[Boatanchors] Re: Polyester vs. Polypropylene Orange-Drops? [Also component lifetimes]

Tue, 15 Oct 2002 23:51:44 -0400

Todd Bigelow seemed to be really offended by my comments
about Orange Drop� capacitors.

> Absolutely *NOT* true. Sprague was sold, sure, but it was
> sold off in pieces, different lines as I understand it.
> The Orange Drop line remained in Barre Vermont where it
> still operates today as SBE(Antique Electronic Supply
> sells SBE Orange Drops). Not sure where you're getting
> your info Barry, but before you "dismiss" all of the rest
> of us on the R-390 list and elsewhere, please do a bit
> more research and be accurate in your ascertions. I don't
> believe anyone on the R-390 list said that 'you *must*
> use Orange drops', only that we prefer them for most
> applications. And yes - they are American made *and*
> owned, SBE being bought recently from Perry Browning by a
> ham from the midwest. I have several friends working in
> the plant (which I've been in myself) and I assure you,
> they are not from India, Japan, or anywhere but here.

Actually SB Electronics, according to my 2003 EEM which
arrived last week, was formed by a management buyout in
1986.  But according to Vishay information:

"New Products and Markets

 In the early '90s, Vishay applied its acquisition strategy
 to the high-volume capacitor market, extending its range of
 products and increasing penetration in passive components.
 Major acquisitions included Sprague Electric, the inventor
 and manufacturer of tantalum capacitors; Roederstein, a
 manufacturer of film, aluminum, and ceramic disk capacitors
 and thick film chip resistors; and Vitramon, a high-quality
 manufacturer of multilayer ceramic chip capacitors. By
 1994, annual sales had reached $988 million."

The registered trademark of Orange Drop�, according to the
US Patent and Trademark Office, was originally registered
to Sprague Electric Company in 1959, a date verified by SB
Electronics in their EEM listing.  It is now assigned to SB
Electronics as renewed on June 10 of last year.  The
Sprague name, however is now internationally registered as
a trademark of Vishay Sprague (World Intellectual
Property Organization).  This is based on the 1959 original
Sprague registration.  [Search results are show below.]

> I enjoy your posts for their clarity and overall
> information content as a rule, but this part is way off
> the deep end. Where did you ever come up with such a
> story, or is it just an assumption on your part? I
> don't doubt that some part of Sprage may have been
> purchased by an overseas interest, but isn't Vishay also
> a US company?

I looked through my files today (scattered throughout the
shack naturally) and found a number of Mouser catalogs.
[These darn things are like mice - they multiply when you
are not looking.  Maybe that's where the name fits in!]  In
a 1998 catalog, they list Vishay-Sprague Orange Drop�
capacitors. One of their 1999 catalogs list them the same
way.  By 2001, one of their catalogs shows them dropping
the Sprague logo and only using the Vishay one.  My most
recent Mouser catalog Still shows the Vishay inverted
triangle logo imprinted with their name followed by Orange
Drop� Polyester and Polypropylene Capacitors. As to the
heritage of Vishay, it is difficult to say exactly.  Their
different divisions list different addresses.  Like most
international corporations these days, they have business
operations worldwide.  Certainly their Siliconix and
General Semiconductor operations are based in the western
USA.  I have no idea where their Sfernice and Draloric
operations are based. [My ISP is having difficulties this
evening.  Mail is OK but connecting to websites is
marginal.]  For example, the various divisions that make
resistors in the Vishay family include Vishay Angstrohm,
Vishay Dale, Vishay Draloric, Vishay Electro-Films, Vishay
Foil Resistors, Vishay Sfernice, Vishay Spectrol, Vishay
Techno, Vishay Thin Film and Vishay Ultronix.  Their
manufacturing facilities are located in various places
throughout the world including India.  The EEM lists the
location for Vishay Intertechnology as Pennsylvania.

> Hope this clears up another urban legend before it
> begins....
>
> 73 de Todd/'Boomer'  KA1KAQ (sitting in Central Vermont,
> about 9 miles from where Orange Drops are being produced
> at this minute)

I would say it just confuses things even more.  Either
Mouser has been printing misinformation for years and they
need to be corrected, or Vishay has the rights to use the
name based on their buyout of Sprague (after SB Electronics
was formed).  It is only speculation on my part, but SB
Electronics may have renewed the Orange Drop� trademark
when the original Sprague trademark expired.  But if Vishay
was using it as part of a Sprague buyout prior to their
renewal, SB Electronics cannot enforce their trademark on
them.  [But then, I am not a patent/trademark attorney.  I
have had some minimal training in this area, however, from
Gore, Kodak, and Eastman.  All of these companies protected
their trademarks strenuously.  Infringement is rarely taken lightly.]

In a later note, Todd mentions Barker Microfarads, Inc.  It
too was a management/employee buyout (1990) of a Sprague
plant before Vishay bought the rest of the Sprague line
(Sprague Goodman, a maker of variable capacitors is a
different company).  BMI is located in Hillsville, VA, up I-81
and relatively close to me.  They do not appear to be
using any original Sprague trademarks.

Now Todd is free to enjoy and believe in whatever he wants
as to audio.  I find that specifically advertising
polyester capacitors for audio leaves much to be desired.
Polyester has a much higher dielectric absorption than does
polypropylene.  This has no bearing on RF applications, but
it is important in precision timing and low frequency
amplification if really low distortion is needed.

As for buying American, I generally buy the best available
technology for the dollar.  It is difficult to find any
high-technology company that is exclusively American these
days.  Most major USA companies are now global and have
been for many years.  Sadly much of the American quality
left when corporate managers became more interested in
short-term profits and stock performance while ignoring the
long-term health of their companies.

        73,  Barry L. Ornitz     WA4VZQ     [email protected]

>From the trademark searches...

USPTO Search:

Word Mark ORANGE DROP
Goods and Services IC 009. US 021. G & S: ELECTRICAL
CAPACITORS. FIRST USE: 19580925. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE:
19580925
Mark Drawing Code (1) TYPED DRAWING
Serial Number 72060243
Filing Date October 7, 1958
Registration Number 0680351
Registration Date June 16, 1959
Owner (REGISTRANT) SPRAGUE ELECTRIC COMPANY CORPORATION
MASSACHUSETTS
NORTH ADAMS MASSACHUSETTS
(LAST LISTED OWNER) S.B. ELECTRONICS INC. CORPORATION BY
ASSIGNMENT VERMONT
131 SOUTH MAIN ST BARRE VERMONT 05641
Assignment Recorded ASSIGNMENT RECORDED
Type of Mark TRADEMARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Affidavit Text SECT 15.
Renewal 2ND RENEWAL 20010310
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE
-----------------------------------------------------------

WIPO Madrid Express Search:

(151) 28.08.1959 223276]
(141) 28.08.2009
(171) 10
(732) VISHAY SPRAGUE INC.
      678 Main Street,
      Sanford, Maine 04073 (US)
(811) LI
(740) Frank Wombwell
      POTTS, KERR & CO.
      15 Hamilton Square
      BIRKENHEAD CH41 6BR (GB)
(540) SPRAGUE
(511) 09 Pi�ces d�tach�es �lectriques, assemblages de ces
      pi�ces et instruments pour leur essai,
      particuli�rement condensateurs, transisteurs,
      r�sistances, inductances, circuits imprim�s,
      amplificateurs magn�tiques, fils magn�tiques,
      instrument pour l'analyse et la simulation des
      circuits �lectroniques, circuits retardants, circuits
      pour la formation de pulsations, transformateurs
      de pulsations, corps magn�tiques pour interrupteurs,
      dispositifs de d�placement pour aimants, filtres
      d'interf�rence pour T.S.F., autres types de filtres
      d'ondes �lectriques et localisateurs d'interf�rence
      T.S.F.
(822) LI, 19590718, 860
(831) AT, BX, CH, DE, EG, FR, HU, IT, RO, YU
(862) DT