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| Where does all the weird Chinese component terminology come from? |
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| niconiconi:
--- Quote from: HwAoRrDk on July 22, 2022, 01:45:09 am ---While on the subject of transistor naming, I just remembered another one I've come across in a couple of datasheets for Chinese chips: "audion". [...] Someone probably started with that, chopped off "crystal" to avoid confusion with, well, crystals, then looked up "triode" and found some article about the history of the aforementioned first manifestation of the triode. Weird! --- End quote --- The modifier "crystal" or "semiconductor" is usually omitted. Nowadays, "triode" refers to the semiconductor version by default, just like the use of "diode". The original word was almost certainly just "triode", it's just a case of bad machine translation with a dubious dictionary. :-DD |
| niconiconi:
Also, I just stamped upon this Bell Labs document online, on the original considerations of naming this device. Quite interesting, I didn't know there was already a vacuum tube device called the "transitrons", or the suggestion that "diode", "triode", "tetrode" to be used as additional modifiers to describe a transistor (even after transistor became the standard name of this device). Terminology for Semiconductor Triodes - Committee Recommendation - Case 38139-8. May 28, 1948. https://web.archive.org/web/20080528164454if_/http://users.arczip.com/rmcgarra2/namememo.gif --- Quote ---[...] On the subject of a generic name to be applied to this class of devices, the committee is unable to make an unanimous recommendation. A discussion of some proposed names is given here. - Semiconductor triode. This is considered to be a fairly good name, being satisfactorily descriptive, but a shorter name would be preferable. The "triode" describes the three element device; if more elements we added it might be a tetrode or pentode, for instance. A single point contact rectifier might be referred to as a semiconductor diode in line with this terminology. - Surface States triode. This is in the same class as the first name suggested above; it is descriptive, but is not brief. - Crystal triode. The objection to this is that the term "crystal" is usually associated with the piezoelectric types, such as quartz. - Solid triode. This has the advantage of brevity, and is descriptive in the sense that the device may be explained by the physics of the solid state, and also that the active element is a solid rather than vacuum or gas filled. However, the word "solid" also commonly means sturdy, massive, rugged, or strong, which terms are contradictory to the actual physical characteristics of the unit. - Iotatron. This term satisfactorily conveys the sense of a minute device, as contrasted to the previous name. However, in view of the many vacuum or gas filled devices such as thyratrons, dynatrons, transitrons, etc., it lacks the distinguishing property which would differentiate it from such devices. - Transistor. This is an abbreviated combination of the words "transconductance" or "transfer", and "varistor". The device logically belongs in the varistor family, and has the transconductance or transfer impedance of a device having gain, so that this combination is descriptive. If a general term ("transistor", for example) were adopted for the entire class of semiconductive devices there would be considerable merit in having additional descriptive terms for particular sub-classes. To illustrate, there might someday be a "120B transistor", which was a "germanium triode", and a "196A transistor" which was a "silicon diode", etc. A "germanium tetrode" has already been explored with some promise, and many other variations are likely to appear as time goes on. In view of these considerations, it is the recommendation of the committee that the particular device with which we have worked so far; that is, a germanium block with two point contacts, be referred to as a germanium triode. For the purposes of this memorandum, the device will be referred to in more general terms as a semiconductor triode. Accompanying this memorandum is a ballot. It is suggested that each person to whom the memorandum is routed, fill out the ballot and return it, in order that the resultant vote may be used by the committee as the basis of a recommendation for a generic name, BALLOT Designate by the numbers 1, 2 and 3, the order of your preference for the names listed below: [ ] Semiconductor Triode [ ] Surface States Triode [ ] Crystal Triode [ ] Solid Triode [ ] Iotatron [ ] Transistor [ ] ___________________ (Other suggestion) [...] --- End quote --- |
| Cyberdragon:
The very first announcement of the discovery, before they named the invention officially, used the term "crystal amplifier". These were discovered much earlier, but never made practical untill Bell figured out how to make it commercially viable. http://www.earlyradiohistory.us/1922amp.htm https://makezine.com/2009/04/02/the-lost-transistor/ |
| niconiconi:
--- Quote from: Cyberdragon on July 23, 2022, 01:24:07 am ---The very first announcement of the discovery, before they named the invention officially, used the term "crystal amplifier". These were discovered much earlier, but never made prectical untill Bell figured out how to make it commercially viable. http://www.earlyradiohistory.us/1922amp.htm https://makezine.com/2009/04/02/the-lost-transistor/ --- End quote --- Russian researcher Oleg Losev also did crystal amplification in 1923 but his work was not well recognized in his lifetime. Though, Sci-Fi publisher Hugo Gernsback promoted it in his magazines, so many American amateur radio operators knew this device. These amplifiers used an operating principle different from a transistor, they're essentially negative resistance diodes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oleg_Losev#Solid-state_electronics |
| Cyberdragon:
--- Quote from: niconiconi on July 23, 2022, 02:46:19 am --- --- Quote from: Cyberdragon on July 23, 2022, 01:24:07 am ---The very first announcement of the discovery, before they named the invention officially, used the term "crystal amplifier". These were discovered much earlier, but never made prectical untill Bell figured out how to make it commercially viable. http://www.earlyradiohistory.us/1922amp.htm https://makezine.com/2009/04/02/the-lost-transistor/ --- End quote --- Russian researcher Oleg Losev also did crystal amplification in 1923 but his work was not well recognized in his lifetime. Though, Sci-Fi publisher Hugo Gernsback promoted it in his magazines, so many American amateur radio operators knew this device. These amplifiers used an operating principle different from a transistor, they're essentially negative resistance diodes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oleg_Losev#Solid-state_electronics --- End quote --- The 20s devices were more like tunnel diodes, yes, even standard galena crystals can do it. But the 1933 device did have 3 electrodes. Though I can't seem to find any info on how the device was wired to confirm or deny whether it was technically a real transistor (the make article is just basically "look at this cool thing"). |
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