Global Information955 acorn triode information
| 955 acorn triode | |
|---|---|
 Right: R.C.A. 955 U.H.F. Triode tube Left: TO-72 Transistor for comparison | |
| Classification | V.H.F. Triode |
| Service | Class-A amplifier or oscillator |
| Cathode | |
| Cathode type | Indirectly heated |
| Heater voltage | 6.3 V |
| Heater current | 150 mA |
| Anode | |
| Max dissipation Watts | 1 W |
| Max voltage | 250 V |
| Typical class-A amplifier operation | |
| Amplification factor | 20-25 |
| Anode voltage | 180 V |
| Anode current | 4.2 mA |
| Bias voltage | -5 V |
| Anode resistance | 12.5 kΩ |
| References | |
| RCA Datasheets of 954, 955, 956, 957, 958A, 959 Philips Valve Data Book, Australia, 1954 | |
The type 955 triode "acorn tube" is a small triode thermionic valve (vacuum tube in USA) designed primarily to operate at high frequency. Although data books specify an upper limit of 400–600 MHz, some circuits may obtain gain up to about 900 MHz. Interelectrode capacitances and Miller capacitances are minimized by the small dimensions of the device and the widely separated pins. The connecting pins are placed around the periphery of the bulb and project radially outward: this maintains short internal leads with low inductance, an important property allowing operation at high frequency. The pins fit a special socket fabricated as a ceramic ring in which the valve itself occupies the central space. The 955 was developed by RCA and was commercially available in 1935.[1]
The 955 is one of about a dozen types of "acorn valve", so called because their size and shape is similar to the acorn (nut of the oak tree), introduced starting in 1935 and designed to work in the VHF range.[2] The 954 and 956 types are sharp and remote cut-off pentodes, respectively, both also with indirect 6.3 V, 150 mA heaters. Types 957, 958 and 959 are for portable equipment and have 1.25 V NiCd battery heaters. The 957 is a medium-μ signal triode, the 958 is a transmitting triode with dual, paralleled filaments for increased emission, and the 959 is a sharp cut-off pentode like the 954. The 957 and 959 draw 50 mA heater current, the 958 twice as much. In 1942, the 958A with tightened emission specs was introduced after it turned out that 958s with excessively high emission kept working after the filament power was turned off, the filament still sufficiently heating on the anode current alone.[3][2]
- ^ Popular Science, January 1935, New Dwarf Tube Ready for Amateur, p. 58, at Google Books
- ^ a b Ludwell A. Sibley. "The Acorn Tube" (PDF). Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- ^ "957 • 958 • 959 (Acorn Types)" (PDF). R.C.A. Manufacturing Company, Harrison, New Jersey, USA. Retrieved 15 August 2015.