Some Historical Op-amps - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: Jay_Diddy_B
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 22, 2016, 03:40:21 am
content: Hi,You don't have to read much about the history of analog circuits before you come to George A. Philbrick Researches Inc. Philbrick employed some of the industry's greats like Bob Pease, Robert Dobkin and Jim Williams amongst other.I have collected a few of the historical parts, that I would like to share with the group.1965 SP2AFrom around 1965 I have a Philbrick SP2A. This was built in a nickel-plated steel box. The box is fitted with a 15 pin edge connector. I have the matching socket. I believe the one that I have has never been used.This op-amp made with silicon transistor was designed by George Philbrick, based on the Bob Malter P2 Design. The SP2A was fitted into a package designed by Walter Kern. With Bob Pease doing the layout.These were not cheap. The price was $227.00 in 1965, that is about $1725.00 in today's money.Analog computing was big business. This was equivalent to high end microprocessor.More information can be found here:http://www.philbrickarchive.org/news%20from%20philbrick;%20new%20philbrick%20plant%20in%20dedham,%20massachusetts.pdf1968 Philbrick 1011I have a few Philbrick Nexus 1011 Amplifier. These samples range from 1971 to 1977. Unfortunately, none of them work. You can see the socket. The pin pitch is 0.2 inches.Here is a link to the 1011 datasheet:http://www.philbrickarchive.org/1011.htmThis was $42.00 Qty 1 in 1972.The specifications can be found here, on page 12:http://www.philbrickarchive.org/1972%20product%20guide.pdfRegards,Jay_Diddy_B

author: BurnedResistor
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 22, 2016, 06:21:30 am
content: Woah! That is pretty coolSent from my SM-N7500Q using Tapatalk

author: daqq
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 22, 2016, 07:34:38 am
content: Thanks! It's amazing to see the difference. But... where is the steam intake port?

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 22, 2016, 09:01:57 am
content: http://w140.com/tekwiki/wiki/O

author: GK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 22, 2016, 11:28:42 am
content: A clean out of ancient and obsolete crap at work netted me these. Data for the P2 can be found on the Philbrick site. Haven't been able to find data for the AD759.

author: newbrain
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 22, 2016, 11:45:18 am
content: Quote from: GK on February 22, 2016, 11:28:42 amLog/antilog amplifiers:http://datasheet.octopart.com/759P-Intronics-datasheet-13593.pdf,http://www.analog.com/library/analogdialogue/cd/vol12n1.pdf, page 20andhttp://www.analog.com/media/en/training-seminars/design-handbooks/ADI_Multiplier_Applications_Guide.pdf, page 50.I have the vague memory of an ad for the BB S/H in a magazine when I was a child...is that ~1975 era?

author: ram
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 22, 2016, 05:09:58 pm
content: We will see Teledyne name on one of the parts I.e Teledyne lecroy is relatedSent from my Tab2A7-10F using Tapatalk

author: woodchips
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 22, 2016, 07:02:44 pm
content: Some more.No idea if they work, another job for a rainy day.

author: Len
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 22, 2016, 07:45:10 pm
content: Quote from: ram on February 22, 2016, 05:09:58 pmTeledyne bought Philbrick in the late '60s and LeCroy in 2012.

author: rob77
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 22, 2016, 07:59:16 pm
content: Quote from: daqq on February 22, 2016, 07:34:38 ami think it was left aside next to the wooden enclosure and the steam power supplybut joking apart... those "ancient" opamps are coolbtw.. are those just discrete opamps on potted PCBs or are those hybrids on some substrate ? i assume hybrids.

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 22, 2016, 08:04:56 pm
content: I remember an historical article in EDN maybe 15 years ago discussing the original vacuum-tube opamp made by Julie during World War II, and its commercialization by Philbrick thereafter. The article referred to the 6SL7 (octal) dual triode in Julie's design and the 12AX7 (9-pin miniature) in Philbrick's design as "high micron" triodes, an ignorant error for "high mu" (voltage amplification factor).The late R Pease wrote about his days at Philbrick, including the amazing SP102 varactor-input amplifier with an input common-mode voltage of 200 V and typical 1 pA bias current.Seehttp://philbrickarchive.org/for an interesting collection of articles.

author: PioB
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 22, 2016, 08:10:17 pm
content: Beautiful! I don't have anything that old, just a couple of ML709, a National Semiconductor LM741 and a gratuitous NE555...

author: dom0
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 22, 2016, 08:31:40 pm
content: Quote from: TimFox on February 22, 2016, 08:04:56 pmInteresting, Analog Dialogue Volume 1 No 2 (June 1967) has something about that technology. At first glance it looks a solid-state implementation of a chopper / carrier amplifier.

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 23, 2016, 01:47:29 am
content: Some pics of my vintage opamps. Do yours come with a CRT? No? Didn't think so.

author: crispy_tofu
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 23, 2016, 06:07:21 am
content: Very cool.

author: Richard Crowley
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 23, 2016, 07:55:24 am
content: And that old 1011 form-factor is still quite popular in the audio world.A company named Automated Processes Inc. Started making their large-scale audio mixing consoles, etc. with an audio-optimized version of that op-amp called the 2520. They are still popular here after many decades and you can find several variations on the product including DIY kits to build your own, etc.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 23, 2016, 12:45:34 pm
content: Another one for the collection...A Philbrick Nexus 4352 Average/RMS/Root X^2+Y^2 Vector Operator, date code 1970 wk49. Complete with socket.http://www.philbrickarchive.org/4352_vector_magnitude.htm

author: John Heath
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 24, 2016, 11:54:57 am
content: At an earlier time they tried to make an analog computer out of tube op amps.

author: wiss
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 24, 2016, 01:11:10 pm
content: Decoration on my work-desk:

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 24, 2016, 02:51:31 pm
content: Quote from: John Heath on February 24, 2016, 11:54:57 amActually, many analog computers were built from tube op amps, back in the day.I remember an historical photograph (ca. 1950) in a Boeing house magazine, showing an engineer (properly dressed in white shirt and tie), with a six-foot rack to his left and a blackboard to his right. On the board were the equations he was working on, with the terms and variables indexed to the knobs on the computer. The caption was written by a younger person, and stated that the computer ran so hot that 400 vacuum tubes were required to remove the heat.

author: Jay_Diddy_B
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 24, 2016, 03:25:08 pm
content: Hi group,Here is a photograph that I found athttp://space.stackexchange.com/questions/7846/what-sort-of-analysis-was-performed-before-modern-computing-and-the-inventionThe properties of the photograph indicate "computerhistory.org" which is a computer museum in Mountainview, CA.This is a numerical, parallel processing unit. Each has its own input/output port, the wooden tray.You can see where the terms, stack, overflow come from.It is amazing that this type of activity could be automated, first with op-amps and then digital circuits.Regards,Jay_Diddy_B

author: Richard Crowley
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 24, 2016, 06:33:22 pm
content: QuoteAll that's missing is the green eye-shades.

author: GK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 29, 2016, 11:35:18 am
content: Quote from: newbrain on February 22, 2016, 11:45:18 amGiven that the datasheets for those are readily available, I think I must be mixing them up with some other "black brick" op-amp/function generator IC(s) that I either do still have or did have. Just had a quick rummage but all I could additionally find was a 4356. Most of these parts are as old as or older than I.Additionally, and related, this is also a worthwhile download (a bit under 30Mb):Nonlinear Circuits Handbook(Analog Devices):http://www.kelm.ftn.uns.ac.rs/literatura/mpi/pdf/Nonlinear%20Circuit%20Handbook.pdf