RCA 2050A Vacuum Tube

RCA 2050A is an eight-pin octal, xenon-filled thyratron vacuum tube designed as a high-speed, high-voltage switch for pulsed-power and timing circuits in mid-20th‑century equipment. It uses a 6.3 V heater at roughly 0.6 A and supports plate voltages up to about 650 V, enabling fast, reliable switching for applications such as radar pulse generators, high-voltage trigger circuits, and industrial control gear that require rapid discharge of a HV reservoir or switching of a pulse-forming network. The glass envelope measures roughly 28 mm in diameter and about 62 mm tall excluding the base pins, and RCA introduced the 2050A in 1948, placing it within the postwar era of gas-filled switching tubes. As part of RCA’s gas-filled tube catalog, the 2050A is commonly used where a rugged, gas-discharge switch with an eight-pin octal base is needed, rather than for linear amplification. This tube complements other RCA thyratrons and receives documentation in RCA tube handbooks and industrial-receiving-type tube references, making it a recognizable choice for restorations and equipment that require period-accurate switching performance.