Altair 680 power supply...

[Tony Duell]

> 
> On 18 Jan 2010 at 21:04, Jochen Kunz wrote:
> 
> > On Sun, 17 Jan 2010 19:42:48 +0000 (GMT)
> > ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell) wrote:
> > 
> > > [1] We (UK) often call that component a 'thyristor' by analogy with
> > > 'thyratron' 
> > [...]
> > > Is that name recognised elsewhere?
> > It is called 'thyristor' in Germany too.
> 
> Both "thyristor" and "SCR" are used in the U.S., but "SCR" is easier 

:-)

> to spell. "Thyristor" is more of a generic term that can include 
> TRIACs, DIACs, SIDACs, LASCRs, and all manner of other 4-layer 
> devices.

Right. Over here, AFAIK, a 'thyristor' was a 4-layer, 3 lead, 
unidirectional device, I've neer head it being used for any of the other 
devices. The name, I beliece, is derrived from the (ancient?) Greek 
'Thura' meaning a door.

I grew up calling them thyristors, but now normally call them SCRs since 
it causes less confusion. Similarly I learnt the German symbols for logic 
gates (the AND gate looks like what you'd expect, the OR gate looks like 
an AND gate -- it has a straight back -- but the input lines are 
continuted across the symbol to the curved face), but now use the normal 
US sysmbols when I'm drawing schematis, since everybody else does. I can 
still read a scehamtic using the German symbols, of course (nad often 
have to ;-)). 

I also learnt the zig-zag lien for a resistor, and nothing is going to 
get me to change that to the narrow rectangle used in the rest of Europe. 
Again I have no problem reading schemaitcs drawn with either symbol.

-tony