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  • The Lightbulb that Lit the Way to HP

The Lightbulb that Lit the Way to HP

Three lightbulbs like the ones that Bill Hewlett may have used as a variable resistor. Enlarge
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Date: 1938

On July 27, 1938, while working as a researcher at Stanford, Bill Hewlett had an idea that would revolutionize oscillator technology and lead directly to the founding of Hewlett-Packard. Engineers had long sought a way to create a resistor whose resistance could vary to match a wide range of signals. Bill realized that when a light bulb converted electricity to heat and light proportionate to the power it received, it was basically acting as a variable resistor. He integrated a socket and a fifteen-watt bulb into his oscillator prototype, and wound up with an instrument comparable to the best oscillators on the market for a fraction of the production cost. The breakthrough would be applied to Hewlett-Packard’s first product, the 200A oscillator, and would continue to be key to Hewlett-Packard oscillators for decades. One historian recalled, “what Hewlett accomplished that July day remains one of the most clever bits of practical invention in technology history.”

Tags: 1930s • 1938 • Bill Hewlett • Oscillator • Stanford University

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