[JoshKurtz]

I'm guessing that the blue component on the left of the diagram is a transistor but I'm not sure. Does anyone know? And if so, any details on it?
Also, if you could verify that I have the rest of the pieces right: the resistors are both 1.5 kOhm, the (yellow) caps are 330nF and 100nF.
Thanks.

[newtech]

Originally Posted by JoshKurtz

I'm guessing that the blue component on the left of the diagram is a transistor but I'm not sure. Does anyone know? And if so, any details on it?
Also, if you could verify that I have the rest of the pieces right: the resistors are both 1.5 kOhm, the (yellow) caps are 330nF and 100nF.
Thanks.

Difficult to determine without knowing what the circuit is/does. My guess based on the marking "6.00" I'd say it probably is not a transistor, but perhaps a filter.

[jamil5454]

Doesn't look like a transistor to me. I thought a transistor was just a simple on/off switch.

[mindwaves]

As an engineer, I'm not sure...haha..transistors are usually a 3-terminal device which that one appears to me, but I would say yes, but I am uncertain as to what the 6.00 means. Any more details on the unit?

[newtech]

If we knew what the IC was and therefore the pin out it would be easier to determine the function of the blue component.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by jamil5454

Doesn't look like a transistor to me. I thought a transistor was just a simple on/off switch.

A transistor can be used as an on/off switch, but it's a bit more complicated than that. An "idealzed" transistor can be thought of as having three generic leads that we can call "source" "drain" and "gate" (as they are in field effect transistors) or "collector" "emitter" and "base" (as in junction transistors). Basically, (and this is really stripped down!) you control the current flow between "source" and "drain" or "collector" and "emitter" with the voltage or current applied to the "gate" or "base."

But you can do a WHOLE LOT MORE with any transistor. You can make it amplify, you can make it attenuate, and you can make it (with appropriate accessory components) a filter. You can even make one act like a capacitor-that's how dynamic RAM is made. There are litterally too many things you can do with a transistor to be able to enumerate them all here. But think about this: your Mac has millions and millions of them, and while some of them are "on/off" switches for data, a lot of them are in analog circuits that to a lot of other, extremely important things.

[James Mullins]

Hi Guys,

This part is a crystal or resonator (6.00Mhz).

It looks as if the IC is a microcontroller of some sort (Probably a PIC).

Hope this helps,

Jim

[newtech]

Ah, then the circuit would appear to be some sort of USB signalled controller.

[James Mullins]

Indeed

Josh, if you are trying to reverse engineer this project and make your own, keep in mind that you will need the source code from the micro.

Cheers,

James