5639 Pentode Vacuum Tube
Small-signal pentode for low-noise voltage amplification
Sylvania Electric Products (Emporium, PA)
Sylvania Engineering Data Service, Feb 1957 · 11 pp · EN
Most complete US issue: typical point, full MIL-E-1 limits & acceptance band, pentode plate family, triode-connected plate family, gm/rp vs Vg1 graphs, 4.0 W plate dissipation.
Tung-Sol Electric Inc. (Bloomfield, NJ)
Tung-Sol Premium Tube, Oct 1955 / Jan 1957 · 6 pp · EN
Typical point confirmation, equipment-design range table, pentode + screen curves, 3.5 W plate dissipation.
Raytheon Manufacturing Co. (Newton, MA)
Raytheon CK5639WA, Mar 1959 (Tentative Data) · 9 pp · EN
Earliest WA issue. Confirms WA limits (Vp 250 V des.max, peak fwd 360 V). Carries the plotted gm/rp-vs-Vg1 transfer curve at Eb=Ec2=100 V used for SPICE-model validation, plus tabulated triode-connected curve on p.6.
Tung-Sol Electric Inc. (Bloomfield, NJ)
Tung-Sol 5639WA, Jan 1960 (TENTATIVE DATA) · 9 pp · EN
WA limits (Vp 250 V des.max, peak fwd 360), Ec2=50 V + Ec2=100 V plate families, tabulated triode-connected curve grid steps Ec1=0..-16 V (used to fit 5639WA_TRIODE_CONNECTED).
| Capacitance | sylvania5639 | tungsol5639 | tungsol5639WA | raytheon5639WA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cgp_unshielded | 0.18 pF | 0.18 pF | 0.13 pF | 0.13 pF |
| Cgp_shielded | 0.15 pF | 0.15 pF | 0.13 pF | 0.13 pF |
| Cin | 9 pF | 9 pF | 9 pF | 9 pF |
| Cout | 4.6 pF | 4.6 pF | 4.6 pF | 4.6 pF |
MU=35.97 EX=2.2 KG1=340.05361 KP=28.698 KVB=25.886MU=35.97 EX=2.2 KG1=340.05361 KP=28.698 KVB=25.886MU=35.97 EX=2.2 KG1=340.05361 KP=28.698 KVB=25.886MU=35.97 EX=2.2 KG1=340.05361 KP=28.698 KVB=25.886MU=32 EX=1.4 KG1=380 KP=35 KVB=250 VCT=0.5MU=32 EX=1.4 KG1=380 KP=35 KVB=250 VCT=0.5Ia vs Vg at Va = 250 V — each manufacturer Koren fit overlaid. The de-rated French families (μ=30) read lower than the Philips/1966 high-gm family (μ=32) at the same grid voltage.
Verbatim excerpts from the four manufacturer datasheets. Expand each section to read the original text — the Philips technical article carries the richest application content.
Source datasheets
6 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for 5639
The 5639 is a premium (JAN / MIL-E-1) subminiature sharp-cutoff video power pentode built in 8-lead flexible-lead button construction (8DL), produced by Sylvania and Tung-Sol in the mid-1950s for broadband radar, airborne and industrial video service under severe shock (450 G impact), vibration, high temperature and high altitude. It uses a 6.3 V / 0.45 A indirectly-heated coated unipotential cathode. The two original-issue manufacturer datasheets (Sylvania Feb 1957, Tung-Sol Oct 1955 / Jan 1957) are electrically the same tube and share an identical tabulated typical point: Vp = 150 V, Vg2 = 100 V, Rk = 100 Ω giving Ip = 21 mA, Ig2 = 4 mA, gm = 9000 µmho, rp = 50 kΩ. They differ only in stated limits — Sylvania rates plate dissipation at 4.0 W, Tung-Sol at 3.5 W — and in minor curve reference conditions; conservative work uses the 3.5 W ceiling and the 1.0 W screen ceiling. The Cgp = 0.18 pF unshielded (0.13 pF on the ruggedized 5639WA) makes it attractive as a low-Miller video / pulse stage even by modern standards. Triode-strapped operation (G2 to plate) is possible: μ ≈ 18, rp ≈ 1.6 kΩ from the 5639WA tabulated curve, μ ≈ 20, rp ≈ 2.5 kΩ from the indicative Sylvania p.9 graph. The 5639WA is the JAN/MIL ruggedized variant (Raytheon Mar 1959 earliest, Tung-Sol Jan 1960) with raised Vp design-max of 250 V (peak 360 V) but is maker-marked TENTATIVE on both issues. Note: the 5639 has NO relationship to the European RO4404 / RE604 / D404 family (which is a 1930 4 V directly-heated audio triode).