What's New
June 1962 Radio-Electronics

June 1962 Radio-Electronics [Table of Contents] Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics. See articles from Radio-Electronics, published 1930-1988. All copyrights hereby acknowledged.

When I first saw the picture accompanying the "Laser Packs a Wallop" news item, I though it was showing ladies' black unmentionables being blown out of a suitcase at an airport luggage check point. That bit, along with a few other "What's New" items appeared in the June 1962 issue of Radio-Electronics magazine. How would you like to have been an astronaut in a rocket with a remote destruct device which was triggered by a specific combination of audible notes sent by a controller? Vibrating reed controllers were commonplace for remote control back in the day. Radio controlled airplanes were commanded by tuned reeds in the airborne receiver that acted as decoders to relay control surface (rudder, aileron, elevator, throttle, etc.) servo movement information. A 2.3 GHz, 25 W amplifier weighing a mere 16 ounces was considered remarkable (thus remarked the magazine editor). Soldering tweezers were new on the scene, coinciding with the newfangled miniature solid state device which required judicious application of heat when soldering. We've come a long way, baby.

What's New

Laser Packs a Wallop. The intense beam of light was powerful enough to burst a balloon 10 feet away. Fragments of the balloon are just starting to drop to the floor. In another test the laser beam was used to punch a hole through a sheet of stainless steel. The laser fired a 1/2000-second burst of light. Both demonstrations were conducted at the IRE show.

Runaway Missiles and Satellites are destroyed when these musical rods are triggered with the right combination of tones. If the correct five tones are not received, nothing happens - this keeps stray signals from triggering the destruct mechanism and killing an astronaut or destroying a valuable missile. The tuning rods are made by Raytheon and are part of a command receiver supplied by Thompson Ramo Wooldridge to missile manufacturers.

Space Communications Systems will make good use of this Amplitron. It delivers 25 watts at 2300 mc and is well suited for telemetering packages, voice and facsimile transmission from space, or in equipment where light weight and small size are important. This new Raytheon tube weighs only 16 ounces.

Soldering Tweezers should be an excellent tool for semiconductor circuits. Separate 6-watt element in each arm applies heat to the transistor, diode, or other semiconductor lead directly. Solders fast with a minimum of heat. The Oryx-made tool is imported from England.