BC546 transistor
BC546 specification
- BC546 is an NPN epitaxial BJT silicon transistor device
- Collector to emitter voltage is 65V
- Collector to base voltage is 80V
- Emitter to base voltage is 6V
- Collector current is 100mA
- Power dissipation is 500mW
- DC current gain is 100 to 800hFE
- Current gain-bandwidth (FT) is 300MHz
- Junction temperature is between -65 to 150℃
- Collector to emitter saturation voltage (VCE (SAT)) is 200 to 600mV
- Noise figure (NF) is 2 to 10dB
- Output capacitance (Cob) is 5 to 6pF
- High voltage
- Low noise
- High frequency
BC546 transistor Pinout
| Pin Number | Pin Name | Description |
| 1 | Collector | Current flow through the collector |
| 2 | Base | Base terminal is used to trigger the device |
| 3 | Emitter | Current flows through the emitter |
BC546 transistor package
The BC546 transistor had a TO-92 component package, it is a general purpose package mainly used for low-power applications.
TO-92 transistor package is made with plastic material which is good at heat resistance property and also it is a lite weighted material.
BC546 transistor electrical specification description
In this section, we explain each of the main electrical specifications of the BC546 transistor, this explanation is really helpful for the replacement process.
Voltage specs
The voltage specs of BC546 transistor are collector to base voltage is 80V, collector to emitter voltage is 65V, and emitter to base voltage is 6V.
The collector to emitter saturation voltage of the BC546 transistor is 200 to 600mV, it is the switching voltage value of the transistor.
Overall voltage specifications of the BC546 transistor show that it is a high-voltage device having enormous applications.
Current specs
The collector current value of the BC546 transistor is 100mA, it is the maximum load capacity of the device.
Dissipation specs
The power dissipation of the BC546 transistor is 500mW, this device had a moderate range of dissipation capability.
Current gain specs
The current gain value of the BC546 transistor is between 100 to 800hFE.
Transition frequency
The bandwidth transition frequency value of the BC546 is 300MHz, which indicates the audio amplification range.
Junction temperature/ storage temperature
The temperature limit of the BC546 transistor is -65 to 150℃, the temperature capacity of the device will be concentrated on the operating temperature.
Noise figure
The noise figure value of BC546 transistor is 2 to 10dB
Output capacitance
The output capacitance value of the BC546 transistor is 3.5 to 6Pf
BC546 transistor DATASHEET
If you need the datasheet in pdf please click this link
BC546 equivalent
The BC546 transistor had equivalent devices such as 2N3904, BC547, BC550, 2N2222, BC548, and C945. Each of these transistor devices had almost the same electrical specifications.
We need to check and verify the voltage specs and physical specs of the transistor device before the replacement process.
BC546 complementary pair
The BC546 NPN transistor had complementary pair PNP transistors such as BC556 and BC560.
SMD version of BC546 transistor
The BC846 (SOT-23) and BC846 WC (SOT-323) are the SMD equivalent transistors of BC546, and both of them had almost the same electrical specs.
BC546 vs BC547 vs 2N3904
In this table, we listed the electrical specifications of three transistors such as BC546, BC547, and 2N3904, this comparison will help us to understand more about the device and support us in the replacement process.
| Characteristics | BC546 | BC547 | 2N3904 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collector to base voltage (VCB) | 80V | 50V | 60V |
| Collector to emitter voltage (VCE) | 65V | 45V | 40V |
| Emitter to base voltage (VEB) | 6V | 6V | 6V |
| Collector to emitter saturation voltage (VCE (SAT)) | 200 to 600mV | 200 to 600mV | 0.2 to 0.3V |
| Collector current (IC) | 100mA | 100mA | 200mA |
| Power dissipation | 500mW | 500mW | 625mW |
| Junction temperature (TJ) | -65 to +150°C | -65 to +150°C | -55 to +150°C |
| Transition frequency (FT) | 300MHZ | 300MHZ | 300MHz |
| Gain (hFE) | 100 to 800hFE | 110 to 800hFE | 40 to 300hFE |
| Output capacitance | 3.5 to 6pF | 9Pf | 8pF |
| Noise figure | 2 to 10dB | 2 to 10dB | 5dB |
| Package | TO-92 | TO-92 | TO-92 |
BC546 transistor applications
- Low noise amplifier
- High voltage applications
- Low switching load applications
- Small signal applications
- Preamp circuits
- High gain amplifier circuits
- Darlington pair
Characteristics curves of BC546 transistor
The figure shows the static characteristics of the BC546 transistor, the graph is plotted with collector current vs collector to emitter voltage.
At various base current values, the different collector current to the collector to emitter voltage graph is produced and the variation becomes constant.
The figure shows the saturation voltage characteristics of the BC546 transistor, the graph is plotted with the base to emitter saturation and collector to emitter saturation voltage vs collector current.
At constant collector current, both saturation voltage values increase with respect to collector current.
The figure shows the DC current gain characteristics of the BC546 transistor, the graph is plotted with DC current gain vs collector current.
At constant collector to emitter voltage values, the DC current gain increases from a higher limit and dips at the end.
