Product Overview
2N5961 Small-Signal NPN Transistor with Gold-Plated Inline Leads
Condition
Unused New Old Stock. Under the camera the front face is clean black epoxy marked in white ink, S 2N over 5961, with the ink crisp and unrubbed. All three gold-plated leads are straight, full length, unclipped and bright, with no solder, no kinking and no tarnish where a lead would have been tinned or gripped. The back of the body carries a circular logo with an internal cross and three painted color bands in red, blue and violet, all intact. Against the millimeter ruler the body measures approximately 5 mm across with leads running roughly 15 mm. Nine of these are in stock and the photographed piece is representative of them, not the individual unit reserved for your order. No packaging appears in the photos, so we make no claim about how these were stored.
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Product Overview
The 2N5961 is a JEDEC-registered silicon NPN small-signal type, and this one has a three-lead epoxy body with a flat marked front and a rounded back. The face reads S 2N 5961 in white; the rear carries a circular mark with a cross inside it that we have not been able to attribute, along with hand-painted red, blue and violet bands whose code we cannot decode and will not guess at. The leads are gold-plated and arranged in a single straight inline row, the finish chosen in this era for stable low-resistance contact and corrosion resistance. Ratings, gain group and lead order are not confirmed here - check the 2N5961 datasheet against your circuit before you commit the part.
Key Features
- Device type: silicon NPN small-signal transistor, JEDEC 2N5961
- Face marking: S 2N 5961, white ink on black epoxy
- Package: flat marked front face, rounded back, three-lead epoxy body
- Leads: three gold-plated leads, straight and unclipped, single inline row
- Rear markings: circular logo with an internal cross, unattributed
- Color code: red, blue and violet painted bands on the rear face, meaning not confirmed
- Size: body approximately 5 mm across against the millimeter ruler, leads roughly 15 mm
- Condition: unused New Old Stock, sold each
Applications
- Restorer rebuilding a 1970s instrument preamp who wants a period-correct gold-lead device rather than a modern substitute
- Audio hobbyist breadboarding a small-signal input stage and wanting long, easy-to-probe leads
- Repair technician replacing a failed small-signal NPN in legacy lab or test equipment
- Collector documenting JEDEC 2N-series packages and factory marking styles
Frequently Asked Questions
What is actually printed on the part?
The front face reads S 2N over 5961 in white ink. The back carries a circular logo with a cross through it and three painted bands, red, blue and violet. We have not been able to tie that logo to a specific manufacturer, so we are not naming one.
Are the leads identified E, B and C on the package?
No. An earlier version of this listing said the face carried molded E-B-C lettering; the photographs show no such lettering, so we have removed the claim. Identify the lead order from the 2N5961 datasheet or by measurement before wiring it in.
What do the red, blue and violet bands mean?
Not confirmed. Painted marks of this kind were usually applied at the factory as a sorting or grouping code, but we cannot decode this one and we will not publish a guess. Treat any gain grouping as unverified and measure the device if your circuit depends on it.
Which piece will I receive?
One transistor per unit ordered, pulled from a group of like devices. The piece in the photographs is representative of the stock, not the specific unit set aside for you, and we do not guarantee that the painted band colors match across every piece.
Why buy two or three of these here instead of a bagged lot from an auction listing?
Because you can take the count your bench actually needs. If a repair calls for one 2N5961 and a spare, you buy two, not a bag of fifty that sits in a drawer for the next decade. You get a photographed part with its markings shown before you order rather than an unseen handful. Shipping is $8 flat rate and free once your order passes $28, and orders leave our Idaho warehouse the same or next business day.
Gold leads, white ink and three painted colors on the back that meant something exact on a production line decades ago. Check it against your datasheet, and it goes back to the quiet small-signal work it was built for.
