In May 1969, SGS, the forerunner of STMicroelectronics, which in those days had a Scottish connection with a facility at Falkirk, held a lunch at the Carlton Tower Hotel to which not only was Miss Scotland invited, but also the Minister of State at the Scottish Office, Dr Dickson Mabon
Continue reading "Miss Scotland, The Minister, And High-Level Logic" »
Christian names are so much the norm for office life these days we find it hard to believe that those ‘Take a letter, Miss Smith’ or ‘Right away, Sir’ exchanges ever took place. But they did, and not so long ago.
“Custom masked ROMs are heading for trouble”, Intersil’s marketing manager, Colin Kidd, was quoted as saying in February 1972, “by next year, the market will have grown to the point where some five semiconductor manufacturers will each need to ship around 100 different ROM patterns a week – and that’s without reckoning programme changes, errors and so on. The costs and delays are going to be horrifying. Everything therefore points to the electrical programming of units – in the field if necessary.”
Surprise, surprise, Intersil was introducing a 1K PROM.
TOMMORROW MORNING: THE TEN BEST LOGIC CHIPS
In February 1972, describing the construction of an MOS IC for use in an electronic calculator at the company’s fab in Glenrothes, Dr Stephen Forte, joint managing director of General Instruments Microelectronics, said that two miles of paper tape were consumed during the design of the chip.
‘A new system to be installed in the near future will use tape cassettes for the input and storage of design data’, says an Electronics Weekly report.
‘This will allow, for example, data for each layer of a complex IC to be held on one cassette’, says the report.
TOMORROW MORNING: The Ten Best Analogue Chips
Charlie Sporck left Fairchild Semiconductor in 1967 to take over as CEO of National Semiconductor and become an industry legend. His impact on the company was pretty immediate as this press report, dated May 1969, observes:
Sixpence (2.5p) per bit is the cost of memory according to Core Memories quoted in the November 26th 1969 edition of Electronics Weekly under the headline: ‘Low-Cost Memory Systems Thrust.’
The first time a US president made a speech to Congress on Science and Technology was 36 years ago, in March 1972, when President Richard Nixon pointed out that government has a crucial role to play in the fostering of a nation’s innovative capabilities.
Continue reading "Nixon Calls For Government-Industry Tech Push" »
In 1957, the Royal Air Force started the development of a computerised personnel and pay system. In keeping with the general performance of computers in those days, which added to the gaiety of the nation with their cock-ups, the RAF's computer system came up with some spectacular boobs.
In the issue of Electronics Weekly for February 26th 1969 is a story which starts: "This week is the tenth anniversary of the UK's software industry, and Vaughan Programming Services of Ware, Herts, who started it all, are thriving under the direction of Mrs A St Johnston."
Continue reading "Tenth Anniversary of UK Software Industry" »
The Electronics Weekly edition of January 26th 1972 reads: ‘Philips Research Laboratories, Eindhoven are investigating the possible use of magnetic bubbles as information carriers’.
“By 1976, except for big data processing machines, no one will be designing in TTL.”
‘A ‘mystery effect’ in silicon has been harnessed by RCA to produce the most powerful pulses of radio energy in the UHF range yet achieved by a solid state device’, reported Electronics Weekly in its Nov 26 1969 edition.
Continue reading "Mystery Silicon Effect Discovered By RCA." »
‘The electronics industry will enter 1973 faced with severe shortages of many kinds of semiconductor devices, and with only limited prospects of an easier situation during the coming 12 months’, starts a story in Electronics Weekly’s edition of December 27th 1972.
There have been many fab closures in the UK over the years, NEC, Siemens, Atmel, DEC, to name but a few, but which was the very first fab closure?
‘With Britain’s proposed entry into the EC just over a month away, Plessey has strengthened its European regional organisation in readiness for an expansion of trade’, reported Electronics Weekly in its November 29 1972 edition.
Following the 1968 takeover of English Electric by Lord Arnold Weinstock’s GEC, the Marconi-Elliott Microelectronics Witham operation has been split into four mini-empires with each empire headed up by a product manager responsible for his own diffusion, R&D, production, sales, promotion, and profitability.
Electronics Weekly’s issue of November 29th 1972 reports the presentation of the MacRobert Award, described as the ‘Nobel Prize of Engineering’ to Godfrey Hounsfield of EMI for inventing the X-ray scanner.
Electronics Weekly’s issue of Feb 23 1972 has a story starting: ‘Britain seems to be at last waking up to the fact that its cable television operators, who now turn over a lively £15 million a year by piping TV programmes to nearly two million homes, hold the keys to what could be a vast national information grid, capable of supplying a whole host of specialised services from facsimile newspapers to community television’.
Under the headline: 'Cathode Ray Tube's Rivals Demonstrated', a front page story in Electronics Weekly’s edition of October 25th 1972 starts off: ‘The first commercial versions of Control Data Corp’s plasma display, the flat display panel which promises to rival the cathode ray tube in many alpha-numeric and graphic display applications, were demonstrated in London last week.’
Continue reading "Commercial Flat Panel Displays Launched (1972)." »
‘With the announcement of Texas Instruments’ first family of medium-scale integrated circuits, the giant has stirred at last’, starts a story in the October 29th 1969 edition of Electronics Weekly.
“After reaching their lowest low ever during the recession, the semiconductor manufacturers producing TTL devices have now had the pendulum swinging the other way,” wrote Electronics Weekly in its Sept 27th 1972 edition.
A story datelined New York in the September 27th issue of Electronics Weekly, reads: “Texas Instruments has resigned from the US Electronics Industries Association in a dispute over the Association’s inability to take a strong free trade stand.”
'Boeing Didn’t Invent The Aeroplane'
Is the title of an ad running in Electronics Weekly’s edition of September 24 1969.
Continue reading "Development Buys Success, says Transitron" »
“Fairchild Semiconductors are taking significant steps to build up their marketing operations in Britain following their June announcement of their entry into the UK”, is how the lead story opens on Electronics Weekly’s front page of September 3rd 1969.
Two years since the first integrated circuits became available from Mullard’s Southampton facility, the groundwork for a ‘Ford type’ mass production unit has been built round that pilot installation. So starts a story in Electronics Weekly’s issue of September 24th 1969.
“As expected, the Post Office has been quick to react to acoustic coupling for use in data transmission and has drawn up ‘detailed standards to guide designers of this kind of apparatus’,” reads a story in Electronics Weekly’s issue of September 3rd 1969.
Continue reading "'Useful Future' For Acoustic Coupling, says Post Office" »
Colour TVs stole most of the limelight at last week’s radio and TV shows with manufacturers making an all out attempt to get sales moving against the tide of credit restrictions and somewhat alarming customer disinterest. That’s how a story starts in Electronics Weekly’s edition of September 3rd 1969.
In the first five months of this year, the Glenrothes plant of Marconi-Elliott Microelectronics has produced the same number of DTL ICs as they produced in the whole of 1968, and it is expected that this operation will become profitable this year.
“We shall never be able to practise medicine in the future, without exploiting some kinds of magnetic storage device,” said Dr Paul Hall, of the Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm, in a story in Electronics Weekly’s edition of May 28 1969.
Continue reading "Swedish Health Service Saved By Computers" »
‘To ease their customers through the pangs of decimalisation, ICL are offering them file conversion programmes’, begins a story in Electronics Weekly’s issue of May 28th 1969.
Satellites casting all communications barriers aside, and making television and radio available to the world’s most inaccessible settlements are about to become a reality, according to Mr Fred Adler of the Hughes Aircraft Company, who presented the main lecture at the 6th International Television Exhibition and Symposium in Montreux last week.
Hungary is to start production of colour television sets. Plans are underway at the United Incandescent Lamp Factory in Budapest to set manufacture in motion, following the experimental start of colour transmission last March using the Secam system.
So starts a story in Electronics Weekly's issue of May 28 1969.
Continue reading "NASA Facing Problem Of Moonshot Follow-Up" »
'By the 1990s the cost of computing would probably be halved, Lord Hirshfield said during a House of Lords debate.'
This is how a story opened in Electronics Weekly's issue of June 18th 1969 showing that Their Lordships talked as much balls in the 1960s as they do today.
'Transitron have reduced by between 25 and 30 per cent the prices of their ceramic packaged Series IV TTL integrated circuits. The ICs are compatible with 74 series devices'.
So starts a story in the June 25 1969 edition of Electronics Weekly. The story continues:
Continue reading "Skipworth Sells Ceramic Packages At Plastic Prices" »
Note the apostrophe: in 'Mobile This was the headline to a story in the June 25th 1969 edition of Electronics Weekly. It must have been one of the earliest uses of the term 'mobile phone' the apostrophe denoting the abbreviation from 'radiotelephone'. The story starts:
Solid-state techniques are making inroads into one of the few remaining areas where, until now, valves have remained unchallenged - high voltage technology.
This was a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of June 25th 1969.
Who are Pye? You might ask. Where are they now?
* For the answers - see below*.
The EW story starts:
Continue reading "Pye Bid For World Leadership In Mobile Communications" »
Microcircuit production at SGS'
So starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of September 24 1969.
All
Continue reading "Martlesham's Computer 3X More Powerful Than Atlas" »
'Plastic v Ceramic'
'Boys, you can stop fighting'.
'Transitron have removed the price decision on Series 74TTL.'
Continue reading "Transitron Removes Plastic/Ceramic Price Differential" »
'Recent observers to the seething melting pot that is the European computer scene, are a delegation of 14 Japanese computer technologists'.
So starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of July 2nd 1969.
Hard on the heels of revelations that SSDs don't save much power compared to HDDs, a Fujitsu executive has come out with the view that SSDs are not yet useful for replacing HDDs in laptops or servers.
'The £25m bid by Leasco Data Processing for Pergamon Press makes considerable sense for a number of reasons', starts off an Electronics Weekly report in its issue of June 25th 1969.
Continue reading "Mr Maxwell, Mr Barron, Wed Computing To Publishing" »
"Minicomputers - the latest section of the electronics industry to succumb to the 'bandwagon effect' - are to be put under the microscope by the Ministry of Technology, writes Steve Liebmann."
So starts the front page lead story in Electronic Weekly's issue of January 28th 1970.
Continue reading "Minicomputers To be Investigated By UK Government" »
Pointing out that the Post Office would be the biggest capital spender in the Government at the rate of £2 million a day, Kenneth Baker (Cons) urged in the Commons last week that, in order to reduce this burden, it would be sensible, to allow the public and industry to buy their telephones direct from the suppliers rather than through the Post Office.
So starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of January 28th 1970.
Continue reading "Stonehouse Blocks Commercial Sale Of Telephones" »
So starts a front page story in Electronics Weekly's edition of Jan 28th 1970.
Continue reading "Sylvania Looking For Semi Growth In Europe" »
'SCIENTISTS AT Mullard's Redhill research laboratories have been able to transmit television pictures by modulating a light beam', starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of January 28th 1970.
Continue reading "TV Signals Transmitted By Modulating Light Beam" »
'IN THE LAST two or three years, pulse code modulation has moved from a novel but promising transmission technique to performing a major role in the telecommunications network', writes John Slow, Head of Transmission Systems Division, Plessey BTR Limited, in the January 28th 1970 edition of Electronics Weekly.
Continue reading "PCM Will Be Used Increasingly In Telecoms" »
THE self-defeating effect of US tariffs and restrictions on trade with
So starts a story in the July 9 1969 edition of Electronics Weekly.
Continue reading "Trade Sanctions Don't Work, Says US Senator" »
"IF THE DISCRETE component manufacturer is dead then we, as a dead company, have only doubled our turn-over' in the last five years."
WITH THE UNHAPPY experience of Emley Moor's tubular steel mast behind them - it collapsed on March 19 - the Independent Television Authority have picked a self-supporting reinforced concrete structure as the permanent replacement.
So starts a story in the July 9 1969 edition of Electronics Weekly.
Continue reading "World's Third Highest Concrete Tower For UK TV Broadcasts" »
NATIONAL Semiconductor are to open new factories in Scotland and West Germany in the near future, and are to expand rapidly their Santa Clara and Singapore operations to ensure that they become the fourth largest in the world's semiconductor rankings.
So starts the lead story in the July 16 1969 edition of Electronics Weekly.
Parallel processing came in for considerable attention at last week's IEE meeting on Computer Science and Technology, presented at the
So starts a story in the July 9 1969 edition of Electronics Weekly.
ACCORDING to the National Economic Development Office's "Annual statistical survey of the electronics industry," published on Monday, the gross output of the
So starts a story in the July 16 1969 edition of Electronics Weekly.
Continue reading "UK Electronics Industry Breaks £1 Billion Barrier" »
This was the headline of a story in Electronics Weekly dated July 16th 1969. The story starts:
'National Semiconductor is to open new factories in
'Ampex have been funded by the
So starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of July 23rd 1969.
'American Microsystems Inc (AMI) who are rated in the
'Apollo 11 did not end with the successful splashdown of the three astronauts last Thursday', ran an Electronics Weekly story in its issue of July 30th 1969, 'equipment for scientific experiments was left on the moon and the samples of rock and dust which were brought back will give scientists unique material for analysis.'
'General Instrument are now on line with a proven new MOS facility at Glenrothes with a new family of MOS devices shortly to roll off the stocks', starts a story in Electronics Weekly's issue of August 20th 1969.
Under the headline: 'A few hints to businessmen who have trouble with their face powder' TI runs the following ad in the August 6th 1969 edition of Electronics Weekly.
'A process in information technology, developed by the semiconductor division of Sprague Electric, is being employed for the first time in the time capsule which has been left on the moon', starts a story in Electronics Weekly's issue of August 6th 1969 (17 days after Apollo 11's moon-landing).
Transitron have added 19 devices to their series IV 54/74 compatible range of TTL silicon integrated circuits', starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of August 6th 1969.
Continue reading "Transitron Extends 54/74 Series TTL Range" »
'A new company, GEC Semiconductors, has been formed to produce the largest wholly UK-owned semiconductor company. This brings together under a single management the semiconductor activities of AEI Semiconductors at
So starts a story in Electronics Weekly's issue of August 13th 1969.
Continue reading "GEC Merges AEI Semi and Marconi-Elliott Microelectronics." »
Exports of British transistors and phototransistors in February reached a new high level of over £76,000, a 27 per cent increase of on January's record total of £59,733' starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of April 26th 1961.
The future of solid-state devices is rosy, despite some serious problems yet to be overcome, according to several Bell Telephone laboratory speakers at a solid-state devices colloquium at the California Institute of Technology at Pasadena, California.'
So starts a story in the 'American Letter' column of Electronics Weekly's issue of
'For a number of years microminiaturisation has been promised as just around the corner and now, well into 1961, it is still just around the corner' starts the comment column in Electronics Weekly's edition of March 15th 1961, continuing 'each year the exhibitions show a crop of experimental devices, but hardly any down-to-earth hardware has been produced.'
Continue reading "Microminiaturisation Still Just Around The Corner" »
'Looking around Racal's modern factory at
So starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of April 26th 1961 describing a visit to Racal Engineering - the company which later spawned Racal Telecom which became Vodafone.
TOMORROW: THE TEN BEST ELECTRICAL INVENTIONS
'Seat reservation offices of British Overseas Airways Corporation throughout the
So starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of April 12th 1961.
Continue reading "Airline To Use Computer For Reservations" »
'Epitaxial transistors very soon . . . .planar devices by early 1962. These are the basic plans of the Ferranti Electronics Department, but they are by no means the only plans,' is how a story starts in the April 19th 1961 issue of Electronics Weekly.
Continue reading "Ferranti Pursuing Epitaxial And Planar Devices And Solar Cells." »
'The magnificent Soviet achievement in hurtling the first man into space has been heralded throughout the world as the beginning of perhaps the most exciting era in the history of mankind. But it is not the achievement itself which is important, but what it symbolises.'
So starts the Comment piece in Electronics Weekly's edition of April 19th 1961 - one week to the day after Major Yuri Gagarin of the
Continue reading "First Man In Space To Open Technology Markets" »
'The BBC, whose plans for an experimental colour television service were turned down by the Post-Master General last January, are re-opening the matter with him'.
The Japanese electronics industry continued its vigorous advance during the first nine months of last year', is the start of a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of March 29th 1961.
'Compared with the corresponding period of 1959, production from January to September 1960 of electronic products was up 31 per cent," adds the story.
The story continues: 'the highest gain was made in electronic computers (a 172 per cent increase). Industrial measuring and control equipment for automation was up by 73 per cent. Production of transmitting and special purpose valves rose by 50 per cent while output of receiving valves increased by 45 per cent. Transistor production was up 34 per cent.'
'The total value of all electronic products manufactured in the first nine months of 1960 was almost exactly £300 million compared with £234 million in the same period of 1959', continues the story, 'the result for the full year, therefore, is likely to reach £400 million, and will probably be higher.'
The story concludes: 'At this level,
Continue reading "Japan's Electronics Production Almost Matches UK's." »
'The exhibits at Olympia demonstrating the highest levels of electronics technology will undoubtedly be the integrated circuits', started a preview of the RECMF (Radio and Electronic Components Manufacturers) exhibition, covered in Electronics Weekly's edition of May 14th 1969.
'Users Still Cautious About Tunnel Diodes' is the headline of a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of April 19th 1961. The story, wirtten by one of my predecessors as Components Correspondent, starts: 'While at the Footscray works of Standards Telephone and Cables I saw some of the application work which is now going on with the tunnel diode.'
Continue reading "Users Still Cautious About Tunnel Diodes" »
'After having had an interesting visit to the American IRE show in New York with our sales manager Mr R.E.Gillett, I thought I would write and inform your readers of a new electronic device displayed there which offers some possibilities for British industry,' starts a reader's letter in the April 19th 1961 edition of Electronics Weekly.
'Ferranti is to launch a microprocessor chip early next year. The F100L , as it is to be called, has now reached the final stage of development and is expected to go into production at the Electronics Division Gem Mill plant in the near future'.
So starts a story in the Oct 22nd 1975 edition of Electronics Weekly just four years after Intel's Ted Hoff made the first microprocessor, the 4004.
Continue reading "Ferranti To Launch Microprocessor Next Year" »
'During this 25th anniversary year of the Racal Electronics Group, Ernest Harrison, the chairman and managing director, has been announcing plenty of surprises for the group's 6,000 employees as part of the celebrations. The have included inscribed tankards and revere bowls for all employees, a special savings scheme, free overseas holidays for 30 members of the staff and their families, and cash prizes in a slogan contest'.
So starts a story in the Oct 22nd edition of Electronics Weekly about the company which was to morph into Vodafone.
.
'In an attempt to repeat, throughout Europe, the level of market penetration achieved in the
So starts a story in the October 22 1975 edition of Electronics Weekly.
'Closely following upon Electronics Weekly's report that Mullard would soon announce its plans for Signetics in the UK Philips Organisation, the company now says that, from November 1st Signetics will become a Mullard sales operation, operating under the Signetics name'.
So starts a story in the Oct 29 1975 edition of Electronics Weekly.
Continue reading "Philips Is World No.2 In Semiconductors" »
'Plans for Subscriber Trunk Dialling will give this facility to about 300 exchanges by March next year, serving a quarter of the total subscribers,' is how a story kicks off in the April 12 1961 edition of Electronics Weekly.
Continue reading "UK Phone Network To Be Automated Within Nine Years " »
'Two new techniques for handling stored information have been announced by IBM. One is a magnetic core memory for computers, which contains built-in 'short-cuts' to stored data, and the other is an experimental punched-card memory unit that electronically reads out punched data at high speed from special IBM cards,' starts a story from Electronics Weekly in April 1961.
'Hughes HS10 series are low cost alloyed junction silicon diodes characterised by good forward conductance and low reverse current at high temperatures', starts an advertisement in the April 5th 1961 issue of Electronics Weekly.
There was once a visionary called Geoffrey Dummer. Four years before the invention of the IC he described one and how it might be made and, one year before the IC's invention, a non-working model of an IC based on Dummer's concept was fabricated by Plessey and demonstrated at the 1957 International Symposium on Components in Malvern, Worcestershire.
'Compatibility during the change-over period from 405 lines to 625 lines television must be maintained, said Mr Norman Collins, ATV Chairman, when he talked to Electronics Weekly about ATV's recommendations to the Pilkington Committee'.
So starts a story in the April 12th 1961 issue of Electronics Weekly.
Continue reading "UK To Have An Hour Of Colour TV Transmission A Day" »
'Six London Borough Councils may jointly purchase and operate a large computer for payroll and other accountancy jobs,' starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of March 8th 1961.
Continue reading "UK Builds World's First Business Computer." »
Under the headline: 'All quiet for
'From time to time there is a resurgence of interest in machine translation and for a short while both national and international daily papers carry articles which purport either to explain the progress in the field or to debunk the art.'
So starts an article in Electronics Weekly's edition of March 8th 1961 written by Dr Andrew Booth, head of the Department of Numerical Automation,
'The reasons for comparatively fewer students choosing to read for technological qualifications in this country than in the
Continue reading "Too Few Students Studying Technological Subjects" »
'Following the investigation of the disastrous mid-air collision of two aircraft over
Continue reading "New York Air Traffic Control To Get Height-Indicating Radar." »
"Epitaxial transistors very soon. Planar devices by early 1962. These are the basic plans of the Ferranti Electronics Department", starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of April 19th 1961.
'A new technique for detecting the minute sensory nerve signals produced in man by external physical stimuli has been developed in the Medical Electronics Department of St. Thomas' Hospital.'
So starts a story in the May 3rd 1961 edition of Electronics Weekly.
The Midlands is in a good position to have a completely automatic telephone service by 1970, the target set by the Post Office, said Mr W.T.Gemmell, director of the Midland Region, at the recent opening of an automatic exchange at Barlaston, near Stone, Staffordshire, ' starts a story in the May 3rd 1961 edition of Electronics Weekly.
'Ninety five per cent of all telephones in the
TOMORROW: THE TEN BEST BUSINESS BOOKS
'"The rapidly increasing depth of knowledge in the
So starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of May 31st 1961.
'A monolithic temperature-stabilised voltage-reference IC, which is claimed will out-perform standard zener diodes by a factor of 20, has been developed by National Semiconductor.'
Continue reading "Monolithic Voltage Reference IC Out-Perfoms Zeners By 20X" »
'Since the middle of last year, and more particularly in the first half of 1975, the member states of the EEC have gone through the severest recession since the war."
So starts a story in the December 10th 1975 edition of Electronics Weekly.
'Siliconix first set up a semiconductor manufacturing plant in
So starts a story in the December 10th 1975 issue of Electronics Weekly.
This was the headline of a front page story in Electronics Weekly's edition of October 8th 1975 during one of the early semiconductor downturns.
The story opens: 'Texas Instrument,
'Industry standardisation on a 16-pin 4k RAM came one step closer last week with the announcement that Intel Corporation now has commercial availability of its 4096-bit dynamic MOS RAM (2104).'
So starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition on October 8th 1975.
'A new type of parallax-free electronic rifle sight which is claimed to give a far higher ratio of hits than a conventional sight has been developed by the Swedish firm of
So starts a story in the October 8th 1975 edition of Electronics Weekly.
'A major advance in the fabrication of integrated circuits has been achieved by Bell Telephone Laboratories by the development of an Electron Beam Exposure System, known as EBES.'
So starts a story in the October 8th 1975 edition of Electronics Weekly.
'Reports and rumours surrounding the Sinclair digital watch will reach fulfilment next week when the long-awaited product will be officially launched.'
So starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of October 15th 1975.
Continue reading "Sinclair Watch To Be Launched Next Week" »
'Texas Instruments is aiming at 20 to 25 per cent of the projected £15,000 million world micro/minicomputer market over the next ten years. In order to capture a share of this lucrative market, it is launching a new family of third generation 16-bit microprocessors, two new microcomputers and a minicomputer.'
So starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of October 15th 1975.
Continue reading "TI 9900 Powers 990 Microcomputer Family" »
'Ferranti is to launch a microprocessor chip early next year. The F100L, as it is to be called, has now reached the final stage of development And is expected to go into production at the Electronics Division Gem Mill plant in the near future.'
So starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of October 22nd 1975.
Continue reading "Ferranti To Launch Microprocessor Next Year" »
'Intel has announced availability of what is claimed to be the first static NMOS RAM with an access time of 70ns.'
So starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of November 5th 1975
"This time last year WSTS (World Semiconductor Trade Statistics) forecast a $240bn market in 2001, its latest forecast is $140bn," bemoans Ulrich Schumacher CEO of Infineon Technologies.
So starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of November 28th 2001.
Continue reading "WSTS Forecasts $100bn Semiconductor Market Drop " »
The skill of European engineers in Motorola's
So starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of October 1st 1975.
'Following the successful demonstration of its proposed Viewdata service last week, the Post Office has outlined its timetable for introduction of the service.'
So starts a story in the October 1st 1975 edition of Electronics Weekly.
The decision of GEC chairman Lord Weinstock to make the £100m investment GEC-Plessey Semiconductors (GPS) has been asking for since summer will not only give it the 0.5-micron CMOS technology it needs to compete, it also removes the question mark which had appeared to hang over GPS's future as part of the GEC group.
So starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of October 5th 1994.
Continue reading "GEC-Plessey Semiconductors Moves To Half Micron Process" »
What next from Sinclair? To follow the recently launched 'Black Watch' , Sinclair has another remarkable product up its sleeve. Planned to appear in the second half of 1976 is the Sinclair two-inch television.
So starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of November 19th 1975.
Siemens says it has not talked to GEC about buying GEC-Plessey Semiconductors (GPS) and is not interested in taking it over. However there is interest from
So starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of July 30th 1997
Continue reading "Anyone Want To Buy GEC-Plessey Semiconductors?" »
Intel has introduced a ready-to-assemble, programmed, microcomputer system kit. The new kit provides a complete system based on Intel's new 8080A CPU group and programmable LSI input-output blocks, which allow the system to control and communicate with numerous classes of peripheral equipment.
So starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of December 3rd 1975.
(N.B. This microcomputer of Intel's pre-dates the Apple II - launched in 1977 - and the IBM PC - launched in 1981).
'Once every few years, when a new technology emerges, a section of our industry is placed in a state of transition, and the survival of companies in the affected segment may depend on how quickly they can learn about, and adopt, the new technology.'
So wrote Jim Knott, a director of distributors Rapid Recall, in the December 3rd 1975 edition of Electronics Weekly.
The microprocessor is perhaps the most important development the electronics industry has seen for at least the last decade. It was introduced to meet the need for a universal large-scale integrated circuit brought about by the fairly high cost and narrow application of most LSI circuits.
So starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition on Novemberb1975 in a section called 'Understanding Microprocessors' written four years after Intel introduced the first commercial microprocessor, the 4004.
"We're heading into the post-PC era", Sun co- founder and CEO Scott McNealy told Electronics Weekly in 1999, "NCs [Network Computers] are like Freddy - they're coming back."
Under the headline: '
'A production capacity of 1.3 million diodes a year is planned for the Scottish semiconductor plant for Hughes International (UK) Ltd when it is fully staffed', starts the lead front page story in Electronics Weekly's first-ever edition dated September 7th 1960, adding: 'The plant was opened by Lord Polwarth at Glenrothes today.'
Continue reading "Hughes Opens Semiconductor Plant In Scotland" »
'Elliott Brothers are working on a space research project for the British Government. An announcement by the Elliott Automation Group last Saturday gave this news after Air Ministry authorisation. But beyond this news no-one will say anything.'
So starts a story on the front page of Electronics Weekly's first-ever edition dated September 7th 1960 which kicked off 50 years of continuous reporting on the electronics industry.
Continue reading "Elliott Brothers Develop British Satellite." »
A record volume of radio and television business was achieved last year, Mr Jules Thorn, chairman and managing director of Thorn Electrical Industries, told shareholders at the AGM last week.
50 years ago, this is how a 1960 edition of Electronics Weekly opened a front page story.
'Space Challenge To Engineers - Tribute to British circuit designers' was a headline in the very first edition of Electronics Weekly produced in 1960, 50 years ago this year.
'How electronics engineers are meeting the technical challenge of instrumentation in research space vehicles was described by a number of speakers last week at the Rocket and Satellite Instrumentation Symposium, organised by the British Interplanetary Society and The Society of Instrument Technology,' is how the story starts.
Continue reading "Space Challenge To Engineers 50 Years Ago" »
'Women Have Part To Play In Modern Science' - this was the headline of a feature in an Electronics Weekly edition published 50 years ago in 1960, the year EW was founded.
Continue reading "Women Have A Part To Play In Modern Science" »
'Colour Television Comes To
£100 receivers by 1964.
Toshiba brings colour for all'
50 years ago this year, this was the headline on a story in Electronics Weekly's
edition of September 21st 1960.
'Computer Sales Reach Breakthrough'
Continue reading "Breakthrough In Computer Sales At Elliott Automation" »
'Hydraulic Hi-Fi'
was a headline 50 years ago in the edition of Electronics Weekly of September 14th 1960.
50 years ago, this year, a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of September 7th 1960 carried this headline. The sub-headline read: 'New British Factory Is World's Largest.'
Continue reading "Printed Circuits Produced By Automation" »
Big Developments In Toroids
This was a headline 50 years ago this year, when the September 7th 1960 edition of Electronics Weekly pointed up the
Under the tag: 'Quote of the Week' in the first edition of Electronics Weekly 50 years ago this year, dated September 7th 1960, was this remark from a speech given by Sir George Thomson to the British Association for the Advancement of Science.
Continue reading "Be Grateful To The Components Manufacturers" »
TOP HAT
Diffused silicon rectifiers
AT CLOTH CAP PRICES!
Showing a sensitive regard for the British class system, this was the headline on a TI ad in the very first edition of Electronics Weekly, published 50 years ago this year, on September 7th 1960.
But No Time To Lose.
50 years ago this year, this was the headline of an article in Electronics Weekly's edition of September 7th 1960.
Continue reading "UK Falling Behind In Millimetre-Wave Communications" »
50 years ago this year, in EW's first year of publication, the September 14th 1960b issue of the paper carried this prophetic headline:
'
50 years ago this year, in the September 14th 1960 edition of Electronics Weekly, there was this entry under the heading 'Quotes Of The Week':
50 years ago this year, in the September 14th 1960 edition of Electronics Weekly, there was a headline: 'World's Largest Stereo Network From Japan'.
Mullard Deny Price War
But Mr Carpenter cuts TV tube prices
50 years ago this year, this was a headline in Electronics Weekly's edition of September 14th 1960, presaging 50 years of component price wars.
200 Computers Installed In
50 years ago this year, this was the front page headline in Electronics Weekly's edition of September 21st 1960.
On Friday, Her Majesty the Queen will launch 'Dreadnought', the Royal Navy's first nuclear powered submarine. The launch will take place at Vickers-Armstrong's
So, 50 years ago this year, a story started in Electronics Weekly's edition of October 19th 1960.
'Organic semiconductors promise to be one of the biggest growth areas in electronics during the next few years. This is the conclusion of a report by the US Department of Commerce.'
So starts a story, 50 years ago this year, in Electronics Weekly's edition of September 21st 1960.
'Sir,
Dr H Motz, in his article 'Britain Can Lead In Communications' states that microwaves were first used in radar'.
So starts a letter written 50 years ago this year, published in Electronics Weekly's edition of September 21st 1960.
Continue reading "When And Why Were Microwaves First Used?" »
'Fish are noisy eaters, according to Fred Methner, a Berlin amateur diver who has made a hobby of recording fish sounds on tape through a special underwater microphone developed by a German firm.'
So, 50 years ago this year, started a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of September 21st 1960.
'A new 10 cm klystron, developed by Mullard, develops a peak power output up to 10 megawatts with a power gain in excess of 50dB. It is among the largest tubes of its kind in the world.'
So, 50 years ago this year, starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of September 21st 1960.
A new automatic translation machine, designed to translate German and English into Japanese has been demonstrated by its inventor, Professor Katsuo Ohno of
So, 50 years ago this year, starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of September 28th 1960.
Continue reading "English To Japanese Translation Machine Demo-ed" »
So, 50 years ago this year, starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of September 28th 1960.
Continue reading "Japan To Out-Produce US In Transistor Manufacturing" »
Further reductions in the prices of their transistors are announced by Semiconductors Ltd. Types SA495 and SA496 are now at the former "100" price of £4 10s.
So, 50 years ago this year, starts a story in Electronics Weekly's edition of September 28th 1960.