Allen B. DuMont | |
|---|---|
 DuMont with first 21-inch color TV picture tube (1954) | |
| Born | Allen Balcom DuMont (1901-01-29)January 29, 1901 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | 14 November 1965(1965-11-14) (aged 64) Montclair, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
| Known for | Cathode-ray tube radar foundedDuMont Television Network |
| Awards | First recipient of the Westinghouse Award (later theIntel Science Talent Search, then theRegeneron Science Talent Search) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Electronics engineer |
| Institutions | Westinghouse Lamp Company de Forest Radio Telephone & Telegraph Company Allen B. DuMont Laboratories |
Allen Balcom DuMont (/ˈduːmɒnt/; January 29, 1901 – November 14, 1965) was an American electronics engineer,scientist andinventor who improved thecathode-ray tube in 1931 for use intelevision receivers. Seven years later he manufactured and sold the first commercially practical television set to the public. In June 1938, his Model 180 television receiver was the first all-electronic television set sold to the public, a few months prior toRCA's first TV set in April 1939. In 1946, DuMont founded the firsttelevision network to be licensed, theDuMont Television Network, by linking stationWABD (named for DuMont, later becoming WNEW and then WNYW) inNew York City to station W3XWT, which later becameWTTG, inWashington, D.C. WTTG was named for Dr.Thomas T. Goldsmith, DuMont's Vice President of Research, and his best friend. DuMont's successes in television picture tubes, TV sets and components and his involvement in commercial TV broadcasting made him the first millionaire in the business.
DuMont was born inBrooklyn,New York City, the son of Lillian Felton (Balcom) and William Henry Beaman DuMont.[1] At the age of 10, he was stricken withpolio and was quarantined at his family'sEastern Parkway apartment for nearly a year. During his quarantine, his father brought home books and magazines for the young DuMont to read while bedridden. DuMont developed an interest in science, wirelessradio communication, and taught himselfMorse code.
His father bought him acrystal radio receiver which he assembled, took apart, reassembled and rebuilt several times. He improved his set each time he rebuilt it and later built a transmitter, while his father obtained the landlord's permission to erect a 30-foot-high (9.1 m)transceivingantenna on the roof.
While recuperating from polio, DuMont was advised toswim to regain the use of his legs. In 1914, the family moved toMontclair, New Jersey, where there was an indoor year-round pool available at the localYMCA. He graduated fromMontclair High School in 1919, and went toRensselaer Polytechnic Institute inTroy, New York, where he was part of theAlpha chapter of theTheta Xi fraternity.
In 1915, DuMont became the youngest American to obtain a first class commercial radio operator's license at age 14. The following summer, he worked as a radio operator aboard a coastal steamer making runs from New York toProvidence, Rhode Island. As the summers went by, he made his way to theCaribbean,South America and, afterWorld War I, toEurope, where, during the summer of 1922, he was stuck inCopenhagen for months because of a dock workers' strike.
After graduating from Rensselaer in 1924, DuMont worked at theWestinghouse Lamp Company inBloomfield, New Jersey, in charge ofradio tube production. There he increased production from 500 tubes per day to an astounding 50,000 tubes per day. Management gave him a $500 bonus, a small raise, and devised the "Westinghouse Award" to recognize his accomplishments. The Westinghouse Award was later presented as a scholarship award to high school seniors showing promise in a field of science (later theIntel Science Talent Search)[2] and continues to this day as theRegeneron Science Talent Search.
By 1928, DuMont was searching for new opportunities and was wooed by Dr.Lee de Forest, a radio pioneer who developed theaudion tube, the original voice amplifier for radio reception. De Forest had had a checkered career as an inventor and several failed business ventures. DuMont was hired by the de Forest Radio Telephone & Telegraph Company as vice president and production manager for radio tubes. He revamped the factory with newly designed machinery: "a high speed sealing machine, automatic grid winding and welding machine, base branding machine, basing and wire cutting machine, high-frequency bombarder and numerous tube-characteristic test sets and life racks."[3] Factory capacity was increased to 30,000 tubes per day.
When De Forest took over the mechanicaltelevision system ofC. Francis Jenkins, DuMont turned his attention to television. He was involved in the first television transmissions from W2XCD inPassaic. But DuMont realized that clear images would need the development of scanning in a cathode-ray tube. DuMont worked to improve television transmission and reception and implored De Forest for funds to build a long-lasting cathode-ray tube for television reception. De Forest denied DuMont's request because De Forest's investors were demanding better returns. DuMont subsequently resigned at the same time that De Forest sold his radio manufacturing business toDavid Sarnoff at RCA.
DuMont had developed an improved version of the cathode-ray tube which was both cheaper to produce and longer-lasting than the typical German tubes in use– the imported tubes had a life of 25 to 30 hours. DuMont's invention of the first long-lasting cathode-ray tube made television commercially viable.[4][5] He started his own company,Allen B. DuMont Laboratories,[6] in the basement of hisUpper Montclair, NJ home, building long-lasting cathode-ray tubes. In 1931, he sold two tubes to two college science laboratories for $35 each.
Since DuMont was a leader incathode-ray tube (CRT) design and manufacturing, it was a natural step to use the CRT as a visual measuring instrument oroscilloscope. The production of CRT's and oscilloscopes was part of DuMont Laboratories in Upper Montclair. Needing more space he moved to a larger location inPassaic, NJ in 1934.[7] Although not the inventor of the oscilloscope, DuMont designed and mass-produced practical oscilloscopes (which he called oscillographs) for all types of laboratory, automotive/equipment servicing and manufacturing applications. By the 1940s DuMont was the leader in the oscilloscope equipment market. DuMont was one of the earliest designers of the triggered sweeposcilloscope using a gasthyratron vacuum tube (forerunner to thesilicon controlled rectifier or SCR). This allowed the oscilloscope to display a visual trace at a preset input signal level. In addition the sweep (trace across the CRT screen) could be regulated by the sweep speed or sweep frequency. This design allowed the oscilloscope to provide better visual detail of the signal being studied. The trigger was a frequency synchronizing type which provided viewing stability.
The profits from the oscillographs helped DuMont invest in television design and hisDuMont TV Network.[2] Unfortunately the time spent on his TV ventures cannibalized his profitable oscillograph business.[8] In 1947, a young equipment manufacturer calledTektronix produced the model 511 Time Base Trigger and Sweep Oscilloscope for $795.[9] The use of time instead of frequency to measure a sweep across the CRT wasTektronix's big selling point. Time measurements make it easier to interpret pulses and complex waveforms.[10] It has been mentioned informally that Allen DuMont saw the model 511 demonstrated at an electronics show. He tried it and was impressed, but commented toHoward Vollum and Jack Murdock, co-founders ofTektronix that it was too expensive and they would be lucky to sell any.[11]Tektronix's time base trigger and time sweep generator design would become the standard in the 1950s and into the 21st century.Tektronix would replace DuMont Oscillographs as the leading selling oscilloscope brand.[12]
WhenFairchild Camera and Instrument acquired DuMont Laboratories in 1960, oscilloscopes were still being made with the DuMont name brand. Allen DuMont became Group General Manager of the DuMont Division, until his death in 1965.[2] All DuMont oscilloscopes in the late 1950s and after the Fairchild acquisition were using the time base trigger and time sweep generator method introduced byTektronix. The DuMont line of oscilloscopes continued to be produced into the 1980s.[13]
During the early years of World War II, DuMont received special government contracts to provide large 36 inches (91 cm) wide cathode-ray tubes. These tubes allowed scientists working on theManhattan Project to study the action of accelerated electrons.
In 1932, DuMont proposed a "ship finder" device to theUnited States Army Signal Corps atFort Monmouth,New Jersey, that used radio wave distortions to locate objects on a cathode-ray tube screen, a type ofradar. The military asked him, however, not to take out a patent because they wanted to maintain secrecy, so he is seldom mentioned among those responsible for radar.[citation needed]
In 1932, DuMont invented themagic eye tube, or Electron Ray Tube,[14] used as a tuning accessory in radios and as a level meter in mono and stereo homereel-to-reel tape recorders. In the 1930s the manufacture of mechanical panel meters were labor-intensive and expensive. Magic eye tubes provided radio designers with a less expensive and more profitable way to add a feature usually found in higher priced equipment. The general public reception was a success as customers liked the green glow and the seemingly magical way it worked. He released details on his invention the following year.[7] He sold the patent rights to RCA for $20,000 to help fund his other projects.
DuMont produced black and white televisions in the late 1930s, 1940s and 1950s that were generally regarded as offering highest quality and durability. Many of these premium sets included a built in AM/FM radio and record player.[15]
DuMont sold his television manufacturing division toEmerson Radio in 1958, and sold the remainder of the company toFairchild Camera in 1960. Fairchild later developedsemiconductormicrochips.Robert Noyce, a co-founder ofIntel, originally worked for DuMont as an engineer.[citation needed]
The DuMont Television Network was not an unqualified success, being faced with the major problem of how to make a profit without the benefit of an already established radio network as a base. After ten years, DuMont shuttered the network and sold what remained of his television operations toJohn Kluge in 1956, which Kluge renamedMetromedia. DuMont's partner, Thomas T. Goldsmith (for whom the Washington, D.C. stationWTTG was named), remained on Metromedia's board of directors from this time all the way until Kluge sold the stations to theFox Television Stations Group in 1986, when the Fox network was formed.
DuMont was the first to provide funding for educational television broadcasting. He was the recipient of numerous honorary degrees and awards, among them theCross of Knight awarded by the French Government, theHoratio Alger Award, the Westinghouse Award, and the DeForest Medal. He is also a holder of over 30 patents in cathode-ray tubes and other television equipment.
DuMont enjoyed sailing. He owned a cruiser, theHurricane III. He would participate in boat races and compete in navigation skills competition, winning three national championships. He died in 1965 and is buried inMount Hebron Cemetery inMontclair, New Jersey. He was survived by his wife Ethel and their two children, Allen Jr. and Yvonne.[2] The television center atMontclair State University bears his name and produces programs for theNJTV system (formerlyNew Jersey Network).[2]
DuMont set up a company in 1931 that later was known as Allen B. DuMont Laboratories, Inc.
