Western Electric Development Pathway
This page contains some interim data on the pathway from Bell Lab prototype to JEDEC type numbers for Western Electric diffused transistors. This data is obtained from early Western Electric data sheets that usually reference the Bell Lab prototype number. Help is sought in completing this. If you have any early Western Electric data sheets that give this information, please contact the author at:
markpdburgess@gmail.com
The author would like to acknowledge the considerable assistance of Joe Knight who provided advice and many early data sheets from his extensive collection.
Ref 1
The 2N537 was developed from the GA53194 according to a Western Electric Manual reference cited by Jack Ward. Also courtesy of Jack Ward " The Explorer I complement was as follows: a) Western Electric WE 53194 (4). Two each in the JPL-designed low and high power transmitters. This is a variation of the original Bell Labs 2039. The 2039 was a germanium diffused-base transistor of remarkablecharacteristics in the way of high frequency operation. The use of these transistors in the RF circuitry of the Explorer I satellite made it possible to have an overall efficiency of better than 25%, including power used by theoscillator, doubler buffer and modulator" from A Transistor Museum Interview with Dr George Ludwig.
Ref 2
The 2104 data sheet puts the 2039 2039-2 GA53194 GA53233 and 2N509 in the same family. You could guess that the GA53233 is the WE type for the 2039-2 since it can’t be 2039.
Picture Left: this is the 2N509 Feb 1958 in the fat evac can size Internal dissipation of 200mw and osc up to 1000 M Hz
2N1195 is the military version in the smaller can from April 1958