Newport Beach resident Marlan Bourns, whose inventions were instrumental in the Apollo 11 moon landing and the Mars Rover expedition, died this month. He was 93.
The Michigan native created his most adopted invention, the Trimpot potentiometer, in 1952. The device, which measures electromotive force, is used for a range of applications today, including controlling the position of patients during MRI and CAT scans, regulating power for cellphone towers, and toning electrical guitars.
Bourns and his wife, Rosemary, founded Bourns Laboratories in a one-car garage behind their home in Altadena, testing products in the kitchen using the oven and freezer to replicate hot and cold environments. The company later became Bourns Inc., establishing its headquarters in Riverside.
The couple’s big break came when San Diego-based Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corp. placed a $17,000 order that included every product the company made.
