Many years ago I contacted someone selling tubes. He said, I have 75 tubes and will sell them to you for $75. All the tubes were from the 1920. Good deal for me.
I love tubes, I build a lot of stuff using them, There is something I find fascinating when you can listen to the sound of something that is 100 years old, it tells a story about the people making them in the past somehow. I always liked tubes even before I got them, from the first day I heard there was something made of glass that glows and make sound. eventually I got my own to play around with
Thanks for the nice comments 🙏. I agree watching the tubes glow on an Atwater Kent Breadboard or a Radiola or through the tube window on a 1920’s big box is magic. Glad you enjoyed the video thanks for liking and subscribing. Hope you enjoy my other videos 🙏.
I've learned that one way you can make your tubes last longer is a voltage drop to slowly warm them up. Could be easily designed with a drop resistor and relay and a switch. Basically a three-way switch on the off and on.
Thanks 🙏 for the nice comments. I used to have a Dayfan with a rubber horn speaker I sold it at a flea market. There’s not too much to the TRF and regen sets from the 20’s. The biggest failure is the AF transformers opens. You can check with an ohm meter. Check for corrosion on the pin contacts of the tubes and any binding post. Clean with an eraser, wire brush or an X-Acto knife. If your battery connection post or cable isn’t marked check the continuity with an ohm meter. RF and AF plates should be +45 to 90 volts most likely +90. Detector should be +20 volts. If your set has a “C” grid bias battery it should be - 4 to 9 volts. If your radio uses 01A tubes the filament battery should be 6 volts. You can power the set with batteries or a power supply battery eliminator. Please check out my Battery Eliminator power supply video. Under my antique radio play list. Thanks again for subscribing comment and like. 73’s KA1VMW Mark
I subscribed to Audio Amateur forever back in the ???1980s and read an article I think by Erno Borbely about using your own tubes in preamp design. I custom designed a line stage using UY-227 tubes with 6SN7 cathode follower output/buffers and really started to get into the old stuff. His choice of preamp tubes wound up being the 01-A. The best sounding 227s are Champion by far, not the blue glass Arcturus as I may have hoped. Reply
The 27 was one of the first cathode tubes for AC electric sets. It is a very durable tube. I’ve made some transmitters using its 6 volt cousin the 76 or 56 type tubes. However 5 pin cathode type tubes won’t work in the early radio set because they controlled the volume by a rheostat is series with the filament. Volume was controlled by adjusting the filament current. Many early receivers had a window to check the brightness of the filament. I love the early primitive circuitry of the early 1920’s.
Thanks for the explanations of the "01A" types. I always wondered why some had visible light emitting from the filaments, and some do not light up much... but both work about the same. Good to know it's normal.
Thanks for nice comments my friend 🙏. I like your Thumbnail of a Triode how fitting for this video. The difference in the 01A was the thorigated filament that only drew .25 amps. Whereas the UV201 drew 1 amp. The UV200 was a soft detector with argon gas. For detector use only max plate voltage of 45 VDC. In the early 20’s due to high current consumption most receivers were a max of 3 tube or less. All about battery life using a 6 volt car battery. Electric AC sets weren’t invented yet. The 01A and UV201 had a 5 volt filament with a rheostat in series. You would turn up the rheostat till you had sufficient gain and heard a signal. As the battery drained you would turn it up a little more. Thanks again for liking and subscribing. Check out my other videos how to operate a regenerative or TRF receiver for more information. 🙏
Very interesting. I have several Mullard PM2 types with 2 Volt heaters, one with 6 Volt, a number 30 valve and a D.E.R. marked with the B.B.C. logo so manufactured between 1924 and 1926, a 1.8 Volt Tungsten heater which glows brightly like yours. A top sealing pip as well. Also one Cossor 215P power valve. I made an H.A.C. one valve receiver kit with Denco plug in coils in 1969 aged 14 y.o. I want to make a replica but coils if available are a stupid price so I'll use something else. G4GHB.
@@curlyzim1 I got a scruffy Cossor 1929 three valve radio, looks elecrically right but yet to hook it up to batteries H.T., G.B. and L.T. Also a three valve Pye mains set with no valves, 4 Volt heaters.
I would check the filament continuity with a DVM. If the filaments are good that’s half the battle. Do not connect the filament directly to the battery. The early tubes were made to be used with a rheostat on series to control the volume. If you were to connect a WD-11 tube directly to a 1.5 volt battery it will burn up. The maximum voltage rating is only 1.1 volts. Although it’s meant to be used with a 1.5 volt battery with a rheostat in series. The 01, 00 and 01A filament rating is 5 volts but made to use a 6 volt battery with a series rheostat. Most tube testers don’t have the old type tube sockets. I would test them in an old receiver. And swap them around to different stages. You may find that one tube may work better as an AF amplifier and another may work better as a RF amplifier or a detector. Use UV200 or UX200A for detectors use only because the maximum plate voltage is 45 volts. Tubes from the late 20’s and on you should be able to test on most tube testers.
My Freind that is an excellent video. I am about to find me an AT 20 and now I understand why they all have some kind of "201" tube for everything! Thank you. Subscription!
Thanks for the nice comments and scribing. I posted a video of my AK-20 and 20-C be sure to check them out. Make sure you use 01A tubes. Do not use 201’s. The “A” tube only draws .25 amps. The 201 draws 1 amp. You can use a 112A for the final AF amp or a 00A for a detector. Thanks mg friend have a Happy New Year.
Many years ago I contacted someone selling tubes. He said, I have 75 tubes and will sell them to you for $75. All the tubes were from the 1920. Good deal for me.
Good deal 👍
I love tubes, I build a lot of stuff using them, There is something I find fascinating when you can listen to the sound of something that is 100 years old, it tells a story about the people making them in the past somehow. I always liked tubes even before I got them, from the first day I heard there was something made of glass that glows and make sound. eventually I got my own to play around with
Thanks for the nice comments 🙏. I agree watching the tubes glow on an Atwater Kent Breadboard or a Radiola or through the tube window on a 1920’s big box is magic. Glad you enjoyed the video thanks for liking and subscribing. Hope you enjoy my other videos 🙏.
Awesome I am also tube lover. Great video.
I've learned that one way you can make your tubes last longer is a voltage drop to slowly warm them up. Could be easily designed with a drop resistor and relay and a switch. Basically a three-way switch on the off and on.
Beautiful collection! Thank you for showing us.
My favorite vintage tube is the type 24, love the look and the craftmanship and how its a blends of modern vs raw look.
Great Job 👍
I very much enjoyed watching your video. A great history lesson.
🙏
Very interesting thank you from England.
Thanks for the nice comment and subscribing. I like the 12au7 in your email address. 👍
Tubes, best racket second to the light bulb of old times. Both always burned out after a short life.
They were the only game in town so what are you gonna do.
Thank you for the video. It is incentive for me to get my Dayfan OEM-1 from 1926, up and running. Dave N9HF
Thanks 🙏 for the nice comments. I used to have a Dayfan with a rubber horn speaker I sold it at a flea market. There’s not too much to the TRF and regen sets from the 20’s. The biggest failure is the AF transformers opens. You can check with an ohm meter. Check for corrosion on the pin contacts of the tubes and any binding post. Clean with an eraser, wire brush or an X-Acto knife. If your battery connection post or cable isn’t marked check the continuity with an ohm meter. RF and AF plates should be +45 to 90 volts most likely +90. Detector should be +20 volts. If your set has a “C” grid bias battery it should be - 4 to 9 volts. If your radio uses 01A tubes the filament battery should be 6 volts. You can power the set with batteries or a power supply battery eliminator. Please check out my Battery Eliminator power supply video. Under my antique radio play list. Thanks again for subscribing comment and like.
73’s KA1VMW Mark
Thankyou so much for taking the time to video and upload - I really enjoyed and thoroughly appreciate your kindness and efforts in sharing
Thanks for the kind comments 🙏. Hope you enjoy my other videos 😃
Fascinating video I had some
Ediswan tubes once mid
twentys.
Found in derelict house.
I subscribed to Audio Amateur forever back in the ???1980s and read an article I think by Erno Borbely about using your own tubes in preamp design. I custom designed a line stage using UY-227 tubes with 6SN7 cathode follower output/buffers and really started to get into the old stuff. His choice of preamp tubes wound up being the 01-A. The best sounding 227s are Champion by far, not the blue glass Arcturus as I may have hoped.
Reply
The 27 was one of the first cathode tubes for AC electric sets. It is a very durable tube. I’ve made some transmitters using its 6 volt cousin the 76 or 56 type tubes. However 5 pin cathode type tubes won’t work in the early radio set because they controlled the volume by a rheostat is series with the filament. Volume was controlled by adjusting the filament current. Many early receivers had a window to check the brightness of the filament. I love the early primitive circuitry of the early 1920’s.
Thanks for the explanations of the "01A" types. I always wondered why some had visible light emitting from the filaments, and some do not light up much... but both work about the same. Good to know it's normal.
Thanks for nice comments my friend 🙏. I like your Thumbnail of a Triode how fitting for this video. The difference in the 01A was the thorigated filament that only drew .25 amps. Whereas the UV201 drew 1 amp. The UV200 was a soft detector with argon gas. For detector use only max plate voltage of 45 VDC. In the early 20’s due to high current consumption most receivers were a max of 3 tube or less. All about battery life using a 6 volt car battery. Electric AC sets weren’t invented yet. The 01A and UV201 had a 5 volt filament with a rheostat in series. You would turn up the rheostat till you had sufficient gain and heard a signal. As the battery drained you would turn it up a little more.
Thanks again for liking and subscribing. Check out my other videos how to operate a regenerative or TRF receiver for more information. 🙏
Really interesting!!
I have some radios and tubes from this era. thanks for the video.
I have a Radioa III but no WD-11's. Thanks for the tip about the VT-24.
Remember you’ll need an adapter to plug into the socket.
Very interesting.
I have several Mullard PM2 types with 2 Volt heaters, one with 6 Volt, a number 30 valve and a D.E.R. marked with the B.B.C. logo so manufactured between 1924 and 1926, a 1.8 Volt Tungsten heater which glows brightly like yours. A top sealing pip as well.
Also one Cossor 215P power valve.
I made an H.A.C. one valve receiver kit with Denco plug in coils in 1969 aged 14 y.o. I want to make a replica but coils if available are a stupid price so I'll use something else.
G4GHB.
Always good to have projects and goals. I also have couple PM2’s. And a Cossor I got in a box lot at a flea market
@@curlyzim1 I got a scruffy Cossor 1929 three valve radio, looks elecrically right but yet to hook it up to batteries H.T., G.B. and L.T.
Also a three valve Pye mains set with no valves, 4 Volt heaters.
Well done!
Thanks for the nice comment subscribing and liking my video. 🙏
I have given to me a box of aprox 100 of old 1920s tubes but I don't know how to test them.
I would check the filament continuity with a DVM. If the filaments are good that’s half the battle. Do not connect the filament directly to the battery. The early tubes were made to be used with a rheostat on series to control the volume. If you were to connect a WD-11 tube directly to a 1.5 volt battery it will burn up. The maximum voltage rating is only 1.1 volts. Although it’s meant to be used with a 1.5 volt battery with a rheostat in series. The 01, 00 and 01A filament rating is 5 volts but made to use a 6 volt battery with a series rheostat. Most tube testers don’t have the old type tube sockets. I would test them in an old receiver. And swap them around to different stages. You may find that one tube may work better as an AF amplifier and another may work better as a RF amplifier or a detector. Use UV200 or UX200A for detectors use only because the maximum plate voltage is 45 volts. Tubes from the late 20’s and on you should be able to test on most tube testers.
A ton of inforation.Thanks.
My Freind that is an excellent video. I am about to find me an AT 20 and now I understand why they all have some kind of "201" tube for everything! Thank you. Subscription!
Thanks for the nice comments and scribing. I posted a video of my AK-20 and 20-C be sure to check them out. Make sure you use 01A tubes. Do not use 201’s. The “A” tube only draws .25 amps. The 201 draws 1 amp. You can use a 112A for the final AF amp or a 00A for a detector. Thanks mg friend have a Happy New Year.
@@curlyzim1
Got it, will do.
Great!
jealous of your equipment
"....evacuated the vacuum." Neat trick if you can do it.