Hello everyone,
I have been waiting for a place to get opinions so here it is. As most of us here likely do, I have an ever growing tube collection. Several thousand tubes mainly radio/TV/power (no large transmitting tubes) tubes laying around that I will never use completely. Looking for different things I can build to satisfy the need to make something cool with them. Obviously amplifiers are common, but I feel like there is something more. Share what you come up with. I am mainly in to the automotive, Tek scope, and radio worlds.
Radios + Tubes + Scopes + Cars= Nothing better!
I’m just getting in to Tubes Radios. I’m a pilot, and I would like to make a tube radio (maybe later with Nexie tubes) with all the tubes showing on display and then listen to the airport I’m at. The aviation Freq is AM in the 118 MHz to 137Mhz range
@ve7itn that would be a big project! Nixie displays are always nice.
Radios + Tubes + Scopes + Cars= Nothing better!
@radtekman Another good starting point (I’m trying to get to) is building my own ” kind of” universal H. voltage power supply for Vacuum Tube projects or radio troubleshooting. I’m kind of new-ish into the Vacuum Tubes area and trying to pick the knowledge up. I’m more into the “solid-state” side of things but I’m starting to “get the fill” of the Vacuum Tube side of things as well. Now, since the commercial well-known power supplies of “back when” are harder and harder to come by and crazy pricey I would rather build one myself than have to “fork out” so much cash for one. I’m yet to choose a commercial design, somewhere along the lines of: HeathKit IP-17 or IP-32, EICO 1030, Knight 664, and similar. Another reason is that around the area where are live, there aren’t such things as “Swap Meets” or “CarBoot Sales” nor “Sunday markets”. The nearest ones would be well… hundreds of miles from my place so the only real option to acquire old gear stuff for me is E-bay, Amazon, or some other online auction places. Hence the willingness to build one from “Scratch”.
@ovi4 Yes I could see that. I picked up an IP-32 on ebay a while back that I thought was decently priced at the time, haven’t looked at prices lately. It would be relatively easy to build one from scratch.
I would say, knowing tube stuff helped with solid state personally. More caution is needed but I think it is easier to work on and diagnose. Things are getting more uncommon that is for sure.
Radios + Tubes + Scopes + Cars= Nothing better!
Has anyone played with OTL amplifiers? I feel like this would be a simple project to start with that leaves plenty of room for creativity. Please share if so, I want to start planning a build.
Radios + Tubes + Scopes + Cars= Nothing better!
Hey @radtekman, Dunno if this thread is dead now… are you still interested in this? I’ve been looking into it recently.
How many horizontal sweep tubes have you got, and what types?
with all the brain power around here i bet a vtvm is possible
Hey @chris-anderson, a VTVM should be easy. The most difficult parts of the project would be the chassis and the meter. VTVM microammeters are not that easy to find these days but I think you could probably use something like <a href=" removed link ” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>this?
Sorry, dunno what happened to that link. let’s try this removed link
Wow, kind of a hassle. Just trying to identify possible components for a project, and the forum rules seem to be blowing up my links. Try Googling: Ebay Heathkit IM13, IM28 & IM5228 VTVM Meter
Sorry for the inconvenience, the forum automatically removes links for new users to prevent spam. It should work now.
-Mr Carlson’s Lab Admin
@the-tow-rat…. FWIW about what must be close to 10yrs ago i was at a “junk” spares place & noticed a half a dozen 6GW6/6DQ6B sweep tubes for about NZD$2 each so they all came home with me! I’d read some place they were the output tube for a guitar amp simply because they were cheap & any TV repair shop could sell you one in the 1960s as compared to say a KT88 (handy if you were a guitarist on the road & needing new tubes in your amp urgently)… Anyway i finally did the research about a project that could use them & discovered a young chap on YT with his project amp “The Deflektron AB Homemade Tube Amplifier” (i don’t know if i can simply put a link here) that uses them so i have been slowly hoarding up the parts needed. Now i am retired it’s on my list as a winter project…
I am also seeing the 6DQ6B come up on various for sale platforms but YIKES! the price for them.! (Just crazy: NZD$20 each is the cheapest). I don’t understand but i see vacuum tubes or valves as they call them here in New Zealand are simply becoming just way too price prohibitive to be experimenting around with, which is pretty sad really.
Lately I have become interested in having a VTVM. Not an easy DIY without a decent meter movement. Might be interesting to do a VTVM with a digital display. ¯\(ツ)/¯
@the-tow-rat Yes this topic is still active I have been absent for a bit. Still not fully inventoried but I have several thousand to spare so I am sure there are some in there. I have several books and magazines I should read through, I bet there is good projects in those.
Radios + Tubes + Scopes + Cars= Nothing better!