15 Feb
2008
15 Feb
'08
4:29 a.m.
Where did you get this infomation?
I bet you could find the information in the Tyne book. I can not find
mine right now.
Audiotrons were used for telephone amplification and
generally ran
for a thousand hours or more. Many collectors have these tubes that are
still operational today.
First off, the tubes from 1906 that we are thinking of are Audions,
not Audiotrons. There were Audiotrons, but that was just another brand
name in the whole nameverythingatron craze.
Second, people that have Audions (or LRS relays) today never power
them up. Most have broken leads and/or filaments anyway.
Third, only a few Audions were used for telephone amplification before
Western Electric secured the rights to make tubes. It took them quite
a few years to get "repeater bulbs" decent.
Gain was low but for digital that is desired. A gain
of three or four
in power is more than is required for digital computers. More than
that would be a waste.
I do not have the values for a "typical" Audion transconductance, but
it is so low it almost looks like a typo.
Although, I don't have any audiotrons myself, I
do have tubes
made in the 20's that are still working at close to new specs.
The 1906 and the 1920s are worlds apart in terms of tube technology.
I do agree that the large number of tubes required
would be difficult
to remain operational but requirements for a digital computer are
not that great compared to other applications.
The problem is that the basic operation of the tubes during their
first ten years of the technology's life was shaky beyond belief.
--
Will