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November 1947 Popular Science
 [Table of Contents]
Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early
electronics. See articles from
Popular
Science, published 1872-2021. All copyrights hereby acknowledged.
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Bell Telephone
Laboratories (Bell Labs) is a prime example of how a company builds a reputation
as a provider of excellent products and services. Engineers, technicians, and
managers designed and built a telephony system that was the envy of the world.
It did so through extensive testing of designs and stringent quality control
during manufacturing. The nationwide network build-out was equally robust and
reliable. Constant maintenance and improvement methods developed by Bell Labs
assured customers that service would be available whenever needed. Internal
research in both the electronic and the mechanical arenas played a large part in
their success. Being able to withstand the rigors of environmental factors
(heat, cold, vibration, dirt, water, etc.) was the result of a major investment
in science and engineering. Unfortunately, success went to their metaphorical
corporate head and monopolistic practices caused the federal court to order a
breakup of the leviathan company into small parts that needed to compete with
other innovators. I'm still dubious about the decision, since Bell Telephone
deserved some protection against infringement on its accomplishments. Acquiring
land and building out a massive wired network could have been done concurrently
with Bell's efforts, but was not. Blame for the outcome is shared by Bell and
its challengers.
Bell Telephone Laboratories Ad
 Your Telephone Transmitter and Receiver,
voice gateways to the telephone plant, are so essential to satisfactory service
that they have been under study in Bell laboratories for seven decades.
A telephone receiver is a complex system of electrical and mechanical elements.
Its coils, magnets, diaphragm and cap react on each other as they convert the electrical
waves of your voice to sound waves. What is the best size for the holes in the ear
cap? Will 1/1000th inch greater thickness help a receiver diaphragm to carry your
telephone voice more clearly? One way to find out is to build numerous experimental
receivers and test them.
But Bell Telephone Laboratories have found a shorter way. They built an all-electrical
replica, an "equivalent circuit" in which electrical resistance stands for air friction
in the cap holes; capacitance corresponds inversely to the stiffness of the diaphragm.
Over-all performance of this circuit can be quickly measured and design changes
economically explored. Later, a model can be built for final check.
The "equivalent circuit" was pioneered by Bell Telephone Laboratories 25 years
ago. It is a useful tool in many Laboratories developments - saving time, saving
the cost of machine-tooled models, encouraging experimentation. It is one more example
of the way Bell scientists get down to fundamentals as telephone progress continues-and
service keeps on improving for all subscribers.
Bell Telephone Laboratories
Exploring and Inventing, Devising and Perfecting, for Continued Improvements
and Economies in Telephone Service
Posted May 6, 2024
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