The last printed "all transistor equivalent book" was published around 2005. Today, the equivalent concept lives online. Here are the modern successors:
If you are searching for physical or scanned copies, these are the legendary titles:
| Book Title | Author/Publisher | Best For | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Transistor Equivalent Book | Towers International | General purpose, Japanese & European types | | World Transistor Equivalents | Data Book Series | Comprehensive cross-reference | | NTE Quick Reference Guide | NTE Electronics | Modern replacements (still in print) | | ECG Semiconductor Master Guide | Philips ECG | Vintage 1970s-80s gear | | RCA SK Series Replacement Guide | RCA | American TV & radio repair | all transistor equivalent book
Why these books remain valuable: Many older transistors (e.g., germanium types like AC128) have no modern direct datasheet online in an easy-to-search format. The books group them by function, not just number.
If you are a hobbyist building or fixing general circuits, you don't always need a book. You just need to know the "Universal" transistors. The last printed "all transistor equivalent book" was
| Application | Original Part | Modern Generic Equivalent (NPN) | Modern Generic Equivalent (PNP) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | General Purpose / Switching | 2N2222, BC547, BC107 | 2N2222A (Metal) or PN2222 (Plastic) | 2N2907 | | General Purpose (European) | BC107, BC108 | BC547 | BC557 | | Higher Current / Power | 2N3055, BD139 | TIP31 | TIP32 | | High Voltage / Horizontal | (Various TV parts) | BU508 | N/A (Usually NPN) |
Select 10–20 transistors that cover 90% of replacements: If you are a hobbyist building or fixing
For each hero part, list 20–30 originals it replaces. That is your custom equivalent book.
For design engineers, the ultimate equivalent book is not a book but a parametric search engine (e.g., Mouser, DigiKey, or onsemi’s selector tool). You filter by Vce, Ic, hFE, and frequency to find a modern equivalent for an obsolete part.
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