BC559 transistor
BC559 specification
- BC559 is an epitaxial silicon PNP transistor device
- Collector to emitter voltage is -30V
- Collector to base voltage is -30V
- Emitter to base voltage is –5V
- Collector current is -100mA
- Power dissipation is 625mW
- DC current gain is 120 to 800hFE
- Current gain-bandwidth transition frequency (FT) is 250MHz
- Junction temperature is between -65 to 150℃
- Thermal resistance, junction to ambient is 200℃/W
- Collector to emitter saturation voltage (VCE (SAT)) is -0.075 to -0.6V
- Noise figure is 5 to 10dB
- General purpose amplifier circuit
- Low noise
BC559 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 terminal |
BC559 package
The BC559 PNP transistor has a TO-92 package, it is a low-power package mainly used for general-purpose application devices.
TO-92 is a three-terminal semiconductor device package outer coverage made of epoxy/plastic material, this will provide higher temperature capacity and compatibility for the package. The shape of the TO-92 package will make it fit with small circuit applications.
BC559 PNP transistor electrical specification description/application
In this section, we try to explain the important electrical specifications of the BC559 PNP transistor device, this will provide us with an idea about this device.
Voltage specs
The voltage specs of the BC559 transistor are collector to emitter voltage is -30V, collector to base voltage is -30V, and emitter to base voltage is -5V.
The collector to emitter saturation voltage is -0.075 to -0.6V, it is the amount of collector and emitter voltages that is always lower than the base voltage.
Voltage specifications of BC559 transistor indicate that it is a low-power device having general purpose applications.
Current specs
The collector current value of the BC559 transistor is -100mA, the current value shows the maximum load capacity of the device.
Dissipation specs
The power dissipation of the BC559 PNP transistor is 625mW, it is the overall voltage and current exchange at the device.
Current gain specs
The DC current gain value of the BC559 transistor is 120 to 800Hfe, it is the power produced at the device, and this is very useful for applications like amplifiers and regulator circuits.
Transition frequency
The transition frequency value of the BC559 transistor is 250MHz, it is the frequency range of the device.
Junction temperature/ storage temperature
The storage temperature of the BC559 transistor is -55 to +150.
Thermal resistance
The thermal resistance of junction to ambient value is 200℃/W
Noise figure
The noise figure value of the BC559 transistor is 0.5 to 10dB
BC559 transistor DATASHEET
If you need the datasheet in pdf please click this link
BC559 equivalent
BC559 transistor has equivalent devices such as BC557, BC558, S6550, 2N4403, 2N5401, BC556, A1015, and 2N2907, each of these devices has almost the same electrical specifications, so we can easily replace them at the place of a BC559 transistor.
During the replacement process, we need to consider the PINOUT details of each device.
BC559 PNP complementary pair
The BC559 PNP transistor has NPN complementary devices such as BC546, BC549 and BC550 transistor devices, each of these transistors has almost the same and opposite electrical specifications, so we can use them in complementary or push-pull circuit applications.
SMD versions of BC559 PNP transistor
BC559 PNP transistor has SMD transistor versions such as BC858 (SOT-23), BC858W (SOT-323), and BC859W (SOT-323), these devices have low-level dissipation ability than the through-hole version BC559 transistor.
BC559 vs BC560 vs 2N2907
In the table, we listed the electrical specifications of each of the three transistors BC559, BC560, and 2N2907, this comparison is really useful for a better understanding.
| Characteristics | BC559 | BC560 | 2N2907 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collector to base voltage (VCB) | -30V | -50V | -60V |
| Collector to emitter voltage (VCE) | -30V | -45V | -40V |
| Emitter to base voltage (VEB) | -5V | -5V | -5V |
| Collector to emitter saturation voltage (VCE (SAT)) | -0.075 to -0.6V | -90 to -300mV | 0.4 to 1.6V |
| Collector current (IC) | -100mA | -100mA | 600mA |
| Power dissipation | 625mW | 500mW | 400mW |
| Junction temperature (TJ) | -55 to +150°C | -65 to +150°C | -65 to +200℃ |
| Transition frequency (FT) | 250MHz | 150MHz | 200MHz |
| Gain (hFE) | 120 to 800hFE | 110 to 800hFE | 35 to 300hFE |
| Noise figure | 0.5 to 10dB | 1.2 to 2dB | - |
| Package | TO-92 | TO-92 | TO-18 |
BC559 applications
- General purpose amplifier circuit
- Switching applications
- Modules applications
- Relay drivers
- LED drivers
- Darlington pair
- Signal amplifier
Characteristics curves of BC559 PNP transistor
The figure shows the static characteristics of the BC559 transistor, the graph plotted with collector current vs collector to emitter voltage.
At different bases, current values start from the lower value to a higher value and collector current increases from lower to higher with respect to the collector to emitter voltage values.
The figure shows the DC current gain characteristics of BC559 transistor, the graph plotted with dc current gain vs collector current.
At a constant collector to an emitter voltage value, the current gain starts increasing from a higher value and becomes constant, and decreases at the end.
