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another bit on old Henry ~!

PostPosted: Fri Sep 07, 2018 6:14 pm
by Harry Dalek
What can i say more on Henry

Re: another bit on old Henry ~!

PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2018 7:20 am
by Klaas Robers
Harry, the missing part in Henry Sutton's Nipkow TV system is electronic amplification. Apart from the fact that the amount of light that comes through the Nipkow disc in the camera is "next to nothing", photo cells were very unsensitive. And then you can see that he had the idea to connect it directly to a Kerr cell light modulator, which needs a voltage swing of hunderds of volts to operate.

If you look at the diagram, and you are not aware of this, you may think that he invented television. But Nipkow himself also had this idea and published it in his patent. But it never worked. And his valuable patent expired without that he had seen a single television line.

Around 1920 the first practical triode radio valves became available, and that was exactly the moment that Baird started working on TV. But allthough he had a 4-stage tube amplifier built, he still struggeled with the unsensitivity of his selenium photo cells. Nowadays it looks so simple: a Photo Multiplier Tube gives 10.000 x amplification. And if that is not enough (and it isn't), grab an opamp and you have plenty more of amplification. But for opamps Henry Sutton had to wait for about 90 years.....

Re: another bit on old Henry ~!

PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2018 5:38 pm
by Harry Dalek
Klaas Robers wrote:Harry, the missing part in Henry Sutton's Nipkow TV system is electronic amplification. Apart from the fact that the amount of light that comes through the Nipkow disc in the camera is "next to nothing", photo cells were very unsensitive. And then you can see that he had the idea to connect it directly to a Kerr cell light modulator, which needs a voltage swing of hunderds of volts to operate.

If you look at the diagram, and you are not aware of this, you may think that he invented television. But Nipkow himself also had this idea and published it in his patent. But it never worked. And his valuable patent expired without that he had seen a single television line.

Around 1920 the first practical triode radio valves became available, and that was exactly the moment that Baird started working on TV. But allthough he had a 4-stage tube amplifier built, he still struggeled with the unsensitivity of his selenium photo cells. Nowadays it looks so simple: a Photo Multiplier Tube gives 10.000 x amplification. And if that is not enough (and it isn't), grab an opamp and you have plenty more of amplification. But for opamps Henry Sutton had to wait for about 90 years.....


Yes its a pity both Herny and Nipkow didn't Pursue it Henry died in 1912 so he did have some time to work with amplification from a time after 1906 on wards the Triode... Nipkow was pretty poor he make it by 1940 no money for experiments or he too had lost interest/
But you are right the heading is pushing the truth a touch :wink: