The 2N2/256-BSCP [was: Homebrew Drum Computer] - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

22 Dec 2007

...

Subject: Re: The 2N2/256-BSCP [was: Homebrew Drum Computer]
   From: "Roy J. Tellason" <rtellason at verizon.net>
   Date: Sat, 22 Dec 2007 01:00:25 -0500
     To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at
classiccmp.org>

On Thursday 20 December 2007 19:05, Chuck Guzis wrote:
   From:
Dave McGuire <mcguire at neurotica.com>

    I'd love to find a huge stash of a few thousand new-old-stock tunnel
 diodes. :-( 
 You'll kindly observe that I had the good taste not to also mention
 Shockley diodes, which, to the best of my knowledge, are really
 unobtainium. 
Are those what were also referred to at one point as 4-layer diodes?  If so,  
it's possible to simulate them with a complementary pair of transistors and 
not all that many other parts. 
Shotkey diodes are common.  Aka 1n5711.  Widely used in Rf and microwave.
They are low capacitance fast switching with low threshold.

Allison

...
   American
Microsemiconductor still offers a selection of tunnel (Esaki)
 diodes, for as cheap as $9 the each. 

 http://store.americanmicrosemiconductor.com/diodes-tunnel-diodes.html 
Hmm.  :-)

  I suspect a clue to the high prices is the
"JAN" labeling on some of
 the parts (i.e. military and aerospace application). 
Could be.

  I have a copy of the GE tunnel diode handbook
around here somewhere
 (as well as about a dozen or so NOS diodes in my hellbox) that shows
 all manner of logic circuits constructed with the little beasts. 
I'll have one here:

http://www.classiccmp.org/rtellason/books/GE_TDM.pdf

as soon as the upload completes (which will take a little while even with my 
DSL connection).  It's a 100-page PDF file.

There _will_ be a "tech books" page supporting the stuff there at some point,  
when I can get it done.  I'm still in the process of plowing through several 
thousand files of "stuff" that I've accumulated over the past few years,  
editing some stuff,  tossing out some duplicates,  and trying to organize 
what I'm keeping to be accessible through my local HTML tree.  Once I get 
that mostly done I'll pull a tech books page together out of it.

  I've never even breadboarded any of them, but
the power requirements
 look very modest. 
I picked up a couple of them once on Canal Street in NYC,  but that was a long 
time ago.

-- 
Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and
ablest -- form of life in this section of space, ?a critter that can
be killed but can't be tamed. ?--Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters"
-
Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies. --James 
M Dakin 