🔍 Key Concepts

• Suppressor grid purpose in a multielement (pentode) vacuum tube • Behavior of secondary emission electrons from the plate • How additional grids affect gain, efficiency, and electron flow

💭 Think About

• Think about what problem the suppressor grid was invented to solve in a power tube. What unwanted effect happens at the plate? • Consider the relative voltages: is the suppressor grid normally more closely tied to the cathode, the screen grid, or the plate? How does that affect electron motion? • Which of the listed effects are actually direct functions of the suppressor grid, and which might be side benefits or might not be correct at all?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify how secondary electrons behave if there is no suppressor grid – where do they tend to go? • Check whether the suppressor grid is usually run at a large negative voltage or at (or near) cathode potential in typical pentode circuits. • Confirm which statement(s) match the primary, textbook definition of the suppressor grid’s job, rather than possible but indirect consequences.