Draft:LH Research
Former American power supply manufacturer
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LH Research Inc. (often abbreviated LHR) was an American manufacturer of switched-mode power supplies headquartered in Tustin, California. The company was founded in 1976 by Lawrence Y. Lee and Wallace N. Hersom and became known during the 1980s as a supplier of switching regulated power supplies for the computer and electronics industries.[1]
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Wallace N. Hersom
 | |
| Industry | Power electronics |
|---|---|
| Founded | April 1, 1976 |
| Founders | Lawrence Y. Lee Wallace N. Hersom |
| Defunct | February 22, 1996 |
| Fate | Acquired by International Power Systems (Charter Power Systems) |
| Headquarters | Tustin, California, United States |
| Products | Switched-mode power supplies |
The company operated manufacturing and development facilities in the United States, the Caribbean and Southeast Asia and employed more than 1,000 people at its peak.[2]
In 1996 LH Research was acquired by International Power Systems, a subsidiary of Charter Power Systems.[3]
History
LH Research was founded in 1976 in Tustin, California by physician Lawrence Y. Lee and engineer Wallace N. Hersom. The company focused on the design and manufacture of switched-mode power supplies (SMPS), a technology that rapidly replaced linear power supplies during the 1970s following improvements in high-power transistor technology.[4]
An early profile of the company in Jade magazine described the beginnings of the business as entrepreneurial. The article opened with the line “Beginning with nothing in the way of experience”, referring to founder Lawrence Lee's entry into the power supply industry.[5]
During the early 1980s LH Research expanded rapidly as demand for switching power supplies increased in the computer and electronics industries. Trade publications such as Electronic Business and Electronic Design described the company as one of the major dedicated manufacturers of switching regulated power supplies.[6][7]
By the mid-1980s the company operated multiple manufacturing facilities, including locations in California, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Malaysia.[8][9]
Products and applications
LH Research produced several series of switched-mode power supplies including the Teeny-Tiny-MITE, Tiny-MITE and Mighty-MITE product families. These units were used in computers, industrial control equipment, telecommunications systems and scientific instrumentation.[10]
LH Research power supplies were used in a number of computer systems. One example was the Mighty-MITE MM-72 power supply used in the Xerox Alto computer. Power supplies manufactured by the company were also used in systems produced by Silicon Graphics and Convex Computer.[11]
Other applications included medical equipment, satellite communication systems, test equipment and video display systems.[12]
Decline and acquisition
LH Research initially focused on high-current, low-voltage power supplies used in minicomputer systems based on transistor–transistor logic (TTL). As the computer industry transitioned toward CMOS-based architectures during the late 1980s and early 1990s, demand for this class of power supply declined.[13]
At the same time competition in the global power supply market increased significantly.
In February 1996 LH Research was acquired by International Power Systems, a subsidiary of Charter Power Systems.[14]
Charter Power Systems later renamed itself C&D Technologies in 1997.[15]