Chapter 143: Vacuum Tube Production Line

"This type of Vacuum Tube looks simple, but its internal structure is precise and complex," he said, pointing to the metal components inside the glass tube.

"The most critical parts are the cathode, grid, and anode. Once the cathode is heated, it releases electrons; the grid controls the electron flow, and the anode collects the electrons to form a current..."

Minister Zhao widened his eyes, struggling to keep up with Li Mingyuan's pace of explanation, but as he listened, his brows began to furrow, and gradually his mouth fell open involuntarily.

When Li Mingyuan spoke about the trajectory of electrons in a vacuum and various parameters, Minister Zhao was completely bewildered, the expression on his face shifting from confusion to utter shock.

"... So by controlling the grid voltage, we can amplify weak signals by thousands of times; this is the most basic and important function of a Vacuum Tube," Li Mingyuan concluded.

Minister Zhao scratched his head, as if what was inside wasn't a brain but a pot of porridge:

"Mingyuan, wait... I don't understand any of this. You're saying this little glass tube can amplify signals thousands of times? You're joking with me, right?"

Li Mingyuan smiled slightly, not answering directly, but instead walked to the laboratory bench and connected a device.

"This is the standard Vacuum Tube we import," he said, pointing to a glass tube that was significantly larger in volume, "and this is the sample I just made."

He connected both Vacuum Tubes to the testing equipment and adjusted a few knobs; a series of data immediately appeared on the instrument panel.

"Look, the one I made is only half the volume of the imported one, but its power consumption is one-third lower. More importantly, after accelerated life testing, its theoretical lifespan is more than twice that of the imported product."

Minister Zhao's eyes were as wide as copper bells, his eyeballs seemingly about to pop out of their sockets.

He practically leaped to the test bench, his nose almost touching the instrument panel: "This... this... this is impossible!"

Like a child seeing an electric light for the first time, he stared at the two Vacuum Tubes, comparing them back and forth.

The imported Vacuum Tube was indeed much bulkier, while the one Li Mingyuan made was small and exquisite, emitting a steady blue light on the testing equipment.

"My goodness!" Minister Zhao slapped his thigh and shouted, his voice so loud it startled the secretary passing by outside the door.

"How did you do it? We can barely even imitate the imported ones, and you actually made something even better than the imported ones?"

Li Mingyuan calmly explained: "The key lies in material purity and manufacturing process. I improved the vacuum treatment method, optimized the electrode structure and positional accuracy, and also..."

"Stop, stop!" Minister Zhao waved his hand to interrupt, "Don't tell me any more of these technical terms; I don't understand them. Just tell me, can we immediately mass-produce this little thing?"

"Of course we can. As long as the materials are in place, we can establish a small-scale production line within a week," Li Mingyuan said confidently.

"A week?" Minister Zhao widened his eyes again, "No, that's too slow! I'll make calls immediately. Today, this very evening, I will have all the materials you need brought here! Tell me whatever manpower and resources you need; I guarantee full support!"

Before Li Mingyuan could answer, Minister Zhao had already rushed out of the laboratory and headed toward the telephone room.

Li Mingyuan shook his head, a helpless smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

That night, Li Mingyuan's laboratory was brightly lit.

In the name of a military emergency mission, Minister Zhao mobilized a batch of the highest-quality raw materials and equipment from all over Jingcheng.

Li Mingyuan worked through the night, meticulously designing every link of the production line.

The next evening, under Li Mingyuan's guidance, the Technical Backbone and workers transferred from the factory had already assembled the first Vacuum Tube production line.

Although rudimentary, every step was strictly executed according to Li Mingyuan's requirements.

"Start the glass furnace!" Li Mingyuan ordered.

The furnace was ignited, the temperature rapidly rose to 1500 degrees, and the glass began to turn bright red, flowing like magma.

Through precise blowing and shaping, the glass casings took form in the skilled hands of the workers.

On the other side, the workers in the metal processing group were machining the electrodes.

Li Mingyuan personally instructed them on how to precisely bend the metal wires into specific shapes and how to control the spacing between the electrodes.

"Remember, the spacing error must not exceed 0.01 millimeters, otherwise the performance of the Vacuum Tube will be greatly compromised," Li Mingyuan emphasized over and over again.

Assembly, vacuum extraction, sealing, testing... every step was carried out under Li Mingyuan's personal supervision.

When the first batch of Vacuum Tubes entered the final testing phase, the entire workshop was silent; everyone held their breath, staring at the test bench.

The testing equipment emitted a slight humming sound, and a row of Vacuum Tubes lit up one by one, emitting a steady blue light.

"Success!" a young Technician couldn't help but cheer.

Just then, Minister Zhao pushed the door open and entered.

He had just returned from an emergency meeting and, hearing that the production line had already started running, rushed over overnight to take a look.

When he saw the Vacuum Tubes neatly arranged and all lit up on the test bench, he froze in place, motionless, as if struck by a freezing spell.

"This... is this our own?" Minister Zhao's voice trembled slightly, "Is it all produced by ourselves?"

Li Mingyuan walked to his side and explained softly: "Yes, this is the first batch of samples, 50 in total, and they have all passed the basic tests. Starting tomorrow, we can enter the small-batch production stage."

"How much is a small batch?" Minister Zhao was still immersed in shock.

"100 per day, and within a week, we can reach a level of 1,000 per day," Li Mingyuan replied.

Minister Zhao's jaw almost hit the floor: "One thousand a day?! Doesn't this mean we never have to worry about imported Vacuum Tubes again!"

He excitedly grabbed Li Mingyuan's shoulders: "Mingyuan, you have created a miracle again! I must report this good news to my superiors immediately!"

Li Mingyuan nodded with a smile, but inwardly he was thinking about his next plan.

The Vacuum Tube was only the foundation; the real technological revolution lay in the Transistor—that little thing that would completely change the face of the electronics industry in the future.

But he knew that every step had to be taken steadily; he could not be too hasty.

The news spread quickly, and just two days later, a delegation from the Academy of Sciences hurried over to visit this Vacuum Tube production line.

The delegation consisted of five senior experts, led by a highly respected old academician who was already over seventy years old.

"I heard you achieved independent production of Vacuum Tubes?" the old academician asked impatiently as soon as he entered the door, his tone full of skepticism, "And you say the performance exceeds that of imported products?"

Li Mingyuan didn't say much, just made a "please look" gesture, pointing to the running production line.

The members of the delegation walked closer, observing every link.