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Homebrew NMOS Transistor Step by Step - So Easy Even Jeri Can Do It

Name: Homebrew NMOS Transistor Step by Step - So Easy Even Jeri Can Do It
Description: Jeri Ellsworth shows step by step how to make an NMOS transistor at home using a kiln, rust remover, spin-on dopant, eBay wafers and vinyl stickers.

Jeri Ellsworth

3 videos recommended on HN

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3 HN users recommended this tutorial3 months2010–2023 score 3

Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026

HN points to it as the classic example of home-made semiconductors and a fun way to go down to the transistor level.

Jeri Ellsworth shows step by step how to make an NMOS transistor at home using a kiln, rust remover, spin-on dopant, eBay wafers and vinyl stickers.

“If you want to go further down, check out Jeri Ellsworth's old videos where she built a transistor at home” (HN, 2020)

3 recommendations · 5 citations · Tutorials · intermediate

Semiconductors & chip manufacturing Embedded systems & DIY electronics Tutorials Hardware & Electronics

8 Hacker News comments

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

@rrmm Nov 2012 Recommends

on HN thread Build your own FPGA

Check out Jeri Ellsworth's homebrow NMOS transistor for some real fun. Just get your bare silicon wafer from E-bay and have at it. [this video]

Fun homebrew transistor project from a bare wafer

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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" ( [link] ) "Homebrew NMOS transistor" ( [this video] )

One of Jeri Ellsworth's interesting hardware projects

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@didericis Dec 2020 Recommends

on HN thread Become Shell Literate

Another book recommendation: "Elements of Computing Systems" by Noam Nisan and Shimon Schocken. It doesn't go all the way down to the physics of semiconductors, but it goes down to logic gates and all the way up to tetris (there's a related course/website called nand to tetris: [link] ) If you want to go further down, check out Jeri Ellsworth's old videos where she built a transistor at home: [this video]

Going down to building a transistor at home

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Citations, criticism and jokes

@jws Aug 2010 Cites it

on HN thread Homebrew silicon fab

Google to the rescue![1] [this video] [1] Though when I googled "Jeri Ellsworth", Google suggestions helpfully suggested I would be interested in her cleavage. Shame on you, internet! [2] I wonder what happened to the fatmanandcircuitgirl site. I was watching them build a pinball machine and then it just stopped updating.

Found via Google as the relevant homebrew fab example

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@Luyt Aug 2011 Cites it

on HN thread Pentium-III autopsy

Jeri Ellsworth makes NMOS transistors on silicon wafer chips at home, with an oven, rust remover and some other home chemicals: [this video]

Making NMOS transistors at home with simple chemicals

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@DanBC Apr 2013 Cites it

on HN thread How I coded in 1985

( [this video] ) for transistors, but it feels like cheating. Relays are doable from scratch (mining and refining copper; winding coils, etc etc) but it's going to be pretty hard work and you're going to have a very slow computer at the end of it.

Homebrew transistors, though commenter says it feels like cheating

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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: [this video] [link]

Deeper process view with larger-scale homemade transistors

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@mikewarot Oct 2023 Cites it

on HN thread 22-Year-Old Builds Chips in His Parents' Garage (2022)

I've been following home-made semiconductors since Jeri Ellsworth made her own NMOS FETs in 2010.[1] When Sam managed to make his own ICs, I was happy for him, and for the hobby. Now he seems to be on the verge of democratizing access to semiconductor production in very low volumes. I've got my own project to try out once I can get my hands on it.[2] Who knows, petaflop chips made in the garage could be right around the corner, in less than 2 decades! [1] [this video] [2] [link]

Early example of home-made semiconductors

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