The TR-1 is a superheterodyne receiver made with four n-p-n germanium transistors and one diode. Exhibit of Deutsches Museum, Munich 22.5 Volt battery used in the Regency TR-1 (AA battery for comparison shown on left) The Regency TR-1 was patented by Richard C. The current drain from this battery is only 4 mA, allowing 20 to 30 hours of operation, in comparison to only several hours for the portable receivers based on vacuum tubes. A 22.5 volt battery provides power, since the only way to get adequate radio frequency performance out of early transistors was to run them close to their collector-to-emitter breakdown voltage. The TR-1 uses Texas Instruments' NPN transistors, hand-picked in sets of four. The red triangles on the frequency dial mark the CONELRAD frequencies of 6 kHz. It came in a cardboard box with the color stamped on the end. It was advertised as measuring 3" × 5" × 1.25" (7.62 × 12.7 × 3.2 cm) and weighed 12 ounces (340 g) including the 22.5 volt battery. The TR-1 was initially offered in black, bone white, mandarin red, and cloud gray, it was later uncommonly offered in olive green, mahogany, and eventually in rare colors including lavender, pearl white, turquoise, pink, and lime. The design won an award from the Industrial Design Society of New York and was selected by the Museum of Modern Art for the American Art and Design Exhibition in Paris in 1955. The design was created within six weeks by way of telephone and design sketches exchanged by mail. outsourced the TR-1 exterior design to the industrial design firm of Painter, Teague and Petertil. A review in Consumer Reports mentioned the high level of noise and instability on certain radio frequencies, and recommended against purchase. While the radio was praised for design aesthetics, novelty and small size, because of the cost cutting measures, the sensitivity and sound quality were behind the established vacuum tube based competitors, and reviews were typically adverse. One year after the TR-1 release, sales approached 100,000 units. keep the price down to $49.95, ($510 in 2021), which was a significant amount of money for such a small, untried object. Although this severely reduced audio output volume, it let I.D.E.A. The Regency TR-1 circuitry was refined from the Texas Instruments drawings, reducing the number of parts, including two expensive transistors. The Regency Division of I.D.E.A announced the TR-1 on October 18, 1954, and put it on sale in November 1954. Ed Tudor, the president of Industrial Development Engineering Associates, (I.D.E.A), a builder of home antenna boosters, jumped at the opportunity to manufacture the TR-1, predicting sales of the transistor radios would be "20 million radios in three years." No major radio maker, including RCA, Philco, and Emerson, was interested. In May 1954, Texas Instruments, previously a producer of instrumentation for the oil industry and locating devices for the US Navy, was looking for an established radio manufacturer to develop and market a radio using their transistors. Surviving specimens are sought out by collectors. Previously, transistors had only been used in military or industrial applications, and the TR-1 demonstrated their utility for consumer electronics, offering a prescient glimpse of a future full of small, convenient hand-held devices that would develop into calculators, mobile phones, tablets and the like. Despite mediocre performance, about 150,000 units were sold, due to the novelty of its small size and portability. The Regency TR-1 was the first commercially manufactured transistor radio, introduced in 1954. 1954 commercial transistor radio Regency TR-1 transistor radio
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