I edited and annotated the original 28 minute film "Electronics at Work" down to 3.5 minutes. The annotations help explain how electronic vacuum tubes flow electrons to amplify guitar signals and rectify AC to DC.
Пікірлер: 311
@wentaoqiu40725 жыл бұрын
I’m always amazed at how old tutorial videos explaining things so well and in such a simple, elegant way.
@pastaman642 жыл бұрын
Not to sound like a stereotypical cynical boomer, but I imagine that's probably because back then they weren't trying to stretch out a tutorial to make it 10 minutes long just for some teeny tiny bit of extra youtube money
@philipm31732 жыл бұрын
@@pastaman64 Right because the government was funding the sciences and education
@AwestrikeFearofGods2 жыл бұрын
Filming and animation were expensive, so they would be thoroughly planned. Only professional studios could afford to do it.
@slawomirkulinski Жыл бұрын
I just came here after listening to a guy who was trying to explain this for half an hour. Less then 4 minutes and I am done.
@galzajc12578 ай бұрын
yeah many great ones. maybe the most insane one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hXqQhaJnmrqnq7c. and this was like 30 years before 3b1b
@animalblundetto56733 жыл бұрын
I love these classic old American explanatory videos, military training videos etc. They're so clear and to-the-point, and always in that Transatlantic accent that you just don't hear anymore.
@waylonk24532 жыл бұрын
We could use some more clarity and conciseness in training videos these days. Now it's all about colors and graphics with new-age music!
@KUSHALGOKHALE2 ай бұрын
there was a channel full of such videos...by the name jeff quitney...now its gone...i dont know where
@scottwentworth47205 жыл бұрын
Old school physicists are good at breaking things down to layman.
@huuballawick4 жыл бұрын
If someone isn't able to explain something simply, they don't have a complete understanding of it.
@patrickjane63774 жыл бұрын
@@huuballawick my thoughts exactly. Most people nowadays dont really understand what they learn anymore. They just memorize it.
@Hezigrimm4 жыл бұрын
I have to give my instructors who were Automotive Techs some major credit for me to even remotely understand what is at play here. I do agree that old school physicists have a much better way of describing things than newer ones are, but I primarily think that is mostly due to the fact old school taught at a slower pace and new school flies through it.
@Lyander254 жыл бұрын
@@Hezigrimm Agreed, the sheer volume of information available to people in the internet age, not to mention the high value placed on producing skilled and learned individuals as fast as possible to enter the workforce means that education nowadays cannot help but accelerate the pace of things to the point where a surface-level understanding of concepts is all that's necessary. Experience and genuine depth of knowledge comes after, if at all.
@bustedhonda3 жыл бұрын
That was exactly what I needed to learn. Thanls!
@joewoodchuck38244 жыл бұрын
One of the nice things about tubes is being able to actually see the elements being discussed which makes it, in my mind, easier to understand. If I had my way, tubes would still be taught to help visualize what happens in an amplifier, even in solid state.
@jsmythib5 ай бұрын
Same. Using heat and a vacuum to induce electron flow vs silicon doping layers near each other inducing electron flow, without heat. Its all very interesting :)
@WaliSayed Жыл бұрын
It doesn't matter if the video is old and classic, but the explanation is magical and made me understand a complete book. Thank you!
@MundaneMuser4 жыл бұрын
Although this is many decades old, the technology described by the narrator is surprisingly advanced. It makes me appreciate old technology even more.
@veepedaldude94045 жыл бұрын
These videos are about as clear as it can get. Why do modern educational vids lack this.
@jerryfacts9749 Жыл бұрын
These older films (transferred to video) were very well made. The explanation of how vacuum tubes work is interesting. I am in my 70s, and in my early years of working in electronics I was building projects and doing servicing of devices using vacuum tubes. The tubes in this video are of a much older generation of the ones I worked with.
@SevenDeMagnus3 жыл бұрын
Thanks vacuum tube inventor for paving the way for the transistor.
@chaudry123 Жыл бұрын
Agree. When I was not yet graduated, I was feeling like if more credit goes to Einstein than Newton and Galalio but the reality is the other way round. I mean the foundation always makes difference. So more credit should go to the founder.
@AMStationEngineer6 жыл бұрын
I've held a General Radiotelephone Operator's License' "GROL", since before the days of the 'Supersede Order' for the "Second Class Radiotelephone Operator's License". This video is leaps and bounds above all the rest regarding "Tube Theory"!!
@chetananam4753 жыл бұрын
Please post more videos like these. Real quality instruction! Makes learning enjoyable. Absolutely clear cut content.
@milesnottage59003 жыл бұрын
Thank you for this - it genuinely very useful for music tech classes. We talk about valve amps all the time without (in many cases) really understanding what they actually are.
@alpurl4 жыл бұрын
Thank you for sharing, and for pointing out that the full video is available. Vacuum tubes were still quite common when I was a kid, and I grew up through what I consider "The Digital Revolution" through the late seventies going through the eighties. I witnessed the demise of the LP, 8 track, reel to reel, slide projectors, and film projectors. I witnessed the development and demise of audio cassettes, VHS, and Betamax. I saw the rise and fall of CDs and the development of the dvd. I witnessed the war between Bluray vs HDDVD just like vhs and betamax. If seen the development of mp3, mp4, and streaming. I've seen numerous game systems from Atari 2600 and 5200, through NES, Wii, to XBox and PlayStation and their various associated handheld units. I remember when a 19 inch color tv tipped the scale at around 75# and was state of the art. Now we have displays that cover a wall weighing around 150# at barely 1-2 inches thick, and can project an image anywhere with no wires or cords from a projector the size of a deck of average playing cards. Personal computers were only for the rich, and only doctors, lawyers, and the occasional drug dealer had a mobile phone that was the size of a briefcase. Today, we wear and carry devices as phones that are far more powerful than all of the combined computing power of every computer NASA had when we sent astronauts to the moon. My first computer in 1998 was cutting edge technology with a 300 MHz processor, 4MB video card, 64MB ram, a 4.3 GB hard drive, and a 56K modem with 24K fax. It can't even come close to what my two year old Note 8 does. We also went from wired Ethernet which we still use, to extensive wireless home networks through 802.11 a, b, g, and n. Mobile phones are small and inexpensive enough that everyone has one in their pocket and they went through wireless technologies from Edge through G, 2G and 3G, 4G and 4G LTE and now into 5G. That doesn't even count the IOT or internet in general as we know it. All of this is only the tip of the iceberg. But now we're bringing back tube amplifiers, LP's, and the instamatic camera and now have instamatic photo "printers" that connect to our smart phones and "print" a photo that comes out entirely white and becomes a photo before your eyes, and call the technology "new." At best, it's old school with a modern twist. I'll be 47 in 2020, and as fast as technology changed then, it's nearly lightning quick today. We really do have the world at our finger tips.
@louf71784 жыл бұрын
Excellent post. I forgot about HDDVD.
@ericscaillet22324 жыл бұрын
Erm...we have 'our ' world at our fingertip,the world will remain as it has always been😒
@westelaudio9432 жыл бұрын
Tubes never went away. Guitar amps (high end ones) always used them, as well as niche HiFi amps. LPs also, but there has been a resurgence since about the early '00s. Instant cameras aren't all that good, I don't know why people use them, I do love my 35mm film though.
@whateverittakes16737 жыл бұрын
So it's basically a transistor but with different physics
@robrobinette7 жыл бұрын
Yes, transistors and tubes are similar in how they function.
@BallistaBomber6 жыл бұрын
Rob Robinette except tubes are exponentialy bigger
@luuk3416 жыл бұрын
Forrest Hildebrant And more expensive
@walterbunn2806 жыл бұрын
mmm.... kinda. Transistors are mostly voltage controlled, where as Vacuum Tubes are mostly current controlled. Arguably Bipolar Junction Transistors are also current controlled, but, especially relative to a vacuum tubes, they operate more around the potential differences at the emitter-collector-base (or drain, source, and gate if we're talking Field effect...). This means that vacuum tubes are generally better at handling large currents relative to transistors, but most residential consumers don't have a use for a KiloAmpere of current. More over, a person might actually be able to make a vacuum tube at home. I don't think that's really an option with any of the transistors, but that's also probably not practical in most circumstances. It's great for the enthusiasts though.
@g00glian05 жыл бұрын
@@walterbunn280 Helpful!
@steveperry13444 жыл бұрын
this brings back some memory cells. worked on vacuum tube radio transmitters while in the air force 50 years ago.
@CooKiesHouseCannabisCo4 жыл бұрын
makes me happy to see that 237,000+ people have chosen to watch this. :)
@alecalfaras593625 күн бұрын
now almost 600,000!! Long live vacuum tubes
@turbo54836 жыл бұрын
How does someone even invent this stuff...amazing !!!
@robrobinette6 жыл бұрын
Eddison accidentally discovered vacuum tubes while working on the light bulb.
@jmg95096 жыл бұрын
Actually I had this idea roaming in my head for a couple days now, only for someone to tell me it already exists today >.>. Actually I have a slight variation and application for what can be done using something similar.
@philosophyofpolitics45044 жыл бұрын
@@robrobinette Edison was a businessman, not a scientist. He had the money to put his name on patents, reports, inventions etc... Guys like Tesla were the unsung workhorses. Grinding it out at their towers all day... Getting no respect...
@ivantacalo88024 жыл бұрын
@@philosophyofpolitics4504 facts
@justsumguy2u4 жыл бұрын
@@philosophyofpolitics4504 Edison was most certainly a scientist, most of the inventions he created were done by himself, without outside help. Steve Jobs on the other hand was a businessman with ideas
@michaelbrady91704 жыл бұрын
Thank you very much, Rob. BTW: I received the StewMac 5e3 15 watt amp kit, but i have a couple of weeks DIY work to be done before we can move into the older (but new-to-us) house we purchased. As I am writing this, it occurs to me that I had better check on the StewMac warranty for the amp and parts almost immediately. Nevertheless thanks again for the video here!
@rockfordlines35474 жыл бұрын
Love the modern graphics.
@gavinlew82732 жыл бұрын
This is what makes America so great, these instructional videos are clear, articulate and very instructional. Much better than many KZbin videos today.
@dmsmhic4 жыл бұрын
For the first time I understand the concept. Thank you!!
@Calligraphy-dilipaweeratunga135 жыл бұрын
They explained it so well that now I can understand the usees of the transister.
@fairnut64182 жыл бұрын
It is unreal how the tube amplifier analogy is so much easier to understand than with transistors.
@robrobinette2 жыл бұрын
The transistor gate functions like a tube control grid. The signal applied to the gate is amplified by the transistor.
@ReneStover Жыл бұрын
I knew a Mr. Robinette, he was a great and intelligent Man and great teacher!
@TheDukeOfSaudi6 жыл бұрын
VTs explained in an elegant, simple manner. Thumbs up!
@asadpuppy12594 жыл бұрын
Thanks Rob Robinette
@chaudry123 Жыл бұрын
Wow its amazing to see how vac tube used to work.
@robrobinette3 ай бұрын
Tubes are still used in guitar and audio amplifiers.
@karhukivi4 жыл бұрын
Still used in high power radio and TV transmitters, although they are in ceramic tubes, not glass ones.
@seankerr11873 жыл бұрын
Awesome! Thanks for the upload! Wish professors these days could break down transistor op-amps in a simple way like this
@carmineapplesauce73243 жыл бұрын
This is the best video on youtube
@walterkersting62383 жыл бұрын
Some things they got right a long time ago.
@nukeelda5 жыл бұрын
Best explanation I ever saw thanks for sharing..
@soumyajyotikundu71473 ай бұрын
Crystal clear
@matthewmuziani19612 жыл бұрын
Wow, I just found out you have a KZbin. I have to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the time you took on your website to explain the AB763 circuit. I went from not knowing a single thing about amp circuits to doing my own repairs on a fender drri during the pandemic because of your page. I even managed to re cap it. You do such a good job of explaining it to a lay person. Thanks again, and a side note I enjoyed the story about the military training plane that was a shit design/catastrophe waiting to happen
@robrobinette2 жыл бұрын
I'm glad you found the website useful Matthew.
@mohammadidrees55814 жыл бұрын
Even though the video is old. Their explainations are still better than modern videos.
@INDIAN-gz7xg2 жыл бұрын
Old is gold....
@waylonk24532 жыл бұрын
I always wondered how a tube amplifier works, and now I understand. Thanks Rob, you provide a wealth of knowledge!
@moga19684 жыл бұрын
When i was 10 years old, last.. 40 years, my trsurs were to colect those Tubs. I was so intersting, watcis all wires, grids use? I watced hours by hours. When we open our Blcj whote T.v I was so quries wat is all this elctronics part. This clip realy wonderful.
@Wassenhoven4204 жыл бұрын
They are awesome, eh!
@mubafaw4 жыл бұрын
Beautiful, clear, crisp explanation!!
@pooja05rejoice6 жыл бұрын
Such an awesome Comprehensive video !! Hats off ... use of cartoon for the flow was really worth for easy understanding, Thank you so much :)
@christiancompiles5549 Жыл бұрын
Thank you, Rob.
@rafbi48744 жыл бұрын
This is so well explained even tarzan would understand it
@nehapal68883 жыл бұрын
Very clear explained
@jasminakter14454 ай бұрын
Thanks for the information
@liamMaru3 жыл бұрын
This video is amazing. It's all so simple.
@ianuragaggarwal4 жыл бұрын
Hi Rob, your website is very impressive and resourceful. Using clue from there i changed AC heater to elevated AC configuration.
@nmps282743 жыл бұрын
Wonderful explanation.
@Shaker6263 жыл бұрын
I highly recommend kids be taught about vacuum tubes before transistors, the principles carry over easier as the vacuum tube is easier to visualize.
@tglstudio4 жыл бұрын
Thanks Rob, love ur stuff pal!
@user-wc6ri2tr5q3 ай бұрын
Short and sweet
@moga19684 жыл бұрын
Great! Amaizing! Love This!! Remas in me Childhood, last 40 years.. I colect the tubes like some tresure.. now good to lesrn al this
@lazzer4088 ай бұрын
Just ignore the text being placed over the video. It's making things more confusing.
@TechTed1 Жыл бұрын
great video
@ivanalianza35003 жыл бұрын
Amazing explanation
@Nighthawke704 жыл бұрын
If you want to actually see a Thyratron power supply in operation (That's three tubes, two of them are mercury vapor Thyratrons, third is a neon), take a peek at this. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYmaZXqlfdqqfs0 It's a high power 200V .5A DC supply for a Teletype model 19.
@stan18455 жыл бұрын
It might be old but it does the job. I now know how it works
@bluesbondsman4 жыл бұрын
Hey Rob, Glad to see you have a channel here old friend.
@vkm19865 жыл бұрын
I am very thankful to you
@wreignone3 жыл бұрын
And, thats how the Korg Volca nubass works ;-)
@bobmorgan17624 жыл бұрын
I’ll have to watch this, again.
@davidtaylor8572 жыл бұрын
Thanks Rob . Your information is always great
@hayden32815 жыл бұрын
You wouldn't happen to have the full 28-minute film available, would you?
@robrobinette4 жыл бұрын
Google "Electronics at Work". That's how I found the original.
@curtpiazza16882 жыл бұрын
Great explanation!
@lousekoya18033 жыл бұрын
Thank you Sir for your immense work and great heart to share your knowledge !.......Appreciate !......Greetings from Quebec !
@JohnSmith-qn3ob3 жыл бұрын
If negative voltages reduce the flow wouldn't the tube only amplify the positive part of the wave? How would you amplify the negative?
@robrobinette3 жыл бұрын
The power tubes idle at half output power so you can increase and decrease current flow through the power tubes so both positive and negative voltage on the grid is amplified.
@westelaudio9432 жыл бұрын
The tube amplifies only negative voltage. The damping of the electron flow IS the amplification. The plate current flow is inverted in relation to the grid negative voltage. How does the tube amplify the positives then - it doesn't. The tube is biased for the signal to always be negative. That means, a positive, low DC voltage is added to the cathode, or a negative one to the grid. So the positive half-waves at the grid become negative, just less negative. At the output a 1st order high pass (capacitor or transformer) filters the DC offset out again, to have a pure AC signal. Keep in mind this only describes the class A (most common and simple) amplifier type.
@jasonvincent23672 жыл бұрын
@@westelaudio943 Dumb question perhaps, but where does the extra energy (or electrons?) come from to amplify the signal? Feels like we get something from nothing when the grid is in place.
@westelaudio9432 жыл бұрын
@@jasonvincent2367 From the B+ supply voltage going through the load and then to the plate. The tube doesn't add power to the signal itself, it transfers it to the plate curcuit by varying it's resistance depending on the instantaneous grid voltage. Thus, based on Ohm's law (current decreases with resistance), it forms a voltage divider with the load. The load receives a signal that's amplified and inverted relative to the input (and DC biased, if the input is AC). Usually, in an AC curcuit, a high pass element is then used to remove the DC bias (offset) to get pure AC again.
@robertwhitley62334 жыл бұрын
I always wondered what all those huge Vacuum Tubes inside my PC did.It all makes sense now.
@robrobinette4 жыл бұрын
I'm sorry to say that PCs have never had tubes in them. There were tube based computers in the 40's and 50's but by the time the PC came along in the 80's tubes had been replaced by transistors and integrated circuits.
@emperorfaiz4 жыл бұрын
Those aren’t vacuum tube. Vacuum tube is a dead technology replaced with transistor and integrated chip. I’m assuming based on “huge vacuum tubes”, most likely you are referring to large capacitors and diodes I think.
@random_ramblings4 жыл бұрын
Sarcasm guys.
@robrobinette4 жыл бұрын
@@random_ramblings Sorry, it went right over my head.
@dmsmhic4 жыл бұрын
LOL The smartest people sometimes miss things like humor and human emotion. Data from Star Trek knows what I mean.
@onemansamband2 жыл бұрын
More please.
@pfsmith0074 жыл бұрын
What a gem! I really enjoyed the video.
@neilrigby92605 жыл бұрын
A good original video improved with your efforts. Thanks!
@RoXx18115 жыл бұрын
Totally tubular!
@lucysluckyday2 жыл бұрын
Pretty easy to see how the BJT transistor, while certainly revolutionary, was actually an evolution of the same concepts of switching and amplification. Then the jump to field effects, when magic met physics.
@Galatians.3.26-292 жыл бұрын
High tolerance to high temperatures. No wonder why vaccum tubes are immune against E.M.P., unlike transistors.
@BCTGuitarPlayer4 жыл бұрын
I love this vintage demo! Why all the thumbs down? Too difficult to comprehend? 😏☹️🤣
@robrobinette4 жыл бұрын
With 285,901 views 84 thumbs down isn't too bad.
@jrcenina859 жыл бұрын
Thanks for taking the time to translate
@HikikomoriDev6 жыл бұрын
Beautiful.
@terrylaissy33139 ай бұрын
Super intéressant 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
@tareksma1 Жыл бұрын
Does the heating element take time to heat and start closing the circuit? Because the transistor can swich on and off very fat. Does the vacuum tube swich on and off fast too❓️
@paulthepainter2366 Жыл бұрын
The heating element takes time to get to operating temp. So it stays on all the time during use. Fast switching is done via the weak input signal
@AhmetYusufYatkin4 жыл бұрын
Found It ! Found It !!!! Now I can do a basic computer :D (Hello from 1940's)
@lousekoya18037 жыл бұрын
Good day Mr Rob .....I'm new to your amplifier site and couldn't find any contact infos so decided to leave a message here ............How can we thank you enough for all the infos you have on your site ,......this is MASSIVE work !!!..........don't know how you found the time to do this but Thank you SIR !!!.......................Lou
@robrobinette7 жыл бұрын
Thanks Lou. The key is I've been working on the website for years, doing a little here and a little there. It all adds up in the end.
@lousekoya18037 жыл бұрын
Well thank's again !!............you are a National Treasure !!..haha! Again,........Massive documentation you shared with us ! Very generous of you !
@diegoochoa5724 жыл бұрын
Wait, so is the signal input clamping the Waveform output up? Makes sense if we decouple the DC shift. Then it would work like a bjt amplifier. Can anyone with tube experience confirm? It almost seems too easy
@kimjong-un44114 жыл бұрын
Great! To the point! Thank you! Now the internet should delete every other useless video out there.
@teknical1004 жыл бұрын
Thank you.
@dribblersmy4 жыл бұрын
thank you
@rcervantes10832 жыл бұрын
I could've used this guy in my earth sciences class
@osGFXman3 жыл бұрын
wow! 😂 i need these tutorials, all episodes! please help, where can i find it?
@nostalgicoescritor4 жыл бұрын
Magnífica animación! Gracias por compartir.
@YeeThirty2 жыл бұрын
Hey buddy... fancy seeing you on youtube instead of facebook lol
@EvilSandwich4 жыл бұрын
God, no wonder so many devices used these things back then. Vacuum tubes look dirt simple to manufacture and operate, despite their extreme limitations. Unlike transistors, despite being superior, require; cooking, carefully tracking oxide layers, acid baths and toxic doping chemicals. No big deal to modern factories, but imagine mass producing something that involved back in the very early 1900's. Yikes!
@arthurpozner77014 жыл бұрын
Oh...it is not as simple as it seems...and every vacuum tube is handmade.To a very high degree of precision!
@jmg95096 жыл бұрын
Can the vaccuum tube hold free electrons? Basically what I'm saying is: If you used an electron gun to fire electrons into the vaccuum tube and held them there with a momentary magnetic field, would the electrons stay in the vaccuum if it were completely insulated and you turned off the magnetic field? Keep in mind, there's no anode attracting the electrons, only the magnetic field confining them in the space till it(the magnetic field) is turned off. If not, where do the electrons go if the vaccuum is insulated, therefore they can't be absorbed by the vaccuum itself? Wouldn't that mean they'd have to stay in the vaccuum indefinitely until the tube is connected to an anode, or other positively charged objects?
@robrobinette6 жыл бұрын
I don't really know. I would think most of them over time would be absorbed by the glass tube and interior metal parts.
@KB4QAA5 жыл бұрын
If you remove the positive charge from the Plate, while still heating the Cathode/Filament, electrons will be emitted but have no place to go and will fill the tube space.
@gavincurtis4 жыл бұрын
It's really simple. The power and audio goes into the tube. The output of the tube goes into a speaker or headphone apparatus; triggering a release of endorphins causing extended ASMR.
@mattsmallwood85797 жыл бұрын
Fantastic!
@Tay-ky3fi4 жыл бұрын
how is it... that its 2020, and I'm still looking for videos made in the 1940s to explain important concepts?
@swisstraeng3 жыл бұрын
That's because a 1940's video or a 2020's video are actually pretty similar. Thing is, a video like this could take a week to make, with 2+ people. In 2020 someone can do that in an hour. Issue is, 2020's videos are made in an hour, thus they aren't better than 1940's videos sadly.
@Dang...4 жыл бұрын
Thank you!!!
@yaminijanghel16304 жыл бұрын
It was interesting and I got my answer. Thankyou.
@baconology30656 жыл бұрын
thank you.
@gizmoguyar5 жыл бұрын
This is fantastic video, but I can't find the answer to one small question: What is the difference between the anode and cathode that allows the cathode to emit electrons while the anode cannot? Is it just the fact that it's heated? And if that's it, then what is the temperature difference in question? I've seen vacuum tubes running, and the entire thing gets super hot. Is the ability to thermionically emit electrons a sudden change with increasing temperature?
@robrobinette5 жыл бұрын
Yes, it's the extreme heat of the cathode and the cathode is also coated with a substance that helps it shed electrons.
@robrobinette2 жыл бұрын
Electrons are only shed at high rates when metal is near white hot. Heated cathodes glow yellowish-white they are so hot--much, much hotter than the anode.
@christopheb92214 жыл бұрын
thanks for the video. why id you cut it 2:33 what were the other 4 of 6 basic things
@robrobinette4 жыл бұрын
The other 4 were not related to tube amplifiers.
@clembaker99605 жыл бұрын
oh eric barbour you're in the shit now man, i'm coming after your job.