Agenda

• A brief history
• Thermal emission
• The diode
• The triode
• How do triodes amplify?
RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey
23/03/2013 G8CTJ 1
  In 1802, Humphrey Davy invents the electric lamp - 1
 In 1875, American, G.R. Carey invents the phototube.
 In 1878, Englishman Sir William Crookes invents the
Crookes tube - 2…
 In 1895, German, Wilhelm Roengten invents an X-ray tube.
 In 1897, German, Karl Ferdinand Braun invents the cathode
ray tube. - 5
 In 1904, John Ambrose Fleming invents the first practical
valve called the 'Fleming Valve‘ / ‘Kenotron’. - 3
 In 1906, Lee de Forest invents the Audion later called the
triode. - 4
RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey
23/03/2013 G8CTJ 2
 RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey
23/03/2013 G8CTJ 3
  One of the most famous Crookes tubes.
 Demonstrates that electrons go in a straight line
and are stopped by metal, hence you see the
shadow of the cross on the end glass.
 After a while due to fatigue of the glass the glow is
weaker
RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey
23/03/2013 G8CTJ 4
 RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey
23/03/2013 G8CTJ 5
 RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey
23/03/2013 G8CTJ 6
 Important discoveries stemming from the Crookes tube.

 Wilhelm Röntgen discovered X-rays using the Crookes tube in

1895.
 In 1897 J. J. Thomson identified “cathode rays” as negatively
charged particles, later renamed “electrons.”
 Now Edison …

RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey

23/03/2013 G8CTJ 7
  Edison was facing a problem with his light bulbs due
to their short life.
 Although the filament life was a problem, the major
limiting factor was that the bulbs quickly became
blackened.
 Initially this was attributed to atoms of carbon from the
filament hitting the glass.
 Despite this …
RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey
23/03/2013 G8CTJ 8
1880 Edison patent
U.S. Patent #223898 issued to
Thomas Edison on January 27,
1880 for an incandescent lamp
Twenty-two other people also
devised versions of the light bulb,

Edison's outstrip the others

because
• Effective incandescent material,
• Higher vacuum
• High resistance made power
distribution from a centralized
source economically viable.
• Photos ….
RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey
23/03/2013 G8CTJ 9
  Very early Edison lamp

 Not very practical

 But some were attractive..

RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey

23/03/2013 G8CTJ 10
 The early lamps
were attractive but
very inefficient

Edison effect…
RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey
23/03/2013 G8CTJ 11
  Particles leaving the filament were known to be negatively
charged, so experiments were carried out to prevent them from
hitting the glass.
 One method that Edison tried involved placing a second
electrode in the envelope.
 He reasoned that if he placed a positive charge on the second
electrode, particles would be attracted away from hitting the glass
of the bulb.
 Edison experimented with the polarity of the charge on the second
electrode and he noticed that when the second element was made
positive with respect to the filament a current flowed in the
circuit. When the potentials were reversed this did not happen.
 This became known as the Edison effect. Used by Flemming…
RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey
23/03/2013 G8CTJ 12
  J.A. Fleming was a consultant to the Marconi
 Coherers and Magnetic Detectors
 In November 1904 whilst he was walking along Gower
Street in London’s West End he had what he called “a
very happy thought".
 He wondered if the Edison Effect could be used to
rectify the "feeble to and fro motions of electricity
from an aerial wire".
 Fleming set up an experiment and was able to prove
that the idea worked. Patented in 1905…
RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey
23/03/2013 G8CTJ 13
 Flemmings
Patent 1905

The Kenotron…

RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey

23/03/2013 G8CTJ 14
 Patent original

 Others not so
attractive….

RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey

23/03/2013 G8CTJ 15
 Actual hand blown
Valves used in
Flemming’s 1904
Experiments

Then the first

practical diode…

RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey

23/03/2013 G8CTJ 16
 Actual diode valve Used by Marconi in 1904
RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey
23/03/2013 G8CTJ 17
 RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey
23/03/2013 G8CTJ 18
 There are 3 types of electron Emission

 Secondary – High velocity particles – X rays

 Photo – Photons of light – photo cells

 Thermionic / Thermal Emission…

RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey
23/03/2013 G8CTJ 19
  At ambient temperature outer shell electrons
have insufficient velocity to escape
 As temperature increases the molecular
vibration increases
 Rotational velocity increases
 Electrons “Boil” off into surrounding space…

RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey

23/03/2013 G8CTJ 20
 RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey
23/03/2013 G8CTJ 21
 Material Normal Operating Efficiency in
Temperature mA of emission
°K per watt heater
power
Tungsten 2450 to 2600 3 to 15

Thoriated Tungsten 1900 62.5

Oxide coated 1100 to 1170 50 to 125

All materials developed to produce maximum electron flow…

RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey
23/03/2013 G8CTJ 22
Two requirements for electron flow

 Filament heated to
correct temperature to
achieve thermal emission

 Positive anode potential

 Require to plot curves…

RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey
23/03/2013 G8CTJ 23
  A dynamic curve must be
plotted to see how the diode
works. This requires :-

 A Fixed heater voltage

 A Variable Anode voltage

 We get an Ia /Va curve…

RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey

23/03/2013 G8CTJ 24
 From this curve we
calculate the Ra….

RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey

23/03/2013 G8CTJ 25
 RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey
23/03/2013 G8CTJ 26
  The workshop of Alfred Charles Cossor in
Clerkenwell London
 Latter to become a leading British valve
manufacturer.
 Photograph taken in 1896
 Some of his workers (children!) preparing
glass tubes.
RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey
23/03/2013 G8CTJ 27
 RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey
23/03/2013 G8CTJ 28
  Lee DE Forest

 1906 works to improve diode

 1908 patents at three electrode valve the

Audion…

RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey

23/03/2013 G8CTJ 29
 Early Audion
1906
 Latter versions..

RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey

23/03/2013 G8CTJ 30
  The Audion valve
1908
 The Grid…

RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey

23/03/2013 G8CTJ 31
  Fitted between heater and anode…
RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey
23/03/2013 G8CTJ 32
 Electrically it looks like…
RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey
23/03/2013 G8CTJ 33
 Like the diode we
need to plot some
curves….
RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey
23/03/2013 G8CTJ 34
With this circuit we can
plot the Ia/Va and Ia/Vg
curves…
RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey
23/03/2013 G8CTJ 35
 RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey
23/03/2013 G8CTJ 36
 RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey
23/03/2013 G8CTJ 37
  Input voltage

 Output current

RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey

23/03/2013 G8CTJ 38
 Input voltage

 Output current

RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey

23/03/2013 G8CTJ 39
 Input voltage

 Output current

 To output voltage

RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey

23/03/2013 G8CTJ 40
  Directly heated – Battery powered sets

 Indirectly heated – Mains powered sets

 Directly heated specials – large rectifiers and

transmitting valves

RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey

23/03/2013 G8CTJ 41
  The R' valve (1922)

 The first widely used triode

 Note the thin wire filament

suspended inside helical wire
grid, inside tubular anode.
RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey
23/03/2013 G8CTJ 42
  Ediswan AR (1922)

 Cossor P2 (1922)

 Cosmos SP18 (1925)

 The Cossor device used an

unusual 'hat' construction to
avoid infringing patents
which specified tubular
electrodes.

RATS presentation 2013 Mike Maxey

23/03/2013 G8CTJ 43