Kolpitz, Edwin Henry (January 19, 1872-1949) was a pioneer of communication, well known for his invention of the Kolpitz generator . As chief of the research department at Western Electric in the early 1900s, he and the scientists under his leadership made significant advances in the development of signal generators and tube push-pull amplifiers . In 1915, his team successfully demonstrated the first trans-Atlantic radiotelephone.
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Education
Born in Albert Country, New Brunswick , Canada . He began his education at Mount Allison University and was later a teacher in Newfoundland . He later entered Harvard University , where he studied physics and mathematics. He received his BA degree in 1896 and a master's degree in 1897 from Harvard. He remained at Harvard for two additional years, during which he received advanced courses and served as laboratory assistant to John Trowbridge , director of the Jefferson Physical Laboratory.
Career
In 1899, Mr .. He got a place in the American Bell Telephone Company. In 1907, he transferred to Western Electric. His colleague, Ralph Hartley, invented an induction-coupled generator that Kolpitz improved in 1915. This was first reported in an article he published with Edward B. Kraft in 1919. He patented it as an “Oscillator” in 1920. Kolpitz and Kraft wrote that "the possibility of communication by speech between any two persons in the civilized world is one of the most desirable goals that engineering can strive for."
During the First World War, Kolpits served in the signal corps of the American army and spent some time in France as a staff officer associated with military communications.
In 1921, Kolpits and Otto B. Blackwell published an important article on carrier in multiplex telephony and telegraphy in Transactions of the AIEE .
In 1925, Western Electric research laboratories became part of Bell Laboratories. Prior to leaving, Kolpits became Vice President of Bell Laboratories . During World War II, he served on the US Government Sonar Committees.
Rewards
- Elliot Cresson Medal (1948)
Demise
Kolpits died in 1949 at home in Orange, New York , USA and his body was transported to Point de Butte, New Brunswick , Canada . He was buried by his wife Grace Penny Kolpits and his son Donald B. Kolpits.
Publications
- EH Colpitts and OB Blackwell, Carrier Current Telephony and Telegraphy , Journal AIEE, vol. 40, no. 4, April 1921, 301-315; no. 5, May 1921, 410-421; no. June 6
1921, 519-526.
Links
- Colpitts biography from Swedish website
- Thesis, Design and Evaluation of a Ka-Band Colpitts VCO for Wireless Communications by Scott R. McLeUand, Carleton University, 1998
- JE Brittain: Edwin H. Colpitts: A pioneer in communications engineering. Proceedings of the IEEE, Vol. 85, Issue 6, Jun 1997, pp. 1020-21