ETCO
ETCO 2N1474 PNP Silicon Transistor, TO-5, EICO Logo, Gold Leads
- 3 photos
Never used. The original pack has been opened, or the quantity was split off a full reel or tube. Leads are original and unclipped.
New old stock, open stock on the grading scaleSend the quantity you need. You get a quote back with shipping before anything is charged.
Video
Filmed on the bench. Sound is stripped from product clips.
- 0:12
Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Identification | |
| Part number | 2N1474 |
| Manufacturer | ETCO |
| Condition | New old stock, open stock |
| Date code | Not recorded |
| Package | TO-5 metal can, three long gold plated leads |
| Country of origin | Not recorded |
| Family | 2N1474 |
| Stock number | GQTZPMNP |
| Overview | |
| Case marking | EICO 2N1474, with the ETCO circular logo on the reverse |
| Brand | ETCO. A rebadged part, not an ETCO fabricated device |
| Electrical | |
| Polarity and material | PNP silicon |
| Collector emitter voltage | About 60 V |
| Collector current | About 100 mA |
| Dissipation | About 250 mW |
| Construction | |
| Package | TO-5 metal can, three leads |
| Lead finish | Gold plated, long, apparently uncut |
| Condition | |
| Condition | Vintage old stock. Never installed, never soldered |
| Testing | Sold untested. Ask and the exact piece going in the envelope is metered first |
About this part
What makes this one collectable is the name on the can. ETCO sold electronic kits: oscilloscopes, signal generators, amplifiers and testers that arrived as a box of parts and a manual, and a generation of engineers learned the trade by building them at a kitchen table. A semiconductor carrying the ETCO circular logo on one face and 2N1474 on the other is a service part from that world, bought in and rebadged for people repairing what they had built.
That is worth stating plainly: ETCO did not fabricate semiconductors. Somebody else made the die and ETCO put its name on the case, which was ordinary practice and is exactly why the marking is interesting rather than misleading. The device inside is a 2N1474 and behaves like one.
As a part it is a PNP silicon transistor in a TO-5 can, around 60 volts, 100 mA and 250 mW, with three long gold plated leads that appear never to have been cut. As an object it is a piece of kit era electronics with a maker's mark that most people have not seen on a transistor. It is priced above the unbranded 2N1474A in this drawer for that reason and no other: the silicon inside is the same idea. Untested.
Questions about this part
Did ETCO make semiconductors?
No, and that is the honest way to describe this. ETCO sold electronic kits and bought in service parts, putting its own name on them. Somebody else made the die. That was ordinary practice at the time and it is precisely what makes the marking interesting: it is a kit era service part rather than a manufacturer's own device.
Why does it cost more than the 2N1474A you also list?
For the marking and nothing else. The silicon inside is the same idea, with much the same ratings. If you want a working transistor, the unbranded one is the better buy. If you are restoring an EICO instrument or you collect kit era parts, this is the one with the logo on it.
What was EICO?
A maker of electronic kits: oscilloscopes, signal generators, amplifiers and test gear that shipped as a box of components and a manual. A great many engineers learned by building one at a kitchen table, which is why the name still means something to people restoring equipment of that period.
Is it the same device as a plain 2N1474?
It is a 2N1474, and it should behave like one. Note that the other one in this drawer is a 2N1474A, which is the tightened grade, so the two are not identical even setting the branding aside.