Germanium

[Enzo]

So I am clearing out the debris in my shop. Got a drawer full of very old transistors. I mean like 2N109 and such. That is old. Also found some HEP germaniums. Got a bag of 10 of one group - old Motorola HEP G005, G007.

What might be a fun thing to make with them? Other than a gift to someone else.

[DrGonz78]

I was reading this a while back about Germanium type nano-wire transistor for computers. Apparently Intel has patented such a device using germanium type nano materials. Pretty interesting and makes me think how technology is so cyclical in many ways.

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-sige-transistor-germanium-processor,14664.html

Edit: Sorry my post is a little off the topic that was really mentioned, but I liked hearing Germanium could be making a come back in the digital world...

[R.G.]

So I am clearing out the debris in my shop. Got a drawer full of very old transistors. I mean like 2N109 and such. That is old. Also found some HEP germaniums. Got a bag of 10 of one group - old Motorola HEP G005, G007.

What might be a fun thing to make with them? Other than a gift to someone else.

Fuzz Face, Tone Bender or possibly one of a few other very old distortion pedals. They need to have gains about 75-150 and leakage under about 300uA to do this well, in general. There are some items about germanium transistors and the pedals that used and may need them at geofex.com.

See the Technology of the Fuzz Face and the matching fixture for germanium devices there.

[52 Bill]

I remember the HEP line, I might still have a cross reference book around here somewhere. I didn't even remember that they had germaniums in that line. Gain match them and sell them in sets on eBay. They seem to be worth a lot.

When I was a kid, my dad did warranty repairs for an electronics importer. So I fixed and repackaged a lot of transistor radios to earn my allowance. Every year the factory in Japan would send a small shipment of parts to use for the repairs. I inherited bags of 2SA and 2SB germanium transistors, must have been a hundred of them. Built a lot of Fuzz Faces and FZ1As with them, also fixed a lot of combo organs as well. I still have a handful of them to make the occasional repair with.

[Enzo]

RG - thanks.

Bill - yep, I have my old HEP books The HEP went through a part number system change at one point, and I think I have a book for each system. Otherwise, looking up a HEP number in ECG or SK often told the tale.

HEP transistor type numbers starting with G were germanium and those that started with S were...

[Gtr_tech]

Rangemaster clones are a good use for Ge x-istors. Guys with small amps love those for getting a better dimed tone.

[imaradiostar]

I ended up with a bunch of HEP transistors from the local Navy Base that shut down. I ended up with a handful of NPN germaniums from that batch- they're not leaky (not a one!) and sound excellent in a Fuzz Face. I'm thinking I might have to add a Rangemaster to my rig with them.

I've recently been listening to a bit of early Black Sabbath and enjoying it. I've read that those tones are a Rangemaster into a Laney amp. I think the Rangemaster is a great effect because it can be stacked with other tones- maybe you could try one.

Jamie

[GregS]

I've recently been listening to a bit of early Black Sabbath and enjoying it. I've read that those tones are a Rangemaster into a Laney amp.

I read an interview with Tony Iommi in Guitar Player a few years ago where he talked about that. IIRC he used a Dallas Rangemaster treble booster that had been modified by someone. He didn't know what had been done to it and a tech mistakenly threw it out thinking it was garbage. For this reason the exact circuit remains unknown and he wasn't able to get a replacement.