Copyrighted by Bob Putnak, all rights reserved. “Sometimes output tubes must be selected which will provide a satisfactory balance adjustment. A tube tester usually will indicate whether a pair of tubes have reasonably similar characteristics.” – Robert Middleton, 101 Ways to Use Your Audio Test Equipment, Howard Sams Inc.[1] “Tube matching” is a controversial and …
Most tube testers were not designed to evaluate balanced plate sections when testing a filament-type rectifier tube. ©2010, Bob Putnak, TubeSound. When testing rectifiers such as 5U4, 5Y3, 5Z3 …have you ever wondered why one plate section tests stronger on your tube tester? Are all of your rectifier tubes really unbalanced? I was recently sent …
This article discusses repair and calibration of the Hickok 6000 tube tester. Models 6000A and 6005 are the same with only minor feature differences that are not relevant to tube test calibration, therefore the discussion is applicable to those models as well. Serious electrical voltages are present, repairs should only be attempted by a qualified …
Today was my annual warehouse spring cleaning day, so it was a good opportunity to take a “family photo” of my tube tester collection. My collection changes all the time, sometimes daily. I did include all of the models that I use everyday for tube sales and bench servicing, and also models that I “rotate …
How to Use a Tube Tester… and Tube Issues (in General) by Bob Putnak, ©2010. All rights reserved. Last update: Jan 2014. Your tube tester is often the first test instrument that you reach for when diagnosing problems in tube gear. All tube testers are a compromise in functionality, compromise in accuracy, and none are …
