Mouser Part # for Fuzz Face Trans?

[teletroy]

Getting ready to do a couple of Fuzz Faces PNP - just wondering if anyone had any success with any Transistors from Mouser - if so which ones


Thanks

[rustypinto]

Mouser has TONs of transistors that you could potentially use for this circuit.

Under the "Products" category on the Mouser page, go to Semiconductors > Transistors (FETs, Bipolars & IGBTs) > Bipolar Transistors > PNP.

Now its all up to you!

The majority of the transistors you can get at Mouser will all be silicon based (i don't know if this is your first build, or how much you know about transistor packages, but make sure you buy the TO-92 package as its the most common/ easiest to work with). The original fuzz face uses germanium transistors, which Mouser doesn't carry. There are various other venues carrying germanium such as AMZ (sometimes), Small Bear Electronics, Ebay, and many more.

What you use in the end depends on your taste, what you can get ahold of, etc. I urge you to try as many transistors as you possibly can. Transistor circuits are all gain based, and this is what gives the fuzz face (and all transistor circuits) their main characteristics. Silicon transistors generally have high gain available (look at the "hfe" in the datasheet). Germanium tends to have lower gain than silicon. You'll eventually learn about other tone factors like bias, effects of coupling capacitors and their value/ material, etc.

As for transistors i've used: 2N3906, 2N5087, NKT275, MPS751, KSA642, and more but i can't think of them off the top of my head. All of these (except the NKT275) will come up in a Mouser search. You'll get a slew of different parts from your search with different extensions around the part number. This is often a result from the manufacturer's naming scheme, different manufacturer bundling options (loose, tape, etc), temperature range, variations of the commonly accepted part/ family of transistors, yadda yadda yadda. The datasheet is almost always available and has all the info you'll need to know about what you're buying (that is, if Mouser matched it up to the part correctly!).

[teletroy]

thanks, I'll look for some of those #s. 

[double_bubble_brain]

Isn't this supposed to be AC128?

Did you try MCM? They have been selling these for years.

http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/AC128

[smallbearelec]

The AC128 is a European germanium type. I don't know whether the ones that MCM sells are old-stock (potentially very good) or modern re-makes (poor reputation). Other people here may be able to tell you what to expect. If you get decent feedback, plan to buy 6 to 10 pieces so that you can test, sort and audit for parts that are not too leaky and hit gain buckets that work well. See the reference at GEOFEX or my How-Tos for methods. I noticed that the same MCM page offers Matsushita 2SB176, at $ .98 each, which also not a bad price If the parts turn out to be useable.

This gymkhana is Not required with the silicon devices that others have mentioned.

Regards
SD

[petemoore]

  Ge's..need tested, see GEO for Technology of the Fuzz Face, how to choose transistors etc.
  Si's are much easier to get working 'right', partly because they're low leakage and it's easier to find ones in the Hfe-gain ballpark for FF, especially if your'e building a Neg. Gnd. FF.