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Post by waynelawkid on Dec 11, 2013 6:16:52 GMT -7
I have a growing curiosity regarding picking up a tube tester. I like to think I could tell when a power tube or preamp tube is going south, but it would be nice to simply plug the tube into a tester and see how it measures up with its optimal specs. Does anyone do this? Are there any reasonably priced tube testers out there?
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Post by randalp3000 on Dec 11, 2013 14:34:03 GMT -7
I have these 3 new production testers. www.maximatcher.com/maximatcher.html this is the one most resellers use to match output tubes. Works quite well. Measures current and transconductance. www.maximatcher.com/maxipreamp.html this one does only preamp tubes and not quite as popular. Measures gain, transconductance, and noise. Does not measure current or plate resistance which can be helpful. www.amplitrex.com/about.html this is the probably the best one available these days. It will measure pretty much everything you would need. Some will argue that it is not 100% accurate and takes a snapshot of the measurements instead of continuous measurement. All these test at real working voltages which is very important unlike some other colorfully named testers.
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Post by Maddog on Dec 11, 2013 16:05:37 GMT -7
Yup: Hickok 6000A. Very "old - school," but calibrated and accurate.... About $500 for a nice one these days... Tube tester are "a must have" if you buy/sell tubes today, since the market and the tubes themselves are just a crapshoot without knowing their sonic qualities and mechanical stability.....
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Post by doctorice on Dec 11, 2013 18:10:22 GMT -7
I have a couple old ones, with a B&K being the better of the two. They need calibration and have not been used in quite a while. The Hickoks, as in Lee's pic, seem to be considered the cream of the crop for the older ones. Myles Rose is our resident tube guru, so check out his postings. Also, here's a thread I had bookmarked ztalk.proboards.com/thread/37650/tube-tester-recommendations
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Post by waynelawkid on Dec 11, 2013 20:20:58 GMT -7
Thank you for the advice, gentlemen! I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that the options are pricey. It certainly seems like a luxury item, but this whole industry is luxury.
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Post by zpilot on Dec 12, 2013 2:12:09 GMT -7
I have no idea what new production stuff is out there. My main tester is a Triplett 3423 from the early '60's. It is a mutual conductance tester, which will tell you much more than a simple emission tester. I serviced it when I got it and I keep it calibrated. That's important because they are basically worthless unless you can verify their accuracy with a good standard. Also, the plate voltage it tests at is important for a real-world test. Even some of the more expensive testers fall short on this. A good calibrated tester like mine will start at $350. You can find some good info at: tone-lizard.com/Tube_Testers.html. Probably enough to discourage you from buying one at all.
One more thing, and I can't stress this enough. Unless you are a good tube tech (and I gather you aren't or you wouldn't be asking this stuff) don't waste your money on a tester that is not guaranteed to work properly. Even if you do have the skills, some of the parts in old testers are virtually irreplaceable if they are bad. I'm speaking from experience.
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Post by waynelawkid on Dec 12, 2013 6:13:12 GMT -7
I have no idea what new production stuff is out there. My main tester is a Triplett 3423 from the early '60's. It is a mutual conductance tester, which will tell you much more than a simple emission tester. I serviced it when I got it and I keep it calibrated. That's important because they are basically worthless unless you can verify their accuracy with a good standard. Also, the plate voltage it tests at is important for a real-world test. Even some of the more expensive testers fall short on this. A good calibrated tester like mine will start at $350. You can find some good info at tone-lizard.com/Tube_Testers.html. Probably enough to discourage you from buying one at all. One more thing, and I can't stress this enough. Unless you are a good tube tech (and I gather you aren't or you wouldn't be asking this stuff) don't waste your money on a tester that is not guaranteed to work properly. Even if you do have the skills, some of the parts in old testers are virtually irreplaceable if they are bad. I'm speaking from experience. I am getting the "don't even bother" vibe from a number of the sources I have read. The MaxiMatcher seems to have promising reviews and may help avoid the pitfalls of having to rely on vintage gear that if broken cannot be replaced. Now I just need to go shake the money tree...
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ksks
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Post by ksks on Dec 13, 2013 7:49:12 GMT -7
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Post by zpilot on Dec 13, 2013 9:48:18 GMT -7
Myles has stated that he wasn't impressed with this considering the price.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2013 14:54:02 GMT -7
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Post by zpilot on Dec 13, 2013 22:10:11 GMT -7
Other than PLC's and motion control I haven't worked on anything digital so I'm way behind the curve on this stuff so I have no idea what's out there in the marketplace currently. Would this test at working voltages? Otherwise, any info wouldn't be worth much.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2013 1:06:09 GMT -7
Other than PLC's and motion control I haven't worked on anything digital so I'm way behind the curve on this stuff so I have no idea what's out there in the marketplace currently. Would this test at working voltages? Otherwise, any info wouldn't be worth much. Do you mean the LabView? I had a limited amount of time with the equipment. Prof told me you could set up and test any parameters you need to know. I imagine it's quite expensive if you don't already have the software and hardware. I have the student version of the software which is quite powerful as is.
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Post by zpilot on Dec 14, 2013 3:15:11 GMT -7
Other than PLC's and motion control I haven't worked on anything digital so I'm way behind the curve on this stuff so I have no idea what's out there in the marketplace currently. Would this test at working voltages? Otherwise, any info wouldn't be worth much. Do you mean the LabView? I had a limited amount of time with the equipment. Prof told me you could set up and test any parameters you need to know. I imagine it's quite expensive if you don't already have the software and hardware. I have the student version of the software which is quite powerful as is. So I gather that you could test them in the actual amp or circuit that they would be used in. If so, that would be fantastic. I imagine the cost to get it set up would limit it's use to someone who was really in the business of buying and selling NOS tubes.
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