Vacuum tube
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
A vacuum tube (also called a valve in British English) is an electronic device used in many older model radios, television sets, and amplifiers.
[change] History
Vacuum tubes were used in the first computers like the ENIAC, which demanded lots of maintenance because of the heat produced.
Vacuum tubes produce a lot of heat and often break. For this reason, when the transistor was invented in the 1960s, most manufacturers of radios, television sets, and amplifiers used transistors instead of vacuum tubes.
[change] Current uses
In the 2000s, vacuum tube devices are rarely used in electronics.
There are still a few applications that use vacuum tubes:
- Systems which need high-power output or very high amplification, such as television transmission towers.
- People who enjoy listening to music on high-quality home stereo systems sometimes buy amplifiers which use vacuum tubes to hear their music. (See tube sound).
- Musicians who play electric musical instruments such as electric guitar sometimes use guitar amplifiers with vacuum tubes.
