20 Apr
2005
20 Apr
'05
8 a.m.
At 07:49 PM 4/19/2005, you wrote:
If things had worked out differently we might be using
ultraminiature electron tubes. Imagine! An entire flipflop in one
package!
Doesn't this possibility periodically revive itself, at least in
press releases? That some jobs are still done well by vacuum tubes
and not silicon?
As a kid, I spent a lot of time harvesting junk from the back
of TV repair shops. (Yes, back in the day when we fixed TVs, kids.)
So I have a visceral affection for metal in glass. I remember
breaking the tubes and extracting the little rings holding
the 'getter', which was calcium carbide.
Most recently, I had a tour of a small radio station by the old
engineer who kept it running with spit and baling wire. I was
envious of his nice collection of old huge tubes from the transmitters
he'd worked on. Let me guess. I can buy similar tubes on eBay?
- John