Talk:Selenium rectifier

smell
You coudnt miss the smell of a failed selenium rectifier. you walked into the house where the TV was and the smell of rotten fish hit you. So you put your toolbox down and got out a replacement rectifier, before even taking he back off the TV.

2.59.114.197 (talk) 16:27, 13 April 2020 (UTC)

Plate shape
Were selenium rectifier plates ever square, or were they always round? Obviously the heatsink fins were commonly square, but AFAIR the central stack (the only current carrying part) was always of thicker, round disks. The thin fins were just interspersed in the stack. Andy Dingley (talk) 17:39, 6 August 2012 (UTC)
 * Can't find anything in the last 10 minutes that says square plates...at least two sources still make them. Taking it out for now. --Wtshymanski (talk) 21:56, 6 August 2012 (UTC)

Square would make it likely that the sharp corner would poke through something that it wasn't supposed to. That would have been learned fast, so likely no square ones. Gah4 (talk) 21:16, 21 April 2014 (UTC)


 * Plates, not cooling fins. The fins (which were most commonly square) are the things with protruding corners. Andy Dingley (talk) 21:38, 21 April 2014 (UTC)

Construction details
The description (Ni or Bi) is inconsistent with the figure (Sn/Cd and CdS which was probably formed from the Sn-Cd alloy and the Se). Does the description and figure represent different technologies (e.g. different times, purposes or manufacturers) or does Ni/Bi refer to the lower substrate that the figure doesn't tell much about? According to https://www.veteranklubbenalfa.se/veteran/99q4/itt_hist.htm Siemens doped Se with iodine giving their rectifiers better properties (less voltage drop and better thermal stability). ITT didn't learn about this until selenium rectifiers were obsolete. 150.227.15.253 (talk) 11:30, 18 March 2020 (UTC)

Vendor History
Suggest adding a section describing former brand names, such as the Westinghouse Voltrap. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 167.239.221.105 (talk) 22:07, 30 November 2021 (UTC)

Polarity
An interesting thing not mentioned in the article about these is that the polarity is marked backwards on these, i.e. anode is marked as the cathode, and vice versa. My sources are this blog and personal experience (all 5 of mine are marked backwards). Neither of them are usable sources of course. Does anybody know of one we can use? — THORNFIELD HALL (Talk) 09:19, 31 January 2024 (UTC)