j201 substitute

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Manfred
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Post by Manfred »

I bougth a bunch of 2SJ74 JFETs in China none of these works in the circuit, so I have tested all using my semiconductor test device.
The device identified the transistors as a fake these were not JFETs but darlingtons.
The printing was 2SJ74, I no longer trust the chinese semiconducter sellers.

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Manfred
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Post by Manfred »

POTL wrote:I ordered adapter cards from to-92 to sot23 and wait for them.
I looked at the digikey and mouser sites that most of the popular jfet are no longer produced, but the following are still available:
J113
MMBF4393
2SK208-R
2SK209-Y
MMBFJ270
MMBFJ177
MMBFJ309
2SK3666-2

Most likely, closer to the summer I will write which transistors work well.
I ran a simulation with following JFETs:
J113, 2SK208-R, 2SK209-Y
I read the values of the real circuit using the J201 and the J113.
The 2SK208_R and the J113 don't work as a substitute.
The 2SK209 could be a good candidate, that I need to investigate more closely.
FetSubstitute2.JPG

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POTL
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Post by POTL »

I wondered, some transistors are listed as amplifiers, some only as switches. Could this somehow affect the sound?

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Manfred
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Post by Manfred »

POTL wrote:I wondered, some transistors are listed as amplifiers, some only as switches. Could this somehow affect the sound?
The transistors for audio application are designed in consideration of low noise figure.
The switching transistors usually have higher forward transconductances to ensure a faster switching performance.
The inherent capacitances of both types are in the same range of few Picofarads and have no effect on the audible frequency range
except for the Miller capacitance ( Cgd * gain of the stage @ source circuit).

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lcv
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Post by lcv »

Hi,
I just received some interfet j201 from Mouser.
Quite expensive.
Their parameters sit around Idss= 0.23 - 0.30mA, Vto=0.5 - 0.6V, I would say towards the lower spec limits (I didn't test all of them)
https://www.mouser.it/ProductDetail/Int ... oEcg%3D%3D

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BSA Chawngthu
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Post by BSA Chawngthu »

I think that Jfet of this kind are hard to find, so why do we discover it, which have the same sounding thing, let us venture here, or else we made the manufacturer a gold mine, i am sure that we can make a sound out more like this ore even much greater, lets shot at the IC, Tranny we had here and make even bigger sound than olden days.
This old jfet luckily i have source it from a very old radio, it sounds very nasty, i have use it to all my project, it really sound nasty, but we can find another nasty one, lets say we modify the one we could find and we just do the meth, i dont know if it will work but i hate when you could not find a parts

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SpencerPedals
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Post by SpencerPedals »

BSA Chawngthu wrote:we just do the meth
I was wondering to myself how The Great J201 Hunt was progressing and checked in today. Amphetamines have now been suggested. It's not the best idea, but certainly might speed the work along...

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soulsonic
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Post by soulsonic »

I'm not suggesting this as a direct substitute for the J201, but I've been using the 2SK880 for a few years now, and I'm pleased with the performance.
"Analog electronics in music is dead. Analog effects pedal design is a dead art." - Fran

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bmxguitarsbmx
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Post by bmxguitarsbmx »

J201 in TO-92 though hole in stock at Mouser currently.
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/In ... teMw%3D%3D

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aion
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Post by aion »

bmxguitarsbmx wrote: 18 Dec 2020, 17:26 J201 in TO-92 though hole in stock at Mouser currently.
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/In ... teMw%3D%3D
Just a heads up... all the classic pedal applications for the J201 were developed with Fairchild/ON Semi parts, which up until recently was the only manufacturer making the J201. Theirs have a fairly tight "real world" range of around -0.6 to -0.9V for Vgs(off), the spec that directly impacts the point at which they begin clipping. Like most JFETs, the datasheet specification is really broad, -0.3V to -1.5V, but in practice they're pretty reliably clustered together.

I haven't tested them personally, but have heard reports that the InterFET's J201s are much different and it's not uncommon to find them at -1.1 to -1.3V. This is still well within the datasheet range, so there is nothing wrong with the part from a technical standpoint - but in our applications, a J201 at the high end of the range will sound very, very different than one closer to the midpoint.

This is in addition to the outrageous prices (USD$3.48 each). I would recommend sticking with the ON Semi brand. The SMD MMBFJ201 is still available and is exactly the same as the extinct TO-92 variety, measuring in approximately the same real-world range.

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