Assessing the level of metallurgical and foundry technology in prehistoric times requires the examination of raw material finds, including elongated ingots, which served as semi-finished products ready for further processing. It is rare to find such raw material directly at production settlements, but Wicina in western Poland is an exception. During the Hallstatt period (800-450 BC), this area, situated along the middle Oder River, benefited from its favorable location in the heart of the Central European Urnfield cultures and developed networks for raw material exchange and bronze foundry production. Numerous remnants of casting activities, such as clay casting molds, casting systems, and raw materials, have been discovered at the Wicina settlement. This article aims to provide an archaeometallurgical interpretation of raw material management and utilization by prehistoric communities during the Early Iron Age. To achieve this, a collection of 31 ingots from the defensive settlement in Wicina, along with two contemporary deposits from Bieszków and Kumiałtowice, both found within a 20 km radius of the stronghold, were studied. Investigations were conducted using a range of methods, including optical microscopy(OM), scanning electron microscopy (SE M), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SE M-EDS), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (ED-XRF), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), AAS and ICP-OES spectrometer. The significance of ingots is examined in the context of increasing social complexity and the rising popularity of bronze products, which necessitated diversified production and a demand for raw materials with different properties and, consequently, different chemical compositions.

Currently, work is underway to manufacture and find potential applications for a photoconductive semiconductor switch made of a semi-insulating material. The article analyzes the literature in terms of parameters and possibilities of using PCSS switches, as well as currently used switches in power and pulse power electronic system. The results of laboratory tests for the prototype model of the GaP-based switch were presented and compared with the PCSS switch parameters from the literature. The operating principle, parameters and application of IGBT transistor, thyristor, opto-thyristor, spark gap and power switch were presented and discussed. An analysis of the possibilities of replacing selected elements by the PCSS switch was carried out, taking into account the pros and cons of the compared devices. The possibility of using the currently made PCSS switch from gallium phosphide was also discussed.