Eli5: What is a thyristor and how does it work?
In: 7
Trying to break it down closer to an actual ELI5 since basic explanation is already given: Think of a thyristor as a diode with an on switch (oversimplification). Diodes act like a self closing, one way door to let the magic pixies (current) go through the wires in one direction only, by adding the on switch to make it a thryristor the one way door is now a magic door that opens only when you tell it to. The complication is you have no control over closing the door (through the thyristor directly anyway unless using a special type like a gate turn off thyristor), and once you tell that door to open and the pixies start rushing through the door it won’t close on it’s own because all those pixies moving through keep pushing it open for the ones behind them. So until the pixies stop moving, or decide to turn around and go back the other direction, the door won’t close.
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