Old power BJT transistors have really low gain (can be as low as 10).Source : <a href="http://fab.cba.mit.edu/classes/MAS.863/tutorials/electronics_design/Electronics%20101.pptxSlide">http://fab.cba.mit.edu/classes/MAS.863/tutorials/electronics_design/Electronics%20101.pptxSlide</a> 1 PPTPresentation Summary : Of course, it does not really supply power, it just converts it, so converter is a more accurate term for such a device. ...