Transistor: The Secret to Insanely Fast Tech!

[00:00:00]Relays are brilliant because a tiny current can control a much larger current. For example, a DC powered temperature sensor can switch on a dangerous AC mains powered fan. That's extremely useful unless you need speed.

[00:00:15]A relay might switch a few times per second, but a computer processor switches billions of times per second. A relay trying to do that would sound like a machine gun before destroying itself.

[00:00:25]Engineers needed something faster, much faster.

[00:00:29]The solution, the bipolar junction transistor or BJT for short. Although most people refer to this as just a transistor. This is also a BJT transistor. It's just easier to open because when we look inside, there is just a tiny piece of semiconductor material. There's no springs, no moving parts, just cheap alien technology. But where's the smoke? Ah, there it is.

[00:00:53]The semiconductor allows transistors to switch insanely fast and it doesn't wear out unless you make a mistake, which it celebrates with a little firework display.