A torchaholic's dream - visit a bulb factory!

[EMPOWERTORCH]

A torchaholic\'s dream - visit a bulb factory!

I'm back again after a bit of a long absence due to moving house! And shortly EMPOWERTORCH will be experimenting again with some new torch designs!But hey, that's not what I've comeback to announce!Recently, the company I work for was taken over by GE, best known for is vast enterprises and for its founder (and the founder of our noble art) Thomas A Edison.The company is inviting its employees to a special meeting organised in one of GE's bulb factories in Thurmaston, Leicester, England. The bulb factory, formerly owned by Thorn Lighting and before that, Mazda Lightbulb and Thermionic Valve Co., is steeped in lighting history.Sadly, many of its operations have been exported to one of GE's bulb factories in Hungary, so the plant isn't as busy as it was!Whether or not we get to see the inner workings of what remains of this bulb factory remains to be seen, but it sure will make some of you very envious, I'm sure. And, all on Company time, too! So, if I see anything interesting, or pick up some interesting leaflets I'll get them scanned and shown on this post!

 

[TORCH_BOY]

Re: A torchaholic\'s dream - visit a bulb factory!

I use valves in my guitar amp, 6Ca7s for
the output and 12Ax7a's for the pre-amp
and phase spliter. I have always wanted to
see how they were made in real life.

 

[Charles Bradshaw]

Re: A torchaholic\'s dream - visit a bulb factory!

I think he is talking about Vacuum Tubes aka valves to Brits.

 

[EMPOWERTORCH]

Re: A torchaholic\'s dream - visit a bulb factory!

Valves are making a comeback ... in fact they never really went away... chances are you're reading this message on a CRT monitor - the CRT is really a type of valve!
I have a couple of old but interesting books by Odhams Press, which go into great poetic detail about how valves are made. The illustrations are very informative and the text is indicative of the day, reading in the same language and idiom as the early BBC public information films or Pathe nwesreel commentaries. They are a delight to read though!
The reason that thermionic valves were made in bulb factories is down to the contruction methods used in each case. Both bulbs and valves have a filament, and an evacuated glass envelope.
Actually, I would say that there are a large proportion of the population who are of an age as to have never seen a valve (other than the CRT).
And why are they called valves anyway?
The reason is that valves control the flow of electrons like a water valve controls water. The valve was the predecessor to the transistor. The CRT, in effect a large valve, generates a picture by varying the voltage on the grid; an aperture in the CRT gun which regulates the number of electrons passing through and therefore the brightness on the screen.
The very first valves were very bulb-like, having a bright tungsten filament emitting a lot of excess light. They were in fact modified bulbs.
So, without the invention of Edison's bulb, there wouldn't have ever been anything "electronic"!

 

[PhotonWrangler]

Re: A torchaholic\'s dream - visit a bulb factory!

[ QUOTE ]
Charles Bradshaw said:
I think he is talking about Vacuum Tubes aka valves to Brits.

[/ QUOTE ]

AKA Fire Bottles. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[PhotonWrangler]

Re: A torchaholic\'s dream - visit a bulb factory!

[ QUOTE ]
EMPOWERTORCH said:
The very first valves were very bulb-like, having a bright tungsten filament emitting a lot of excess light. They were in fact modified bulbs.
So, without the invention of Edison's bulb, there wouldn't have ever been anything "electronic"!

[/ QUOTE ]

Well said. I've seen I.T. people who sneer or laugh at the mention of tubes (valves,) but without that humble invention the whole I.T. industry wouldn't exist. Not yet, anyway. Not to mention such life-saving inventions as X-Ray machines, CAT Scanners, EKG machines, pacemakers... I could go on and on.

 

[Doug S]

Re: A torchaholic\'s dream - visit a bulb factory!

All of my early electronics hobbiest construction projects involved vacuum tubes [Brits: valves]. I wasn't inclined to figure out how transistors worked until it was clear that they weren't just some passing fad. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[LED-FX]

Re: A torchaholic\'s dream - visit a bulb factory!

[ QUOTE ]
without the invention of Edison's bulb,

[/ QUOTE ]

Except Edison did not invent the electric lamp.
Joseph Swann, Gateshead, evacuated filament lamp, 10 years before Edison.

Adam