Electronic Instrument companies in Boonton NJ

[stevebyan]

Boonton NJ was quite a center of electronics instruments manufacturing in the 1930's through post-WWII. As Rich noted some time ago:
http://www.antiqueradios.com/forums/vie ... 30#p725430" -="window.open(this.href);return false;

Measurements was another company in Boonton, NJ where I grew up. Boonton used to be a hotbed of electronics and I had no trouble then getting a job.

There were: RFL, Measurements, Aircraft Radio Corp. (ARC), Ballantine and Boonton Electronics. Those just off the top of my head.

The HP Archive has an interesting article about the history of the electronic precision instruments industry in Boonton, NJ. I think it's been posted pretty recently; at least, I hadn't seen it before:
http://hparchive.com/Boonton/Boonton-New-Jersey.pdf" -="window.open(this.href);return false;

There's also an article on the history of the electronics industry in Boonton in the Boonton Radio Corporation journal "The Notebook", issue number 9 pages 7-8:
http://hparchive.com/Boonton/BRC-The-Notebook-09.pdf" -="window.open(this.href);return false;

Finally, there's an interesting oral interview with Jerry Minter, one of the founders of Measurements Corporation:
http://ethw.org/Oral-History:Jerry_B._M ... nton_Radio" -="window.open(this.href);return false;

The ethw.org site is very interesting - it's the "Engineering and Technology History Wiki":
http://ethw.org/ETHW:About" -="window.open(this.href);return false;

[W2WIQ]

HI:

1943-44 I WORKED AT THE WESTERN ELECTRIC PLANT IN KEARNEY,N.J.TEST EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE & REPAIR SHOP.

I WAS ASSIGNED TO THE RADAR RECEIVER CUBICLES.THESE WERE 8 FOOT SQURE SHIELDED,WITH THICK WALLS AND A LARGE FAN.THE WALLS AND DOOR MUST HAVE BEEN AT LEAST 6" THICK.GREAT EFFORT WAS REQUIRED TO OPEN THE DOOR BECAUSE OF THE FAN SUCTION.

IN THERE WAS THE BOONTON & MEASUREMENTS EQUIPMENT.
MY DAILY JOB WAS TO CHECK THE CALIBRATION OF ALL THE INSTRUMENTS IN EACH CUBICLE.I HAD A CART OUTSIDE WITH ALL MY STANDARDS AND WOULD BRING IN WHICH ONE I NEEDED.INSTRUMENTS NEEDING CALIBRATION I PUT ON THE CART TO TAKE BACK TO THE SHOP.I ALSO CARRIED ONE REPLACEMENT SET OF INSTRUMENTS TO IMMEDIATELY REPLACE WHAT I WAS REMOVEING.THE SHOP HAD PLENT OF SPARES SO AS NOT TO INTERRUPT THE TECHS.

MY SATURDAY JOB WAS IN A CLEAN ROOM TESTING THE NEW MICROWAVE DIODES DEVELOPED BY BELL LABS.
YOU HAVE PROBABLY SEEN THEM.THEY WERE CERAMIC WITH A PIN ON ONE END AND A FERRULE THE OTHER GOLD PLATED.
THE GIRLS NEXT TO ME WERE MARKING THEM BY HAND WITH INDIA INK.NO MACHINE STAMPING.

A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY.

WALTER-W2WIQ

[stevebyan]

Thanks for the story, Walter. The wartime radar production must have been something - quite a rush to get the equipment built and into the field.

[W2WIQ]

HI STEVE:

YES AND IT WAS ALL ASSEMBLED AND INSTALLED IN THE ARMY TRUCKS RIGHT THERE IN THE PLANT.

WALTER-W2WIQ

[A A Kent]

Boonton Electronics was never in Boonton. It began in Morris Plains, NJ in the 1950's above a hardware store and later moved to Parsippany, NJ, Randolph, NJ, and back to Parsippany as I recall. It was formed by former Boonton Radio engineers who capitalized on the "Boonton" name.

Boonton Electronics is often confused with Boonton Radio Corporation. Boonton Radio began in 1934 in Boonton and was bought out by HP in 1960 and at that time the name was changed to Boonton Radio Company. I was a tech and service engineer for Boonton Radio products for several years. Use of the Boonton Radio name ended during the late 1960's.

[stevebyan]

Thanks for the correction, Pete. The list should include Radio Frequency Laboratories, Ferris, Measurements Corp, Aircraft Radio Corp, Ballantine Laboratories, and Boonton Radio Corp. I don't know of any others.

[A A Kent]

When Boonton Electronics was first established in Morris Plains, it was above "Duffield's Hardware" and the concrete sidewalk in front of the building was dyed the same green as their products. Only a couple of years ago the green sidewalk was replaced.

[A A Kent]

Steve- pretty sure you got them all.

[Scott]

Thanks for the story Walter. I love hearing firsthand what it was like back in the early days. In your 80's and you are still going strong. God bless you.

[stevebyan]

The scan of the pamphlet about the history of the electronic precision instruments industry in Boonton, NJ on the HP Archive site is missing at least one page containing the later history of Ballantine Laboratories and the early history of Boonton Radio Corp.

The full title of the pamphlet is "Boonton New Jersey and its role in the Electronics Precision Instruments Industry". It's a reprint by Ballantine Laboratories. The original was an article in the June 30, 1950 edition of the newspaper "The Citizen of Morris County". The article was headlined "Six Major Firms Dominate Precision Instruments Industry, Developed Here" with a byline of Edgar M. Weed.

Does anyone have access to the full text of the article? I've written to the newspaper, but I don't have much hope that they have their archives intact or are willing to take the time to copy the article.

[Chris108]

The roots of Boonton Radio go back to 1891 as the Loanda Rubber Company, which as the name implies, manufactured articles of rubber. In a subsequent reorganization, the name was changed to Boonton Rubber Mfg. Co. In 1906, while looking for new products to develop, they learned of Dr. Leo Bakeland and Bakelite. In one of those happy coincidences, Dr. Edward Weston was at the same time looking for new ways of making tiny, high precision insulators for meter movements. Bakelite was an ideal material for Weston's purposes, and with Weston's backing, Boonton Rubber soon worked out the details of how to mold the material efficiently.

With their experience making precision Bakelite and hard rubber electrical parts, it was natural that Boonton Rubber would develop components for radio such as tube sockets and rheostats. However, coil forms made of Bakelite proved to be very lossy. To develop materials that were more satisfactory, the company designed and built its own RF test equipment, including the first Q meter. Boonton Rubber's radio frequency lab was eventually spun off as RFL, which still exists today as a division of Hubbell. William Loughlin, a talented engineer, was president of RFL from 1930 until 1934, when he left to establish Boonton Radio Company. Other companies which could trace their roots to RFL were Aircraft Radio Company, Measurements Corporation, and Ballantine Laboratories.

[stevebyan]

Other companies which could trace their roots to RFL were Aircraft Radio Company, Measurements Corporation, and Ballantine Laboratories.

Was Ferris an offspring of RFL or ARC? I would guess so, but the pamphlet at HP Archive doesn't mention them, other than to say that Measurements was started by engineers from Ferris.

[Chris108]

Had to refresh my memory but yes, Malcolm Ferris was one of the RFL "alumni" too. He set up the Ferris Instrument Co. in 1930-31 which was best known for the "standard signal generator," i.e. a signal generator with a calibrated attenuator and the means to set an accurate reference level.

[Bruce Hagen]

Great posts. At my age I've forgotten more than I ever knew. Thanks for bringing some of it back.

[A A Kent]

Even working at BRC for several years and knowing one of the founders, I never heard of the pre-1934 history. Thanks!