Wikipedia

Draft:LH Research

  • Comment: It's going to be tricky to verify the contents here, and getting to show corporate significant coverage even harder, per WP:SIRS. However the decline at this stage is due to sources not matching content. First paragraph of History section has some specific and important details, yet source 4 does not confirm these details. ChrysGalley (talk) 12:34, 8 June 2026 (UTC)
LH Research Inc.
IndustryPower electronics
FoundedApril 1, 1976 (1976-04-01)
FoundersLawrence Y. Lee
Wallace N. Hersom
DefunctFebruary 22, 1996 (1996-02-22)
FateAcquired by International Power Systems (Charter Power Systems)
HeadquartersTustin, California, United States
ProductsSwitched-mode power supplies

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]

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

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Foundation stone ceremony for the Irvine manufacturing plant, February 1980

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

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Opened LH Research Mighty-MITE switching power supply

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

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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]

References

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  1. ↑ "Top merchant suppliers to U.S. market – Switching Power Supplies". Electronic Business. Cahners Publishing Company. 1984. pp. 24, 124.
  2. ↑ "LH Research Constructing Tustin Plant". The Tustin News. Tustin, California. 27 July 1978. p. 6.
  3. ↑ "IPS acquired LH Research, Inc". Moody's Industrial Manual. Moody's Investors Service. 1997. p. 2862.
  4. ↑ Shirriff, Ken (August 2019). "The Quiet Remaking of Computer Power Supplies". IEEE Spectrum. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
  5. ↑ Foerster, Von (1981). "From Pulse to Impulse". Jade. Vol. 4–5. Los Angeles: Jade Publications. pp. 10–13. ISSN 0147-8230.
  6. ↑ "Reliable sources: Power supplies feature quality". Electronic Business. Cahners Publishing Company. 1984. p. 124.
  7. ↑ "The world's largest manufacturer of switching regulated power supplies". Electronic Design. Hayden Publishing. 1987. p. 186.
  8. ↑ Puerto Rico Directory of Manufacturers. Puerto Rico: Economic Development Administration. 1989. p. 185.
  9. ↑ Malaysia Electronics & Electrical Industries Directory. Kuala Lumpur: Business Times / MIDA. 1993. p. 195.
  10. ↑ "Switching Supply". Digital Design. Benwill Publishing Corporation. 1980.
  11. ↑ "Convex C1 Power Supply Replacement". VAX Barn. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
  12. ↑ "Switching Supply". Digital Design. Benwill Publishing Corporation. 1980.
  13. ↑ Bell, Gordon (2014). "STARS: Rise and Fall of Minicomputers". Proceedings of the IEEE. 102 (4): 635. doi:10.1109/JPROC.2014.2306257.
  14. ↑ "Costa Mesa's LH Research Acquired". Los Angeles Times. 24 February 1996. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
  15. ↑ "Charter Power renames itself C&D Technologies". Philadelphia Business Journal. 30 June 1997. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
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