Product Overview
2N5224 Silicon NPN Small-Signal Transistor - Molded Epoxy Block Case, Gold Inline Leads, Unused NOS
Condition
Unused, New Old Stock. The marked face carries molded lettering reading 2N over 5224, with the E-B-C terminal identification embossed into the same face rather than printed in ink. The opposite side shows a circular logo with a cross pattern at its center, flanked by hand-applied orange and green paint bands. All three gold-plated leads are straight, bright, and full length, with no solder on them, no cut or trim marks, and no visible tarnish. Against the PartsMine millimeter ruler in the photos, the epoxy body measures approximately 5 mm across and the leads run roughly 14 mm.
Same or next business day shipping from our Idaho warehouse. Honest pricing, no nonsense.
Online since 1999. We are here for our customers, with a no-hassle satisfaction guarantee.
Product Overview
The 2N5224 is a JEDEC-registered silicon NPN transistor used for low-level amplification, small-signal RF stages, and general-purpose switching. This is not the later TO-92 plastic version of the type number: it is the early block-style epoxy case, with the 2N5224 marking and E-B-C lettering molded directly into the front face, three gold-plated leads leaving the bottom in a straight inline row, and a circular cross-pattern mark on the reverse between two hand-applied paint bands. That mark is not tied to any named manufacturer we can confirm, so the device is listed without a maker. The device also carries NSN 5961-00-387-1992, so it appears in government and military spares catalogs under that number. Detailed electrical ratings are not confirmed here - verify against the 2N5224 datasheet before designing it into anything.
Key Features
- Device: silicon NPN small-signal transistor, JEDEC type 2N5224
- Package: early rectangular epoxy block case, not the later TO-92 style
- Leads: three gold-plated leads in a straight inline row, uncut and unsoldered
- Marking: 2N 5224 and E-B-C terminal identification molded into the front face
- Reverse: circular logo with a cross pattern, between hand-applied orange and green paint bands
- Manufacturer: not identified - the reverse mark is not tied to a confirmed named maker
- NSN: 5961-00-387-1992
- Size: body approximately 5 mm across against the millimeter ruler in the photos
- Condition: unused New Old Stock
- Electrical ratings: not confirmed - check the 2N5224 datasheet before use
Applications
- Restorer rebuilding a 1960s or 1970s instrument who wants a period-correct small-signal device instead of a modern TO-92 stand-in
- Bench technician tracing a dead preamp stage in legacy communications gear and matching the original inline gold-lead layout
- Collector or curator assembling a display of early solid-state packaging, where the molded case and paint bands are the whole point
- Maintenance buyer working a government spares list and sourcing against NSN 5961-00-387-1992
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the same device as a TO-92 2N5224?
Same JEDEC type number, different body. This one is the early molded epoxy block with gold leads in a straight inline row, so the mechanical footprint is not the TO-92 half-round you may be picturing. Check the fit against your board or socket before you order.
What do the orange and green paint bands mean?
They are hand-applied marks of the kind used for sorting and binning at the factory. We cannot map a specific color to a specific gain group or test result, so treat the bands as a physical characteristic of this piece, not as a published spec.
Are the leads solid gold?
No, they are gold-plated. Plating was used for corrosion resistance and stable contact over long service or storage life, and in the photos it has done its job: the leads are still bright with no tarnish and no old solder.
Why does the NSN matter to me?
If you are pulling parts against a government or military spares list, NSN 5961-00-387-1992 is how this device is cataloged, which makes cross-referencing your paperwork straightforward. If you are working from a schematic instead, ignore it and go by the 2N5224 type number.
I need two or three of these, not fifty. Do I have to buy a lot?
No. This is a part you should be able to count out. Ten are in stock, and you take the number the job actually calls for - one to replace a failed stage, a couple more so there are spares in the drawer - instead of a forced lot of fifty that leaves forty-seven of them sitting in a bag for a decade. What you see in the photographs is what the part looks like: an unused block-package 2N5224 with straight, bright gold inline leads. Shipping is $8 flat rate and free once your order passes $28, and orders leave our Idaho warehouse the same or next business day.
Before every small-signal transistor arrived as the same little half-moon of plastic, they came as molded blocks with gold legs and a stripe of paint somebody brushed on by hand. Put one back where it belongs and that hand is still doing its job.
