source, cathode, emitter...

Electrodes?

Electrodes?

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It seems a bit too general. I'm trying to find a term that I can use when describing a circuit that could work for a tube, mosfet/jfet, or bjt. If I use a term for one it doesn't work for the others even though the circuit itself doesn't necessarily care.

For example, the common collector/common anode/common drain topologies are virtually identical for bjts, mosfets, and tubes as is the other circuit topologies more or less.

It's really a shame someone decided to create new terminology for the exact same concept. We need to start using a standard terminology for such devices.

Gate = A controlling terminal/electrode Cathode = A terminal/electrode that current tends to flow out of. Anode = A terminal/electrode that current tends to flow into.

and use these for bjt's, mosfets/jfets, and other similar devices.

Bottom, middle, top.

John

Total waste of time!

There are far more useful things to bemoan.

Maybe...

emitter source base gate collector drain ...Jim Thompson

Homologous?

Hope This Helps! Rich

Maybe...

emitter source base gate collector drain

...Jim Thompson

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It bothers me not which set as long as we can use one for all and all for one.

Bottom, middle, top.

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lol. Are we in kindergarten electronics now?

Nope, we don't need a "common" designator, we need some education ;-) ...Jim Thompson

Junctions?

Jamie

Nope, we don't need a "common" designator, we need some education ;-)

...Jim Thompson

Junctions?

Jamie

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But how will you differentiate between the different types?

We have 3 sets of terms. All work and represent the same abstract concepts and are precise in their meaning.... but are identical. When trying to discuss in abstract terms the commonality it becomes messy and inelegant to having to write collector/anode/drain, etc...

Of course if you just use one then you'll surely get some wannabe pedant tell you how wrong you are since tubes don't have collectors or mosfets don't have anodes.

They _aren't_ the "same thing". Only you are confused. Clearly you're _not_ an engineer. "One for all and all for one"... Marines? They seems to know there's a difference between the Navy and the Marines or the Army ;-) ...Jim Thompson

Maybe Al Gore will make it all OK ?:-) ...Jim Thompson

So when I connect a PNP transistor, I connect the anode to 9V, the gate rides 0.7V below the anode, and on the cathode I see a voltage-amplified version of the signal on the gate?

I think you need to revisit your definition of terms.

And yes -- it is unfortunate that there seem to be so many different sets of terms. But with the possible exception of the vacuum tube (which should probably have terminals named "emitter", "grid", and "collector") the names are physics-based and do make sense in the context of the devices that they are used for.

They _aren't_ the "same thing". Only you are confused. Clearly you're _not_ an engineer. "One for all and all for one"... Marines? They seems to know there's a difference between the Navy and the Marines or the Army ;-)

...Jim Thompson

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I'm afraid not.

You obviously do not understand the grammatical concept of hierarchical and the concept of modifiers.

Just because someone decided to use a different term to describe an apple or a maybe a new subgenus of Malus domestica doesn't mean it adds anything but additional useless information.

The "drain" of a mosfet is technically different than that of a tube's "anode" but both represent the same abstract concept and behave almost identical. Just as two apple varieties are different we will USE the same term apple to describe them.

IF we need to be more specific we use a modifier to prefix the term.

Now if all this is too complex for you, just read it a bit slower. It maybe sink in eventually... probably not.

For example, No single apple is truly representable by our concept of an apple. But we use the term apple to represent all "apple like" fruits because it is useful and consolidates the concepts.

Similarly, if we need to discuss a drain of a mosfet for specific purposes, say if we were talking about it's doping properties, we could just modify the term cathode as in "A mosfet's cathode ....". This has the added benefit that when the context is clear AND the reader is not as much a nitwit as yourself one can leave off the modifier. More so, We have a term that is an abstraction of all instances. Similar to how an apple represents any fruit from the Malus domestica and if we need to talk about apples in general we can do so easily without confusion.

I do not expect you to understand. At the very least you could attempt to see how having many names for the same thing(again, this doesn't mean exactly the same as NOTHING is exact) results in duplicate information(more or less) and only those with the elocution and double speak of Obama could revel in.

Are you that easily confused and frightened that when someone at your dinner table asked for an apple you have a quick bowel movement?

Maybe Al Gore will make it all OK ?:-)

Three Musketeers.

PLONK.

-- Subject: Spelling Lesson

The last four letters in American.........I Can The last four letters in Republican.......I Can The last four letters in Democrats.........Rats

End of lesson. Test to follow in November, 2012

Remember, November is to be set aside as rodent extermination month.