[Hammarlund] Unknown tubes and WW2 military secrets

[Peter R. Zidek]

Second to the secrecy of the Manhattan project during WW2
was the development of very small subminiature tubes that
helped the war effort in both the European and Pacific
conflicts. 

These tubes were designed by Raytheon to withstand up to 50
G's without damage and were used in artillery shells as
"proximity fuses. 

 

Prior to their use and especially in the Pacific Theater was
the tremendous failure rate of Naval and US forces artillery
shells not exploding properly in the

Proximity of enemy aircraft.  

 

Notable tubes of that series included CK-526, 6007's, and
others. They typically required 1.4 volts on directly heated
filaments and 22.5 to 90 volt DC on the plates. 

Both heaters and plates had comparatively small current
requirements. 

 After WW2 and before the advent of the transistor they were
frequently used in small portable radios, walkie-talkies,
hearing aids, Geiger counters, scintillators and such. 

 

They are still somewhat plentiful from old tube suppliers. 

 

I use them to restore vintage Geiger counters and
Scintillators and they are virtually mechanically
indestructible. 

They are also less susceptible to EMP destruction than solid
state equivalents.

 

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proximity_fuze

 

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1993-01-11/news/1993011049_
1_fuse-proximity-smart-weapons

 

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq96-1.htm

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-NOS-Raytheon-CK-5678-Miniature-Tub
es-/111391591319?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2
<http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-NOS-Raytheon-CK-5678-Miniature-Tu
bes-/111391591319?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item19ef74c
b97> &hash=item19ef74cb97

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/6-subminiature-tubes-Raytheon-4-CK51
2AX-CK-512AX-2-of-5886-JAN5886-NOS-NIB-NEW-/121446910616?pt=
Vintage_Electronics_R2
<http://www.ebay.com/itm/6-subminiature-tubes-Raytheon-4-CK5
12AX-CK-512AX-2-of-5886-JAN5886-NOS-NIB-NEW-/121446910616?pt
=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item1c46ccca98>
&hash=item1c46ccca98

 

Peter Zidek