Members OldCrankyDouche Posted August 14, 2007 Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 I need a 2N3904/MPSA13 (NPN I think) transistor for a fuzz I built. Its one of the 3 wired ones. Is there anything I could substitute for it? Im a building noob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members konsole Posted August 14, 2007 Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 Lots of options really. The 3904 is a very common NPN tranny. You can sub it with hundreds of others. Popular ones would be the 2N5088, 2N5089, BC108, 2N2222 (Although, apart from the 2222 these do have a fairly high hfe when compared to the 3904). It would be best if you posted all of the trannies that you have and we could give you the best match that you have.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LoneStarGuitar Posted August 14, 2007 Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 2n3904's are extremely common.Pedal Pars Plus has them at 30 cents each.Yes you can find them much more cheaply, but as long as you need a few other parts too, they are readily available there. www.pedalpartsplus.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OldCrankyDouche Posted August 14, 2007 Author Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 It would be best if you posted all of the trannies that you have and we could give you the best match that you have....I dont have any trannies(). LOL. Kidding aside, I just got a kit. Its my first build. But I messed up the transistor (one of the wires broke off due to my ignorance).Im just looking to go to Radio Shack and grab something, but they dont have any of the ones that I broke.If I had my choice, the end product would be fairly gainy, without scooped mids, and with some nice highs. I dont know if a different tranny will do any of these things, but thats where you guys come in.Thanks for the ideas so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lone Flanger Posted August 14, 2007 Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062609&cp=&sr=1&origkw=NPN&kw=npn&parentPage=search You can check to see if other radio shacks near you have it by finding the In Store link on the right side. Not sure if you tried that, that's how I usually find parts if I need them asap. You can also a package of general purpose NPN transistors at Radio Shack and try them out. I think the last package of those I got actually had 2N3904's in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OldCrankyDouche Posted August 14, 2007 Author Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 Cool. Thanks for that. The one near me has it. Maybe Ill stop over there sometime this week. Ill probably look for the package you were talking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members konsole Posted August 14, 2007 Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 Yeah, if you get that pack then you can try out different ones until you find a sound you like. Don't forget to check pinouts though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Liberty Belle Posted August 14, 2007 Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 With the 2N3904's or any transistor actualy ya best get a heap so you can get one with the right hfe for your particular pedal.The right hfe is the one that sounds best......dont know what hfe is? google it,then look at it in the pdf data sheets i gave links to,then use a digital multimeter to test your 2n3904's for the hfe,then try them,then youl know what hfe is and how it relates to a good sound or a {censored} sound in fuzz pedals. Its not complicated,honest! Learn here read and here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members spaceshot Posted August 14, 2007 Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 yeah, 3904's are really common, but don't make the mistake of following R.G.'s advise that the 5088 can replace all gain oriented npn pedals. I consider the 3904 a makably less gain tranny than the typical 5088. If accuracy is your key I reccomend digging for a 3904(shouldn;t be hard to find) and a decents multi meter- look for hfe between 200 and 380hfe, and you'll be set. The majority of 5088's I've tested have been 500- 860hfe too much gain for a multi gain circuit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members M900 Posted August 14, 2007 Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 2n3905 and 2n3906 can also be substituted, according to the Honeywell (I think) spec sheet. c Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members konsole Posted August 14, 2007 Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 Those would be PNP though not NPN... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OldCrankyDouche Posted August 14, 2007 Author Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 Yeah, as much as I appreciate all of this advice, this thread is getting way too complicated for me. I dont have a multimeter. And Ive basically got the $.60 for the transistor. LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hanglow Posted August 14, 2007 Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 MPSA 13 is a darlington isn't it? Which has a relatively huge gain in comparison to the 2n3904. check which one you need... For 2n3904 also try 2n4401. Also, you could try and find some electrical junk in your loft/basment/cupboard and butcher it for parts and try some of the trannies in them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members konsole Posted August 14, 2007 Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 Also, you could try and find some electrical junk in your loft/basment/cupboard and butcher it for parts and try some of the trannies in them yes YES!!!! My 10th favorite pastime..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hanglow Posted August 14, 2007 Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 I've done it a lot too VCR's are very good for trimpots I find. Scottish tightness coming to the fore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OldCrankyDouche Posted August 14, 2007 Author Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 MPSA 13 is a darlington isn't it? Which has a relatively huge gain in comparison to the 2n3904. check which one you need...For 2n3904 also try 2n4401.Also, you could try and find some electrical junk in your loft/basment/cupboard and butcher it for parts and try some of the trannies in them The 3904 IS the MPSA13. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hanglow Posted August 14, 2007 Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 I don't think it is, 2n3904's are fairly low gain, whereas MPSA13's have about twenty times more gain. They are used in Octavias etc. or maybe there are same names for different products in different countries What fuzz is it out of interest? Fuzz is good. Very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OldCrankyDouche Posted August 14, 2007 Author Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 Its from the "My first fuzz" or something like that. I lost the website address. When I had it working, it sounded good, but I must have bent one of the wires on the tranny, and caused a somewhat loose connection. I guess you are right. Although, the transistor said MPSA13 on it, and the instruction manual said 2n3904. I guess that Ill be getting the MPSA13 then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hanglow Posted August 14, 2007 Members Share Posted August 14, 2007 ahh, just get a bunch of different ones. both will probably work check out the diystompboxes forum for more fuzzes, if you haven't allready. there are loads there, I've made a few and still want to make a few more. very simple circuit but so many variations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members konsole Posted August 15, 2007 Members Share Posted August 15, 2007 Be careful not to get addicted though. It creeps up on you... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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