19 | Vacuum Tubes
Vacuum tubes (aka thermionic valves) were the forerunners of semiconductor devices such as diodes and transistors. There are quite a few different types of vacuum tubes but the discussion here is restricted to the commonest two variants, diode tubes, and triode tubes. These two types in particular correspond closely to the functionality of semiconductor diodes and transistors respectively.
The semiconductor alternatives have many advantages over their vacuum tube fore-bears – size, robustness, reliability, power consumption, and linearity of operation come to mind. However, for some applications – and to some ears – the different character which vacuum ...
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