1n270 forward voltage

[kirshman]

I've bought 2 different bags of these from tayda, and 2 different bags from sellers on ebay.  All 4 look different, but 2 bags read consistently around .35v Vf with about a 5 ma If and 2 bags read about .6v Vf with about 4.8 ma If on my dca55.  Which ones are more where they should be?

[Gentle_Jack_Jones]

I read that people using multimeters typically get less than .35v forward voltage with 1N270, but I've found that the DCA55 consistently yields much higher forward voltages than my two multimeters, which in turn yield significantly different forward voltages. All of which is to say that it can be hard to tell definitively what you've got with supposedly-germanium diodes and forward voltage measurements.

A rough guess would be that your diodes with the lower FV are the real deal.

Others who know more than me will hopefully chime in, but it seems like the appearance of the diode (ie, whether it looks like a known good type) is at least as important as FV in determining what you've got. Ultimately, I guess, the most important test is whether it sounds good in a circuit.

[Andy Miller]

Yeah, I recently noticed the same thing about my DCA55 vs my two multimeters - the DCA55 reads higher forward voltages every time.    My gut says "use the DCA55, it's probably more consistent and/or accurate because it cost 10x what either multimeter cost."  Hoping for someone who can explain this to chime in!