Historical Technology Books - 75 in a series - Vacuum Tube Manual: Tomer 1960 Getting the Most Out of Vacuum Tubes (1960)
Historical Technology Books - 75 in a series - Vacuum Tube Manual: Tomer 1960 Getting the Most Out of Vacuum Tubes (1960) PREFACE The purpose of this book is not to add another volume to the many excellent ones available on what makes the vacuum tube work. Rather, it is intended to shed light on the almost completely neglected subject of why these versatile devices sometimes do not work. Informed scientists and engineers have frequently stated that the life of a vacuum tube in normal service should exceed 5,000 or even 10,000 hours. The fact that some of them do not last this long is well known. The question then is, "Why do they so often give less than their predicted or possible potential?" J. M. Bridges, Director of Electronics, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, speaking before the RETMA (now EIA) "Symposium on Reliable Applica- tions of Vacuum Tubes" at the University of Pennsyl- vania in May 1956, said: "It has been demonstrated b