Transistor

A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electronic signals and electrical power and have appeared throughout the Fallout series.

Background
A fundamental building block of modern electronic devices and systems. The transistor revolutionized the field of electronics and paved the way for smaller and cheaper radios, calculators, and computers. Most transistors are made from very pure silicon in their manufacture, but various compound semiconductors are used for specialized applications.

Computers in the Fallout universe are more cumbersome than the ones in our world and most still use monochromatic, text-based displays. The personal computer as it exists in our world was never fully developed due to these limitations on compactness, and some computers still exist as large mainframes that can take up whole rooms. The users access them via terminals.

Nonetheless, some mainframes are highly advanced in terms of processing power, such as those capable of running artificial intelligence. Microchips also do appear to exist and can be seen among common household items, super computers, and energy weapons alike throughout the series.

Appearances in Fallout

 * The Reavers say various statements about the transistor, including, "For the glory of the transisto.r'" and "Wait! Is this transistor reverse biased?"'' The Junction City enforcers describe the Reavers as worshipers of silicon.
 * Robert House mentions, "Don't let the video screens and computer terminals fool you. I'm flesh and blood, not silicon." In the computer and electronics industry, silicon is near exclusively used in the manufacture of semiconductors and transistors.
 * The Cabot House terminal entries directly mention transistors existing in 2023: "I've been experimenting with some of the new transistors, and it looks possible to make a portable version of the Abremalin field generator." The Listening Post Bravo terminal entries mention a transistor radio: "four weeks stuck in this bunker with only military rations, old magazines and a transistor radio to keep me company."
 * One of Proctor Quinlan's possible responses mentions a "transistor radio" and then states, "doubtful. I wouldn't "miss" a synth any sooner than I'd miss a transistor radio.
 * The Fallout 76 quest The Messenger requires a Memory transistor for completion. The Scoot's shack terminal entries mention a "transistor radio" manufactured by General Atomics International.