What are Vacuum Tubes?
Vacuum tubes are electronic devices that are configured to provide amplification to electronic signals. For most of the first half of the 20th century, the vacuum tube was in integral part of radio and television technology. Over time, many forms of the tubes have become obsolete as newer and more robust amplifiers have become available. However, there are some forms of vacuum tubes still in common use. Sometimes referred to as an electron tube, vacuum tubes are also known as valves in the United Kingdom. In general, the tubes utilize a great deal more power than any type of transistor currently on the market. It is not unusual for vacuum tubes to require in the range of 400 volts. There are some examples of thermionic valves that require power supplies that move into the kilovolt range. From the 1960’s and forward, vacuum tubes became less and less common in household receivers such as televisions and radios. The newer transistor technology, which was considerably less bulky and requi
