TRANSISTOR MUSEUM Historic Transistor Photo Gallery
Transistor Size (5/8” X 5/16”) Date Code 3-52 (1953 Week 52) on Back Foldover Paper Envelope Packaging Includes Datasheet for 2N32,33,34,35	RCA 2N33 TYPE Germanium Point Contact Transistor USAGE Oscillator to 50-MC DATE INTRODUCED 1953 CASE STYLES White Epoxy AVAILABILITY Rare (Limited Production)
HISTORIC NOTES The 2N33 was one of the first point contact transistors made commercially by RCA. Along with the 2N32, another point contact transistor, the 2N33 was developed in the 1952/53 timeframe and was announced as commercially available in 1953. The case material is araldite epoxy, which, through time, allows moisture degradation of the transistor junctions - most currently existing units are not functional. The 1954 Allied Electronics catalog offers the 2N33 as available for $23.00, making it the most expensive transistor listed. Transistor technology was developing rapidly in the early 1950s, and point contact transistors were quickly superceded by the newer junction units. By 1956, the 2N32 and 2N33 were no longer available. It is likely that only a few thousand of these units were made.
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