text: By Ebele Orakpo
  Most students run away from science and technology classes because they find it difficult to use some of the complex devices during practicals. To help this set of students, three students of St Luke’s College Jos, Plateau State, Ishaku Yohanna, Shutt Noro and Olawuyi Toyin have come up with a transistor tester which they say is very easy to use and does not require a lot of technical know-how. They spoke with Vanguard Learning in Lagos. Excerpts:
  “A transistor tester is an instrument used for testing the electrical behaviour of transistors and solid-state diodes. This device which is powered by 12-volts battery, gives the precise and accurate reading of an electronic component,” said the students.
  Components: “The components are diodes, resistor and transformer. The resistor limits the flow of current in the circuit. Most students find it very difficult to use digital multi-metre to test the resistor, most especially the transistor because the transistor has three terminals – emitter, collector and base,” said Shutt Noro.
  Explaining how the transistor tester was made, Olawuyi Toyin said; “We first smoothened the surface of the plywood with glass-paper (sandpaper) so that when you are drawing your schematic diagram, you will find it very easy. After drawing your schematic diagram, you shade the points where you are going to drive in your nails. You use these nails because they are conductors, so passing your wires will be easy. When you are driving the nails in, you must ensure that they do not touch each other.”
  On why they embarked on the project, Ishaku Yohanna said that most students find it very difficult to determine whether a transistor is PNP or NPN “but with this transistor tester, there is no need for you to start exchanging terminals, you just pick your transistor and place it on one of the terminals and when you do that, it will indicate the green light if it is PNP but if it is NPN, it will indicate the red light. The diode shows you the direction of the flow of current because diode moves in only one direction and it rectifies signals.”
  “With this, we believe that students who have lost much interest in technology, will do more than we have done because this is just a stepping stone. Most students run away from technology because they find it difficult to use complex devices but with this, it becomes easier for them and they will have more interest in technology. We believe we have written some students’ happiness and have erased their sorrows. If we cannot be the pencil to write people’s happiness, we should at least be the eraser to erase their sorrows,” said Noro.
  Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.