Electronics Assistance please

[CrazyEwok]

Hi all,
Only having the basic knowledge of electronics and the ability to solder, i am looking for some help. Due to my location my electronics store is not very well supplied and person behind the counter wouldn't know the difference between a resistor and a capacitor unless they are in the right labeled container... So here is my question
i am looking for a signal switch of some description, simply a signal wire is either on or off and this toggles the switch. The signal will be in the 1-2v at milliamps range and the actual line i want to interupt will be in the 12v-14v and up to 60amps range... i am hoping that a low voltage signal can control the frequency of my cell... Haven't had much luck and some bright spark suggested i run the 60amp through my multivibrator... well we won't go into that discussion...
Thanks for your help

[jadaro2600]

Google transistors; this is what you're looking for.  There are many lectures on youtube as well.

Here's one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZDxYHEuy_g&feature=channel_page
This channel has lots of information.

[dodoshlodo]

Yeh use a transistor.. I'd use a power transistor like a 2n3055 or any power trasistor would do, make sure its NPN and not PNP.

Search google for a datasheet for the 2n3055 to see which pins are what.

There will be 3 connection, Base (B), Emitter (E) and Collector (C). hook your multivibrator or signal source (like a pwm) to the Base. Hook the positive 12V from a battery to the emitter, and the negative to the Collector. if your multivibrator has 2 output, a + and -, then hook the -ve side to the collector aswell.

hope that helps, doesn't get more simple than that

[z.monkey]

The 2N3055 is only good for 15 Amps...

You can parallel them, but you have to keep in mind that it is a current driven device.  If you want to parallel them you have to provide enough current to drive multiple bipolar transistors.

You should you something a little more modern, like a power MOSFET, or an IGBT.

An IRFZ44 MOSFET can do pulsed drain current in the range of 120 Amps, and you don't have the gate current problem like with the Bipolar Transistors...