identifying germanium diodes?

Started by tacobender, November 07, 2017, 04:43:00 AM

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tacobender

So I was planning on building a foxx tone machine, and im gathering parts form my assload of vintage parts box. I thought I had a big bag of germanium diodes, they are small glass cased orange and black diodes. I assumed they were germanium because of the look, but when I measured them the vf reads around 0.600. And from what ive read it shold be like half that. So does anyone know anything about this. Are these just silicon diodes in a glass casing?

antonis

A picture should be helpfull..  :icon_wink:
( a code should be more helpfull )

For signal diodes, glass case is common both for Ge & Si..
(you can'y easily distinguish a 1N60 from a 1N4148..)

Based on their Vf, they should be "ordinary" Si diodes..
"I'm getting older while being taught all the time" Solon the Athenian..
"I don't mind  being taught all the time but I do mind a lot getting old" Antonis the Thessalonian..

Mark Hammer

The forward voltage (Vf) should be the determining factor, not the part number.  Try to  make the Vf fairly similar (let's say within 20mv) whatever two diodes you identify. 

The higher the forward voltage, the greater the crossover distortion produced.  That is, the signal does not pass until it reaches the Vf, which effectively chops off the first little bit of the signal. 

tacobender

Thanks guys. I would post some pics but these diodes are so small you can't even make them out in a picture, and they are so small that you can't even see the code on the casing. Anyway im pretty sure now they are old silicon glass case diodes, not germanium. Disappointing since I have hundreds of them :'(

PRR

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Rob Strand

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