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Old 22nd Jul 2017, 8:25 pm   #1
G6Tanuki
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Default What became of Hivac?

Hivac - the "High Vacuum Valve company" - were one of the UK specialist valve-manufacturers who focussed on miniature/low-voltage-supply valves throughout their history.

see here: http://g3ynh.info/valves/old/Data-Bo...vac/index.html for some of their stuff in the 1930s-to-1940s.

They were still listed as a manufacturer in the 1963 Bernards/Babani valve-book, but after that I can't find any credible history. What happened to them?

They seemingly *did* try to transition to the world of the transistor:

http://www.wylie.org.uk/technology/s...ivac/Hivac.htm

which would otherwise have mopped-up their low-power/miniature/low-voltage specialist niche.

But what happened after that?

Last edited by G6Tanuki; 22nd Jul 2017 at 8:34 pm.
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Old 22nd Jul 2017, 10:16 pm   #2
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Default Re: What became of Hivac?

They were certainly well known for miniature neon bulbs in the years after the transistor came to power.

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Old 22nd Jul 2017, 10:18 pm   #3
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Default Re: What became of Hivac?

So far as I can make out they were part of Plessey:

http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Automat...nd_Electric_Co

Apparently Plessey at some point flogged off Hivac to Signalite.

Lawrence.

Last edited by ms660; 22nd Jul 2017 at 10:38 pm.
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Old 23rd Jul 2017, 1:13 am   #4
Synchrodyne
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Default Re: What became of Hivac?

A search of Wireless World magazines at: http://www.americanradiohistory.com/...d_Magazine.htm will pull up quite a bit of information. Here is a random selection of items from the 1950s and 1960s:

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Name:	WW 195806 p.267 Hivac.gif.jpg
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Name:	WW 195807 p.318 Hivac.gif.jpg
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Name:	WW 196903 p.140 Hivac.jpg
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By way of a vintage radio connection, Hivac devices were used for the twin neon tuning indicator of the Quad FM tuner, initially CC11L, apparently changing to CC29L for B19062 and up and for the C-series (FMII). The twin neon tuning indicator was also used by Jason (AM/FM2) and Beam Echo (Avantic BM612) but I don’t have the circuit details.


Cheers,
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Old 26th Jul 2017, 1:41 am   #5
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Default Re: What became of Hivac?

Re Hivac history, Stokes (*) noted that in 1944, ownership passed to the Automatic Telephone & Electric Co. (ATE), who had held a controlling interest since 1939. And that Hivac did not resume the manufacture of ordinary receiving valves after WWII. In the 1930s, it had been known for the Harries valve, which was a critically spaced tetrode with a low-potential zone virtual suppressor grid (although I don’t know whether it had aligned grids).

Cheers,



(*) John W. Stokes; 70 Years of Radio Tubes and Valves; Second Edition; Sonoran Publishing, 1997; ISBN 1-886606-11-0.
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Old 26th Jul 2017, 8:08 am   #6
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Default Re: What became of Hivac?

This is what I have established:

Hivac. Brand name of The High Vacuum Valve Co Ltd, 113-117 Farringdon Road, London, EC1 (in 1938). This company, it seems, was formed from The Freedman Valve Co Ltd.

It appears that Pye Ltd (of Cambridge) acquired an interest in Hivac in the 1930’s.

In 1939, The Automatic Telephone & Electric Co Ltd took a shareholding in Hivac and in 1944, acquired complete ownership.

By 1948, Hivac Ltd., Greenhill Crescent, Harrow-on-the-Hill, Middlesex. In 1955 and 1970, at Stonefield Way, Victoria Road, South Ruislip, Middx.

Hivac made miniature valve, “Nixie” tubes and neon indicator lamps. They also made miniature transistors (e.g. for hearing aids), using Ge junction elements supplied by BT-H.

Plessey acquired ATE in the early 1960s.

In 1969, the HQ of General Instrument (UK) Ltd, was relocated to this address. Later still, Hivac was bought by General Instrument (by 1970, it appears) and merged with Vitality Bulbs on 1st March 1972, to form Vitality Ltd. Later, this company merged with Chicago Miniature Lamp Works, to form VCH. However, in 1975 (WW June 75, p294), a firm called Hivac Ltd, of Asheridge Road, Chesham, Bucks, offered a range of cold cathode reference voltage tubes ……

Vitality: Vitality Bulbs Ltd, Neville Place, Wood Green, London, N22 (in 1953, 57 & 65). Established in 1932, by Mr C E Clemenson (who died in 1953).

In 1966, Vitality Bulbs Ltd relocated to Beetons Way, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. Manufacturers of lamps, particularly LES and MES types used for dial lighting in radios, etc. Vitality was taken over by the General Instrument Corporation in 1969 and the UK group included Hivac (neons) (previously part of the Automatic telephone & Electric Co.) and Chicago Miniature Lamp Works. In 1974, Vitality Ltd, still GI and same address in Bury St Edmunds. GI divested itself of this operation (late 1980’s, I think) and it was then known as VCH Lamps. However, it has now become part of SLI, the former lighting division of Sylvania.
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