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Cipher Cipher is offline
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Default what tube tester for a new guy?

My inlaws are asking me what I want for christmas...and I think a tester is
a good idea. what makes, models, ebay auction numbers do yall reccomend?

want reliablity, something widely used and documented and timeless...

--
Ray
luxaeternaaudio AT gmail DOT com
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Peter Wieck Peter Wieck is offline
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Default what tube tester for a new guy?

On Dec 8, 5:03*pm, Cipher wrote:
My inlaws are asking me what I want for christmas...and I think a tester is
a good idea. what makes, models, ebay auction numbers do yall reccomend?

want reliablity, something widely used and documented and timeless...

--
Ray
luxaeternaaudio AT gmail DOT com


Ray:

E-mail me separately on this. There is a LOT to go over, and a lot to
understand. And you have to determine exactly what you want as a
result.

Same peripheral issues. Would you spend $1200 on a tube tester without
some level of guarantee? How much do you know about them and how able
are you to troubleshoot them.

Or, would you be reasonably happy with a Go/NoGo device that will
screen *most* bad tubes but not tell you much as to how good a*good*
one might be? You could do that for less than $100.

It is all in accordance with. Do you want a lab-grade Hickok 539C that
will allow you to match tubes with a reasonable degee of accuracty, or
a simple Heath TC-3 that will screen for you. One is in the $1K - $3K
range (with that all-important guarantee from a reputable source), the
other less than $100, or should be.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA
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Sofa Slug Sofa Slug is offline
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Default what tube tester for a new guy?

Cipher wrote:
My inlaws are asking me what I want for christmas...and I think a tester is
a good idea. what makes, models, ebay auction numbers do yall reccomend?

want reliablity, something widely used and documented and timeless...



http://www.tone-lizard.com/Tube_Testers.html
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Cipher Cipher is offline
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Default what tube tester for a new guy?

Sofa Slug wrote in
:

Cipher wrote:
My inlaws are asking me what I want for christmas...and I think a
tester is a good idea. what makes, models, ebay auction numbers do
yall reccomend?

want reliablity, something widely used and documented and timeless...



http://www.tone-lizard.com/Tube_Testers.html


thank you Sir(s)

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LGLA LGLA is offline
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Default what tube tester for a new guy?


"Cipher" wrote in message m...
My inlaws are asking me what I want for christmas...and I think a tester is
a good idea. what makes, models, ebay auction numbers do yall reccomend?

want reliablity, something widely used and documented and timeless...

--
Ray
luxaeternaaudio AT gmail DOT com




I had gotten curious about that myself as I then remembered seeing BIG tube
testers as a child in places such as large drug stores, Thrifty's and so forth.
But then seeing all the different kinds there are with few sockets and many
controls, I suppose that's not the right route take, as all they deliver on their
meter read out is 'good' or 'bad'... I suppose there is much more to it?

--
Alex
SoCalifornia




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Ian Iveson Ian Iveson is offline
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Default what tube tester for a new guy?

Cipher wrote:

My inlaws are asking me what I want for christmas...and I
think a tester is
a good idea. what makes, models, ebay auction numbers do
yall reccomend?

want reliablity, something widely used and documented and
timeless...


If you say what you want it for, we may be able to be more
helpful. Location is important because many are *very*
heavy.

What was reliable then may no longer be so, depending on
where it's been and what it's done since. If you want
accuracy, calibration is a serious and potentially expensive
issue.

I would guess that only a very small proportion of old
testers have recently seen much use, and of those few will
be calibrated. Consequently, reliability and accuracy would
be largely unknown.

Ian


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Cipher Cipher is offline
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Default what tube tester for a new guy?

"Ian Iveson" wrote in news:t5x%k.47589
:

Cipher wrote:

My inlaws are asking me what I want for christmas...and I
think a tester is
a good idea. what makes, models, ebay auction numbers do
yall reccomend?

want reliablity, something widely used and documented and
timeless...


If you say what you want it for, we may be able to be more
helpful. Location is important because many are *very*
heavy.

What was reliable then may no longer be so, depending on
where it's been and what it's done since. If you want
accuracy, calibration is a serious and potentially expensive
issue.

I would guess that only a very small proportion of old
testers have recently seen much use, and of those few will
be calibrated. Consequently, reliability and accuracy would
be largely unknown.

Ian




Well, to check my tubes, of course.

no really. I am just getting into electronics/vacuum tubes(ive used tubes
for a long time, but I mean getting involved in the deeper aspects like
design, theory, whatnot) and as such, I am trying to assemble a tool kit
for my garage(currently where I woodwork and lift weights/box)...
something that will allow me access to all the functions a serious
hobbyist/future builder( ) will use..

I am in North Carolina.
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fryzz fryzz is offline
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Default what tube tester for a new guy?

Portable testers were still easy to find and going for around $100 the
last time I checked. I have a Hickok Model 6000, it test all of the
common radio/TV tube types except for the higher power audio tubes
such as the 6550 and it's related types.
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Peter Wieck Peter Wieck is offline
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Default what tube tester for a new guy?

On Dec 9, 1:16*pm, Cipher wrote:
"Ian Iveson" wrote in news:t5x%k.47589
:





Cipher wrote:


My inlaws are asking me what I want for christmas...and I
think a tester is
a good idea. what makes, models, ebay auction numbers do
yall reccomend?


want reliablity, something widely used and documented and
timeless...


If you say what you want it for, we may be able to be more
helpful. Location is important because many are *very*
heavy.


What was reliable then may no longer be so, depending on
where it's been and what it's done since. If you want
accuracy, calibration is a serious and potentially expensive
issue.


I would guess that only a very small proportion of old
testers have recently seen much use, and of those few will
be calibrated. Consequently, reliability and accuracy would
be largely unknown.


Ian


Well, to check my tubes, of course.

no really. I am just getting into electronics/vacuum tubes(ive used tubes
for a long time, but I mean getting involved in the deeper aspects like
design, theory, whatnot) and as such, I am trying to assemble a tool kit
for my garage(currently where I woodwork and lift weights/box)... *
something that will allow me access to all the functions a serious
hobbyist/future builder( ) will use..

I am in North Carolina.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


This is a much more complicated consideration than "which tube
tester". A good electronic (tube-focused) workbench needs to include
considerably more equipment than a tube tester - in fact a tester is
pretty far down in the hierarchy of tools needed. Well after a good
meter (which I believe you have), an oscilloscope (Dual-trace, high
mhz) - and the skills and understanding to use it - numerous hand-
tools, an isolation transfomer of sufficient size to handle any
anticipated load, a properly metered variac, a decent capacitor tester
and ESR meter (if not part of the cap tester), perhaps a good LCR
meter. Bench DC power-supply, Soldering station, numerous high-quality
hand-tools, good lighting, good ventilation - now we might consider a
decent tube tester.

You can get a good go/no-go device for ~$100 or so that will keep you
until you have accumulated all of the above, and only THEN after some
considerable experience under your belt should you decide if you need
a higher-end tester. The brute fact of the matter is that for serious
audio use, a tester that does not allow you to match tubes properly
(plate current, bias voltage, GM, etc.) is not a whole bunch better
than that simple $100 good-quality, properly maintained emissions
tester. A tester that *DOES* allow you to match tubes ain't nohow
cheap.

http://cgi.ebay.com/HICKOK-539-C-539...mZ160291059298

After which you will need to send it he

http://cgi.ebay.com/Hickok-539A-539B...mZ280155063343

After which, all other things being as-described, you will have a very
good tester for audio use. If you _REALLY_ need to spend those sorts
of bucks.

The alternative that happened to work out for me is to put yourself in
harm's way and rattle the bushes for such a tester - Craig's List, Ham-
Fests and such - 'for cheap' and then restore it properly. I paid $100
for a tester (539B), $20 for manuals and additional paper, $5 worth of
miscellaneous parts and diodes, a good friend made me some calibrated
6L6 sample tubes, and about 12 hours work cleaning and making minor
repairs to the innards.

But for every day use (90+% of the time), the Simpson 555 does just
fine.

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZmacradio2

Some cheap testers - Buy at your own risk. They are complicated and
persnickety. And contain many unobtainium parts.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA
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BretLudwig BretLudwig is offline
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Default what tube tester for a new guy?

I wouldn't spend any money on anything but a Hickok or a military unit
using their patented transconductance design (save an AVO, which are
unobtanium in the US and getting very scarce in the UK). Hickok had the
patent on the transconductance tester and by the time it ran out the tube
era was pretty well over.

The future IMO belongs to new units designed specifically for audio...if
there is a future for tube audio.

--
Message posted using http://www.talkaboutaudio.com/group/rec.audio.tubes/
More information at http://www.talkaboutaudio.com/faq.html



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Ian Iveson Ian Iveson is offline
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Default what tube tester for a new guy?

Well, to check my tubes, of course.

no really. I am just getting into electronics/vacuum
tubes(ive used tubes
for a long time, but I mean getting involved in the deeper
aspects like
design, theory, whatnot) and as such, I am trying to
assemble a tool kit
for my garage(currently where I woodwork and lift
weights/box)...
something that will allow me access to all the functions a
serious
hobbyist/future builder( ) will use..

I am in North Carolina.


Hmm. There is an issue here at the heart of what folk might
mean by "hobby".

The vast majority of audio enthusiasts who have used valve
equipment have never needed a valve tester. Similarly, more
or less, consumers of light bulbs don't need light bulb
testers. I doubt even light bulb fetishists need testers.
You buy from a reliable source and plug it in. If it's still
dark you wonder if it's the fault of the fitting or the
bulb, so you swap for a known good'n. On the very rare
occasion you end up flummoxed, you might call for help.

If you design an amp and build it, then arguably you should
do so with average valve characteristics in mind, and ensure
that your design is able to accept the likely range of
real-valve approximations to that average. Datasheets are
the best guide to average characteristics. If you buy tested
valves from a reputable dealer you shouldn't need a tester.

If you have a basic set of equipment, as suggested by Peter,
and you are building an amp to your own design, then it may
be more instructive and useful to test your valves in situ.
You can change circuit parameters and observe valve
behaviour as you build, and refine your design at the same
time. A tester is unlikely to be any real help.

I've got a good portable AVO. It is a beautifully crafted
machine with cute knobs and switches, telephone dial and
meter...lots of bakelite and alloy. Luckily it was a very
good investment because it was only useful when I had a
passing interest in strange valves. I'm going to sell it and
will make a huge profit, if I haven't missed the boat. It
will go to someone who will hardly ever use it, and who
hopes to make another profit someday. Some day some part of
it will fail and it won't be worth fixing because it
contains a million miles of tightly bunched cotton-insulated
wire connections which, due in part perhaps to its Navy
history, have corroded to such a fragile and brittle state
that disturbance will force a total rewire which will take
millions of hours of suicidally tedious work. Every other
part is unobtainable, and even good quality multipole,
multiposition switches have limited mileage. Meters have
accidents. The telephone dial may last forever, but is of
little use on its own, these days.

All the same, I can quite correctly sell it as "in perfect
working order".

So it depends what kind of hobby you want. If your interest
is only in valves rather than the equipment that uses them,
then a tester could be all you need, but reliable accuracy
will cost a fortune. If you're interested in equipment such
as valve amplifiers, it's unlikely you would ever need a
tester. Patrick hasn't got a tester, and he's a proper
professional, in the commercial sense.

If you still want a tester, Peter is knowledgeable, seems
willing to advise you and, importantly considering carriage
costs, American, although I gather America is quite big,
geographically speaking, so he may not be very close, I
suppose.

A few modern testers may be in production, perhaps intended
for use with a PC. I doubt producers last long because there
is no real market, but it may be worth a search. For those
who actually need to measure transconductance accurately,
this could be the way to go because it should be much
cheaper. Serious commercial valve resellers make their own
rigs, I think.

Finally, consider making friends with someone close by who
has a decent, calibrated Hickok or full-size AVO.

cheers,

Ian, a million miles away in Yorkshire.


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dre7 dre7 is offline
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Default what tube tester for a new guy?

I'd argue the only reason any hobbyist would need a tester for is to make
sure the tube has no shorts and reasonable emissions before testing it in
circuit. Likewise, "matching" is best done in circuit. I just went through
a couple of dozen 6B4Gs, rating them on a relative scale on my Jackson 648
and 658, then when I did measurements in circuit, simply ballparked until I
had a match. For eg, if one tube was pulling a few more ma than the other, I
took that tube out and put one in that read a little lower in my screening.

You should have a tester that has support of some sort. A couple of nice
ones would be:

TV-7
Heathkit TT-1

because they have extensive documentation and repair help available online.
I'm partial to the Jackson 648 in later versions, and there exists (or did)
an online calibration tutorial for it.

I've always lusted after the Triplett 3444, but the cost never justified it
for me.

Good luck!

Andrew



Cipher wrote in message
m...
My inlaws are asking me what I want for christmas...and I think a tester

is
a good idea. what makes, models, ebay auction numbers do yall reccomend?

want reliablity, something widely used and documented and timeless...

--
Ray
luxaeternaaudio AT gmail DOT com


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Peter Wieck Peter Wieck is offline
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Default what tube tester for a new guy?

On Dec 9, 9:51*pm, "dre7" wrote:
I'd argue the only reason any hobbyist would need a tester for is to make
sure the tube has no shorts and reasonable emissions before testing it in
circuit. *Likewise, "matching" is best done in circuit. *I just went through
a couple of dozen 6B4Gs, rating them on a relative scale on my Jackson 648
and 658, then when I did measurements in circuit, simply ballparked until I
had a match. For eg, if one tube was pulling a few more ma than the other, I
took that tube out and put one in that read a little lower in my screening.

You should have a tester that has support of some sort. *A couple of nice
ones would be:

TV-7
Heathkit TT-1

because they have extensive documentation and repair help available online.
I'm partial to the Jackson 648 in later versions, and there exists (or did)
an online calibration tutorial for it.

I've always lusted after the Triplett 3444, but the cost never justified it
for me.


Andrew:

The difficulty I have with all of the Military testers (as good and
well-supported as they are) is that they have no bias adjustment, nor
can they be used (easily) to match. Point being that if one is going
to invest in a 'name-brand' major-league tester, then one should have
it all rather than just parts of it.

Otherwise, I agree entirely with your general statement.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA
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Peter Wieck Peter Wieck is offline
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Default what tube tester for a new guy?

On Dec 9, 8:31*pm, "Ian Iveson"
wrote:

Ian, a million miles away in Yorkshire.


Carriage Costs - yeah.

All of the British Isles including Ireland (80,823 sq.mi. (209,331
km2)) would fit inside Kansas (82,282 sq.mi. (213,110 km2)). Our 15th
largest state.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA
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Ian Iveson Ian Iveson is offline
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Default what tube tester for a new guy?

Peter Wieck wrote:

***
Carriage Costs - yeah.

All of the British Isles including Ireland (80,823 sq.mi.
(209,331
km2)) would fit inside Kansas (82,282 sq.mi. (213,110
km2)). Our 15th
largest state.

***

The other day I was standing on top of Cross Fell, one of
England's highest peaks at, ahem, 3000ft or so, and it
seemed I could see coast-to-coast, although to the East the
horizon was a tad too grimy to be certain. It looks pretty
much exactly the right size.

The whole of Britain could probably fit into an American
open-cast coal mine and, if we were an American State, the
Northern counties would probably be just that.

We're not envious, but we do have extraordinarily high
transport costs.

Ian




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Ian Bell[_2_] Ian Bell[_2_] is offline
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Default what tube tester for a new guy?

Ian Iveson wrote:
Peter Wieck wrote:

***
Carriage Costs - yeah.

All of the British Isles including Ireland (80,823 sq.mi.
(209,331
km2)) would fit inside Kansas (82,282 sq.mi. (213,110
km2)). Our 15th
largest state.

***

The other day I was standing on top of Cross Fell, one of
England's highest peaks at, ahem, 3000ft or so, and it
seemed I could see coast-to-coast, although to the East the
horizon was a tad too grimy to be certain. It looks pretty
much exactly the right size.

The whole of Britain could probably fit into an American
open-cast coal mine and, if we were an American State, the
Northern counties would probably be just that.

We're not envious, but we do have extraordinarily high
transport costs.

Ian



Another interesting fact about the UK I was told is that nowhere is more
than 60 miles from the coast. Not sure if it is true.

Cheers

Ian
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Iain Churches[_2_] Iain Churches[_2_] is offline
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Default what tube tester for a new guy?


"BretLudwig" wrote in message
lkaboutaudio.com...
I wouldn't spend any money on anything but a Hickok or a military unit
using their patented transconductance design (save an AVO, which are
unobtanium in the US and getting very scarce in the UK).


AVO can still be found. TheMk IV was manufactured over a long period
of time, and was ubiquitous in studios, broadcast, labs and repair shops.
Some of them have seen better days, but many are still in excellent
condition. They are extremely well built.

There are some notes and pics of my own Mk IV at:
http://www.kolumbus.fi/iain.churches...s/MkIV.02.html

I have two of these, both in good condition.


Iain



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