Electrolytic Anti-Coherer DeForest-Smythe

DeForest Radio Telephone & Telegraph Co. (De Forest); New York

  • Year
  • 1899–1901 ?
  • Category
  • Radio module pre 1926 (not a part, not a key)
  • Radiomuseum.org ID
  • 278969
    • alternative name: Lee De Forest Mfg.

 Technical Specifications

  • Main principle
  • Special principle (see notes)
  • Wave bands
  • - without
  • Power type and voltage
  • Storage and/or dry batteries
  • Loudspeaker
  • - For headphones or amp.
  • Material
  • Various materials
  • from Radiomuseum.org
  • Model: Electrolytic Anti-Coherer [DeForest-Smythe] - DeForest Radio Telephone &
  • Shape
  • Tablemodel, with any shape - general.
  • Notes
  • In late 1900, along with W.W. Smythe, de Forest took out a patent for a
    detector, and called it “the Electrolytic Anti-Coherer.” 
     
    This detector was constructed like the filing coherer used by Marconi. There were two metal plugs contained in an insulated tube with a gap of about 1/100 inch between them. The gap was filled with one of several mixtures the inventors refered to as "goo". A typical mixture consisted of lead oxide, glycerine, water and metal fillings. The fillings were intended to act as secondary electrodes within the gap. Under the influence of a locally applied direct voltage crystalline lead is produced in such a paste and this builds up into chains and trees across the gap, like the silver particles in Schafer's plate. When a chain is completed deposition ceases as the gap is effectively short circuited. Once again a received pulse of oscillations breaks the chain causing a click to be heard in the telephone receiver which may be connected in the battery circuit. 
  • Mentioned in
  • Western Electrician, July 27, 1901, pages 49-50
  • Author
  • Model page created by Alan Larsen. See "Data change" for further contributors.

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