2SC458 as the bias transistor... replace?

[painttoad]

huh, thats thinner than I'd have guessed, but nice to know that its an option. That would be nice to replace those dual transistor diff amps. Dab of glue or just heat shrink to bond them together and away you go.

me too. i'd guess that removing only half of what i did would be enough of a flat spot for good thermals while retaining the thickness to match a shithouse so the clip still holds it against the heatsink.

 

[dlucy]

The best and most commonly recommended modern replacement for the noisy vintage 2SC458 transistor is the KSC1845.
I would replace it anyway. If you have to twist its legs to accommodate the flat side against the heatsink, do it.

The caveat is how much current does the application need to support? The KSC1845 is a lower noise device, but that comes at the cost of lower current handling. If your application is low current, the KSC1845. Otherwise, KSC1815.

 

[ConradH]

AFAIK, the metal leadframes are flat, so you can grind off quite a bit of material before hitting anything. Just grind until you wreck it, then back off a bit.