4 ms·

Serious question: you consider rectangles with crosshatching "beautiful illustrations"? I completely agree with the OP. This is a _pure_ regurgitation of intro

Serious question: you consider rectangles with crosshatching "beautiful illustrations"? I completely agree with the OP. This is a _pure_ regurgitation of introductory material one could find anywhere. The internet is overflowing with this exact description of how a transistor works. I'm not an EE, but from time-to-time I dabble with electronics. When curiosity gets the best of me I go looking for articles about how transistors work. They all look like this one. What makes this disappointing is that the author sets up the article like they are about to wow you with their particularly special insight into the topic, but proceeds to copy paste the explanation from a textbook.

itishappy 4y ago
> Serious question: you consider rectangles with crosshatching "beautiful illustrations"? Yeah, particularly compared to everything else mentioned so far in this thread (with the possible exception of the YouTube videos I have not investigated). > This is a pure regurgitation of introductory material one could find anywhere. Can you share a better presentation of this material? The current suggestions include a full MIT course, a pair of 2 hour long lectures, "the book from the class we all took in college," and the Wikipedia page for transistors, all of which feel like they're targeting very different audiences than a short illustrated article such as this. Ben Eater's vids are great and a lot closer in scope, but YouTube is very different format and many (such as myself) prefer reading.
- srvmshr 4y ago
  Since you asked again: 1. https://www.build-electronic-circuits.com/how-transistors-work/ https://www.build-electronic-circuits.com/how-transistors-wo... 2. https://www.learnabout-electronics.org/Semiconductors/bjt_03.php https://www.learnabout-electronics.org/Semiconductors/bjt_03... > The current suggestions include a full MIT course, a pair of 2 hour long lectures, "the book from the class we all took in college," and the Wikipedia page for transistors, You have taken my other set of answer out of context: In case you missed the text, I mentioned first couple of lectures of 6.004 (probably 2nd & 3rd ~40 min even if you listen the whole thing). Carver Mead's long lecture is a deepdive into understanding from physics - completely optional & it is pretty obvious from YT page description. You acknowledged the other one was really short & something you appreciate. Milman & Halkias suggestion was for Chapter 1 (~15 pages) only. The "grandpa introduction to someone who starts at 0" seems also been quoted out of context for Wikipedia. Misquoting someone isn't nice & probably not in good faith. I can't say for everyone, but a sizeable crowd here would consider that wasting other person's time rather than seek answers.
  - itishappy 4y ago
    For the record, this is my first time asking this question and it's the first time these links have been posted to this thread. I had no intention of misquoting you, nor do I believe I have done so. I'll be honest, I missed your mention of Millman & Halkias as I've scanned the thread. Why assume ill intent? I love these! Thanks! However, I still take the same issue with them... The first link still seeks to answer very different questions than the article. Note how there's still no mention of doping, depletion region, or really anything about how transistors actually work. It seems like it's more interested in answering "how would I use transistors?" instead of "how do transistors work?" The second article is a lot closer in scope, but still skips the whole how and why semiconductors issue. It also feels like it relies on the user already having a practical background (and sure enough, it's module 3.3 of a full course). To illustrate my point, I find the first three sections of the article to be the most interesting: The physics of conduction, The case of semiconductors, and Semiconductor junctions. I've yet to see similar treatment of these topics in any of the other links presented. (Note: Millman & Halkias actually do seem to cover exactly this!) > Also are you worried about the information or the presentation? You need non-handwavy info in textual format strictly. Frankly, no. That's what courses and reference texts are for, and if you're working with electronics you can easily find one. Since this was posted on HN, I view this article from the lens of a software engineer who's curious what goes on inside their processor. The type of person who has no intention of soldering anything together, but who would love an explanation for what makes their computer tick. Your short video did a fine job of this, but I personally find Ben Eater's the best YouTube content (hence why I mentioned only it), but I still maintain this is the perfect piece for curious hackers who prefer to read.

itishappy 4y ago

> Serious question: you consider rectangles with crosshatching "beautiful illustrations"? Yeah, particularly compared to everything else mentioned so far in this thread (with the possible exception of the YouTube videos I have not investigated). > This is a pure regurgitation of introductory material one could find anywhere. Can you share a better presentation of this material? The current suggestions include a full MIT course, a pair of 2 hour long lectures, "the book from the class we all took in college," and the Wikipedia page for transistors, all of which feel like they're targeting very different audiences than a short illustrated article such as this. Ben Eater's vids are great and a lot closer in scope, but YouTube is very different format and many (such as myself) prefer reading.

srvmshr 4y ago
Since you asked again: 1. https://www.build-electronic-circuits.com/how-transistors-work/ https://www.build-electronic-circuits.com/how-transistors-wo... 2. https://www.learnabout-electronics.org/Semiconductors/bjt_03.php https://www.learnabout-electronics.org/Semiconductors/bjt_03... > The current suggestions include a full MIT course, a pair of 2 hour long lectures, "the book from the class we all took in college," and the Wikipedia page for transistors, You have taken my other set of answer out of context: In case you missed the text, I mentioned first couple of lectures of 6.004 (probably 2nd & 3rd ~40 min even if you listen the whole thing). Carver Mead's long lecture is a deepdive into understanding from physics - completely optional & it is pretty obvious from YT page description. You acknowledged the other one was really short & something you appreciate. Milman & Halkias suggestion was for Chapter 1 (~15 pages) only. The "grandpa introduction to someone who starts at 0" seems also been quoted out of context for Wikipedia. Misquoting someone isn't nice & probably not in good faith. I can't say for everyone, but a sizeable crowd here would consider that wasting other person's time rather than seek answers.
- itishappy 4y ago
  For the record, this is my first time asking this question and it's the first time these links have been posted to this thread. I had no intention of misquoting you, nor do I believe I have done so. I'll be honest, I missed your mention of Millman & Halkias as I've scanned the thread. Why assume ill intent? I love these! Thanks! However, I still take the same issue with them... The first link still seeks to answer very different questions than the article. Note how there's still no mention of doping, depletion region, or really anything about how transistors actually work. It seems like it's more interested in answering "how would I use transistors?" instead of "how do transistors work?" The second article is a lot closer in scope, but still skips the whole how and why semiconductors issue. It also feels like it relies on the user already having a practical background (and sure enough, it's module 3.3 of a full course). To illustrate my point, I find the first three sections of the article to be the most interesting: The physics of conduction, The case of semiconductors, and Semiconductor junctions. I've yet to see similar treatment of these topics in any of the other links presented. (Note: Millman & Halkias actually do seem to cover exactly this!) > Also are you worried about the information or the presentation? You need non-handwavy info in textual format strictly. Frankly, no. That's what courses and reference texts are for, and if you're working with electronics you can easily find one. Since this was posted on HN, I view this article from the lens of a software engineer who's curious what goes on inside their processor. The type of person who has no intention of soldering anything together, but who would love an explanation for what makes their computer tick. Your short video did a fine job of this, but I personally find Ben Eater's the best YouTube content (hence why I mentioned only it), but I still maintain this is the perfect piece for curious hackers who prefer to read.