26 Apr
2016
26 Apr
'16
12:07 p.m.
On 04/26/2016 10:49 AM, Paul Koning wrote:
That tube is interesting: it's the world's
first integrated circuit.
Yes, a hollow state integrated circuit. I describe it that way
because it is a complete subsystem (in this case, a complete 3 stage
audio amplifier) rather than just something like a dual-triode tube
where the connecting components are still external.
Reminds me of the time I got my hands on a 1940s 3A8GT - battery
pentode, triode, double diode in one envelope. Not nearly as
interesting as the one in in the Dutch model, though.
What was the highest level of integration in a single envelope? I seem
to recall that some of the European taxes were based on the number of
tubes in a radio, so there was a strong impetus to integrate.
--Chuck