1n34a work-alikes

[HailToTheBlues]

Hi guys,
Just wanted to know if any of you had experience with the 1n34a work-alikes that smallbear sells in their store. Can i use them in the place of a 1n34a easily, or are they nothing alike the real deal?

Best regards

[midwayfair]

Well, "the real deal" isn't a single diode. There were dozens of manufacturers. The Smallbear ones are germanium, not a Schottky workalike or anything like that, and they aren't newly manufactured, and you can expect them all to function when you get them in hand.

However, most are closer to 1N270 in terms of forward voltage (~.27-.32). The only place I wouldn't use them is if you're trying to hit the .35V for forward voltage typical of many 1N34A diodes.

[HailToTheBlues]

Well, i needed two for a lowrider project, do you think in this case, the smallbear ones would be enough?

[spin]

Not to hijack the thread, but merely open the discussion further, what's up with the different package types? I'm used to seeing the bigger clear ones with the green or black band. Now I'm seeing a lot that are red (burnt orange) in color and smaller, like the 1n4742a. Is this a manufacturing thing, or are these just work alikes? What is the D0-xx designations signify?

I also have a low rider in production right now, I had a few NOS 1n34a's that I was able to use for this build, but I'll need to restock very shortly.

[pickdropper]

Not to hijack the thread, but merely open the discussion further, what's up with the different package types? I'm used to seeing the bigger clear ones with the green or black band. Now I'm seeing a lot that are red (burnt orange) in color and smaller, like the 1n4742a. Is this a manufacturing thing, or are these just work alikes? What is the D0-xx designations signify?

I also have a low rider in production right now, I had a few NOS 1n34a's that I was able to use for this build, but I'll need to restock very shortly.

The smaller package ones that look more like a 1n914 aren't germanium.  They are silicon versions.

[midwayfair]

Well, i needed two for a lowrider project, do you think in this case, the smallbear ones would be enough?

They'll be fine, but I would use a Schottky there instead. 1N60P, BAT41, BAT43, etc. The forward voltage is what the 1N34A is being used for (the signal is being rectified), and the Schottky is silicon so it won't vary with temperature and affect the performance of the octave up. It won't sound identical, though, just keep that in mind.

[spin]

The smaller package ones that look more like a 1n914 aren't germanium.  They are silicon versions.

Ah, so the chinese ebay sellers listing these as 'germanium' are misrepresenting the item.

[pickdropper]

The smaller package ones that look more like a 1n914 aren't germanium.  They are silicon versions.

Ah, so the chinese ebay sellers listing these as 'germanium' are misrepresenting the item.

Shocking but true.

[mremic01]

Hi guys,
Just wanted to know if any of you had experience with the 1n34a work-alikes that smallbear sells in their store. Can i use them in the place of a 1n34a easily, or are they nothing alike the real deal?

Best regards

I think these might be Russian D9-somethings. It would be nice if Steve listed what they actually are.

Well, "the real deal" isn't a single diode. There were dozens of manufacturers. The Smallbear ones are germanium, not a Schottky workalike or anything like that, and they aren't newly manufactured, and you can expect them all to function when you get them in hand.

However, most are closer to 1N270 in terms of forward voltage (~.27-.32). The only place I wouldn't use them is if you're trying to hit the .35V for forward voltage typical of many 1N34A diodes.

You know, almost all of my germanium diodes are either at about .25 or .5. I don't think I have any that measure in around .3 or .35. Maybe it's my meter? The diodes I found that sound spot-on to unicorn tears are mostly .25.

On a side note, how much faith do you guys have that the unmarked diodes you guys are getting are actually what the supplier says they are? I have so many different 1N34As and 1N270s from different places and they often have their own sound, and sometimes measure in quite differently. I have no idea who the manufacturer is for most of them, let alone that they are actually the correct diode.

[midwayfair]

Hi guys,
Just wanted to know if any of you had experience with the 1n34a work-alikes that smallbear sells in their store. Can i use them in the place of a 1n34a easily, or are they nothing alike the real deal?

Best regards

I think these might be Russian D9-somethings. It would be nice if Steve listed what they actually are.

(a) they aren't Russian -- most of them look like various ones in the 1Nxxx series, which are Western manufacture; (b) there is absolutely no way anyone could possibly know what they are except as a guess unless he got them unopened. Steve sells many diodes that ARE clearly marked as exactly what they are, there's no reason to imply he's trying to mislead people.

The only way to know if you're getting a diode that's actually what someone says it is is if you buy from a trusted supplier, or you open the original packaging yourself. However, Russian diodes at least are pretty much guaranteed to be exactly what they say, because they were completely standardized markings for a limited number of different parts.

[mremic01]

Are you sure? When I ordered a couple batches of D9Es during the Silver Pony thing, one of the eBay sellers sent me some extra diodes that look just like Small Bears 1N34A work-a-likes. I think they're D9Bs or D9Ks. I'll have to check when I get home.

I didn't mean to imply Steve was trying to mislead anyone, I just thought it was odd that the actual part designation was never listed.

The diodes I trust the least are the ones with one or two black bands, because there are so many of them. I've never gotten a package that was marked by the manufacturer, only by the supplier. Are these things all NOS or are there still a few factories making them?

[miter53]

Every Russian germanium diode I've seen has the band at the anode end rather than the cathode.

[mremic01]

Every Russian germanium diode I've seen has the band at the anode end rather than the cathode.

With both diodes in hand, my Russians are D9Bs with two red bands. The bands are somewhat centered, but on the diodes that have them a little off center, they're more towards the anode. The Small Bear 1N34A work-a-likes have a single red band at the cathode. Both measure in at .25v on my meter. The D9Bs have a slightly larger glass package, with rounder edges, while the Small Bears are just a little bit narrower and a little more rectangular in shape.

These D9Bs looks exactly like the Small Bear ones, with one red band, which is probably why I assumed this is where Steve was sourcing them: http://www.ebay.com/itm/D9B-USSR-Germanium-detector-diode-RARE-QTY-100-NOS-/261573143263?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3ce6f96adf