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Digital Tube Tester VS Analog Tube Test

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Yea but what if you had internal shorts inside a preamp tube or power amp tube or a tube rectifier and you were to turn the amp on , it wouldn't work and then the preamp section board at certain stages wouldn't work , so you have to use an oscilloscope to track it down

It's VERY, VERY rare to ever use a scope on valve gear, there's almost never any need - a basic 20KOhm/Volt analogue meter is all that's required.

Plus if the tube rectifier is has shorts or other problems it will cause the amp to blow fuses

A Tube Tester HELPS you out with this stuff to Cut down the troubleshooting

No, it's not something ever used in servicing - even if you have one you NEVER use it.

But why are you discussing valves?, they have been effectively obsolete for 50 years - you'd be better off learning basic electronics than confusing yourself with irrelevant antiques.
 
MANY years ago I worked in the service dept of a major UK electronics company, there were about 30 or 40 repair/calibration guys (and galls), all the equipment we repaired used valves.

We did not even have a valve tester.

If you suspect a valve, just put in a new one and see if it makes a difference. If it does not, put the old one back in.
The average valve tester is not going to tell you anything about the RF performance of a valve, especially something like a klystron working at microwave frequencies.

My best advice is to learn some basic electronics and then when you ask questions here on ETO you may be able to understand the answers.

JimB
 
What does it matter?, valves are long obsolete, valve testers are worthless and you can't even give them away.
Nigel you would be utterly shocked at the money tube testers go for,i had one turn up in a box of junk at an auction 2 years ago, i took it to a vintage radio fare, to me it looked battered and a bit rusty, i paid £25 for the whole box, within 30 mins at this fare i walked away without the tube tester and an extra £1500 in my pocket!!!!:eek::eek::eek: what shook me was there were 4 guy's arguing over who wanted it and who would pay what and the price kept climbing! so unless i had seen it with my own eyes i would of agreed they are utterly worthless!
some funny old types at those vintage radio places!
 
i have just been on ebay to look at some tube testers, i expected to see some stupid high prices but didnt??? so i did a search on ebay for past auctions, and seems i got lucky, ebay does tend to agree with you that they are not worth much, except AVO ones!! for some reason they fetch great money and it was indeed an AVO that i sold! so i guess you are correct and i am wrong!! just got lucky and picked up the right model at the right price! :D
 
i have just been on ebay to look at some tube testers, i expected to see some stupid high prices but didnt??? so i did a search on ebay for past auctions, and seems i got lucky, ebay does tend to agree with you that they are not worth much, except AVO ones!! for some reason they fetch great money and it was indeed an AVO that i sold! so i guess you are correct and i am wrong!! just got lucky and picked up the right model at the right price! :D

The one we got, like our old one destroyed in a fire, is a Mullard one - the one with the paxolin cards.

I 'think' I chucked it in the scrap metal trailer a few months back now, I've not seen it lately :D
 
Mullard now there is a name that brings back memories when i was a kid of the TV repair man around at our house with his case full of mullard tubes lol, and a soldering iron with really old brown twisted cable that had deteriorated to the point that most the bare wire could be seen down one side. ah the good days
 
It's VERY, VERY rare to ever use a scope on valve gear, there's almost never any need - a basic 20KOhm/Volt analogue meter is all that's required.



No, it's not something ever used in servicing - even if you have one you NEVER use it.

But why are you discussing valves?, they have been effectively obsolete for 50 years - you'd be better off learning basic electronics than confusing yourself with irrelevant antiques.


Morning Nigel and my friends across the pond.

While I can't speak for the UK there is some sort of a resurgence with vacuum tubes (valves) on my side of the pond. Primarily in vacuum tube amplifiers for audio, so we can discount troubleshooting RF systems. Now I'll be honest here, at 63 years old and other than electronics shooting high power rifle is my other hobby and love. Read into that my hearing is not quite what it once was, I don't need hearing aids but I am far from a true purist audiophile. Matter of fact, right here in Cleveland, Ohio US we have Cleveland's Dr. Z amplifiers: Making electric guitars sound special. There is actually quite a little profitable niche for those who understand and can work on the older vintage tube amplifiers like the old Fender amps or the new ones being made by companies like the one I linked to. When you have big name rock stars with larger than life wallets clamoring for tube amplifiers there are no shortage of people willing to sell them and maintain them. If we look at the tube testers linked to early in this thread it doesn't take a Rhodes scholar or genius to see who they are marketed towards. The few tubes they run a few basic test on are common audio preamplifier tubes like the 12AX7 and output low power tubes like the 6L6. The last truly industrial non audio tube device I worked on and redesigned was an old EDM machine and that was 20 years ago at the company I recently retired from. I gave away my stash of tubes many years ago to an old friend who collected the things.

The reason I mentioned using a scope to troubleshoot vacuum tube equipment was because I found the scope to be a useful tool. Useful for signal tracing beyond a signal tracer in that I could observe actual waveforms through stages. Hey, just a me thing. I strongly agree as to the 20,000 Ohm / Volt VOM and mentioned that earlier. I am also not a supporter of tube testers as I agree that to successfully troubleshoot electronic devices that employ vacuum tubes you should understand vacuum tube theory and electronic theory in general. Tube testers, aside from some basic information really do not tell the user much of anything. However, devices like this, once en-route to the trash pile now command outrageous prices on Ebay. Many in the $1,000 USD ranges. Take a look at the prices on the new manufacture ones linked to early in this thread and the prices.

I disagree Nigel as to irrelevant antiques because there is a whole new market and demand by musicians for tube type amplifiers and rest assured if Mick Jagger says all lead guitarist need a tube amp to become a success every aspiring young musician will fall inline to buy one. :)

Ron
 
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I disagree Nigel as to irrelevant antiques because there is a whole new market and demand by musicians for tube type amplifiers and rest assured if Mick Jagger says all lead guitarist need a tube amp to become a success every aspiring young musician will fall inline to buy one. :)

You're only talking an absolutely tiny number of valve amps, mainly for lead guitar (where they like the distorted sound), and an even tinier number of vastly overpriced HiFi amps for those with lots more money than sense :p

It's hardly something a beginner in electronics needs to be concerned with :D
 
now i am slightly confused! is billy a beginner or a qualified? sometimes i think i know and then sometimes i am not so sure. as for tubes and amp's, its funny how things always go around in circles. Once the must have new tech that made music sound better than could ever be imagined was CD, now there is a resurgence of people who want to hear the scratch and rumble of vinyl!
I am into photography and last year i spent a absolute fortune on building a darkroom with all the old enlarger and stuff, vats of chemicals! and i have gone back to taking pictures in B&W with a film camera! apart from a couple of quick pics by LG my £2000 NIKON DSLR hasn't seen much use for a year! and i can kick myself for selling all my old film darkroom equipment about ten years ago for peanuts :banghead:
 
You're only talking an absolutely tiny number of valve amps, mainly for lead guitar (where they like the distorted sound), and an even tinier number of vastly overpriced HiFi amps for those with lots more money than sense :p

It's hardly something a beginner in electronics needs to be concerned with :D

Nigel, I'll agree to everything you have mentioned. Yes, a tiny number but a niche. Nobody supports the things, so for the few who do, believe it or not, there is some good money to be made. Here in the US we have musicians shipping their tube amplifiers all over the country to get them serviced. The guys who service these things advertise in all the magazines aimed at musicians and from what I can see are turning a good buck. Me? I really can't hear the so called truer, richer and warmer tones these audiophiles claim, however, that does not take away from the fact that there is money to be made. Yes, a tiny group but a small tiny group looking for repairs.

Absolutely something a beginner in electronics should not be concerned with. Actually, from what I have observed, those who seem to want to work on these things have very little basic electronic theory. They don't want to start by learning basic DC theory either.

Ron
 
Nigel, I'll agree to everything you have mentioned. Yes, a tiny number but a niche. Nobody supports the things, so for the few who do, believe it or not, there is some good money to be made. Here in the US we have musicians shipping their tube amplifiers all over the country to get them serviced. The guys who service these things advertise in all the magazines aimed at musicians and from what I can see are turning a good buck.

I often repair valve guitar amps, commonly when loads of music shops have failed to do so - and almost all with simple common faults (almost always just the anode loads of the triodes).

Valve gear is crude, simple, needs little test equipment and is generally VERY easy to repair :D
 
There we have it....

I often repair valve guitar amps, commonly when loads of music shops have failed to do so - and almost all with simple common faults (almost always just the anode loads of the triodes).

This is because loads of music shops are clueless as to the true operation of a valve type amplifier. Nigel on the other hand understands their operation applying sound electronic theory. This gives Nigel more worth. Nigel can do what others can't do. Around my area there are very, very few electronics types who know how to troubleshoot valve amplifiers. It's a skill Nigel. That is how I see it anyway. Personally, being retired now I have no interest in repairing valve amps. I don't need the money and have better ways to spend my leisure time. Ghostman's post got me thinking about my cameras collecting dust. :)

Ron
 
now i am slightly confused! is billy a beginner or a qualified? sometimes i think i know and then sometimes i am not so sure. as for tubes and amp's, its funny how things always go around in circles. Once the must have new tech that made music sound better than could ever be imagined was CD, now there is a resurgence of people who want to hear the scratch and rumble of vinyl!
I am into photography and last year i spent a absolute fortune on building a darkroom with all the old enlarger and stuff, vats of chemicals! and i have gone back to taking pictures in B&W with a film camera! apart from a couple of quick pics by LG my £2000 NIKON DSLR hasn't seen much use for a year! and i can kick myself for selling all my old film darkroom equipment about ten years ago for peanuts :banghead:

When audio goes around in circles isn't that feedback? :)

B&W film? Ah yes, the school of Ansel Adams I presume? I also need to knock the dust off my DSLR cameras. Years ago, like you I really enjoyed photography and film. Not sure I can even buy film anymore? Eventually I sold off my film stuff and went the digital route. Since we are into a cold winter I should dig out my cameras and put some time into them.

Ron
 
Don't forget that a great many Hams (amatuer radio types) still avidly adhere to tube type transmitter rigs, especially the higher output linear finals (500 to 1KW).

To be sure, the digital VCOs, preamps and recievers are infintely superior to anything using tubes.

It is, however, very difficult to heat your home with solid state equipment...:rolleyes:
 
Don't forget that a great many Hams (amatuer radio types) still avidly adhere to tube type transmitter rigs, especially the higher output linear finals (500 to 1KW).

But again, a very small niche market - the biggest 'valve' market would be microwave ovens - as a magnetron is a type of valve.

To be sure, the digital VCOs, preamps and recievers are infintely superior to anything using tubes.

It is, however, very difficult to heat your home with solid state equipment...:rolleyes:

Not at all, class A amplifiers :p
 
Don't forget that a great many Hams (amatuer radio types) still avidly adhere to tube type transmitter rigs
Quite correct, but it is a HOBBY.
The fun is in using the old equipment, which is probably less that perfect but has character.

The same with cars.
Some people like to drive an old 1980s/70s/60s/50s/40s/30s/20s vehicle for fun at the weekend, but for getting to/from work in the dark, in the rain, in the cold and snow, a modern car is to be preferred most of the time.
An exception would be when there is a foot of snow on the ground, a 1960 Land Rover will beat a tree hugging fluffy bunny save the planet girly car no problem.

JimB
 
... a tree hugging fluffy bunny save the planet girly car...

LMAO.

Drifting a bit off topic here, but that's the best adjectival phrase I've ever had the pleasure to read for the current batch of general transportation.

Thank you, JimB. You are my UK HERO for the day!
 
Thank you, JimB. You are my UK HERO for the day!
Well, I have been called many things in my time, but never before "UK HERO of the Day" .
Thank you.
JimB
 
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