TechTube (Blackburn) "Mullard Movie"

[Groomlakearea51]

I don't recall seeing this on the Forum (I searched for it, but I could not find it...) but this link takes you to Blackburn's company site. The "movie" is an "instructional" history of how they made tubes. Very interesting. It's about 30 minutes long.

http://www.techtubevalves.com/about_us/film_reels.php

Also, here's the company history fact sheet if anyone is interested in Mullard tubes and the new "Techtubes":

It was in late 1919 that the Z Electric Lamp Company of Southfields run by Captain Stanley R. Mullard collapsed. The very next year Captain Mullard set up the Mullard Radio Valve Company Limited. In 1924 still wanting to expand as the valve demand continued to grow Captain Mullard sold half his shares to NV Philips Gloeilampenfabriken of Eindhoven Netherlands.

In 1938 work commenced on what was to become the largest valve assembly works in the world. At it's peak in 1954 the Blackburn Mullard site was manufacturing 500,000 valves per day. By 1961 gas and electricity generation had been installed to make the site independent of the local town supplies.

In 1938 the workfoce was a lowly 28 people, by 1945 around 3000 people in total were employed at the Blackburn Mullard site and by 1962 over 6200 people were employed in Blackburn and the various feeder factories supplying raw materials and sub-components to the valve works.

There were five main feeder factories set-up to support Blackburn. In 1949 and 51 two factories were set-up in Fleetwood, 1953 saw a factory in Rawtenstall and in 1954 a factory in Lytham and a final factory in Southport were opened.

Sadly with the demise of the valve at the hands of the transistor by 1984 all these factories had closed or moved to other activities.

But now with renewed interest in analogue devices, the former Mullard site at Blackburn, now belonging to Blackburn MicroTech Solutions, will once again include thermionic valves for radio amplification as one of its key product lines. Even though the Mullard brand can no longer be applied to the product as it is owned by outside parties, the TechTube brand will enforce the quality and reliability standards that the Mullard brand stood for and is now revered for in the market place.

[doctorcilantro]

No replies?! Thisis AMAZING footage.

thank you very much,

DC

PS Hopefully I can swing down one of these weekends!

[jtnfoley]

OK, I'll reply []

My company make precision stamped and formed metal parts as a feeder operation to our other production (automotive and agricultural/industrial electrical and electronics OEM... switches, sensors, motor actuators, etc.)

I watched that movie in its' entireity when I stumbled over it (somebody posted a thread here about the "new" tech TechTube is bringing to market) and shared it with my stamping guys... Everyone was utterly impressed at the intricacy of the parts being made, expecially when you consider they did so without digital controllers! No digital means air logic, relay logic, mechanical delay timers, all running at a pace to allow them half a million valves a day. I, and my peers, were all quite impressed.

[fini]

I checked it out from a link in seti's thread about TubeTech about a month ago. Yes, very cool! I like the low background noise in the film, the gentle click-clack of the machinery. I'll bet it was actually a lot louder in person!

I was so inspired, I used Google Earth (copy and paste their address, Philips Road BlackBurn Lancashire BB15RZ) to find the Blackburn factory (confirmed by the aerial shots in the film)...Yep, it's still there! Unfortunately, the image detail is not good enough to see the 4,000 holes...

[fenderbender]

heh heh he said "work commenced on the erection" he he heh...

"shut up Bevis, go work on your own erection, let me watch the movie! "

"Hey ....don't make me kick your ***"

.

Sorry couldn't help it....very interesting movie

[HudsonValleyNoah]

Thanks for putting the link up - so very cool to watch the movie!

Question about the valve construction process; is the "silvering" deposited on the inside of the glass when the getter is energized (or flashed) for the first time and is this why I hear it referred to as the "flashing" ?

Is the getter only energized that one time?

Really cool link GL

N

PS: Does anyone know when (and how) these new valves can be bought?

[Bonzo]

"Four thousand holes in BlackBurn Lancashire"

I wonder where that lyric came from???

Jolly good film mate!

[Marvel]

"Four thousand holes in BlackBurn Lancashire"

I wonder where that lyric came from???

Jolly good film mate!

This might be accurate, but you never know...

http://aboutthebeatles.com/song-a_day_in_the_life.php

[jtnfoley]

Thanks for putting the link up - so very cool to watch the movie!

Question about the valve construction process; is the "silvering" deposited on the inside of the glass when the getter is energized (or flashed) for the first time and is this why I hear it referred to as the "flashing" ?

Is the getter only energized that one time?

Really cool link GL

N

PS: Does anyone know when (and how) these new valves can be bought?

The silvering is deposited on the inside of the glass when the getter is flashed, I imagine creating a larger area of carium to bind free oxygen.

The other thread (Setis'?) said mid-october availability IIRC.

[jt1stcav]

Very interesting old documentary. I'm glad much of the original buildings were left intact and thus put back into use manufacturing tubes again! I wonder if the TubeTech brand has similar sonic characteristics from the Mullard originals, even with their better specs and tolerances? Maybe they'll build more tube types in the near future than the four they make now.

[JBryan]

If I remember correctly, the Blackburn factory's valve-making machinery was sold-off years ago after Phillips bought Mullard and now resides in Eastern Europe and China. The tubes I've seen under the Techtube brand bear little resemblance to the original Mullards. In that regard, the rights to the 'Mullard' brand belong to New Sensor and most of their tubes are manufactured in Russia and China. Here's hoping the new tube company is successful and takes the vacuum tube to another level of quality and innovation.

[seti]

From the site. Lets hope this tubes sound good and aren't too expensive.

From the site:

Blackburn MicroTech Solutions (BMS) has been formed from the former
Philips Components organisation that itself started life as the Mullard
Radio Valve Company Limited in 1938.

BMS is located on the original Mullard Valve site at Blackburn,
England. Since the death of the valve for popular use following the
invention of the transistor the former Mullard site has continued to
develop and manufacture key components for the cathode ray tube
industry. One such key component being the thermionic cathode.

The Blackburn factory used to be at the forefront of the valve
industry when "Mullard" valves came off the factory line from the
1940’s through to the 1980’s. These days, we are no longer able to use
the "Mullard" name as the brand is owned by a third party, however with
the launch of the TechTube brand, the proud heritage and tradition that
is associated with the factory will be revived.

With the background knowledge of valve manufacturing and cathode
development, the Blackburn factory is once again able to be at the
leading edge of valve development. 2008 sees the launch of the first
real valve development since its initial launch back in the 1920's.

Company History

It was in late 1919 that the Z
Electric Lamp Company of Southfields run by Captain Stanley R. Mullard
collapsed. The very next year Captain Mullard set up the Mullard Radio
Valve Company Limited. In 1924 still wanting to expand as the valve
demand continued to grow Captain Mullard sold half his shares to NV
Philips Gloeilampenfabriken of Eindhoven Netherlands.

In 1938 work commenced on what was to become the largest valve
assembly works in the world. At it's peak in 1954 the Blackburn
Mullard site was manufacturing 500,000 valves per day. By 1961 gas and
electricity generation had been installed to make the site independent
of the local town supplies.

In 1938 the workfoce was a lowly 28 people, by 1945 around 3000
people in total were employed at the Blackburn Mullard site and by 1962
over 6200 people were employed in Blackburn and the various feeder
factories supplying raw materials and sub-components to the valve works.

There were five main feeder factories set-up to support Blackburn.
In 1949 and 51 two factories were set-up in Fleetwood, 1953 saw a
factory in Rawtenstall and in 1954 a factory in Lytham and a final
factory in Southport were opened.

Sadly with the demise of the valve at the hands of the transistor by
1984 all these factories had closed or moved to other activities.

But now with renewed interest in analogue devices, the former
Mullard site at Blackburn, now belonging to Blackburn MicroTech
Solutions, will once again include thermionic valves for radio
amplification as one of its key product lines. Even though the Mullard
brand can no longer be applied to the product as it is owned by outside
parties, the TechTube brand will enforce the quality and reliability
standards that the Mullard brand stood for and is now revered for in
the market place.

[spudulike]

I got two techtube valves today......

Hope your ready for this.....

they are better than the mullards ! I have purchased new Mullards for over £50 each I know the difference this is the one to watch!

quieter smoother a real valvy sound that shines without the gritty sound at higher levels I have put them in an art pro Vla compresor Wow amazing sound and clarity when this company goes public i am buying shares!!! its hard to imagian but i have fallen in love with a inanimate object!!

[seti]

How did you get these tubes? I can not find them for sale anywhere.

[oldenough]

That is some real cool footage. [Y]

[fini]

No wild goose chase, this gets fini's highest recommendation:

[seti]

trippy

[pauln]

Thanks for pointing to that cool film about the tubes. I absolutey love seeing that kind of old fasioned machinery in operation. When I was in the third grade we took a class outing to a bread factory. I was facinated by the whole sequence of conveyors and various machines along the line. I drew machines and assembly lines for months after that, I was so impressed! That film just brought it all back to me.