DeForest Radio Vacuum Tube, 1920

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Artifact Overview

Vacuum tubes appear in older radios, televisions, amplifiers, computers, and other electronic devices. Their function: to amplify and strengthen weak electronic signals. Typical tubes are sealed glass bulbs evacuated of gas, allowing electron flow to be influenced by an interior cathode, plate and grid. Perfected in 1906 by Lee De Forest, the vacuum tube was the genesis of a communications revolution.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Vacuum tube

Date Made

1920

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

36.532.1

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Metal
Brass (Alloy)
Glass (Material)

Dimensions

Length: 6 in
Diameter: 2.375 in

Inscriptions

base: DEFOREST AUDION / US PATENT 84 387-879532 / SOLD ONLY FOR AMATEUR AND EXPERIMENTAL USE.
DeForest Radio Vacuum Tube, 1920