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
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
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!!!!What does it matter?, valves are long obsolete, valve testers are worthless and you can't even give them away.
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!
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.
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
It's hardly something a beginner in electronics needs to be concerned with
now i am slightly confused! is billy a beginner or a qualified?
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).
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
It's a skill Nigel. That is how I see it anyway.
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...
Quite correct, but it is a HOBBY.Don't forget that a great many Hams (amatuer radio types) still avidly adhere to tube type transmitter rigs
... a tree hugging fluffy bunny save the planet girly car...
Well, I have been called many things in my time, but never before "UK HERO of the Day" .Thank you, JimB. You are my UK HERO for the day!
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