Tube Testers

[keithc]

After 20 years of tube rolling, trusting random buyers/sellers, blindly buying many tubes on faith, and frying two Lampizators…

… I now enter an era where I can validate every single tube with actual measurements, as well as match tubes by curve tracings.

Was going to buy an Amplitrex, Funke, Avo, TV7, etc and then decided this was the single unit that can do it all for me. Plus great customer service.

Closely matched RCA 6L6GCs!

 

[godofwealth]

Who manufactures this tester?

 

[GHasley]

Who manufactures this tester?

That looks like the etracer.

 

[godofwealth]

Looks like it. I checked it out. Looks like it is sold in kit form that needs to be assembled. Definitely interesting but I’m wary of buying high voltage equipment that hasn’t been thoroughly vetted. I’m happy with my Amplitrex. Chris provides great service and he’s right here in California. When life threatening voltages are involved, one can’t be too careful.

 

[Wardsweb]

I have two:

Sencore MU140




Hickok 6000A

 

[the_nines]

Same here.

Hickok 6000A

 

[A-Line]

I have two:

Sencore MU140

View attachment 133198
Growing up in 1960's I remember seeing tube testers at the local drug stores. These days my tube tester are my ears vs a electronic device. Much like CRT screens for stereo tuners they're no longer really necessary. Accuracy of those bygone era tube testers was only about 50% anyway...just my opinion.

Hickok 6000A

View attachment 133199

 

[EL156]

I purchased the tube tester shown in the picture on eBay from the USA in early 2000, and I modified the internal power supply from a 115 VAC connection (105 - 130 V, 50 - 60 Hz) to the German mains (230 V / 50 Hz).

A detailed discussion about the Sencore MU150 Continental II can be found on my website. On the left-hand column of the homepage, there is a Google language translator for translating from German to English.

https://www.tubacompacta.de/elektronenröhren/röhrenprüfgeräte/sencore-mu150/

You can also see other tube testers by Sencore, which I also purchased from the USA and thoroughly checked.

https://www.tubacompacta.de/elektronenröhren/röhrenprüfgeräte/tube-tester-usa/

A German tube tester, the Funke W18, which I have fully refurbished, is shown here:

https://www.tubacompacta.de/elektronenröhren/röhrenprüfgeräte/funke-w18/

Enjoy studying the information, and best regards from Germany.

Kurt