On Wed, 25 Feb 2004 07:51:15 +0000, "Ian White, G3SEK"
wrote:

[snip]

|Oh yes, and lay off the coffee and Coke for several hours beforehand!

No kidding!

During the development of the Phoenix Missile Solid State Transmitter,
which used 16 IMPATT diodes in a cavity power combiner, we were
serializing every diode.

The state of the art in diode manufacturing was such that getting 16
matched devices was almost impossible, so we tested hundreds and then
picked those that most closely matched. These were a microwave pill
package with a 3-48 screw and a flange about 2mm in diameter. We
scribed about a 10 digit serial number right into the gold on the
flange.

I was good for about 30 diodes each morning until the coffee and
shakes set it.