29 Nov
2009
29 Nov
'09
4:40 p.m.
On Nov 29, 2009, at 7:31 PM, Brent Hilpert wrote:
Monsanto MV2s. Beautiful devices.
(Minor correction to my own msg: "1842" instead of "842".
Probably the IBM part number.)
Are they so unique to id them as MV2s?, I think HP was using a
similar package.
I have a handful of MV2s from my childhood days. I've never seen
another LED quite like them. There wasn't a whole lot of package
standardization (some, but not much) for LEDs in those days.
I've been
looking for an early LED.
It is a visible red light with a gold base.
I've seen many IR ones with gold bases
but not the visible red ones. I believe
the base was standard in the older early
ones. If anyone has a scrap board with these
on it, I'd love to have one.
Like these?:
http://www3.telus.net/~bhilpert/tmp/earlyLED.jpg
Clear lens, lights up as just a little red dot.
Stamped around the base is "842","M" & "701". 
Yes, they are very pretty, as a device. The die is
clearly visible
looking
through the lens and it looks so perfect when lit up. As an
indicator lamp,
though, they are pretty subtle, the photo exposure makes it looks
brighter and
more visible than it is.
I love 'em.
The funny thing about the exerciser is that, IIRC, it
was
manufactured a few
years after much better indicator LEDs were available.
Hmm. Inertia? Or maybe they had thousands of them in stock?
-Dave
--
Dave McGuire
Port Charlotte, FL