Diodes from India

[jdduffield]

If I were to purchase diodes in bulk from India through eBay that claim to be genuine germanium diodes, what are the chances that I would be getting a genuine product and how will I know the difference.

Also, what are tariffs like from India?

I’d be purchasing 1000 diodes for $200-$400.

 

[Cybercow]

It depends on the seller's ratings, return policy and number of sales. You can also tell by looking at them - germanium diodes have a whisker point, silicon does not. You can also tell by testing them with a Peak Atlas DCA75.

 

[swelchy]

pictures are worth a thousand words.. let us verify that the picture is at least a germanium diode..lol

 

[jdduffield]

I’ll have to study up on that whicker point stuff.

 

[jdduffield]

I do plan on getting a DCA 75. I was thinking those were more for JFETs and transistors, but I didn’t realize they were for diodes as well.

 

[joyceenid]

If I were to purchase diodes in bulk from India through eBay that claim to be genuine germanium diodes, what are the chances that I would be getting a genuine product and how will I know the difference.

Also, what are tariffs like block blast from India?

I’d be purchasing 1000 diodes for $200-$400.

If it were me, I'd first check reviews about the seller and their product. That applies to all e-commerce platforms. If you check multiple channels and still end up buying something you don't like, then you're probably just unlucky (sorry, haha).

 

[Cybercow]

I’ll have to study up on that whicker point stuff.

Sorry - typo. I meant "whisker point".

 

[PedalBuilder]

You really should include a picture with this post, @jdduffield. But as a general matter, if the diodes look like the bottom two examples in this picture, they are silicon if they look like the top one (see the whisker in the middle of the diode that @Cybercow mentioned?) then they’re germanium.
I’d add a couple more questions—why 1000 diodes and why from India rather than Ukraine?

 

[jwin615]

₹5 diodes

 

[jdduffield]

Sorry - typo. I meant "whisker point".

I was reading about that little “s” connector. It looks like the ones I was looking at had those so I bought them.

 

[jdduffield]

You really should include a picture with this post, @jdduffield. But as a general matter, if the diodes look like the bottom two examples in this picture, they are silicon if they look like the top one (see the whisker in the middle of the diode that @Cybercow mentioned?) then they’re germanium.View attachment 119844
I’d add a couple more questions—why 1000 diodes and why from India rather than Ukraine?

Here is a photo of the ones I bought. The seller was from India. I think the diodes themselves are from Russia. They might even ship from Russia, not sure.

It looks like they have the whisker.

I bought one pack (1000) as a trial. I was originally planning to get more but want to try these first and see how it goes before buying more from this seller. Feedback is good. 150+ sales.

 

[jdduffield]

why 1000 diodes

So I don’t have to keep buying them for $2 each. Just wanting to start a nice collection of diodes that will last me years.

 

[PedalBuilder]

Here is a photo of the ones I bought. The seller was from India. I think the diodes themselves are from Russia. They might even ship from Russia, not sure.

It looks like they have the whisker.

I bought one pack (1000) as a trial. I was originally planning to get more but want to try these first and see how it goes before buying more from this seller. Feedback is good. 150+ sales.

Yeah, those are almost certainly germanium. Note the whisker in the middle of the diode, which is not found in silicon transistors as far as I am aware (and is certainly not found in modern ones). I'm assuming that you're doing this commercially if you're buying 1000 as a trial.

 

[jdduffield]

I'm assuming that you're doing this commercially if you're buying 1000 as a trial.

Not yet. But aspire to. I’m still learning but intend to stick with it for the long haul. Hopefully I can come up with a design that will be popular, but I have not gotten that far yet. I’ve only sold about 200 and have given away about 50, mostly unique or small batch builds.

I wanted to start a diode parts inventory and had a decent amount to spend, but was nervous about sinking too much into eBay with all the scammers out there. So that’s why I did one pack as a “trial”. If it goes well I can get more later. I ended up buying an UV printer with the money instead of an inventory of various germanium diodes. I can get diodes later, or make purchases here and there as funds permit.