1 reply to this topic

[LennySh]

I have a IRF510 Transistor, and I need to send 5V to the gate pin in order to open the circuit enough for the 12V signal to pass through.  The problem is the Digital I/O's only send 3.3V.  Do I need to purchase a second transistor to use with the Digital I/O to switch on the 5V to the IRF510?  Or is there another method/transistor I could use to switch the 12V instead?

[CW2]

What kind of load does the transistor switch? What is the current?

 

IRF510 can switch ~1A at V_GS = 5V, but I am a little bit suspicious about that "...to open the circuit enough..."

 

You can use any general purpose/small signal BJT (2Nxxxx, BC5xx) or MOSFET (e.g. BS170) to control the power MOSFET. In special case (e.g. very fast switching) you might need a dedicated MOSFET driver IC.

 

IRL510 is the variant with lower gate threshold voltage (<2V), it can switch 1A at V_GS > ~2.75V.