Retrotechtacular: Donner 3500 portable analog computer

retrotechtacular-donner3500

What if we told you we had a computer you can take with you? What if it only weighed 28 pounds? This is a pretty hard sell when today you can get a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor packing computer to carry in your pocket which weighs less than 5 ounces. But back in the day the Donner 3500 was something to raise an eyebrow at, especially for tinkerers like us. The machine was unveiled in 1959 as … [Read more...]

3D printing vacuum tube sockets

tubes

With the popularity of 3D printers and the current cult of vacuum tubes, it's shocking we haven't seen someone do this before. [Peter] printed his own sockets for a few vacuum tubes he had lying around. After designing them on his computer, [Peter] printed them out on his local hackerspace's 3D printer. After printing out the plastic parts, [Peter] needed to add a few strips of metal for a … [Read more...]

The making of a Vacuum Tube

rodenhuis2[1]

With the death of Heathkit looming  in our minds it's high time for a a heartwarming story. [Ronald Dekker] has done a wonderful job documenting the history of the E1T beam counting tube, detailing everything from the work led up to the invention of the tube to the lives of the inventors themselves. For those who are unaware, the E1T is a rather strange vacuum tube capable counting from 0 to 9. … [Read more...]

Hackaday Links: December 25, 2011

hat

Ah, Christmas. That wonderful time of year when you can roll out of bed to the screams and wails of children, grab a hot cocoa, and spend several hours arguing with an 8-year-old about which LEGO set to build first. Simply magical. While you're waiting for the Doctor Who Christmas special to come on, settle down with these wonderful Christmas-themed builds that came in over the last few … [Read more...]

Junkyard tube-amp gold!

junkyard-tube-amp

Why, oh why, oh why do people toss out awesome retro hardware?? Luckily, [Dino] visited the junk depot himself at just the right time. Even though you're not supposed to take things others have dropped off he poached the retro portable turntable that was just sitting there. He cracked it open and figured out how to turn it into this great tube guitar amp without going to all that much … [Read more...]

Baking pan tube amp sounds better than you’d expect

baking_pan_tube_amp

A few years back, [Gio] decided to try his hand at building a couple of tube amplifiers. The first amp was more of an experiment to see how well a DIY single-ended tube amp would sound. The amp is based off the 6T9 design created by Spare Time Gizmos, and incorporates a pair of 6T9 vacuum tubes, hence the name.  He wired things up in an afternoon, then got busy drilling holes in a baking pan, … [Read more...]

Imploding Vacuum tubes for science

LBNE PHOTOMULTIPLIER TUBE

The researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory are looking for a way to harden photomultiplier tubes. In order to make a more durable tube the researchers decided it would be a good idea to first observe how the tubes are failing. So they got their hands on an old torpedo test bay and smashed some bulbs inside of it. Check in after the break for some high fps bulb … [Read more...]