oldest semiconductors still in use

[amdx]

You can still get new 1N34As, and NTE still makes selenium rectifiers--

What is the advantage of a selenium rectifier, today?
MikeK

 

[Cydrome Leader]

I bored and wondering what some of the oldest still in production
semiconductors there are out there.

let's ignore the weird companies that repackage die from out of business
companies and stuff like that.

z80 processors are still being made, but there's got to be some series of
diodes or transistors that are much much older.

 

[Rich Grise]

I bored and wondering what some of the oldest still in production
semiconductors there are out there.

let's ignore the weird companies that repackage die from out of business
companies and stuff like that.

z80 processors are still being made, but there's got to be some series of
diodes or transistors that are much much older.

Google for numbers like 2N404, or CK722.
Maybe other old farts remember some other numbers.

Good Luck!
Rich

 

[Spehro Pefhany]

I bored and wondering what some of the oldest still in production
semiconductors there are out there.

let's ignore the weird companies that repackage die from out of business
companies and stuff like that.

z80 processors are still being made, but there's got to be some series of
diodes or transistors that are much much older.

1N34A, perhaps (a Ge point-contact diode). It is still being made in
China, and it dates back to the 50s or even 40s according to this
page:

http://semiconductormuseum.com/MuseumLibrary/HistoryOfCrystalDiodesVolume1.pdf

 

[tm]

1N34A, perhaps (a Ge point-contact diode). It is still being made in
China, and it dates back to the 50s or even 40s according to this
page:

http://semiconductormuseum.com/MuseumLibrary/HistoryOfCrystalDiodesVolume1.pdf

1N21 and 1N23 still made. They were in every WW-II radar receiver.

The 555 is still made.

....

tm

 

[Spehro Pefhany]

1N21 and 1N23 still made. They were in every WW-II radar receiver.

The 555 is still made.

The 555 is ca. 1970. uA/LM741 is a couple years older, but for
integrated circuits, maybe the SN7400.. still 1K+ in stock at
Digikey.. around '64? That's 47 years!

 

[Phil Allison]

"Cydrome Leader"

I bored and wondering what some of the oldest still in production
semiconductors there are out there.

** The NE555 is an outstanding example of a long lived IC.

First sold back in 1971, around 1 billion units per year are still used.



..... Phil

 

[Cydrome Leader]

What is the advantage of a selenium rectifier, today?
MikeK

CKE still makes selenium surge supressors as I recall. They're big finned
things, like selenium or copper oxide rectifiers. I have no idea what
they're for. Dean Technoloy still drags weird stuff like that to trade
shows.

Does anbody have any idea why somebody might decide they need a 1N34 or
something like that these days?

digikey does seem to have real and plain 7400s (plural, not S version) in
stock.

Last question- would anybody know if the specs for this have drifted over
the decades? If I blobbed some epoxy over a 1970s 7400 and a new one would
anybody be able to tell them apart at all?

 

[Dennis]

Google for numbers like 2N404, or CK722.
Maybe other old farts remember some other numbers.

I seem to have lost my CK722 (several bucks new - back when a dollar was
worth something). I still have a couple of in the box 2n404s.

 

[Raveninghorde]

Google for numbers like 2N404, or CK722.
Maybe other old farts remember some other numbers.

Good Luck!
Rich

I was looking earlier to see if anyone still made germanium
transistors. The low Vbe wold come in handy occasionaly.

All I came across in stock with Farnell was the OA47 diode.

 

[Martin Riddle]

I bored and wondering what some of the oldest still in production
semiconductors there are out there.

let's ignore the weird companies that repackage die from out of
business
companies and stuff like that.

z80 processors are still being made, but there's got to be some series
of
diodes or transistors that are much much older.

How about cpu's?

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOS_Technology_6502>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RCA_1802>

Cheers

 

[Rich Grise]

What is the advantage of a selenium rectifier, today?

To replace one that was designed into older equipment that still works?

Thanks,
Rich

 

[Boris Mohar]

What is the advantage of a selenium rectifier, today?
MikeK

They emit a peculiar lingering odor when they burn out. Easy diagnose.

 

[Baron]

George Herold Inscribed thus:

http://semiconductormuseum.com/MuseumLibrary/HistoryOfCrystalDiodesVo...

1N34A was my answer. We ordered some the other day. I still have to
find time to do my first germanium I-V curve.

George H.

Hi George,
I've got it in my head that the 1N34 was silicon ?

 

[Cydrome Leader]

Well educationally they are interesting. There's a whole crystal
radio community, that detects with tuned LC's and Ge diodes.

George H.

interesting.

Are there any modern drop in replacements for stuff like you'd use in a
crystal radio?

Or, if I were to take apart a modern communications satellite, would I be
able to make the most simple AM receiver possible?

 

[Baron]

George Herold Inscribed thus:

Well I'll let you know as soon as I test some,
Here's the first hit on google,
http://www.datasheetcatalog.com/datasheets_pdf/1/N/3/4/1N34A.shtml

George H.

Thanks George, The mind plays tricks with memories.

 

[Baron]

Michael A. Terrell Inscribed thus:

That was the 1N60.

I don't recall that one at all.
Thanks anyway.

 

[Jeff Layman]

I bored and wondering what some of the oldest still in production
semiconductors there are out there.

let's ignore the weird companies that repackage die from out of business
companies and stuff like that.

z80 processors are still being made, but there's got to be some series of
diodes or transistors that are much much older.

http://www.donberg.ie/catalogue/semiconductors/oc_71.html maybe?

 

[legg]

http://www.donberg.ie/catalogue/semiconductors/oc_71.html maybe?

The pictured part appears to have been made by Newmarket in the UK, a
company that went out of business some decades ago.

RL

 

[Jeff Layman]

The pictured part appears to have been made by Newmarket in the UK, a
company that went out of business some decades ago.

Yep, I missed that. NVOS...