Solar Transistor

The solar transistor, often shortened to simply "transistor" for use in shorthand, is a piece of technology required to create a powered circuit. It takes ray energy from the suns, converts it to power, and then sends it along a wire to provide power. It must be exposed to the suns to work, and is easy to damage, but generates energy indefinitely.

HISTORY

The history of the solar transistor, much like the history of most of Unos, is lost to time. Nobody alive today can even comprehend life before them. Not even as a tale from their elders, since they haven't experienced such a life either. Archaeology suggests that the transistor was one of the - if not the - very first major technological breakthrough, but this is solely due to the sheer abundance of ancient transistors found in excavations and research. Logically, with so many of these things versus the number of sites without them, there must not be a lot of time where they didn't exist, and therefore would have been one of the first things to exist.

ACCESS & AVAILABILITY

The solar transistor is synonymous with mechanics and technology on Unos, much like a lightswitch in our world. Anyone can purchase one, and anyone with mechanical knowledge is capable of and able to install them. Since they're so important, it's nearly impossible to find a trader or merchant that doesn't offer at least a pre-owned transistor.

Utility

A transistor is used to complete a powered circuit. Connecting it to a culper wire, and connecting that wire to a unit's mechanical functions, runs those functions indefinitely. As long as the transistor is exposed to the suns, of course.
The units are used anywhere that requires a perpetual powered connection, such as sand truck systems, lower-city lighting, or food storage.

Inventor(s)

Unknown

Access & Availability

Publicly available

Complexity

Simple to install, difficult to modify or repair