Here is an OLD IR phototransistor salvaged during my cleaning of the old workshop stock from my previous electronic workshop spare parts, actually just the one! Closed down my business activities some time ago and "retired" from the game so I am ever so slowly working through the bits and pieces that need to find new workshops to "live in"
I am very much "into" sustainability, a manufactured component (no matter how small) represents an appreciable amount of embedded energy and to waste that embedded energy is a very bad thing, even worse is to bury it in landfill and subsequently poison our environment!
What is embedded energy?
Embedded energy is a measurement of the total energy that was used to create a component, a module or a complete piece of equipment originally and should include all processes used in the manufacture of the item, from obtaining the raw materials, processing them, making the product and then shipping to another manufacturer in the "chain" or being supplied directly to stores as a finished product for retail sale.
Here is yet more of the optical spare parts I have unearthed today ... This is an oldie but a goodie - a nice early SIEMENS BPX43 IR phototransistor, so old that Siemens hadn't yet released their brand new (and extremely expensive BLUE leds - producing a Blue LED in the 1980's was a big deal at the time)
Here is what I can tell you about this device ...
SIEMENS - Phototransistor
VINTAGE device, dates from the 1970's ~ 1980's!
Type: BPX43 (II)
NPN
TO18 case with front lens
Maximum Sensitivity: 870nm (IR region)
Extract of technical data from the 1973 Siemens Databook!
Full technical data should be available online if required
DIMENSIONS:
TO18 style case (metal)
All leads are 13mm length
COSMETIC CONDITION:
NEW Old Stock
Clean
NO significant oxidisation to the leads - still perfectly solderable
TESTING:
Because this phototransistor is a "lonesome dove" I have tested it ... comes up as
NPN
hFE 120
Silicon
Good to go
