Request info on 2N2118 Old Strange Looking Huge Westinghouse Power Transistor - Pictures

[Guest]

Here is an interesting one. I won't call it ugly because I got in
trouble for that last time (but it is). Anyone have any specs on
this. Google turned up zilch except a page in russian that I can't
read and the typical parts houses with every part number under the sun
listed. The part number is 2N2118. Gigantic NPN power transistor
with part porcelain body. Looks like it was expensive and hard to
make. Still tests good on a go/no go type tester. Would also like
to know the original applications for a power transistor of this size.
If anyone has info on this, I would appreciate it.

Pics here:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-7/794359/Mvc-028s.jpg

Picture of box and hardware that came with it.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-7/794359/Mvc-024s.jpg

 

[Jim Menning]

Here is an interesting one. I won't call it ugly because I got in
trouble for that last time (but it is). Anyone have any specs on
this. Google turned up zilch except a page in russian that I can't
read and the typical parts houses with every part number under the sun
listed.

You can translate Russian pages into English with the translate a web page
feature here:

http://babelfish.altavista.com/

jim menning

 

[Uncle Peter]

Here is an interesting one. I won't call it ugly because I got in
trouble for that last time (but it is).

Looks like an SCR to me.

Pete

 

[Ken Scharf]

Here is an interesting one. I won't call it ugly because I got in
trouble for that last time (but it is). Anyone have any specs on
this. Google turned up zilch except a page in russian that I can't
read and the typical parts houses with every part number under the sun
listed. The part number is 2N2118. Gigantic NPN power transistor
with part porcelain body. Looks like it was expensive and hard to
make. Still tests good on a go/no go type tester. Would also like
to know the original applications for a power transistor of this size.
If anyone has info on this, I would appreciate it.

Pics here:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-7/794359/Mvc-028s.jpg

Picture of box and hardware that came with it.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-7/794359/Mvc-024s.jpg

TI lists the 2n3846 as a sub. That would be a 150w NPN MESA transistor.
FT of 10mhz.

 

[Norm Dresner]

Here is an interesting one. I won't call it ugly because I got in
trouble for that last time (but it is). Anyone have any specs on
this. Google turned up zilch except a page in russian that I can't
read and the typical parts houses with every part number under the sun
listed. The part number is 2N2118. Gigantic NPN power transistor
with part porcelain body. Looks like it was expensive and hard to
make. Still tests good on a go/no go type tester. Would also like
to know the original applications for a power transistor of this size.
If anyone has info on this, I would appreciate it.

Pics here:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-7/794359/Mvc-028s.jpg

Picture of box and hardware that came with it.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-7/794359/Mvc-024s.jpg

YOU CAN'T READ RUSSIAN?

You don't have to. Just find another transistor whose parameters you know
in the list and work from that.

2N2118 is an NPN transistor -- 150V Vceo 30A max Ic 250W Pd

What else do you need?

Applications? A good part of Westinghouse provided equipment and material
to the electric power industry. It's not hard to imagine a power transistor
like that driving a motor or as part of a power switching circuit.

Norm

 

[Hal Murray]

Applications? A good part of Westinghouse provided equipment and material

to the electric power industry. It's not hard to imagine a power transistor
like that driving a motor or as part of a power switching circuit.

Back in the '60s, a friend worked for GE's semiconductor group.
He made SCRs. Big ones. Their main customer was the branch
of GE that built diesil electric locomotives.

 

[t.hoehler]

They used 'em for solenoid pin drivers in BIG dot matrix printers.
<grin>
Tom

 

[Philip Nasadowski]

Back in the '60s, a friend worked for GE's semiconductor group.
He made SCRs. Big ones. Their main customer was the branch
of GE that built diesil electric locomotives.

Pure electric locomotives. The E-60 and such used them, as did the
Arrow III MUs. Replaced ignitrons in older stuff.

ASEA was the pioneer in this field, thougj.

 

[Guest]

It could be an SCR but I just don't think so. The transistor tester I
have is an old Micronta unit that actually makes the transistor
oscillate. It steps up the oscillator signal through a transformer to
fire a neon light on the tester. It has a knob that varies the
current on the base of the transistor under test. The circuit feeds
back through a tap on the primary coil of the transformer to make the
transistor under test oscillate. Secondary is hooked to a neon lamp.
An SCR..no matter how it is hooked up to the tester will not
oscillate. It tests about the same as any Si NPN that I have tried.
(Neon lamp lights at same knob/current settings that is). The tester
also has a scope output. I don't have a scope but have a high
impedance pizeo earphone hooked up to it so I can hear it oscillate
(oscillator freq is in AF range). Makes for a pretty neat tester
because with this setup you can tell Silicon transistors from
Germanium units. Ge units will work at much lower base current than
Si so the neon lamp lights and tone sounds for much wider range on the
current knob. Tester also uses only up to 5ma/1.5V so there is not
much chance of hurting a unit you are testing. Will also work in
circuit most of the time. Tone that the oscillator generates can be
heard in the output of radios and amps under test so it works as a
signal generator too.

Someday soon I will get a scope and build a curve tracer when I have
better clue of what I am doing...

I think old devices like this are neat and just wonder what in the
world they were used for and also what is their modern equivalent. I
also think early transistor history is interesting. I especially like
building old 50's / 60's hobby projects using vintage transistors.
Yes it is waste of time but it is a fun waste of time. This group has
been very helpful with my dumb questions and I greatly appreciate
that.

 

[Watson A.Name - \Watt Sun, the Dark Remover\]

You can translate Russian pages into English with the translate a web page
feature here:

http://babelfish.altavista.com/

jim menning

Take that word 'translate' with a big grain of salt. They're getting
better, but still a long way from being reasonably intelligible.

Put that old transistor up for bid on Ebay, and see how much it'll
bring. Might get some decent money for it.

 

[Watson A.Name - \Watt Sun, the Dark Remover\]

Looks like an SCR to me.

Pete

That was my first thought, too. But the ol' Moto Manual sez it's a
transistor. If it was a thyristor, it would be in a separate table.

 

[Watson A.Name - \Watt Sun, the Dark Remover\]

It could be an SCR but I just don't think so. The transistor tester I
have is an old Micronta unit that actually makes the transistor
oscillate. It steps up the oscillator signal through a transformer to
fire a neon light on the tester. It has a knob that varies the
current on the base of the transistor under test. The circuit feeds
back through a tap on the primary coil of the transformer to make the
transistor under test oscillate. Secondary is hooked to a neon lamp.
An SCR..no matter how it is hooked up to the tester will not
oscillate. It tests about the same as any Si NPN that I have tried.
(Neon lamp lights at same knob/current settings that is). The tester
also has a scope output. I don't have a scope but have a high
impedance pizeo earphone hooked up to it so I can hear it oscillate
(oscillator freq is in AF range). Makes for a pretty neat tester
because with this setup you can tell Silicon transistors from
Germanium units. Ge units will work at much lower base current than
Si so the neon lamp lights and tone sounds for much wider range on the
current knob. Tester also uses only up to 5ma/1.5V so there is not
much chance of hurting a unit you are testing. Will also work in
circuit most of the time. Tone that the oscillator generates can be
heard in the output of radios and amps under test so it works as a
signal generator too.

Cool. But don't assume too much from what you can get such a simple
tester to do.

Someday soon I will get a scope and build a curve tracer when I have
better clue of what I am doing...

The only real test is to use the device in a circuit. Curve tracers
aren't all that useful because most devices already come with specs that
include the curves.

I think old devices like this are neat and just wonder what in the
world they were used for and also what is their modern equivalent. I
also think early transistor history is interesting. I especially like
building old 50's / 60's hobby projects using vintage transistors.
Yes it is waste of time but it is a fun waste of time. This group has
been very helpful with my dumb questions and I greatly appreciate
that.

The modern equivalent has a lot better performance and costs a lot less.
The cheap, mass produced epoxy cases of today's devices are nowhere near
as impressive as those old timers. I would say that the epoxy cases of
today's devices are a lot uglier than those old timers. I would much
much prefer the look of ceramic and metal to the look of black plastic,
when it comes to decoration.

My guess that the 'modern equivalent' is an IGBT. But they don't look
as nice, IMHO.

 

[Watson A.Name - \Watt Sun, the Dark Remover\]

Here is an interesting one. I won't call it ugly because I got in
trouble for that last time (but it is). Anyone have any specs on
this. Google turned up zilch except a page in russian that I can't
read and the typical parts houses with every part number under the sun
listed. The part number is 2N2118. Gigantic NPN power transistor
with part porcelain body. Looks like it was expensive and hard to
make. Still tests good on a go/no go type tester. Would also like
to know the original applications for a power transistor of this size.
If anyone has info on this, I would appreciate it.

My Moto manual says it's NPN and good for 250W, and 150V both Vceo and
Vcbo. At 15A, it has a minimum gain of 10, probably a more typical gain
of 15 or 20,or so, which is low by today's standards. At 15A, it has a
Vce(sat) of 1.5V. There is a whole series of them from 2N2109 to 2135,
the lower ones are good for 10A, the higher ones for 25A.

You got to think about this: you may need an amp and a half to drive
this puppy. That means that your driver might have to be a 2N3055.

 

[Registered User]

On Wed, 04 Aug 2004 21:42:37 GMT,

Here is an interesting one. I won't call it ugly because I got in
trouble for that last time (but it is). Anyone have any specs on
this. Google turned up zilch except a page in russian that I can't
read and the typical parts houses with every part number under the sun
listed. The part number is 2N2118. Gigantic NPN power transistor
with part porcelain body. Looks like it was expensive and hard to
make. Still tests good on a go/no go type tester. Would also like
to know the original applications for a power transistor of this size.
If anyone has info on this, I would appreciate it.

Pics here:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-7/794359/Mvc-028s.jpg

Picture of box and hardware that came with it.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-7/794359/Mvc-024s.jpg

http://www.cmbcomponents.com/
stocks the 2N2118 and lists it as a
Low-Frequency Power Silicon NPN BJT.

 

[Graham W]

My Moto manual says 2N2118 is NPN and good for 250W,
and 150V both Vceo and Vcbo.
At 15A, it has a minimum gain of 10, probably a more typical gain
of 15 or 20,or so, which is low by today's standards. At 15A, it has a
Vce(sat) of 1.5V. There is a whole series of them from 2N2109 to 2135,
the lower ones are good for 10A, the higher ones for 25A.

Thinking about the 'Hobbyist, Experimenter, Professional' bit,
I reckon that the phrase is concocted to use those letters because
they really stand for 'Homo-Eptiaxial Planar' which Moto will have
registered - or something like that.

In those days, the manufacturers were keen on inventing and registering
various names so that their products could be seen to be unique in the
market place. Moto also dressed their CMOS logic family in tartan and
called it McMos being a pun on M CMOS = Moto CMOS.

 

[Michael Black]

Thinking about the 'Hobbyist, Experimenter, Professional' bit,
I reckon that the phrase is concocted to use those letters because
they really stand for 'Homo-Eptiaxial Planar' which Moto will have
registered - or something like that.

Surely they picked "Hep" so that anyone using the replacement line
would be Hep-cats.

Michael

 

[Robert Stankowic]

Here is an interesting one. I won't call it ugly because I got in
trouble for that last time (but it is). Anyone have any specs on
this. Google turned up zilch except a page in russian that I can't
read and the typical parts houses with every part number under the
sun
listed. The part number is 2N2118. Gigantic NPN power transistor
with part porcelain body. Looks like it was expensive and hard to
make. Still tests good on a go/no go type tester. Would also like
to know the original applications for a power transistor of this
size. If anyone has info on this, I would appreciate it.

I seem to remember that those were used in the powersupplies of some
Sperry computers (1004, 1050?).