Product Overview
National Semiconductor 2N3908 Dual Transistor in a Gold-Lead Metal Can
Condition
New surplus, sold each. The pieces come out of a clear poly bag, and the photo was taken through the bag with the pieces still inside it. The gold-plated leads are long, bright and untrimmed, with no oxidation or solder on them. Each device is a small round metal can with dark stamped markings around the rim; on the pieces facing the camera the digits 3908 read clearly, while the rest of the stamp sits at an angle to the lens. The photo shows several pieces together so you can see the packaging and the way these are marked. You are buying one device per unit ordered, not the group in the picture.
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Product Overview
The 2N3908 is a dual transistor from National Semiconductor: two transistors carried in a single metal can rather than two separate parts wired side by side, which is what designers reached for when a circuit needed two devices behaving alike. This stock has the gold-plated leads that mark the older metal-can process, and they arrive long and straight, ready to be trimmed and formed to whatever board or turret strip you are working on. Electrical ratings are not listed in our records for this piece, so treat the 2N3908 datasheet as the authority before you commit it to a design. Marked 2N3908; National Semiconductor branding.
Key Features
- Part number: 2N3908
- Manufacturer: National Semiconductor
- Type: dual transistor, two devices in one package
- Package: round metal can, through-hole leads
- Leads: gold plated, long, straight and untrimmed
- Condition: new surplus, supplied from a clear poly bag
- Sale unit: sold each, one device per unit ordered
- Electrical ratings: not confirmed here - verify against the 2N3908 datasheet before use
Applications
- Analog technician rebuilding a differential input stage that was designed around a single-package dual rather than two loose devices
- Instrument restorer keeping a vintage bench meter or chart recorder original, where a metal-can dual with gold leads is what the board expects
- Audio and test-gear builder who wants the two halves of a long-tailed pair sitting in the same package
- Collector or teaching lab stocking gold-lead metal-can semiconductors as examples of the older process
Frequently Asked Questions
How many transistors do I get if I order one?
One device, which is itself a dual: two transistors inside a single metal can. The photo shows several pieces from stock so you can judge the markings and the bag they come from, but the group is not the sale unit.
Are the leads long enough to form and trim?
Yes. The leads in the photo are full length, straight and untrimmed, with the gold plating intact and no solder or tinning on the tips. Nothing has been cut or bent for a previous installation.
What are the voltage, current and gain ratings?
They are not confirmed in our records for this piece, and we will not quote numbers we cannot stand behind. Pull the 2N3908 datasheet and check the ratings against your circuit before you design it in.
Can I read the full marking on the part I receive?
The can is marked around its rim and the 3908 digits are legible in the photo. Because the stamp wraps the curve of the can, some characters on a given piece sit out of the light. The photograph is the spec for the piece photographed; we are not promising identical stamp orientation across every unit in stock.
Why buy two or three from you instead of a bag of 25 somewhere else?
Because most repairs need a couple of devices, not a lot. If your differential stage takes one dual and you want a spare, buy two here and be done, instead of paying for a forced quantity of parts that sit in a drawer for the next decade. Shipping is a flat $8, and it is free once your order passes $28, so a small handful of parts still lands cheaper than a bulk lot you did not want. Orders leave the Idaho warehouse the same or next business day.
Gold leads and a metal can, from the stretch of years when the tidiest way to get two transistors to behave alike was to build them into one package. If you are bringing a vintage front end back to life, this is the shape that fix takes.
