Almost 90 years have passed since the invention of the thermionic electron valve in 1904 by Sir John Ambrose Fleming. During this period, the development of electron tubes created the so called Electroni Age. Electron tubes played the leading role in the electronic equipments until the middle of the 1950s when solid state devices such as transistors and integrated circuits replaced electron tubes in various applications and accelerated the electronic age.
But the fact is, these super-tubes were made by what to most people was an obscure division of Bendix Aviation Corporation. The plant in which they were made was originally called the Bendix Red Bank Division, in Eatontown, N.J. the author is goingto take you on a bit of a trip through history: The history of military vacuum tubes, the history of Bendix Aviation, the triggering event that put Eclipse-Pioneer and Bendix Aviation in the vacuum tube business, and a history of the Bendixtube business and its important developments. The author is also going to give you valuable information about all the hype and hoopla surrounding the "Bendix" tubes being offered on eBay and other surplus sources.The Bendix tube business ceased operation only about 45 years ago, but detailed information is extremely difficult to find. It was mainly through the remaining retired employees, the local Bendix retired employees associations, and old Eatontown documents that were used by the author to piece together this puzzle. Some of it is anecdotal and may not be entirely accurate. By the time the author started working at Bendix in 1966, there was hardly even a mention of the tube businessat Eatontown.
