Russian Ge diodes, watch those bands!

[Crazyyellowfox]

I recently picked up more than two dozen Russian 1n34-equivalent Ge diodes on eBay for a steal. Some D8 and D9E diodes made in the 70's
They look just like standard 1NXXx Ge diodes, but when I went to test them I was a little surprised, the bands mark the anode, not the cathode.
The D9E looks just like a 1n34 except it has an extra blue band in the center of the diode. The D8 looks just like a 1N60 with a single green band.



It's probably been mentioned before here on this board, but I thought I'd give my own heads up for good measure.

[dimych]

it's soviet standard, bands on diodes always indicates anode, same with electrolytic caps, in soviet union always marked +, not - like other countries

[dschwartz]

yes, that´s why Nixon hated them that much

[jrod]

Thanks for the info! I have several different Russian diodes, but have not used them yet.