who make damm good germanium transistor in modern world?

[x86Hero]

I have to build 20 pedals for my club members for free .
What I need is germanium transistor.
I caught a company namely AcidFuzz using newly manufactured germanium transistor but god knows from where they come.
Any one can help me to know some sources of top secret new manufacturer of Ge transistor? Mr Jonathan Curl from Acid Fuzz never want me to know their source of transistor may be . Even any one in his place shouldn't do it .
But after all I need new Ge transistor before we are going for our first concert and that all for charity.
I bought 20 NOS one from eBay and found only 2 transistor to meet my need.
Don't tell me how good silicon is or how obsolete Ge are .

[njkmonty]

I bought 20 NOS one from eBay and found only 2 transistor to meet my need.

thats because you bought them on eBay!

Don't tell me how good silicon is or how obsolete Ge are .

ok

try smallbear etc for germanium     
http://www.smallbear-electronics.mybigcommerce.com/germanium-transistors/

[antonis]

I bought 20 NOS one from eBay and found only 2 transistor to meet my need.

Common sense leads you to buy 200 NOS to find 20 of them to meet your need.

BTW, what exactly could be your need..??

[samhay]

New Jersey Semiconductor apparently make new Ge transistors.
You will probably have to order more than 20.

http://njsemi.com/product_search/gp-bjt?parametrics%5BMaterial%5D%5B%5D=Ge

[tonyharker]

What is the type number of the transistor you want.  I believe the Acid Fuzz is basically a Vox tone bender - if so you want OC76 transistors, 2 for each fuzz unit.  AC125 would be a good alternative. I have seen other transistors used as well, OC75, 2N388, SFT338 - unobtainable now, even NKT275s
Most of these are still available OEM.

[Scruffie]

They're probably using DSI germanium transistors, they make (made?) modern copies of the OC81D and got used in the JMI reissue pedals and a few Keeley pedals, they're very low gain from what I recall of reports but still clearly usable.

[digi2t]

I have to build 20 pedals for my club members for free .

You got off on the wrong foot waaaaaay before you ever got to "germanium".

Sounds like a fraternity hazing to me. Or did you lose some kind of wager during the ingestion of copious amounts of alcohol?

I bought 20 NOS one from eBay and found only 2 transistor to meet my need.

Common sense leads you to buy 200 NOS to find 20 of them to meet your need.

BTW, what exactly could be your need..??

Don't tell me how good silicon is or how obsolete Ge are .

I'll meet you half way.... silicon can be good, depending on the circuit of course. Germanium isn't obsolete (at least not for what we do). They're kind of like dogs though. Unless you run them through the standardized tests, you never know what you'll get. Even then... it's a bit of a crap shoot.

[pinkjimiphoton]

i bought 10 of the "ac128"s from china to try 'em

two were total duds. 3 came up on my test as p channel jfets witha vgs of 65 VOLTS

the remaining 5 came up with hfe's of 30, 40, 50, 60 and 67 was the highest. all 5 sounded decent in q1 of a fuzzface, not so great in q2.

the ones that read as jfets sounded weak and farty and shitty as hell.

so... 20 bux and 2 months later, i got 1 good transistor, 4 decent ones, 3 crummy ones and 2 duds out of 10.

i'd say they suck, BUT getting more than 1 useable new ge transistor out of a batch of 10 is highly unusual in my experiences.

i'd take a gamble on 100, but i suspect that these values were chosen, not random. odds are if i bought a larger lot, it would be mostly garbage.

i had a surplus source i used to get them from, but i was kind and turned a few folks on to them and they bought up all the stock. nice one, assholes. now there's none for anybody, where there used to be SOME for anyone. oh well...

hard to find a cheap source. don't waste your time, go hit smallbear.

[Danich_ivanov]

Russians. I have some mp40, they are pretty good and still available.

[Electric Warrior]

New Jersey Semiconductor

[smallbearelec]

New Jersey Semiconductor apparently make new Ge transistors.

New Jersey Semi is a brokerage and distributor. I have bought things from them over many years. They are reputable, which is saying a lot in the world of semiconductor dealers. Unlike some shops that are just a person with a telephone and a net connection, they actually do have (a lot of!) stock on their shelves. They also subscribe to databases that list stock in other shops, and they will fish for you if know what you need and can make it worth their while. All of that said, neither they, nor any of the many other brokerages I have dealt with, actually melt germanium in order to make new parts. What they do have is large quantities of raw stock--sometimes branded and sometimes not--and the people and automated equipment needed to sort, test and mark parts. When they "make" a 2Nxxx, what they are offering is a part that they guarantee will meet the datasheet spec for a 2Nxxx. Depending on what raw stock they started with and how tightly they are sorted, you might or might not get a good yield of parts suitable for pedals. This uncertainty is in the nature of the beast--please excuse the unintended humor.

Most shops like New Jersey Semi are not geared to fill small orders--something to be aware of when shopping. SBE is and does--thank you pinkjimi!--but the price per bulk germanium device is necessarily high. I am an alternative for people like the OP who need a handful of parts and want assurance that what they get will have a decent yield in the gain buckets they need.

Russians...they are pretty good and still available.

For the moment, yes.

[samhay]

^Steve. Thanks for the clarification on New Jersey Semiconductor.

>All of that said, neither they, nor any of the many other brokerages I have dealt with, actually melt germanium in order to make new parts.

Are DSI still making new Ge transistors? Their OC81s were around for a while a few years ago, although gains were generally too low for drop-in replacement in classic circuits.

[smallbearelec]

Are DSI still making new Ge transistors?

Good question...I don't know. I always figured that they were re-marking raw stock.

Their OC81s were around for a while a few years ago, although gains were generally too low for drop-in replacement

That was my experience when I bought a small lot. You could ask for higher gains, but then they would ask three times the price.

[samhay]

>Are DSI still making new Ge transistors?

Apparently not.
From: http://www.dsi-halbleiter.de/english/company/history.html
My emphasis.

HISTORY:
In July 1985, Discrete Semiconductor Industries (dsi) was founded in Riviera Beach, Florida, specializing in the manufacture of high reliability (HI-REL) electronic component parts for the American and European aeronautics and transportation markets.

In March 1992, an additional facility was opened in Geretsried, Germany, just south of Munich, and became the certification center responsible for the final testing and quality control of all DSI devices. At that time, SOLICOMP GMBH
became the exclusive seller and distributor for all DSI devices.

Over the years, DSI's product line expanded to include devices for broader industrial applications, including: power diodes, power transistors and SCRs (thyristors and TRIACs), as well as RF power transistors, produced to customer specification. The marking and labeling of all DSI products strictly conforms to the registration matrixes of JEDEC and PRO-ELEKTRON.

In 1995, DSI closed its Florida facility and now more cost-effectively contract-manufactures its specialty electronic components. DSI partners only with highly specialized, certified production houses that meet all of its stringent quality standards, and monitoring those subcontractors throughout the year for their adherence to DSI's high quality-control standards.  All finishing and quality testing continues to be performed in-house, in DSI's ISO-certified environmental laboratory in Geretsried, Germany to ensure maximum performance and reliability.

[Electric Warrior]

New Jersey Semiconductor apparently make new Ge transistors.

New Jersey Semi is a brokerage and distributor. I have bought things from them over many years. They are reputable, which is saying a lot in the world of semiconductor dealers. Unlike some shops that are just a person with a telephone and a net connection, they actually do have (a lot of!) stock on their shelves. They also subscribe to databases that list stock in other shops, and they will fish for you if know what you need and can make it worth their while. All of that said, neither they, nor any of the many other brokerages I have dealt with, actually melt germanium in order to make new parts. What they do have is large quantities of raw stock--sometimes branded and sometimes not--and the people and automated equipment needed to sort, test and mark parts. When they "make" a 2Nxxx, what they are offering is a part that they guarantee will meet the datasheet spec for a 2Nxxx. Depending on what raw stock they started with and how tightly they are sorted, you might or might not get a good yield of parts suitable for pedals. This uncertainty is in the nature of the beast--please excuse the unintended humor.

Most shops like New Jersey Semi are not geared to fill small orders--something to be aware of when shopping. SBE is and does--thank you pinkjimi!--but the price per bulk germanium device is necessarily high. I am an alternative for people like the OP who need a handful of parts and want assurance that what they get will have a decent yield in the gain buckets they need.

Russians...they are pretty good and still available.

For the moment, yes.

Acid Fuzz claims they had transistors made by NJS: http://stompboxes.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20277&p=338512&hilit=acid+fuzz#p338512

[smallbearelec]

Acid Fuzz claims they had transistors made by NJS: http://stompboxes.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20277&p=338512&hilit=acid+fuzz#p338512

I called a guy at New Jersey Semi whom I know. "Made" in this case means what I said:

they do have...large quantities of raw stock--sometimes branded and sometimes not--and the people and automated equipment needed to sort, test and mark parts.

There are many shops--here and abroad--that do this.

The only company in the U.S. that I know of that actually melted germanium in recent times to make new parts is Germanium Power Devices. They did this for the military; I don't know if they still do.

[matmosphere]

I bought some new ones made by NTE from Arrow Electronics. I used one in a percolator build and several others in a tonebender. Can't remember exactly but they may have been 2n404 and 2n404a

[Passaloutre]

I've had good luck with the NTE100 and NTE101 transistors for treble boosters and fuzz circuits. They're not cheap though, like $8 a piece.

[R.G.]

Buying an NTE transistor, you have no assurance of what that transistor was made as.

The NTE and possibly other replacement semiconductor suppliers do not make any semiconductors. They buy old stocks or speculative stock and have it marked with their particular numbers. They make a living on the observation I think of as Keen's Second Law: when in doubt, whip in a 2N5088.

That could be extended as "put in any reasonably high gain bipolar small signal transistor".

The fact is, many many type numbers will work interchangeably. NTE's replacements are probably done first on having the same package and pinout. After that it only has to have a compatible range of voltage, current, power, and frequency response. This is particularly true of bipolars. As the devices get more specialized, the range of devices that might be an NTExxx gets smaller.

But you have no idea what an NTE 100 or NTE 200 was before it was (possibly) retested and marked with the NTE number. It is certain that is was not tested for the things that would make it a good germanium booster or fuzz circuit. So - you were lucky. But then at $8 a transistor, you ought to get some luck. 

[ElectricDruid]

The fact is, many many type numbers will work interchangeably. NTE's replacements are probably done first on having the same package and pinout. After that it only has to have a compatible range of voltage, current, power, and frequency response. This is particularly true of bipolars. As the devices get more specialized, the range of devices that might be an NTExxx gets smaller.

But you have no idea what an NTE 100 or NTE 200 was before it was (possibly) retested and marked with the NTE number. It is certain that is was not tested for the things that would make it a good germanium booster or fuzz circuit. So - you were lucky. But then at $8 a transistor, you ought to get some luck. 

Sounds to me like $8-a-piece (ouch!) pays for testing all those factors you mentioned: voltage, current, power, freq response, etc. So when you pay the price, you can at least be sure that it meets whatever spec its being sold as. Of course, there may still be enough variation in the spec that not all devices would suit a particular application, but that wide variability is generally the case with transistors anyway, so no change there.

T.