What Is a Transistor Radio?

History

• Texas Instruments, working with the Regency Division of Industrial Development Engineering Associates, introduced the first commercial transistor radio in 1954.

Features

• The Regency TR1 measured about 5 inches high, contained four germanium transistors and ran on a battery. It sold for $49.95 at the time, which translates to about $400 today.

Function

• Tiny transistors, invented by Bell Labs in 1948, replaced bulky vacuum tubes traditionally used in radios. A transistor is made of semi-conductive material and can amplify or switch electronic signals.

Effects

• By 1961, Texas Instruments had stopped producing transistor radios to concentrate on other areas of the semiconductor industry. A new Japanese company called Sony had entered the radio market in 1955 and became a world leader.

Significance

• The transistor radio led the way for dozens of miniaturized electronic devices, including microprocessor chips, which can contain as many as 125 million transistors.