7AK7
Pentode vacuum tube
3+5⁄32 in (80 mm)![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/EIA-8VLO.svg/220px-EIA-8VLO.svg.png)
Pin 1 – Heater
Pin 2 – Anode (Plate)
Pin 3 – Grid 2 (Screen)
Pin 4 – Grid 3 (Suppressor)
Pin 5 – n.c.
Pin 6 – Grid 1 (Control)
Pin 7 – Cathode
The 7AK7 is a pentode vacuum tube (thermionic valve). According to its manufacturer, Sylvania, it was "designed for service in electronic computers".[1]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/7AK7_vacuum_tubes.jpg/220px-7AK7_vacuum_tubes.jpg)
The tube was developed in 1948,[2] designed at the request of L. D. Wilson for use in the Whirlwind computer.[3] Significant attention was directed towards its manufacturing process in order to ensure the part's reliability.[4] Dubbed the "computer tube",[5] it became a popular tube for computers for a while.[2] IBM, however, switched to more compact miniature tubes, starting with the IBM 604 in 1948.
See also
- 5965, a triode developed for early digital computers
- 25L6, a tetrode found in early computers
References
- ^ Sylvania. Engineering Data Service. 7AK7. July 1953.
- ^ a b Green, Tom (2010). Bright Boys: The Making of Information Technology. CRC Press. p. 141. ISBN 978-1568814766.
- ^ Wilson, L. D. (1954). "Tube Reliability in the Univac". Proceedings of the National Electronics Conference. Vol. 10. National Engineering Conference, Incorporated. pp. 699–703.
- ^ David R. Brown, T. F. Clough, and P. Youtz. Investigation of 7AK7 Processing, Emporium, Pa., March 2, 1948. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1721.3/38986
- ^ Haigh, Thomas; Priestley, Mark; Ropefir, Crispin (2016). ENIAC in Action: Making and Remaking the Modern Computer. MIT Press. p. 211. ISBN 9780262334419.
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