[time-nuts] HP 5071A Electron Multiplier of Cesium Beam Tube

[Rick Karlquist]

John Miles wrote:
> Of course, you'd hear the same thing if you asked the modern-day HP if
> they
> could refurbish an inkjet cartridge. :)  Not the same thing, and not the
> same company, I know... but still, HP had no incentive to try very hard to
> develop a reconditioning process, at least before Datum started selling
> replacement tubes.
>

FWIW:

Wait a minute.  Datum owns Symmetricom which bought HP/Agilent's
CBT production line and admits that their tubes were never as
good as HP/Agilent's tubes.  The 5071, as opposed to the 5061, has
a ROM with a password in the CBT so that only OEM tubes will work.
The password consists of a poem written by Len Cutler.  The poem is
copyrighted so that it would be illegal for a competitor to simply
reproduce it, according to Len.

Rick Karlquist N6RK