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Old November 6th 05, 11:15 PM
gb
 
Posts: n/a
Default HURRICANE 350 AMP

"Michael Black" wrote in message
...

"gb" ) writes:
Bi-polar solid-state designs were largely copies from Motorola
application
notes (Helge Granberg) - without credit or royalties paid to Motorola.
You will find MRF (Motorola) or 2SC (Toshiba or other Japanese mfg)
transistors.

I'm not sure that wording is fair.

By definition, application notes are done by a semiconductor manufacturer
to sell the devices. They aren't selling design, they are selling the
transistors or ICs. If an application note sells more devices, then
it's a success. Note that in many cases for ICs, there is a fairly fixed
means of using the IC, which was seen by the manufacturer from the start.
If they didn't show you how the IC was intended to be used, then the IC
isn't of much use.

If semiconductor manufacturers were expecting credit and/or royalties,
they'd either not be giving out the application notes.

Michael VE2BVW


Well Helge is not here to defend himself -- he passed away at his home in
Phoenix, Arizona, January 16, 1996. He was 63

Motorola is just down the road from where I live (an influence for my
career).
In the 1970s Motorola did have PC board layouts as part of their application
notes.
Today, you can legally purchase PC boards from some of these original
Motorola application notes from CCI.
http://www.communication-concepts.com/

I understand your point and I am talking about today's IC design work.
At this time (early 1970s), all of Helge's work was ground breaking
(patents) for RF amplifier transistors & proper applications.
The issue was concerning usage of Motorola's application notes -- it
included trademark infringement - where the law is very specific.

When I was doing part-time work during college (1970s), a mobile solid-state
amplifiers began to appear for the CB service.
A few of these landed on my bench from the owner --- with a note "see what
is wrong with it". (One rattled due to the exploded core of the output
transformer !)
Many of these the PC board maker failed to remove Motorola's name and
trademark (on the original PC artwork in the notes) from the boards!
BTW, Intel would keep a board copier in courts for decades -- if this happen
today with their motherboards.

It is my understanding that Motorola received a number of calls (consumer
complaints, etc.) about these -- but it was not their manufacturing!
Legal and marketing departments get quite upset about these issues.

Although I never saw an official Motorola statement from that period -- many
of these clones/copies quickly disappeared in mid to late 1970s
The Palomar/Boomer/"made in my Texas backyard" amplifier designs are the
ones copied these days (without bias).

gb