View Single Post
  #8   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.tubes
Big Bad Bob Big Bad Bob is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 366
Default What company made the best vintage Test Equipment?

On 02/07/19 19:02, Roger Kulp wrote:
While we are on this subject,can anybody recommend somebody who could repair or restore a nonworking tube tester?


actually it would depend on a) what kind [I would assume an old 'drug
store' type of model, or a hobbyist tube tester or something like that,
cathode emissions only] and b) what's wrong with it. A bad power
transformer might require some significant effort to repair, from
swapping it out for multiple single voltage transformers, to re-winding
the thing [which I would never want to do, evar].

They're usually pretty simple, unless it's some high tech unit that
measures more than cathode emission with all grids + plate tied
together. In THAT case, not sure what to say, maybe someone knows
enough about those to walk you through...

As for me, I'd suggest finding a tech manual and seeing if all of the
voltages are good and all of the switches and sockets work, the meter
works ok, all of the light bulbs [if any] work, etc. especially a
'shorted' light [if burnt out, might act like a fuse and keep the unit
from working at all, depending], and repair as needed.

As I recall the 'shorted' light on this one tester was a medium voltage
light bulb in series with the power transformer, and so if it's
"shorted" the light protects the circuitry and indicates 'shorted'. If
that bulb burns out the entire unit won't function, and you can't really
operate properly without the thing in there, so no pennies in the socket
etc.


--
(aka 'Bombastic Bob' in case you wondered)

'Feeling with my fingers, and thinking with my brain' - me

'your story is so touching, but it sounds just like a lie'
"Straighten up and fly right"