Product Overview
GE D42C2N: An NPN Transistor That Still Answers to Its Original Part Number
Condition
Listed New and sold each from a small quantity on the shelf. The pieces in the photos are representative of that stock: red molded plastic bodies with the marking GE over D42C2N printed in light ink on the flat face, three straight in-line leads on each, and a bright metal strip running along one side of the body on the pieces turned toward the camera. Lead surfaces are bright and the leads are full length, with no bends, trimming, or solder visible in these photos. The sample was photographed in hand through a clear poly bag, so the bag is what you see the parts through and nothing more is claimed about it. A short code of a few characters sits near the lower edge of some bodies; it is present but too small to read reliably here, so we are not attributing it.
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Product Overview
This is a General Electric D42C2N, an NPN transistor in a red plastic three-lead package, carried in our catalog at 30 V and 1 A. The part is identified the old-fashioned way, by the marking on the case itself: GE on the upper line, D42C2N on the lower, printed in light ink on the flat face where a technician can read it without a magnifier. Each piece carries three straight in-line leads at full length for through-hole work, and several of the photographed bodies show a bright metal strip along one edge. GE's discrete semiconductor line has been out of production for decades, which is usually why someone goes looking for this number specifically rather than a modern substitute: a service list, a schematic, or an original bill of materials calls out a D42C2N, and the board was laid out around a part shaped like this one. Beyond the 30 V and 1 A figures in our catalog data and what the case marking says, individual parameters are not confirmed here. Sold each, so you buy the count the job needs.
Key Features
- NPN transistor marked GE over D42C2N on the case face
- Carried at 30 V and 1 A in our catalog data for this part number
- Red molded plastic body with three straight in-line leads
- Bright metal strip visible along one side of the body on several photographed pieces
- Full-length untrimmed leads suited to through-hole board work
- Condition listed New; sold each, photographed pieces are representative of the stock
Applications
- A repair technician working an older GE-era chassis whose service list calls out a D42C2N by name and wants the marking to match
- A restorer rebuilding a through-hole board who needs a part with the original lead spacing and body footprint instead of a modern package that has to be bodged in
- A hobbyist stocking a parts drawer against a specific vintage project, buying two or three rather than a bag of fifty
- A maintenance shop keeping one legacy machine alive and wanting a known GE-marked spare on the shelf before the board fails again
Frequently Asked Questions
What is actually printed on the part?
GE on the top line and D42C2N below it, printed in light ink on the flat face of the red case. That marking is what identifies the part and what the brand and part number in this listing are drawn from. Some bodies also carry a short additional code near the lower edge, which is not legible enough in these photos for us to say what it means.
What package is this?
We describe it as the photos show it: a red molded plastic body, roughly rectangular, with three straight in-line leads and a bright metal strip along one side on the pieces facing the camera. We are not assigning a package designation beyond that, so if your board needs an exact case outline, compare the photos to your footprint before ordering.
Are the electrical specifications confirmed?
The 30 V and 1 A figures come from our catalog data for this part number, and the case marking confirms the identity. Gain, frequency behavior, and every other parameter are not confirmed here. Verify anything your circuit depends on against the GE datasheet for the D42C2N before use.
Will the piece I receive look exactly like the one in the photos?
The photographed pieces are representative of the stock, not the specific piece set aside for you. Expect the GE and D42C2N marking as shown. We do not guarantee that any secondary code near the lower edge reads the same across every piece on the shelf.
Why buy a few of these here instead of a lot of a hundred somewhere else?
Because most people who need a D42C2N need one, or two if they want a spare in the drawer, and a forced lot of a hundred is a hundred transistors you will never open again. We sell these one at a time from a small quantity, photographed and marked so you can see what you are getting before you commit. Shipping is $8 flat rate, free once your order passes $28, and orders leave our Idaho warehouse the same or next business day.
GE's discrete semiconductor line has been out of production for decades, but the boards that were laid out around a D42C2N never got the memo and still ask for one by name. Match the marking, put it back where the schematic says it goes, and the repair returns to being unremarkable, which is the whole point.
