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@tubetime@mastodon.social

Post #1569224

2026-04-05 14:47 UTC

and here is the Nuvistor, flanked by a "miniature" vacuum tube on the left and a transistor from the same era on the right. RCA's Nuvistor was just a micro-miniaturized vacuum tube they felt could beat the transistor. (it did not.)

Replies (6)

  • @relistan@mstdn.social 2026-04-05 14:55

    @tubetime never heard of this before. So cool.

    Open ##1569225

  • @tubetime my parents threw out my nuvistor and valve collection while I was at university in th 1980s ☹️. Nuvistor kit would have survived EMP effects from atom bomb much better than transistor kit as I understand it, which was something on our minds back then!

    Open ##1569226

  • @drmikepj@mastodon.social 2026-04-05 15:37

    @tubetime I dimly recall someone selling very expensive nuvistor-based hifi amplifiers in the 90s, back when there was still cachet in valve amplifiers

    Open ##1569227

  • @bitsavers@oldbytes.space 2026-04-05 16:14

    @tubetime Check hamfests if people want to find some. They were used in early 60's Motorola PT-100 Handie-Talkies https://www.ebay.com/itm/389641463449

    Open ##1569232

  • @mxchara@seattle.pink 2026-04-05 19:51

    @tubetime aw, so cute!

    Open ##1569233

  • @aetus@birdbutt.com 2026-04-07 13:29

    @tubetime I'd never heard of these until a recent YT video by 8-bit Guy. I don't even remember seeing them in the electronics I poked around in when I was a kid. I guess they were pretty spendy to make as they hadn't had a chance to scale production much, so they didn't make it into a lot of stuff. But, wow, what a cool lil dude. If semiconductors weren't a thing, we could've eventually had Pip Boys instead of smart phones (probably wouldn't have been very "smart" though).

    Open ##1569234