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TRANSISTOR MUSEUM™ Historic Transistor Photo Gallery |
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HISTORIC NOTES The 1N34 germanium crystal diode had been originally introduced by Sylvania in 1946, and soon became a large commercial success. Into the 1950s and 1960s, many electronics manufacturers began to offer their own versions of this device. KEMTRON was one of those companies to “second-source” the 1N34. Shown above at top left are examples of the KEMTRON 1N34; note the white ceramic case, which is similar in style to the original case style used by Sylvania in the 1940s. The paper packaging for the device is also shown, and lists the address for KEMTRON as Salem, Massachusetts. Little is known about KEMTRON, which did not advertise extensively in electronic publications and apparently did not offer much in the way of product documentation. It is possible that KEMTRON was formed by ex-Sylvania employees, who were familiar with diode technology. (Note that an early Sylvania semiconductor facility was located close by in Woburn, Massachusetts). KEMTRON manufactured a variety of germanium and silicon diodes into the 1960s – the manufacturing facility was sold to the city of Newburyport in 1980 and demolished in 1981. KEMTRON diodes are truly unique and represent a classic technology, manufactured by a little known and historic company. |
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Copyright © 2008 by Jack Ward. All Rights Reserved. |
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