The vacuum tubes used as power amplifiers in microwave systems may be on their way out following the development by a research team from US-based Agere Systems of a solid-state microtriode that can be ...

We’ve all seen electronic components that have been coaxed into releasing their small amount of Magic Smoke, which of course is what makes the thing work in the first place. But back in the old times, ...

The device that heralded the beginning of the 20th century electronics industry first saw the light of day in late 1906, just over a century ago. This was the triode electron tube, or audion, as its ...

And now a page from our "Sunday Morning" Almanac: November 16th, 1904, 110 years ago today . . . the birthday of an invention heard 'round the world. For that was the day the British inventor John ...

One of the topics we've covered multiple times at ExtremeTech is the difficulty of continuing to scale semiconductor technology, and the related problem of improving chip performance without ...

In today's world, vacuum tubes or radio valves seem as dead as high button shoes and buggy whips, but DARPA sees them as very much the technology of the future. As part of a new program, the agency is ...

Remember those old-timey room-sized vacuum-tube-powered computers with less processing power than your smartphone? That tech might be making a comeback, thanks to work from scientists from UC San ...

Although we do often see projects that take antiques and replace some or all of their components with modern equipment, we can also sympathize with the view that (when possible and practical) certain ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Brad Moon covers audio gear, Apple products and consumer tech. This article is more than 7 years old. Analog audio is having a ...