Tube Dreams

[Gary Pewitt]

Anyone ever speculate about how tubes might have developed if
transistors had never been invented?  I am sure the trend toward
smaller lower voltage receiving tubes would have continued.
Cold cathode tubes would have drawn less current, produced less
heat, and lasted much longer. The Compactron tubes suggest a movement
in the direction of multiple circuits in a single enclosure.
I can envision photo reduction masks being used to etch hundreds or thousands of pin head size cathodes and plates on metal strata.
Multiple layers allowing grids and beam directors.
I doubt that they would have looked much like conventional tubes.
Probably flat rectangular metal boxes with hundreds of pins on the bottom and fins on the top. Sound familiar?
The chips (or cans?, tubs? or dare I say integrated circuits?)
would probably contained complete sub assemblies or entire radios.
Frequency synthesizers, phase locked loops, audio amps, etc..
There's really no reason it couldn't still be done.
The tube manufactures tried with the Nuvistors and such but didn't
really change their paradymes.  They were still thinking single
unit analog devices with higher voltages and currents.  The techniques
used for solid state devices would have worked just as well for vacuum technology.
It might not have reached the level of large scale integration
needed for personal computers but who knows?
Sort of like what might have happened if steam powered cars had won
out over internal combustion engined vehicles.  We wouldn't be
driving crude Stanly steamers but sophisticated steam turbines.
I sure would like to have a new Hammarlund HQ-1800 with 4 "cans"
synchronous detection, phase locked loop, frequency synthesized
tuning, etc.  I'm sure some of our better educated list members
could think of developments far beyond my efforts.
73  and happy dreams.  Gary

-------------------------------------
Name: Gary Pewitt N9ZSV/KT
      6120 W. Calumet Rd. Apt 204
      Milwaukee, WI  53223
      414 355 8147 Home 414 297 4307 Work
E-mail: gpewitt at execpc.com
Date: 01/03/98
Time: 18:34:59


-------------------------------------

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --
To subscribe: listserv at listserv.tempe.gov
and in body: subscribe BOATANCHORS yourfirstname yourlastname
To unsubscribe:  listserv at listserv.tempe.gov
and in body: signoff BOATANCHORS
Archives for BOATANCHORS: http://www.tempe.gov/archives
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --