Finally! A clear explanation as to why the output of the plate is out of phase, and from there a clear understanding of the push-pull mechanism in the output! Thanks! Great video, great channel!
Mr Carlson, If you ever write a book (and you should). Put me down for one of the first copies. Your demonstrations are brilliant. Thanks again for your hard work and informative videos.
He is so right though sir. I have a feeling that any book that you would write would be up there in caliber with "the art of electronics." I cannot stress just how much I have learned from you and how much I appreciate the work that you are doing. Even your CZcams videos alone have elevated my understanding Beyond what I would have imagined possible. I really really appreciate everything you do!
Mr. Carlson is an encyclopedia of knowledge. He is a Canadian and really appreciated by many throughout the world. I wish I could visit your lab Paul. I would never leave!!!
I just came across this video (4 years late). I do understand how a triode valve system works but wanted see how you explained it for the beginner. Your explanation was spot on, very good. I saw an explanation by another CZcamsr trying to explain how tubes (valves) work, their instruction video was full of errors and inaccuracies. They got very defensive when I commented on the errors in the video. Your explanation was excellent and flawless. Well done Paul, keep more great videos coming like this.
Paul, I say this freely and not because you mentioned me in the video, but there is just not enough tube related videos on CZcams. This video IS the best one I have ever seen on CZcams hands down. Very well explained and the confidence of your knowledge on this subject is simply outstanding. Being an old tube lover since my teens I really enjoyed this one.....Well Done and a huge thumbs up !Now I can say a big thanks for the mention of me and my channel and is very much appreciated. I feel very honored and going to post this one on my website for others to view and learn. Thanks my friend.
@@supersolex Check out Glasslinger on CZcams sometime. He wears women's clothes, but he also does repair and restoration of tube equipment. He even makes some of his own tubes.
Paul: I'm an old NASA gate chaser from the 70s where I learned TTL. Lots of logic, lots of transistor theory, and just a little analog....probably just enough to figure out simple power supplies. Now that I'm an old retired guy, I have come back to ham radio, and my interests particularly lie in vintage tube equipment, particularly Collins, and some of the "Big Iron" AM broadcast transmitters. Your videos are wonderful in helping me transfer what I learned as a digital tech to tubes. Although you don't specifically mention it, as you go through your excellent signal chasing, I find myself saying, "oh, that works just like a transistor." Thank you so very much for videos just like this one....they are exactly right on the money for what I need.
A one man high tech technical school in each video presentation. For me your videos are great refresher courses. In my day I also taught electronics technology at a hands on level. Your methods and approach are the best I've seen in a long time.
Where were you, when as a recent graduate of 6th grade in 1966, I attended a summer elective workshop program of beginner electronics which included DC theory and vacuum tube operation? We were given old High School text books and I recall having great difficulty wrapping my understanding around the very concepts you are teaching so clearly. You are helping many people.
I have to admit, you, and Forrest Mimms III make learning very user friendly. Taking text book content, and applying them to real world situations. And keeping it simple, while being in depth with information.
I really like what Mimms did with his books.The first of his that I saw was getting started in electronics.Easy to understand like you said and handy for a person wanting to learn
Man, I don't understand a lot of what you're saying but I've been binge watching for ages now. Love your explications and even though I'm just a muso, this all intrigues me and dig the way you go through things in depth, fast, but take your time to explain. I hope you keep up the great work man?!!!
Excellent work. Easy to understand. I know all this stuff already from my professional background in vacuum tube equipment back in the 50's and I retired in 2010. Nevertheless I really enjoyed your presentation. Best quick written electronics lessons back in my day were in the back of the old RCA Receiving Tube Manual of the 50s &60s. Besides taking this stuff in high school and college, I learned it first from that RCA manual. Another great book was the ARRL ham radio Handbook.
Paul, Ahhhhhh! You have greatly clarified to me how tubes work in 18 short minutes. I especially like how you present theory, then assemble a circuit and prove it to be true. That really helps me absorb material. What kind of maniac gives a Mr. Carlson's video a thumbs down? Thanks, I know making videos (well, good ones) takes time and effort.
Ian Butler they probably get the video in their feed and by thumbing down think they are influencing the algorithm not to send anymore vids like this to them.
We are the ones who have to thank you a lot for your work to deliver us great videos and great information. Double thumbs up for your humility. Thank you!
Hey Paul; How did I ever forget that the last number on the right end of the tube label designated the number of useful elements in the tube? But I did... Thanks for the refresher. Also thanks for mentioning us for promoting your site to others. You deserve it, with the knowledge base that you possess and your ability to explain it to the masses out here in such a clear and concise manner. Thanks, and a big two thumbs up from all of us to YOU my friend. You have taught us all a lot! Cheers, Tom PS I subscribed to Peter's "TRXBench" a long time ago thanks to your suggestion. I have watched ALL his videos. I am having a blast watching him diagnose ham gear. His English has sure come a long way, hasn't it? "Achtung! Alles lookenpeepers, das instrumenten is nicht fer gerfingerpoken und hittengrabben. Ist easy schnappen der springerverk, poppen corken und blowen fusen mit spitz und sparken. Ist nicht fer geverken by das dumbkopf, alles rubbernecken sightseeren keepen hands in der pockets, relax und vatch der blinkin lights!"
+AntiqueRadioandTV LOL, I have that on a piece of piece of paper somewhere. Years ago I volunteered my time at a local radio museum, they had a few of those "saying's" here and there. Peter is great to watch, and I enjoy his English as well :^) Thanks again for the kind mention Tom!
Found this older video on tubes as i am building my 1st amp from scratch. Well, its an Eico 147 Signal Tracer that i am converting to a Fender Champ 5F1. I just tried to power it up yesterday and pop the fuse and fried the rectifier 6X5 tube. Opps. Well back to the schematics and try see where i went wrong. i like the way you are able to explain then set up little demos. Appreciate all you work very much. Thank You hoping i can figure this baby out. Take care and stay safe. Dennis
After trying to study dozens of books and countless videos for years, your video was the simplest and best explaination in my entire quest to understand tube amps Thank you
An excellent representation that is so well explained, it reminds me when I ran my own service shop for more than three decades repairing, modifying, and designing specific requirements for my customers. Well Mr. Carlson; you have inspired me to rekindle my love for electronics to the point that I now serve the public once again, for that you have my deepest gratitude.
I wish you the best of luck also. You bring a tube amplifier to a tech around here, if you can find one, you are liable to pick it up six month later without it ever getting it looked at, or never see it again.
Great vid, well done. I've been restoring radios for around 30 years, and I had no idea that the last number in a tube designation identified the amount of elements it has.
This video hit the spot !!! I work almost exclusively on Tube Amps and there were some true nuggets in this one, thank you so much. BTW - I was directly to your awesome channel by JOERNONE so glad he got a shout out !!! THANK YOU Paul !!!
When I was 15 my father brought me home an old PA amplifier with a pair of 6L6s. At the time, I wasn't sure what to do with it or how to use it. The rectifier tube was missing also. My dad told me to ask his friend Emil Rudat who lived down the street and worked for RCA at Harrison, NJ. Emil had a 5V4 and it worked after he showed me how and where to hook things up. Anyway, I ignorantly started poking around the underside with the chassis laying on it's side on top of a metal topped cabinet I had used for my rock collection. I had my hand on the top and grabbed the B+ on a capacitor and had my first whack from 400+ VDC. It felt like two people gave me a yank on each arm to pull them out of my body, I was thrown on the floor and shaky. Wow, I knew I was lucky to be still alive. I have heard many engineers and technicians consider that a "right of passage" in the field, but it's a "right of passage" that you want to avoid. Wear gloves or keep one hand in a pocket or both, I was told. I think I got a lesser one again later from a charged capacitor. Even when the unit is off, I learned to discharge caps. It was the last time and I'm still around at the age of 71. Whew! Emil became my early "Mister Wizard" for electronics and he was a life long friend from the WWII generation. My dad had a saying about using power tools, such as a circular saw, which applies to many potentially dangerous things we work on. "Don't be afraid of it. Just RESPECT it." I got it!
That was excellent, I'm a complete novice who plays guitar and have several tube amps. I never understood how the tubes amplified the input single and after watch this explanation I understand how they work. Thank you...
Honestly, I get more info from your hard work than anyone else. That is not to discredit anyone else. I just really really get it when you delve into the subject. Sometimes I must watch the video a half dozen times; but I know what it is you are saying when I am done.keep them coming, I can't get enough.Thank s to everyone who has helped as well. It is what makes it fun.
Thanks for a very informative video very easy to understand very concise I am delving into valve amplifiers at the ripe age of 65 for my retirement years although i love electronics and have been since building my first crystal set back in the late late 50's Kind regards Steven King
Thank you so much for explaining how tubes work I've often wondered that my whole life it is interesting to work with the circuitry. I have worked on electronics my whole life but I always been intrigued by old antique radio gear. always been my thing. Thanks
I really love your videos! You have such a great way to explain electronics. Thx so much for doing these videos. As said by others, if you one day release a book on vacuum tube audio I'll buy it straight away!!
Everytime your hand went near the 300v I broke out into a sweat. I do hobby work in tube radios and amps but am ultra paranoid. Great explanation and a pleasure to watch. Thanks.
All of your warnings of electrocution bring me back to my childhood. When I was around 9 or 10 I became interested in electronics, I would go out and bring home discarded radios, TV's and any thing electronic and play with them. I always had my hands in something that was plugged in, and the only tools I had were my mom's kitchen knives ( which didn't please her). In all that time I only got one good shock and that was when I found out that a flyback transformer can make you flyback. I love your videos, you are a true inspiration.
+Mr Carlson's Lab Here's another story about the bench that I played with the tube radios and such. The bench was in the basement of the house we lived in, it was constructed with 2x8s with a small gap in between. I had gone to the neighborhood store and bought a sharp knife for carving and such. Being proud of my newest possession the first thing I wanted to do was show my dad, he happened to be in the basement at the time. My dad took the knife and with the smoothest action I'd ever seen (it had to be purely muscle memory from years of fatherhood) inserted the gleaming blade into the gap and with a flick of his wrist snapped the blade off and handed me the handle. Funny he never gave thought to the voltages I was playing around with, but he just may be responsible for my retention of all ten of my digital low impedance voltage probes.
I'm a guitar player trying to diagnose some humming vibration on my tube amp, but this presentation seriously makes me feel like a complete idiot. Kinda humbling actually to know there are people out there intelligent to understand this stuff.
I am designing a valve preamp for myself at the moment. This is very helpful information, and much better explained than most sources I have used so far. Thank you for your videos :)
Thank you for all of your hard work and I'm learning more at this point than I can really understand, I only wish that I would have learned more before watching your posts, I will be watching your videos over and over again.
Such a great episode! Really well explained, you have cleared for me few things about tubes which I have struggled with. I would love to see an episode on solid state audio equipment, I'm sure I could learn something new!
I remember the days in electronics school (NRI) tube operation wasn't explained this well. We had to think hard where it made our brains hurt LOL. Great videos! Frank Ferraro--Audio Craft Electronics :)
Awesome explanation sir .I am new to tubes,so it helped me a lot to understand how it works in real .I am a tech and have my own repair shop all i do is cell phone repair and all kind other electronics repair but all modern one but some time people come with old power amps with tubes witch is hard for me a bit but now after watching your videos it seem easy.Thanks again.
Enjoyed the video a lot. You are really good at explaining. If you could do a video explains in laymen terms how a tube amp works from input to speaker would be extremely helpful for us amateurs. Thanks for an excellent video.
Thank you so much for the awesome lessons. I look forward to every new video you post, they have helped me immensely. I repair tube guitar amplifiers, as a hobby mostly, because there are very few good repair shops in my area, and the few that are charge more than most gigging musicians can afford. I also test my repairs by playing the amp at performance volume for an hour or so, this helps to ensure that the musician doesn't experience a failure at the worst possible time, during a gig. So far I am 100% with this method. Thanks again and God bless!
Thank you Paul for your videos !! I have learned quite a bit from you and consider you as my online Elmer !! I do tube radio and phonograph repairs and restos here on the West Coast. Keep the good work coming !! Best Regards, Dennis
LOVE your channel!!! Thank you! I learned enough about Tube HF amplifiers to actually build a simple zero bias 3-500z amp, it works great!! Although I did this, for some reason I can not grasp the concept of tube bias, I have had people explain it, and I have even worked on some 811 amps that are biased. But I am just copying other people without having a full understanding. When people start talking about negative voltage and voltage above ground, for some reason my brain shuts down. I would love to see a video explaining just that aspect. Thank you for everything you do!
Paul, please keep making videos on troubleshooting audio tube type amplifiers. I love your clear and professional explanations. Do you have any videos on proper cleaning and lube of common carbon based turn pots and slide type potentiometers? Also, are all tonal controls on say a guitar amp linear or audio (logarithmic) taper type potentiometers? I believe volume turn-pots are always audio taper type. A video just on potentiometers and proper maintenance and replacement of would be of great help. Thank you sir. 🙂👍👍
Thank you for the kind mention, Paul. I have lots of vacuum tube radios, record players, and test equipment to fix when I have time for it. Most problems will be solved by recapping, but this video will be especially helpful. Other than the filament voltage spec, I had no idea there was any rhyme or reason to vacuum tube part numbers. No worries on my name. It is commonly mispronounced. Should be WAH-sah-TON-ic. Thanks for the thumbs up!
Thanks for taking the time to do these Paul. This may sound odd but I knew how a tube worked but now, thanks to this video, I UNDERSTAND how it works :) 73 NE5U Mike
You bet! I've been watching daily now; some videos I'm re-watching because as I'm learning I'm understanding better so the second time around I'm picking up on something(s) I missed the first time.
So glad you stressed that an amplifier stage swings the supply voltage across the plate resistor, that the output signal voltage comes from the supply, not the tube. I was years into things, without formal training, before I realized that. It’s too easy to visualize that the tube “turbocharges” the input signal applied to the grid, sends it through the vacuum and onwards to the plate. I better understood the term “valve” when I conceived of the tube as a valve that opens partially, in proportion to the input signal, to create a low-resistance path from B+ to ground, loading the supply, dropping the voltage across the plate resistor.
Finally! A clear explanation as to why the output of the plate is out of phase, and from there a clear understanding of the push-pull mechanism in the output! Thanks! Great video, great channel!
Mr Carlson, If you ever write a book (and you should). Put me down for one of the first copies. Your demonstrations are brilliant. Thanks again for your hard work and informative videos.
+Todd Anonymous
Your welcome Todd! Thanks for the very kind words!
He is so right though sir. I have a feeling that any book that you would write would be up there in caliber with "the art of electronics." I cannot stress just how much I have learned from you and how much I appreciate the work that you are doing. Even your CZcams videos alone have elevated my understanding Beyond what I would have imagined possible.
I really really appreciate everything you do!
I agree 100% to your comment
Mr. Carlson is an encyclopedia of knowledge. He is a Canadian and really appreciated by many throughout the world. I wish I could visit your lab Paul. I would never leave!!!
I just came across this video (4 years late). I do understand how a triode valve system works but wanted see how you explained it for the beginner. Your explanation was spot on, very good. I saw an explanation by another CZcamsr trying to explain how tubes (valves) work, their instruction video was full of errors and inaccuracies. They got very defensive when I commented on the errors in the video. Your explanation was excellent and flawless. Well done Paul, keep more great videos coming like this.
Paul, I say this freely and not because you mentioned me in the video, but there is just not enough tube related videos on CZcams. This video IS the best one I have ever seen on CZcams hands down. Very well explained and the confidence of your knowledge on this subject is simply outstanding. Being an old tube lover since my teens I really enjoyed this one.....Well Done and a huge thumbs up !Now I can say a big thanks for the mention of me and my channel and is very much appreciated. I feel very honored and going to post this one on my website for others to view and learn. Thanks my friend.
+The Radio Shop
Thanks for the very kind words Buddy! Glad your enjoying the video's, and thanks again for the kind mention!
been struggling with that too! nothing Tube related to find on YT
@@supersolex Check out Glasslinger on CZcams sometime. He wears women's clothes, but he also does repair and restoration of tube equipment. He even makes some of his own tubes.
@@AcmeRacing Eww lol. He does have good repairs!
Paul: I'm an old NASA gate chaser from the 70s where I learned TTL. Lots of logic, lots of transistor theory, and just a little analog....probably just enough to figure out simple power supplies. Now that I'm an old retired guy, I have come back to ham radio, and my interests particularly lie in vintage tube equipment, particularly Collins, and some of the "Big Iron" AM broadcast transmitters.
Your videos are wonderful in helping me transfer what I learned as a digital tech to tubes. Although you don't specifically mention it, as you go through your excellent signal chasing, I find myself saying, "oh, that works just like a transistor." Thank you so very much for videos just like this one....they are exactly right on the money for what I need.
Thanks for your feedback, and your kind comment too!
A one man high tech technical school in each video presentation. For me your videos are great refresher courses. In my day I also taught electronics technology at a hands on level. Your methods and approach are the best I've seen in a long time.
Where were you, when as a recent graduate of 6th grade in 1966, I attended a summer elective workshop program of beginner electronics which included DC theory and vacuum tube operation? We were given old High School text books and I recall having great difficulty wrapping my understanding around the very concepts you are teaching so clearly. You are helping many people.
I have to admit, you, and Forrest Mimms III make learning very user friendly. Taking text book content, and applying them to real world situations. And keeping it simple, while being in depth with information.
I really like what Mimms did with his books.The first of his that I saw was getting started in electronics.Easy to understand like you said and handy for a person wanting to learn
Man, I don't understand a lot of what you're saying but I've been binge watching for ages now. Love your explications and even though I'm just a muso, this all intrigues me and dig the way you go through things in depth, fast, but take your time to explain. I hope you keep up the great work man?!!!
Excellent work. Easy to understand. I know all this stuff already from my professional background in vacuum tube equipment back in the 50's and I retired in 2010. Nevertheless I really enjoyed your presentation. Best quick written electronics lessons back in my day were in the back of the old RCA Receiving Tube Manual of the 50s &60s. Besides taking this stuff in high school and college, I learned it first from that RCA manual. Another great book was the ARRL ham radio Handbook.
I absolutely love your presentations. This video on the tube amp was the most concise and clear explanation that I have heard. Thank you. Al
Paul,
Ahhhhhh! You have greatly clarified to me how tubes work in 18 short minutes.
I especially like how you present theory, then assemble a circuit and prove it to be true. That really helps me absorb material.
What kind of maniac gives a Mr. Carlson's video a thumbs down?
Thanks, I know making videos (well, good ones) takes time and effort.
Ian Butler they probably get the video in their feed and by thumbing down think they are influencing the algorithm not to send anymore vids like this to them.
We are the ones who have to thank you a lot for your work to deliver us great videos and great information. Double thumbs up for your humility. Thank you!
+Damian Vieira de Castro
Thanks for the kind words Damian!
Hey Paul;
How did I ever forget that the last number on the right end of the tube label designated the number of useful elements in the tube? But I did... Thanks for the refresher.
Also thanks for mentioning us for promoting your site to others. You deserve it, with the knowledge base that you possess and your ability to explain it to the masses out here in such a clear and concise manner.
Thanks, and a big two thumbs up from all of us to YOU my friend. You have taught us all a lot!
Cheers,
Tom
PS I subscribed to Peter's "TRXBench" a long time ago thanks to your suggestion. I have watched ALL his videos. I am having a blast watching him diagnose ham gear. His English has sure come a long way, hasn't it?
"Achtung!
Alles lookenpeepers, das instrumenten is nicht fer gerfingerpoken und hittengrabben. Ist easy schnappen der springerverk, poppen corken und blowen fusen mit spitz und sparken. Ist nicht fer geverken by das dumbkopf, alles rubbernecken sightseeren keepen hands in der pockets, relax und vatch der blinkin lights!"
+AntiqueRadioandTV
LOL, I have that on a piece of piece of paper somewhere. Years ago I volunteered my time at a local radio museum, they had a few of those "saying's" here and there. Peter is great to watch, and I enjoy his English as well :^) Thanks again for the kind mention Tom!
Found this older video on tubes as i am building my 1st amp from scratch. Well, its an Eico 147 Signal Tracer that i am converting to a Fender Champ 5F1. I just tried to power it up yesterday and pop the fuse and fried the rectifier 6X5 tube. Opps. Well back to the schematics and try see where i went wrong. i like the way you are able to explain then set up little demos. Appreciate all you work very much. Thank You hoping i can figure this baby out. Take care and stay safe. Dennis
After trying to study dozens of books and countless videos for years, your video was the simplest and best explaination in my entire quest to understand tube amps
Thank you
An excellent representation that is so well explained, it reminds me when I ran my own service shop for more than three decades repairing, modifying, and designing specific requirements for my customers. Well Mr. Carlson; you have inspired me to rekindle my love for electronics to the point that I now serve the public once again, for that you have my deepest gratitude.
+John Cunningham
Wow! That's a compliment! Great to read John, I'm glad I was your inspiration. I wish you the best of luck with what your doing.
I wish you the best of luck also. You bring a tube amplifier to a tech around here, if you can find one, you are liable to pick it up six month later without it ever getting it looked at, or never see it again.
Very helpful! Thanks so much for your whole video series.
+Applied Science
Thanks for the kind words Ben! Always look forward to your video's as well.
Great vid, well done. I've been restoring radios for around 30 years, and I had no idea that the last number in a tube designation identified the amount of elements it has.
+justsomeguytoyou
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed.
For those beginners out there, this should help greatly! As always, fine job Paul.
This video hit the spot !!! I work almost exclusively on Tube Amps and there were some true nuggets in this one, thank you so much. BTW - I was directly to your awesome channel by JOERNONE so glad he got a shout out !!! THANK YOU Paul !!!
+Ron C
Your welcome Ron! Glad you enjoyed.
When I was 15 my father brought me home an old PA amplifier with a pair of 6L6s. At the time, I wasn't sure what to do with it or how to use it. The rectifier tube was missing also. My dad told me to ask his friend Emil Rudat who lived down the street and worked for RCA at Harrison, NJ. Emil had a 5V4 and it worked after he showed me how and where to hook things up.
Anyway, I ignorantly started poking around the underside with the chassis laying on it's side on top of a metal topped cabinet I had used for my rock collection. I had my hand on the top and grabbed the B+ on a capacitor and had my first whack from 400+ VDC. It felt like two people gave me a yank on each arm to pull them out of my body, I was thrown on the floor and shaky. Wow, I knew I was lucky to be still alive. I have heard many engineers and technicians consider that a "right of passage" in the field, but it's a "right of passage" that you want to avoid. Wear gloves or keep one hand in a pocket or both, I was told. I think I got a lesser one again later from a charged capacitor. Even when the unit is off, I learned to discharge caps. It was the last time and I'm still around at the age of 71. Whew! Emil became my early "Mister Wizard" for electronics and he was a life long friend from the WWII generation.
My dad had a saying about using power tools, such as a circular saw, which applies to many potentially dangerous things we work on. "Don't be afraid of it. Just RESPECT it." I got it!
Thanks Jim for taking the time to write, and share your story. One day I will share the story of the 1cm hole in my left hand.
Mr Carlson's Lab save that story for the Patreon members. I get nightmares easily as I lucid dream more nights than I slumber.
Holy cow! That is huge! I'd like to hear the story.
Understanding the method of amplification in tubes is a real eye opener, and a very ingenious idea!
That was excellent, I'm a complete novice who plays guitar and have several tube amps. I never understood how the tubes amplified the input single and after watch this explanation I understand how they work. Thank you...
Honestly, I get more info from your hard work than anyone else. That is not to discredit anyone else. I just really really get it when you delve into the subject. Sometimes I must watch the video a half dozen times; but I know what it is you are saying when I am done.keep them coming, I can't get enough.Thank s to everyone who has helped as well. It is what makes it fun.
+James Lucas
Great to read James! Glad your enjoying the video's.
Thanks for a very informative video very easy to understand very concise I am delving into valve amplifiers at the ripe age of 65 for my retirement years although i love electronics and have been since building my first crystal set back in the late late 50's Kind regards Steven King
Another one out of the park!!!! In 27 years of being a ham, I never understood tubes this way! 73's de w1rmd
Thank you so much for explaining how tubes work I've often wondered that my whole life it is interesting to work with the circuitry.
I have worked on electronics my whole life but I always been intrigued by old antique radio gear. always been my thing. Thanks
Thanks for imparting your smartness and not being condescending.
I didn't come here to learn nothin' but I did anyway.
That was the clearest explanation of amplification through a tube I have ever heard. I have subscribed to you for more. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed the video, Thanks!
That video was excellent it gives you a better understand of Valves. When we are tuning valve radios this all comes into play. Cheers and beers mate.
I really love your videos! You have such a great way to explain electronics. Thx so much for doing these videos. As said by others, if you one day release a book on vacuum tube audio I'll buy it straight away!!
Thanks! I now visualize what is going on in the circuit. You are outstanding with your teaching! 73, AA4EZ
Very nice Paul. Keep em comming, Greg
+Gregory West
Thanks Greg!
Everytime your hand went near the 300v I broke out into a sweat. I do hobby work in tube radios and amps but am ultra paranoid. Great explanation and a pleasure to watch. Thanks.
+mbaker335
Glad you enjoyed!
All of your warnings of electrocution bring me back to my childhood. When I was around 9 or 10 I became interested in electronics, I would go out and bring home discarded radios, TV's and any thing electronic and play with them. I always had my hands in something that was plugged in, and the only tools I had were my mom's kitchen knives ( which didn't please her). In all that time I only got one good shock and that was when I found out that a flyback transformer can make you flyback. I love your videos, you are a true inspiration.
+wgenerotzky
Great story! Thanks for taking the time to write.
+Mr Carlson's
Lab
Here's another story about the bench that I played with the tube radios and such.
The bench was in the basement of the house we lived in, it was constructed with 2x8s with a small gap in between. I had gone to the neighborhood store and bought a sharp knife for carving and such. Being proud of my newest possession the first thing I wanted to do was show my dad, he happened to be in the basement at the time. My dad took the knife and with the smoothest action I'd ever seen (it had to be purely muscle memory from years of fatherhood) inserted the gleaming blade into the gap and with a flick of his wrist snapped the blade off and handed me the handle. Funny he never gave thought to the voltages I was playing around with, but he just may be responsible for my retention of all ten of my digital low impedance voltage probes.
Very clear explanation how cathode following and phase inversion works on a preamp tube👍
I'm a guitar player trying to diagnose some humming vibration on my tube amp, but this presentation seriously makes me feel like a complete idiot. Kinda humbling actually to know there are people out there intelligent to understand this stuff.
what a ripper video. man i need to watch this video over & over every few months as more knowledge sinks in.
Very helpful and easy to understand for us old guys,,thanks for all the great videos on tubes!
Very good tube refresher course took me back 40 years to my days at electronics vocational school!
Yet another superb video Mr Carlson! I'd really love to see more of those tube amp troubleshooting tips/construction vids! Keep up the good work!
+Magnus Karlsson
Thanks Magnus!
By far the best explanation of the behavior of a triode i've ever seen...
Paul,
Love the Tech Tuesdays. Thanks for the links to the channels mentioned. Will save me some typing in the search box. :-)
+Donald D'Egidio
Your welcome Don!
I am designing a valve preamp for myself at the moment. This is very helpful information, and much better explained than most sources I have used so far. Thank you for your videos :)
+Róbert Valdimarsson
Thanks Robert! Glad your enjoying the series.
Thank you for all of your hard work and I'm learning more at this point than I can really understand, I only wish that I would have learned more before watching your posts, I will be watching your videos over and over again.
Thanks for another great video Paul. I will be watching this several times to absorb all this valuable information.
+Shaun Merrigan
Your welcome Shaun!
Such a great episode! Really well explained, you have cleared for me few things about tubes which I have struggled with. I would love to see an episode on solid state audio equipment, I'm sure I could learn something new!
+Aniol1349
Good idea for a future topic! Thanks for your comment.
Thanks for making these videos! Best site I’ve seen on tube amplifiers and understanding electrical engineering
Your teaching style is first rate. Thanks for all your work.
Glad your enjoying the video's Ian!
I always Learn Something From Each and Every Video You Make..You NEVER Have a DUD VIDEO...Thank You Very Much!!!!
Gold mine of great information.
+Granite
Thanks!
Paul - Great explanation! Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Best, Don
+RestoreOldRadios
Your welcome Don!
One of the most informative videos I have seen on how a tube works! Awesome.
+Richie Testa
Glad you enjoyed Richie, thanks for your comment!
I remember the days in electronics school (NRI) tube operation wasn't explained this well. We had to think hard where it made our brains hurt LOL. Great videos! Frank Ferraro--Audio Craft Electronics :)
+Frank Ferraro
Thanks Frank!
This is exactly what I needed! Thanks for the lesson!
Superb video. Things make so much more sense now!!! Thank you!
Awesome explanation sir .I am new to tubes,so it helped me a lot to understand how it works in real .I am a tech and have my own repair shop all i do is cell phone repair and all kind other electronics repair but all modern one but some time people come with old power amps with tubes witch is hard for me a bit but now after watching your videos it seem easy.Thanks again.
Excellent video. I really enjoy the tube related information. It's always great to see a notification of a new video. Thanks.
+jim mcdowell
Thanks for the kind comment Jim!
Enjoyed the video a lot. You are really good at explaining. If you could do a video explains in laymen terms how a tube amp works from input to speaker would be extremely helpful for us amateurs. Thanks for an excellent video.
Thanks for your input Jan!
Thank you so much for the awesome lessons. I look forward to every new video you post, they have helped me immensely. I repair tube guitar amplifiers, as a hobby mostly, because there are very few good repair shops in my area, and the few that are charge more than most gigging musicians can afford. I also test my repairs by playing the amp at performance volume for an hour or so, this helps to ensure that the musician doesn't experience a failure at the worst possible time, during a gig. So far I am 100% with this method. Thanks again and God bless!
+flockoglock
Glad your enjoying! Sounds like you know what you doing!
+Mr Carlson's Lab sometimes it's more about what not to do.:)
Very well done video! Thank you so much for taking the time to make this.
~Jason
Your Welcome Jason!
As always a great learning experience. Thanks Paul and a big thumbs up to you as well.
+Chuck Legg
Thanks a ton Chuck!
Thank you Paul for your videos !! I have learned quite a bit from you and consider you as my online Elmer !! I do tube radio and phonograph repairs and restos here on the West Coast. Keep the good work coming !! Best Regards, Dennis
+lionelguy
Thanks for the kind words Dennis! Your "Elmer" won't let you down :^)
Very enjoyable and educational. I always learn something from Mr. Carlson's Lab.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I enjoy your clear explanations, thanks
Thanks Mr Carlson I revisit often
LOVE your channel!!! Thank you! I learned enough about Tube HF amplifiers to actually build a simple zero bias 3-500z amp, it works great!! Although I did this, for some reason I can not grasp the concept of tube bias, I have had people explain it, and I have even worked on some 811 amps that are biased. But I am just copying other people without having a full understanding. When people start talking about negative voltage and voltage above ground, for some reason my brain shuts down. I would love to see a video explaining just that aspect. Thank you for everything you do!
Thanks for your input Dan.
Very helpful video. Really clear explanations. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Thank you for another awesome video.
All my best.
Bobby
+Bobby Tectalabyss
Thanks Bobby!
Thanks for the short and clear explanation how a triode is used as a phase inverter and how it works
Your welcome!
Paul, please keep making videos on troubleshooting audio tube type amplifiers. I love your clear and professional explanations. Do you have any videos on proper cleaning and lube of common carbon based turn pots and slide type potentiometers? Also, are all tonal controls on say a guitar amp linear or audio (logarithmic) taper type potentiometers? I believe volume turn-pots are always audio taper type. A video just on potentiometers and proper maintenance and replacement of would be of great help. Thank you sir. 🙂👍👍
Good explanation, it's been many years since I studied vacuum tubes in school. Nice simple presentation.
+Oldbmwr100rs
Glad you enjoyed!
raised my hand, thought i was in school again!!! awesome Paul
+jeff b
Thanks Jeff!
Take me back to Purdue's Lab back in the late 60's... Great Stuff!!
+llsdigitek
Glad you enjoyed!
Thank you for the kind mention, Paul. I have lots of vacuum tube radios, record players, and test equipment to fix when I have time for it. Most problems will be solved by recapping, but this video will be especially helpful. Other than the filament voltage spec, I had no idea there was any rhyme or reason to vacuum tube part numbers.
No worries on my name. It is commonly mispronounced.
Should be WAH-sah-TON-ic. Thanks for the thumbs up!
+Eric Wasatonic
Glad you enjoyed the video Eric. I look forward to some of your future restorations. Thanks again!
Oh man. Excellent 👌 video, Prof Carlson 👍
Awesome. Many thanks.
+Raymond Earle
Your welcome!
Great explanation. Thanks for the work you do on these videos, they are very informative.
+Bob Stevens
Glad your enjoying them Bob!
Great job Paul thank you for video
+DENNIS N
Thanks Dennis!
Your videos are extremely clear and concise. They will be very good for people new to electronics.
+Aron Gooch
Thanks Aron!
Super tips! Every new video, new knowledge, Thanks.
+CT1JRZ
Glad your enjoying! Thanks for the kind comment!
Thanks for taking the time to do these Paul. This may sound odd but I knew how a tube worked but now, thanks to this video, I UNDERSTAND how it works :) 73 NE5U Mike
+Michael Lloyd
Great to read Mike! This sort of response make the video's worth doing.
I like this very much. Its like im starting to understand. I sit and just faze out in deep thought about this stuff.
Excellent demonstration! I am learning so much from your channel! Thanks again!
Your Welcome! Glad your enjoying!
You bet! I've been watching daily now; some videos I'm re-watching because as I'm learning I'm understanding better so the second time around I'm picking up on something(s) I missed the first time.
I just pledged some money at Patreon; I'm glad to see you're off to a good start there, you deserve it!
Hey Thanks! I'm looking forward to being here more often.
You provide an amazing electronics resource on youtube
Interesting. Thanks Paul.
+Robert Calk Jr.
Thanks Robert!
Perfect tube video.
Very nice example.
Thanks
+pcuser80
Your welcome. Thanks for the kind comment!
thank's mr.carlson i truely enjoy your teaching methods thank you for posting
Really good video and information!
Thank you.
These are really good little demonstrations. Very well explained.
+Bill Moran
Thanks Bill!
Always a good video!
+Yvo Muniz (ALPHA TELECOM)
Thanks Yvo!
Thanks, you are a good teacher!
So glad you stressed that an amplifier stage swings the supply voltage across the plate resistor, that the output signal voltage comes from the supply, not the tube. I was years into things, without formal training, before I realized that. It’s too easy to visualize that the tube “turbocharges” the input signal applied to the grid, sends it through the vacuum and onwards to the plate. I better understood the term “valve” when I conceived of the tube as a valve that opens partially, in proportion to the input signal, to create a low-resistance path from B+ to ground, loading the supply, dropping the voltage across the plate resistor.
Great video. Thanks~
interesting well made model and explanation, thanks for sharing.
Mr. Carlson is da man! Keep em' comin'!
Nice tip. Thank you. Love your vacuum tube vids, as you are so knowledgeable in this field. I have learned a lot from your videos. Thanks again.
+PelDaddy
Glad you are enjoying the video's!
Thanks, Mr Carlson.