How much current can a 2N3055 solar cell produce? How can I get 3055V from a 12N2 solar cell?

Most novice electronics hobbyists are sure to have a few burned-out power transistors, such as the 2N3055, stashed away in their junk boxes.

Assuming our internal semiconductor junction is still intact, the device can be turned into a nice little solar cell by filing or sawing off the top cover of the device to uncover the embedded silicon die inside.

How much current can a 2N3055 solar cell produce?

When this 2N3055 chip semiconductor is exposed to strong sunlight, it may output about 7.20V at currents up to 0mA. This graph shows the relationship between output voltage consumption and load current.

How to Increase Kulent

Since the surface area of ​​a silicon chip is small compared to a standard solar cell, you may need a magnifying glass or convex lens to focus the sun's rays on the silicon chip to increase the output current.

On the other hand, extremely strong concentrated sunlight is strictly prohibited and may permanently burn out the transistor junctions!

Advantages of using the new 2N3055

If you use a transistor in good condition, you will probably find that the output current doubles when the collector base and emitter base junctions are connected in parallel as shown in the circuit diagram.

This may not be possible if the transistor has already failed. This is because the damaged transistor may have a faulty junction that may short-circuit, thus short-circuiting the solar cell output.

How to get 3055V from 12N2 solar cell

To get 3055V out of a 12N2 custom solar cell, you would probably need to connect 18 of them in series, like in the picture below.

Since each device is capable of producing about 0.7 V, the total voltage produced is likely to be about 0.7 x 18 = 12.6 V. However, the maximum current does not change and remains around 40 mA.

Warning: Please do not use obsolete germanium power transistors, as these types may contain highly toxic components. On the other hand, a leading semiconductor producer has determined that more modern silicon devices, including the 2N3055, are perfectly safe in this regard.