The
TO-92
is
a
small
type of plastic-molded package commonly used for housing discrete
devices such as
transistors and thyristors as well as IC's with low lead counts such as
voltage regulators.
The
TO-92 has a flat front face that is marked
with the device name or number, while its back is semi-circular in shape
(see Fig. 1). Since it is most often used in transistor packaging,
the TO-92 usually has three leads, all of which protrude from the bottom
of the package. The typical distance between leads of the TO-92 is
1.27 mm or 0.5 inch.
The main advantages of the TO-92
package are its low manufacturing cost and its small size.
Unfortunately, this low cost and small size means that it is not
designed to dissipate much heat and can not be used on devices that have
high power consumption.
Table 1.
Properties of a Typical TO-92
|
Plastic Body Size
(H x W)
|
Body Thickness |
Lead
Width
|
Lead
Thickness |
Lead
Length |
|
4.58 mm x 4.58 mm |
3.86 mm |
0.46 mm |
0.38 mm |
14.47 mm |
