Electronics is a scientific and engineering discipline that studies and applies the principles of physics to design, create, and operate devices that manipulate electrons and other electrically charged particles . It is a subfield of physics and electrical engineering which uses active devices such as transistors , diodes , and integrated circuits to control and amplify the flow of electric current and to convert it from one form to another, such as from alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) or from analog signals to digital signals.
55-525: EKCO (abbreviated from Eric Kirkham Cole Limited ) was a British electronics company founded by Eric Kirkham Cole CBE in Southend-on-Sea during 1924. The company started out by making radio sets, before progressing onto television sets and lighting. The company's knowledge of radio saw it expand into developing radar before and during World War II. The company expanded into making its own plastic bodies for radio sets, with EKCO Plastics later becoming
110-432: A mass-production basis, which limited them to a number of specialised applications. The MOSFET was invented at Bell Labs between 1955 and 1960. It was the first truly compact transistor that could be miniaturised and mass-produced for a wide range of uses. Its advantages include high scalability , affordability, low power consumption, and high density . It revolutionized the electronics industry , becoming
165-542: A large archive of documents and ephemera. The Science Museum, London holds a collection of EKCO Electronics, Ekco Heating and Appliances, and Ekco Plastics, while the Museum of Design in Plastic has a collection of Ekco products. The Victoria and Albert Museum have 71 items from Ekco in their collection. [REDACTED] Media related to EKCO at Wikimedia Commons Electronics Electronic devices have hugely influenced
220-487: A local newspaper asking if it was possible to power a radio set from the mains electricity supply rather than batteries. Cole saw a possible business opportunity and set about building his battery eliminator, the H.T. Eliminator, which he later demonstrated to Verrells. Suitably impressed, Verrells joined Cole in a business venture, with Cole manufacturing the battery eliminators, and Verrells marketing them with both Cole, Verrells and Bradshaw selling sets by knocking on doors in
275-506: A manufacturer of domestic wares. The company merged in 1960 with Pye to become British Electronic Industries Ltd, which was purchased by Dutch firm Philips in 1967, with the EKCO brand disappearing from brown goods during the 1970s. The company's founder Eric Kirkham Cole was born in July 1901 at Prittlewell , Southend-on-Sea , Essex, and was educated at Southend Day Technical School , followed by
330-566: A mix of the two types. Analog circuits are becoming less common, as many of their functions are being digitized. Analog circuits use a continuous range of voltage or current for signal processing, as opposed to the discrete levels used in digital circuits. Analog circuits were common throughout an electronic device in the early years in devices such as radio receivers and transmitters. Analog electronic computers were valuable for solving problems with continuous variables until digital processing advanced. As semiconductor technology developed, many of
385-529: A new holding company, British Electronic Industries Ltd, with C.O. Stanley as chairman and E. K. Cole as vice-chairman. The following year Cole resigned from the board and retired. He died on 18 November 1966 in the Bahamas due to a bathing accident, his wife Muriel having predeceased him in 1965. In 1961, Ekco formed two companies, Ekco TV and Radio and Ekco Heating and Electrical to market their products. British Electronic Industries became Pye of Cambridge in 1963,
440-540: A physical space, although in more recent years the trend has been towards electronics lab simulation software , such as CircuitLogix , Multisim , and PSpice . Today's electronics engineers have the ability to design circuits using premanufactured building blocks such as power supplies , semiconductors (i.e. semiconductor devices, such as transistors), and integrated circuits. Electronic design automation software programs include schematic capture programs and printed circuit board design programs. Popular names in
495-473: A three-year apprenticeship. He joined his father's business in fitting electrics to houses. Cole and his future wife Muriel Bradshaw started out making radio sets in 1922 in a rented room in Westcliff-on-Sea, at a rate of about six a week, which were all battery powered as per the norm at the time. William Streatfield Verrells, a schoolmaster and freelance journalist from Southend-on-Sea, wrote an article in
550-548: Is defined as unwanted disturbances superposed on a useful signal that tend to obscure its information content. Noise is not the same as signal distortion caused by a circuit. Noise is associated with all electronic circuits. Noise may be electromagnetically or thermally generated, which can be decreased by lowering the operating temperature of the circuit. Other types of noise, such as shot noise cannot be removed as they are due to limitations in physical properties. Many different methods of connecting components have been used over
605-595: Is the voltage comparator which receives a continuous range of voltage but only outputs one of two levels as in a digital circuit. Similarly, an overdriven transistor amplifier can take on the characteristics of a controlled switch , having essentially two levels of output. Analog circuits are still widely used for signal amplification, such as in the entertainment industry, and conditioning signals from analog sensors, such as in industrial measurement and control. Digital circuits are electric circuits based on discrete voltage levels. Digital circuits use Boolean algebra and are
SECTION 10
#1732851255288660-448: Is therefore the process of defining and developing complex electronic devices to satisfy specified requirements of the user. Due to the complex nature of electronics theory, laboratory experimentation is an important part of the development of electronic devices. These experiments are used to test or verify the engineer's design and detect errors. Historically, electronics labs have consisted of electronics devices and equipment located in
715-534: The Concorde and BOAC Boeing 747 fleet. The Rochford factory was sold to Lesney Products in 1968, with a works being transferred back to the Ekco Works at Southend. In 1970, EKCO's radar activities were subsumed into MEL , the military electronics subsidiary of Philips. The company began to use injection moulding to make plastic radio cases in 1947, and expanded into making plastic parts for other manufacturers. By
770-621: The IBM 608 was the first IBM product to use transistor circuits without any vacuum tubes and is believed to be the first all-transistorized calculator to be manufactured for the commercial market. The 608 contained more than 3,000 germanium transistors. Thomas J. Watson Jr. ordered all future IBM products to use transistors in their design. From that time on transistors were almost exclusively used for computer logic circuits and peripheral devices. However, early junction transistors were relatively bulky devices that were difficult to manufacture on
825-849: The 1950s, the company produced a number of military radar systems including the ARI 5820 ranging radar for the Hawker Hunter ; the ASV Mk. 19 air to surface vessel radar for the Fairey Gannet , and the Red Steer tail warning radar for the Avro Vulcan . EKCO also supplied weather radars for a variety of civil aircraft such as the Bristol Britannia , De Havilland Comet , Vickers Vanguard , Vickers VC10 and BAC 111 . The instrumentation department produced some of
880-448: The 1960s, U.S. manufacturers were unable to compete with Japanese companies such as Sony and Hitachi who could produce high-quality goods at lower prices. By the 1980s, however, U.S. manufacturers became the world leaders in semiconductor development and assembly. However, during the 1990s and subsequently, the industry shifted overwhelmingly to East Asia (a process begun with the initial movement of microchip mass-production there in
935-531: The 1970s), as plentiful, cheap labor, and increasing technological sophistication, became widely available there. Over three decades, the United States' global share of semiconductor manufacturing capacity fell, from 37% in 1990, to 12% in 2022. America's pre-eminent semiconductor manufacturer, Intel Corporation , fell far behind its subcontractor Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) in manufacturing technology. By that time, Taiwan had become
990-636: The British Army. Ekco bought the Dynatron business in 1954 and the Ferranti brown goods brand in 1957 (though not Ferranti's heavy industries, defence electronics or meter businesses). The company also had a component subsidiary, Egen Electrics, on Canvey Island . In the early 1950s, a new subsidiary Ekco Electronics Ltd, was created to manage the development of radar and instrumentation manufactured at both Malmesbury (radar) and Southend (instrumentation). During
1045-546: The Duke of Edinburgh award for elegant design with the judges commenting on its "practical qualities of convenience and durability with shapes and colours of precision and elegance". In 1970, Harman Powell's design for disposable cutlery won the Design Council of Industrial Design Award for Consumer Orientated Products. Pye Holdings sold Ecko Plastics to National Plastics, a subsidiary of Courtaulds , in 1978 for £875,000. NP Ekco, as
1100-709: The EDA software world are NI Multisim, Cadence ( ORCAD ), EAGLE PCB and Schematic, Mentor (PADS PCB and LOGIC Schematic), Altium (Protel), LabCentre Electronics (Proteus), gEDA , KiCad and many others. Heat generated by electronic circuitry must be dissipated to prevent immediate failure and improve long term reliability. Heat dissipation is mostly achieved by passive conduction/convection. Means to achieve greater dissipation include heat sinks and fans for air cooling, and other forms of computer cooling such as water cooling . These techniques use convection , conduction , and radiation of heat energy . Electronic noise
1155-470: The Southend School of Art and had previously worked for EKCO, was appointed as chief industrial designer in 1960 after a spell with British Industrial Plastics. The company were producing over a million plastic mouldings a week by 1960. In 1964, under Pye of Cambridge ownership, Ekco Plastics introduced a range of containers under the 'Eckoware' brand name. In 1968, David Harman Powell's Nova tableware won
SECTION 20
#17328512552881210-409: The basis of all digital computers and microprocessor devices. They range from simple logic gates to large integrated circuits, employing millions of such gates. Digital circuits use a binary system with two voltage levels labelled "0" and "1" to indicated logical status. Often logic "0" will be a lower voltage and referred to as "Low" while logic "1" is referred to as "High". However, some systems use
1265-468: The best, if not the best, units in the country producing wireless apparatus". It is estimated that by 1945 EKCO had over 8,000 people working for it across various sites making mains and portable TVs, mains and portable radios, radiograms, tape recorders, car radios , electric heaters , and electric blankets . In 1947, the company introduced the Wireless Set No. 88 VHF man-pack transceiver for use by
1320-517: The business to Marconi. Before the start of the Second World War, the Government decided to disperse certain production to locations away from obvious bombing targets. This led to a shadow factory at Cowbridge House , Malmesbury , Wiltshire, being established by Ekco. This was followed by other shadow factories at Aylesbury , Woking , Preston , and Rutherglen . The wartime headquarters of Ekco
1375-459: The circuit, thus slowing the computer. The invention of the integrated circuit by Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce solved this problem by making all the components and the chip out of the same block (monolith) of semiconductor material. The circuits could be made smaller, and the manufacturing process could be automated. This led to the idea of integrating all components on a single-crystal silicon wafer, which led to small-scale integration (SSI) in
1430-432: The clubs football team Ekco Park F.C. still carry the name. A statue of Eric Cole was commissioned for the housing development in 2020. The EKCO brand was bought by Chinese company International Audio Group in 2009. Southend Museums Service is home to the world's largest collection of Ekco material including radios, television sets, electric heaters and blankets, bathroom accessories, domestic design, kitchenware, and
1485-703: The company had a turnover of more than £1 million. In 1935 Ekco made a substantial investment in Scophony Limited, the developers of the Scophony projection television system. Although the system showed great promise, its development was halted by the Second World War, and not resumed postwar. In 1936, Ekco and Marconi set up Marconi-Ekco Instruments as a jointly owned company to combine their activities in measuring instruments, diathermy, and electro-medical apparatus with premises at Southend and Chelmsford. In 1941, Eric Kirkham Cole announced that they had sold their share in
1540-648: The design work for the company’s new range of receivers. Ekco launched its first car radio at the 1934 Radiolympia exhibition. Another important development for the company was the introduction of bakelite cabinets for its radios. Initially these cabinets were made for the company in Germany by AEG , however the introduction of high import duties on the cabinets in 1931 led Ekco to establish its own bakelite moulding shop adjacent to its Southend-on-Sea works. The company employed architects such as Serge Chermayeff and Wells Coates to design its bakelite radio cabinets. By 1934,
1595-432: The development of many aspects of modern society, such as telecommunications , entertainment, education, health care, industry, and security. The main driving force behind the advancement of electronics is the semiconductor industry , which in response to global demand continually produces ever-more sophisticated electronic devices and circuits. The semiconductor industry is one of the largest and most profitable sectors in
1650-874: The early 1960s, and then medium-scale integration (MSI) in the late 1960s, followed by VLSI . In 2008, billion-transistor processors became commercially available. An electronic component is any component in an electronic system either active or passive. Components are connected together, usually by being soldered to a printed circuit board (PCB), to create an electronic circuit with a particular function. Components may be packaged singly, or in more complex groups as integrated circuits . Passive electronic components are capacitors , inductors , resistors , whilst active components are such as semiconductor devices; transistors and thyristors , which control current flow at electron level. Electronic circuit functions can be divided into two function groups: analog and digital. A particular device may consist of circuitry that has either or
1705-452: The electronic logic gates to generate binary states. Highly integrated devices: Electronic systems design deals with the multi-disciplinary design issues of complex electronic devices and systems, such as mobile phones and computers . The subject covers a broad spectrum, from the design and development of an electronic system ( new product development ) to assuring its proper function, service life and disposal . Electronic systems design
EKCO - Misplaced Pages Continue
1760-435: The field of electronics and the electron age. Practical applications started with the invention of the diode by Ambrose Fleming and the triode by Lee De Forest in the early 1900s, which made the detection of small electrical voltages, such as radio signals from a radio antenna , practicable. Vacuum tubes (thermionic valves) were the first active electronic components which controlled current flow by influencing
1815-553: The first control systems for Britain's nuclear power stations, while other instruments included nucleonic gauges. In 1960, a new factory was opened in Rochford , with the manufacture and development departments at Southend and Malmesbury being relocated to the new site. Westland Sea King helicopters used the Ekco AW391 search radar, while the company also made the E390/564 weather radar for
1870-538: The first time. Ekco Plastics was based at Priory Crescent, Southend. They developed a range of plastic consumer products, beginning with the 'Superbath' baby bath, designed by Martyn Rowland who would later design the Trimphone . The bath won a Council of Industrial Design award in 1958. The company provided 800 slimline toilet seats for the cruise ship SS Oriana in 1959, with many hotels and public organisations ordering there products. David Harman Powell, who had attended
1925-456: The flow of individual electrons , and enabled the construction of equipment that used current amplification and rectification to give us radio , television , radar , long-distance telephony and much more. The early growth of electronics was rapid, and by the 1920s, commercial radio broadcasting and telecommunications were becoming widespread and electronic amplifiers were being used in such diverse applications as long-distance telephony and
1980-562: The following ways: The electronics industry consists of various sectors. The central driving force behind the entire electronics industry is the semiconductor industry sector, which has annual sales of over $ 481 billion as of 2018. The largest industry sector is e-commerce , which generated over $ 29 trillion in 2017. The most widely manufactured electronic device is the metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), with an estimated 13 sextillion MOSFETs having been manufactured between 1960 and 2018. In
2035-489: The functions of analog circuits were taken over by digital circuits, and modern circuits that are entirely analog are less common; their functions being replaced by hybrid approach which, for instance, uses analog circuits at the front end of a device receiving an analog signal, and then use digital processing using microprocessor techniques thereafter. Sometimes it may be difficult to classify some circuits that have elements of both linear and non-linear operation. An example
2090-462: The global economy, with annual revenues exceeding $ 481 billion in 2018. The electronics industry also encompasses other sectors that rely on electronic devices and systems, such as e-commerce, which generated over $ 29 trillion in online sales in 2017. The identification of the electron in 1897 by Sir Joseph John Thomson , along with the subsequent invention of the vacuum tube which could amplify and rectify small electrical signals , inaugurated
2145-562: The group, and in 1976 completed the purchase of the remaining shares. By the early 1970s, the Ekco brand had all but disappeared from electronic products. The main factory at Southend-on-Sea was, after being sold to the Access credit card company, demolished to make way for a housing development. The Ekco name lives on within the development, and the site still hosts the Ekco Social and Sports Club, while
2200-531: The manufacture of mains powered radios rather than battery eliminators which were becoming obsolete, bringing in John Wyborn from Marconiphone as their chief engineer and Michael Lipman as production engineer. The company was also revolutionary in using Bakelite for its radio cases instead of wood, which was the norm. The company suffered a major financial setback in 1932, when a fire swept through its research and development laboratories. The blaze destroyed much of
2255-524: The mid to late 1950s, E. K. Cole had grown to be one of the largest producers of industrial plastics in Europe, purchasing companies such as Kilgore in 1955. Ekco Plastics Limited was formed in 1956 as a wholly owned subsidiary. In 1959, the largest plastic injection moulding machine in Great Britain was installed in the factory. The new moulding machine allowed Ekco to produce single mouldings for Frigidaire for
EKCO - Misplaced Pages Continue
2310-399: The most widely used electronic device in the world. The MOSFET is the basic element in most modern electronic equipment. As the complexity of circuits grew, problems arose. One problem was the size of the circuit. A complex circuit like a computer was dependent on speed. If the components were large, the wires interconnecting them must be long. The electric signals took time to go through
2365-688: The music recording industry. The next big technological step took several decades to appear, when the first working point-contact transistor was invented by John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain at Bell Labs in 1947. However, vacuum tubes continued to play a leading role in the field of microwave and high power transmission as well as television receivers until the middle of the 1980s. Since then, solid-state devices have all but completely taken over. Vacuum tubes are still used in some specialist applications such as high power RF amplifiers , cathode-ray tubes , specialist audio equipment, guitar amplifiers and some microwave devices . In April 1955,
2420-594: The new radar systems as part of the "Western Development Unit". Radar equipment produced at Malmesbury during the war included the AI Mk. IV and AI Mk. VIII air interception radars, and the ASV Mk. II air to surface vessel radar. In addition to radar equipment, Ekco also manufactured the ubiquitous R1155 and T1154 aircraft radios at its Aylesbury shadow factory. Ekco carried out extensive development work on both units before putting them into production, significantly improving on
2475-538: The original Marconi design. The R1155 and T1154 were also produced by Marconi, Plessey , and EMI . The company also manufactured the Wireless Set No. 19 tank radio at Woking. It was a Pye designed set made by several other British and American companies. In 1942, Ekco began production of its Wireless Set No. 46 portable man-pack radio, and large numbers of these were made at the company's Woking and Southend-on-Sea factories. In 1943, Sir Stafford Cripps , then minister of aircraft production, described Ekco as "one of
2530-540: The reverse definition ("0" is "High") or are current based. Quite often the logic designer may reverse these definitions from one circuit to the next as they see fit to facilitate their design. The definition of the levels as "0" or "1" is arbitrary. Ternary (with three states) logic has been studied, and some prototype computers made, but have not gained any significant practical acceptance. Universally, Computers and Digital signal processors are constructed with digital circuits using Transistors such as MOSFETs in
2585-491: The subsidiary was called, was sold to Linpac in 1986. Linpac became Ecomold, but closed the factory after it fell into administration in 2008. Ekco started making Thermotube tubular heaters at Malmesbury in 1940. The company would develop further products including electric blankets, Panelec solid embedded floor warming system, Greenhouse heating, Teamakers and Hostess trolleys. In 1962, Ekco merged with Pye subsidiary L G Hawkins & Co Ltd to form Ekco Hawkins. The production
2640-400: The town that had a radio aerial outside their property. Cole married Muriel in 1925 and they would go onto have two boys. In 1926 a private company E. K. Cole Ltd was formed with Verrells as chairman and Cole as vice-chairman, and were joined on the board by local businessmen Mr Maxwell, the owner of Peter Pans Playground , builder Mr Manners and milkman Mr Pring. With the extra funding that
2695-698: The world's leading source of advanced semiconductors —followed by South Korea , the United States , Japan , Singapore , and China . Important semiconductor industry facilities (which often are subsidiaries of a leading producer based elsewhere) also exist in Europe (notably the Netherlands ), Southeast Asia, South America, and Israel . Cowbridge House 51°34′37″N 2°05′00″W / 51.5770°N 2.0833°W / 51.5770; -2.0833 Cowbridge House , 3 ⁄ 4 mile (1.2 km) southeast of Malmesbury , Wiltshire, England,
2750-756: The years. For instance, early electronics often used point to point wiring with components attached to wooden breadboards to construct circuits. Cordwood construction and wire wrap were other methods used. Most modern day electronics now use printed circuit boards made of materials such as FR4 , or the cheaper (and less hard-wearing) Synthetic Resin Bonded Paper ( SRBP , also known as Paxoline/Paxolin (trade marks) and FR2) – characterised by its brown colour. Health and environmental concerns associated with electronics assembly have gained increased attention in recent years, especially for products destined to go to European markets. Electrical components are generally mounted in
2805-471: Was an 18th-century country house that was demolished in 2007. During the Second World War, the EKCO company used the house as a shadow factory for the manufacture of radar equipment. The factory continued after the war, producing radio and telecommunications equipment; the company was taken over by Pye TMC and then Philips , and later became part of AT&T . The site was in use as offices until 2004 when
SECTION 50
#17328512552882860-588: Was based at Aston Clinton House in Buckinghamshire. Following the outbreak of war, the Southend-on-Sea factory was evacuated apart from the bakelite moulding shop whose large moulding presses could not be moved easily. Less than a year later, the empty factory was re-equipped to make wiring looms for aircraft such as the Avro Lancaster . Malmesbury specialised in the top-secret development and production of
2915-674: Was moved to Hawkins factory in Hastings , with the company later being renamed Ekco Hastings. The company later became part of Philips small electrical appliance department. In the late 1930s, Ekco began producing its own radio valves at its Southend-on-Sea works. Following the company's decision to abandon the venture, the plant was converted to a lamp factory. In 1943, Ekco acquired Ensign Lamps based in Preston. In 1950, Ekco sold 51% of its lighting subsidiary, Ekco-Ensign Electric Ltd, to Thorn Electrical Industries . Ekco merged with Pye in 1960 to form
2970-441: Was put up for sale in 1966, and in the same year Pye closed the Southend-on-Sea factory (but maintained its car radio repair workshop until 1977) as part of its restructuring plan. Philips Electrical Industries attempted to purchase the business but was blocked from buying the company outright by the then Trade Secretary Tony Benn , and would only allow them to purchase 60% of the shareholding. Philips created Pye Holdings to manage
3025-485: Was raised, the company set up a new factory behind 803-805 London Road, Leigh-on-Sea in 1927, employing around 50 people. After further expansion, E. K. Cole Ltd became a public limited company in 1930, and moved to a spacious new factory called the Ekco Works at Priory Crescent, Southend-on-Sea, the first large factory in Britain intended specifically for manufacturing radio receivers. The company also began to concentrate on
#287712