A regular over at MEF noticed this company producing NEW germanium devices. Check out the list: http://www.comsetsemi.com/en/searchprod.php?Products=Transistor
Here's his post: http://music-electronics-forum.com/t41961-post420886/#post420886
So which ones are Germanium in that list?
Check the forum post that I linked to. I honestly couldn't find anything on the corporate web-page, but apparently they are producing several devices with an AD or AS prefix.
I am naively assuming that, because of where he posted this news, those devices have some utility for us.
Interesting that the contact page on their site does not have any bricks-and-mortar address, just a form for asking questions. We have no idea where this new Germanium Valley is located - maybe somewhere in China because germanium was originally found in chimney scrapings from coal furnaces and China still uses a lot of coal. (Germany does not use much coal anymore but the name germanium comes from the fact that it was found in chimney scrapings in Germany.) Still, a new factory with the possibility of good process control is a good idea. But I suspect the company has bought up an old silicon foundry that had been abandoned by one of the producers from decades ago because it was not suited to the rapidly-tightening specs on commercial semiconductors in the 1980's.
Quote from: Mark Hammer on April 27, 2016, 03:14:25 PM
Check the forum post that I linked to. I honestly couldn't find anything on the corporate web-page, but apparently they are producing several devices with an AD or AS prefix.
I am naively assuming that, because of where he posted this news, those devices have some utility for us.
There's a link in the forum post to a retail called Electrol. They have a lot of germanium transistors and not just AD and AS types. They don't really look like NEW.
Quote from: amptramp on April 28, 2016, 03:33:51 PM
.... germanium was originally found in chimney scrapings from coal furnaces ....
what were they actually looking for in the chimney scrapes?
Quote from: duck_arse on April 29, 2016, 11:52:36 AM
what were they actually looking for in the chimney scrapes?
duck_arse, asking the questions that need to be asked 8) I always wonder about things like that when reading odd studies and such.
Quote from: duck_arse on April 29, 2016, 11:52:36 AM
what were they actually looking for in the chimney scrapes?
Maybe searching for a "cure all"
Leaches just weren't doing the trick anymore! ;)
Quote from: duck_arse on April 29, 2016, 11:52:36 AM
what were they actually looking for in the chimney scrapes?
Santa DNA. Duh.
That's some key pedal-geek %^&*tail party trivia right there!
Quote from: amptramp on April 28, 2016, 03:33:51 PM
Interesting that the contact page on their site does not have any bricks-and-mortar address, just a form for asking questions. We have no idea where this new Germanium Valley is located - maybe somewhere in China because germanium was originally found in chimney scrapings from coal furnaces and China still uses a lot of coal. (Germany does not use much coal anymore but the name germanium comes from the fact that it was found in chimney scrapings in Germany.) Still, a new factory with the possibility of good process control is a good idea. But I suspect the company has bought up an old silicon foundry that had been abandoned by one of the producers from decades ago because it was not suited to the rapidly-tightening specs on commercial semiconductors in the 1980's.
That's pretty funny, too. Let's see: %^&*amamie %^&*atoo my big John Han%^&*
Yep. :icon_lol:
Quote from: Gentle Jack Jones on April 29, 2016, 07:02:14 PM
That's some key pedal-geek %^&*tail party trivia right there!
Quote from: amptramp on April 28, 2016, 03:33:51 PM
Interesting that the contact page on their site does not have any bricks-and-mortar address, just a form for asking questions. We have no idea where this new Germanium Valley is located - maybe somewhere in China because germanium was originally found in chimney scrapings from coal furnaces and China still uses a lot of coal. (Germany does not use much coal anymore but the name germanium comes from the fact that it was found in chimney scrapings in Germany.) Still, a new factory with the possibility of good process control is a good idea. But I suspect the company has bought up an old silicon foundry that had been abandoned by one of the producers from decades ago because it was not suited to the rapidly-tightening specs on commercial semiconductors in the 1980's.