RCA Radiotron Vacuum Tube, Model WD-11, 1923-1924

01

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

1922-1924

Creator Notes

Made by Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for Radio Corporation of America of New York, New York.

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

46.76.7

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Glass (Material)
Metal
Plastic

Color

Silver (Color)
Dark brown

Dimensions

Length: 3.5 in
Diameter: 1.25 in

Inscriptions

on top of bulb: RCA on side of base: RCA / RADIOTRON / - WD-11 - on bottom of base: LICENSED ONLY TO EXTENT / INDICATED ON CARTON.
RCA Radiotron Vacuum Tube, Model WD-11, 1923-1924