TRANSISTOR MUSEUM Historic Transistor Photo Gallery
Transistor Size (1/2”L X 1/4”W X 3/8”H) Packaging - None	GERMANIUM PRODUCTS CORP 2517 TYPE Germanium NPN Grown Junction USAGE Audio/Hearing Aids DATE INTRODUCED 1952 CASE STYLES Black Painted Epoxy AVAILABILITY Rare (Limited Production)
HISTORIC NOTES Germanium Products Corporation was a unique privately held company that was responsible for producing some of the first transistors ever available for commercial sale. The parent company to GPC, Radio Development and Research (RDR) created the GPC division in 1952 and began placing ads announcing the availability of its new germanium grown junction transistors. GPC was one of only a few companies (total of 30 or so) that purchased an initial license from Western Electric to manufacture transistors. These first GPC transistors were quite crude, black epoxy units, as shown above with the 2517. These were used in the first transistorized or hybrid hearing aids in 1952/1953, such as the Sonotone model 1010 hybrid hearing aid (two small tubes and a single transistor). The 2517 was developed using the germanium grown junction process, originally developed at Bell Labs, which was a short-lived technology, soon superceded by the germanium alloy junction process developed at GE and RCA.
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