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August 1960 Electronics World
Table of Contents
Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics. See articles
from
Electronics World, published May 1959
- December 1971. All copyrights hereby acknowledged.
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For many years,
Electronics World magazine ran a "Recent Developments in Electronics" feature
that highlighted guess what? Yep, recent development in electronics. This July
1965 issue reported on, amongst other things, the largest (at the time - 60 feet)
three-axis radio frequency antenna, manufactured by Philco, for use in satellite
tracking. Not even a full two years had passed since the launch of America's
first transponder-equipped satellite,
SCORE. Also shown was a "Frigistor" for electronic cooling, exploiting the thermoelectric
effect. The only patent I could find is registered in Great Britain (GB1033018A).
The trademark (expired) says, "Thermoelectric Cooling Assemblies Consisting of
One or More Couples of P and N Type." Another key item was a huge (for the time
- a whopping 60 feet) RF anechoic chamber by ITT Federal Division for use in
testing satellites in an "outer space" environemnt.
Recent Developments in Electronics
 Largest Three-Axis Antenna
This precision antenna, built for the U. S. Air Force by Philco, is to be used
for reception of telemetered information and other data from satellites and missiles
in any phase of their flight. The antenna is the largest three-axis structure and
boasts exceptional rigidity and high performance. The aluminum reflector is 60 feet
in diameter and weighs about 15 tons. The unit responds to tracking commands to
an accuracy of plus-or-minus two milliradians (about 0.11 degree). More than 30,000
aluminum alloy blind rivets are used in the assembly.
"Frigistors" for Electronic Cooling
An eight-thermocouple "Frigistor" module is compared in size with a typical power
transistor. The "Frigistor," which uses a new highly efficient semiconductor material
being marketed by General Thermoelectric Corp., Princeton, N. J., can produce effective
cooling without moving parts when current is passed through the material.
R.F. Anechoic Room for Antenna Tests
Electronics engineers in this bizarre room simulate outer space in order to test
the capabilities of an air navigation antenna. A specially constructed anechoic
room at ITT Federal Division reduces radio reflections to a minimum so that only
signals beamed at the receiving antenna affect the highly accurate measurements
being taken. Porous plastic material covering the walls, ceiling, and floor, combined
with sharply angled interior baffles make unwanted signal reflections and other
interference negligible. The baffles, running the length of the 60-foot room, are
designed so that random reflected radio waves take at least three bounces before
reaching the detecting antenna.
Posted December 28, 2022
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