When transistors for the field of hobby electronics became widely available and, above all, inexpensive in the 1970s , and after the transition from germanium to silicon transistors had also been made as standard, the market situation quickly became very confusing with a myriad of only slightly different types . If a trade journal published building proposals, it ran the risk that the transistor types used were not available on site and the reader would then have problems understanding the proposal. One way out were huge transistor comparison lists , which in book form gave the chance to find a type that was as similar as possible to the proposed type and that was easier to obtain.
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Elektor magazine took a different approach : It defined minimum requirements for npn and pnp transistors that were met by many standard types from various manufacturers. In the publications, the terms TUN and TUP were used to denote such transistors . With the corresponding requirements, a wide range of low- power applications in frequency ranges from direct current to a few megahertz and simple switching applications can be covered. In the beginning there was a standard type for the TUN variant of the BC 109 and for the TUP variant of the BC 179 in a TO-18 metal housing. Today the newer BC 547 is used as the TUN and the BC 557 in the TO-92 plastic housing or its SMD variants BC 847 / BC 857 as the TUP .
The concept proved itself, so that it was transferred to diodes in the variants germanium (low threshold voltage) and silicon (higher frequencies, better blocking behavior). Type 1N4148 is used as the DUS and the AA116 as the DUG.
In the 1970s, many electronics suppliers supported the concept and offered very inexpensive components under these designations, which the interested hobbyist could have available in quantities in order to be prepared for all eventualities. When semiconductor prices continued to fall in the 1980s, it was cheaper to buy specific types, whereupon retailers dropped the concept. In building instructions, however, it persisted into the 2000s.
As circuits with discrete transistors have been increasingly replaced by integrated circuits , discrete transistors have become much less important. The remaining, commonly used standard transistors are readily available from most distributors . Therefore, the terms are rarely used in building proposals.
See also
Web links
- List of standard transistors. Retrieved December 2, 2014 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Elektor issue May 1975: Definition of TUP-TUN-DUG-DUS and list of example types ( Memento of the original from November 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF file; 565 kB)
