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Solid States Devices => solid state devices => Topic started by: telluric42 on January 08, 2010, 04:49:19 PM

Title: please help looking for Galena/Pyrite crystals/germanium
Post by: telluric42 on January 08, 2010, 04:49:19 PM
hi all

looking at making a crystal detector and looking for a supplier in Australia. not sure the going prices so that would be helpful too.

PS- i read somewhere you can make galena crystals by melting lead and sulphur......anyone try that b4!!!

thanks :D
Title: Re: please help looking for Galena/Pyrite crystals/germanium
Post by: jadaro2600 on January 08, 2010, 06:22:16 PM
Quote from: telluric42 on January 08, 2010, 04:49:19 PM
hi all

looking at making a crystal detector and looking for a supplier in Australia. not sure the going prices so that would be helpful too.

PS- i read somewhere you can make galena crystals by melting lead and sulphur......anyone try that b4!!!

thanks :D

Probably not safe, it would require extreme temperatures.  You could probably grow a crystal yourself - but then there's the chemistry.  What you're attempting could probably be done just as effectively with an oxide based point contact.

I haven't been very successful with this, but apparently a point-contact diode is more like a tunnel diode than a normal diode.
Title: Re: please help looking for Galena/Pyrite crystals/germanium
Post by: scotty1 on January 08, 2010, 07:17:31 PM
If your in Oz go to Dick Smith.
I ordered 50 diodes for my tests but they didn't want to give them to me because it was only $25 bucks or so.
With a bit of persistence I finally got the order.

I tried to melt Sulphur and Lead but the material I ended up with was no good.
Of the things I have tried, the store bought doides work best, but a Germanium rock also works well.
If you can't get diodes I could send you a few no probs.
Here is my setup running a wall clock.  ;D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQT01-OA89k (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQT01-OA89k)
Cheers.
Scotty.
Title: Re: please help looking for Galena/Pyrite crystals/germanium
Post by: telluric42 on January 09, 2010, 12:45:44 AM
thanks all and you too scotty that is very generous of you. i wanted to go back to first principal detectors but if that is too hard i will use diodes.i'm downloading your video as i type sound like somethin out of the evil genious book ;D

dick smith has really gone down hill over the years :'( i get my stuff from jaycar nowadays and the internet too.

i'll keep u posted on my progress.

thanks :D