Newbie question

But hey that's just me. Maybe you shouldn't trust everything you find on the internet, including this post.

Well, here's the thing. There's enough people in this subreddit who know their shit that if you're totally off base you'll get downvoted into oblivion. This is not a safe space for bad advice. The original article OP referenced, though, is not subject to the same "peer review". There are a lot of really bad circuits on the web.

Since OP clarified with the article, it's a small unspecified DC motor running on 12v. So you'd need Vce safely above 12v, and I think all of those are ok. I'd estimate starting current in excess of 1A, though, which disqualifies all of them. Ugh.

So here's how OP should do it:

[go here](http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?keywords=)

Search for 'transistor' then click on [Transistors (BJT) - Single (18422 items)](http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en/discrete-semiconductor-products/transistors-bjt-single/1376376)

Select "in stock" and "rohs compliant", because we're impatient hippies.  For "type" select "npn", and for "packaging" select everything *except* tape/box, tape/reel, and digireel.  You arrive [here](http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?pv7=61&pv7=3&pv7=2&pv7=196&pv7=17&pv7=6&pv74=1&FV=fff40015%2Cfff80078&mnonly=0&newproducts=0&ColumnSort=0&page=1&stock=1&rohs=1&quantity=0&ptm=0&fid=0&pageSize=25)

Well we still have 2000 options.  Awesome.  So we need it to handle 12v, so for Vce, select, say, everything from 20v to infinity.  Still have about 2000... nobody really makes transistors with Vce that small.  We need it to carry at least a couple amps, so choose all the Ic(max) options from, say, 3A to infinity.  [Still 613, we're good.](http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?pv812=178&pv812=376&pv812=196&pv812=362&pv812=188&pv812=221&pv812=197&pv812=201&pv812=200&pv812=396&pv812=173&pv812=199&pv812=373&pv812=223&pv812=145&pv812=208&pv812=372&pv812=198&pv812=108&pv812=379&pv812=179&pv812=132&pv812=222&pv812=177&pv812=135&pv812=46&pv812=163&pv812=109&pv812=47&pv812=114&pv812=148&pv812=62&pv812=48&pv812=139&pv812=56&pv812=104&pv812=57&pv812=124&pv812=51&pv812=128&pv812=50&pv814=2&pv814=53&pv814=3&pv814=4&pv814=5&pv814=6&pv814=72&pv814=43&pv814=7&pv814=9&pv814=61&pv814=10&pv814=52&pv814=11&pv814=64&pv814=44&pv814=63&pv814=42&pv814=56&pv814=62&pv814=50&pv814=54&pv814=48&pv814=172&pv814=45&pv814=32&pv814=57&pv814=16&pv814=66&pv814=22&pv814=46&pv814=14&pv814=24&pv814=27&pv814=175&pv814=167&pv814=35&pv814=39&pv814=148&pv814=73&pv814=13&pv814=55&pv814=58&pv814=59&pv814=15&FV=fff40015%2Cfff80078%2C1c0002%2C1c0003%2C1c0006%2C1c0011%2C1c003d%2C1c00c4%2C1280001&mnonly=0&newproducts=0&ColumnSort=0&page=1&stock=1&rohs=1&quantity=0&ptm=0&fid=0&pageSize=25)

[Oh wait, we only want through hole.](http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?pv69=80&FV=fff40015%2Cfff80078%2C1c0002%2C1c0003%2C1c0006%2C1c0011%2C1c003d%2C1c00c4%2C1280001%2Ccb0002e%2Ccb0002f%2Ccb00030%2Ccb00032%2Ccb00033%2Ccb00038%2Ccb00039%2Ccb0003e%2Ccb00068%2Ccb0006c%2Ccb0006d%2Ccb00072%2Ccb0007c%2Ccb00080%2Ccb00084%2Ccb00087%2Ccb0008b%2Ccb00091%2Ccb00094%2Ccb000a3%2Ccb000ad%2Ccb000b1%2Ccb000b2%2Ccb000b3%2Ccb000bc%2Ccb000c4%2Ccb000c5%2Ccb000c6%2Ccb000c7%2Ccb000c8%2Ccb000c9%2Ccb000d0%2Ccb000dd%2Ccb000de%2Ccb000df%2Ccb0016a%2Ccb00174%2Ccb00175%2Ccb00178%2Ccb0017b%2Ccb0018c%2Ccb80002%2Ccb80003%2Ccb80004%2Ccb80005%2Ccb80006%2Ccb80007%2Ccb80009%2Ccb8000a%2Ccb8000b%2Ccb8000d%2Ccb8000e%2Ccb8000f%2Ccb80010%2Ccb80016%2Ccb80018%2Ccb8001b%2Ccb80020%2Ccb80023%2Ccb80027%2Ccb8002a%2Ccb8002b%2Ccb8002c%2Ccb8002d%2Ccb8002e%2Ccb80030%2Ccb80032%2Ccb80034%2Ccb80035%2Ccb80036%2Ccb80037%2Ccb80038%2Ccb80039%2Ccb8003a%2Ccb8003b%2Ccb8003d%2Ccb8003e%2Ccb8003f%2Ccb80040%2Ccb80042%2Ccb80048%2Ccb80049%2Ccb80094%2Ccb800a7%2Ccb800ac%2Ccb800af&mnonly=0&newproducts=0&ColumnSort=0&page=1&stock=1&rohs=1&quantity=0&ptm=0&fid=0&pageSize=25) .... down to 370.

[Now sort by unit price ascending.](http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?FV=fff40015%2Cfff80078%2C1c0002%2C1c0003%2C1c0006%2C1c0011%2C1c003d%2C1c00c4%2C1140050%2C1280001%2Ccb0002e%2Ccb0002f%2Ccb00030%2Ccb00032%2Ccb00033%2Ccb00038%2Ccb00039%2Ccb0003e%2Ccb00068%2Ccb0006c%2Ccb0006d%2Ccb00072%2Ccb0007c%2Ccb00080%2Ccb00084%2Ccb00087%2Ccb0008b%2Ccb00091%2Ccb00094%2Ccb000a3%2Ccb000ad%2Ccb000b1%2Ccb000b2%2Ccb000b3%2Ccb000bc%2Ccb000c4%2Ccb000c5%2Ccb000c6%2Ccb000c7%2Ccb000c8%2Ccb000c9%2Ccb000d0%2Ccb000dd%2Ccb000de%2Ccb000df%2Ccb0016a%2Ccb00174%2Ccb00175%2Ccb00178%2Ccb0017b%2Ccb0018c%2Ccb80002%2Ccb80003%2Ccb80004%2Ccb80005%2Ccb80006%2Ccb80007%2Ccb80009%2Ccb8000a%2Ccb8000b%2Ccb8000d%2Ccb8000e%2Ccb8000f%2Ccb80010%2Ccb80016%2Ccb80018%2Ccb8001b%2Ccb80020%2Ccb80023%2Ccb80027%2Ccb8002a%2Ccb8002b%2Ccb8002c%2Ccb8002d%2Ccb8002e%2Ccb80030%2Ccb80032%2Ccb80034%2Ccb80035%2Ccb80036%2Ccb80037%2Ccb80038%2Ccb80039%2Ccb8003a%2Ccb8003b%2Ccb8003d%2Ccb8003e%2Ccb8003f%2Ccb80040%2Ccb80042%2Ccb80048%2Ccb80049%2Ccb80094%2Ccb800a7%2Ccb800ac%2Ccb800af&mnonly=0&newproducts=0&ColumnSort=1000011&page=1&stock=1&pbfree=0&rohs=1&quantity=&ptm=0&fid=0&pageSize=25).  Because we still have some transistors in there that can handle like a million amps, and while that's neat, we're not willing to pay extra.

So it seems that the [Fairchild KSD882YS](http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/KSD882YS/KSD882YS-ND/1050063) may be a sensible option here.  30v, 3A.
/r/electronics Thread Parent