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Homemade Transistor Demonstration

Name: Homemade Transistor Demonstration
Description: Jeri Ellsworth demonstrates a PMOS transistor she fabricated herself in a home chip lab. She shows some of its electrical characteristics.

Jeri Ellsworth

3 videos recommended on HN

YouTube

2 HN users recommended this demo2 months2013–2021 score 2.5

Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026

HN likes Ellsworth as a hardware tinkerer, and cites the video as proof that transistors can be made with low-tech, DIY fabrication.

Jeri Ellsworth demonstrates a PMOS transistor she fabricated herself in a home chip lab. She shows some of its electrical characteristics.

“One of my favorite channels as she's done many projects I've had interest in.” (HN, 2016)

1 strong recommendations · 1 recommendations · 2 citations · Demos · intermediate

Semiconductors & chip manufacturing Electronics & circuit design Demos Hardware & Electronics

4 Hacker News comments

From the HN archive; up to 20 kept per video, favoring different commenters. Recommendations first.

@gravypod Aug 2016 Strongly recommends

on HN thread Megaprocessor – A micro-processor built large

This channel might be of interest to you: [this video] One of my favorite channels as she's done many projects I've had interest in.

Channel of creator doing many hardware projects.

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@DanBC Jul 2013 Recommends

on HN thread Valve's flat management structure 'like high school'

Jeri Ellsworth, for people who don't know, does really interesting hardware stuff. "TSA body imaging at home" ( [link] ) "Home made EL wire" ( [link] ) "Recording Audio onto floppy discs" ( [link] ) "Home made transistor" ( [this video] ) "Homebrew NMOS transistor" ( [link] )

Homemade transistor demo by a hardware tinkerer.

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Citations, criticism and jokes

@justaaron May 2019 Cites it

on HN thread Ask HN: Do you think technology progress will flatten out 100 years from now

up to the point that we see actual infrastructural collapse. I mean, I've seen Jeri Elsworth bake her own transistors in the oven and stuff (each one being about the size of your hand) but somehow I can't picture a chip fab based upon such transistors... call me old fashioned. [this video]

Homemade transistors used as example of low-tech fabrication.

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@userbinator Nov 2021 Cites it

on HN thread How to make a CPU – a simple picture-based explanation

Jeri Ellsworth has gone "deeper" into the process and made a few transistors, although at a much larger scale: [link] [this video]

Homemade transistors at larger scale, deeper into the process.

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