| Western Electric Trimline LED (Unknown P/N) | |
| Written by AnubisTTP on 2025-03-09 |
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This unusually shaped LED, produced by Western Electric, was designed for use in illuminated phone handsets in the 1970s. The most noteworthy feature of this LED is its unusual side-emission concave package, in which the LED die is mounted at a right angle to the device's leads. Interestingly, this device contains two diode dies, only one of which is light emitting. We are at a loss as to explain why Western Electric would include a second diode die within the package cavity, though it may have been to maintain electronic parity with earlier versions of this part, which contained two light emitting dies mounted in opposite directions for AC operation. This LED model was used almost exclusively in Trimline pushbutton phone handsets, which were popular in the 1970s. Each Trimline keypad contained two of these LEDs. The part number for this device is currently unknown.
Western Electric concave package LED, normal operation. The part number for this device is currently unknown.
These LED's were used almost exclusively in the construction of Western Electric Trimline phone handsets.
Each Trimline handset contained two concave package LEDs.
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