Medium

Darlington Pair Relay Driver

A single transistor cannot directly drive a relay from a weak signal — a Darlington pair amplifies the current enough to do it. A classic example of cascaded amplification.

Circuit Diagram

+12V control signal base R Q1 BC337 C E → Q2 base Q2 BC337 C → relay E → GND RELAY 1N4007 (cathode up) Darlington pair (Q1→Q2) drives the relay coil from a weak signal

How to Build It

  1. Place two BC337 transistors on the breadboard.
  2. Connect the first transistor's emitter to the second transistor's base (this is the Darlington connection).
  3. Connect both transistors' collectors together, then to one relay terminal.
  4. Connect the relay's other terminal to the positive rail (12V).
  5. Connect a 1N4007 diode across the relay coil (cathode toward positive) — this protects the transistors from the voltage spike at turn-off.
  6. Connect a base resistor from the control signal to the first transistor's base.
  7. Connect the second transistor's emitter to GND.
  8. Apply a small control signal — the relay should click audibly.

Bill of Materials

ProductCodeQty
Diode/bridge rectifier 1N4007-DIO 1
Relay (12/24VDC/auto) 1
Resistor DR47K-8/9 1
Transistor (incl. IGBT) 2
← All kits  ·  Newsletter