Close look at Vacuum Tubes from the 1910s, 1920s, 1930s

[@lucysluckyday]

Those 707A reflex Klystrons are a nice tube (9:00). Both Raytheon and Western Electric produced that exact same model (they looked identical). The Klystrons came out of Bell Labs originally, so WECO would have been the original manufacturer, while Raytheon was a 2nd source producer - for the war effort (WW2).

[@latasha66]

that was a fun time travel trip. The vibrators were used to step up 12vdc to the higher voltages the tubes needed to operate in automotive or battery powered applications. They were basically "buzzers" composed of a relay wired in a way that caused the relay to oscillate, or "buzz" and the on/off voltage was fed into a transformer to step up the voltage. It would be comparable to todays "inverters". "Gassy" used to refer to gas or air getting into the tube once the vacuum was lost.

[@skycarl]

The vibrators were used to create high voltage in automobile 6 and 12 volt system radios. It's how they got the high B+ voltage for the tubes. In many old cars you could hear the vibrator buzzing if the radio volume was low.

[@RichardKingADI]

About ten years ago, I sold a lot of new-old-stock vacuum tubes ( we call them Valves!) that my late dad had kept in storage from the 1960's when he had a small business. Some of them made really good money, ie KT88's and KT66's sold for as much as £90.00 on Ebay to people as far away as China! By the way - valves, such as the KT88 are still being manufactured in China

[@BrunoPOWEEER]

I'm also collecting some old tubes... it's fascinating imagining that this little device originated so many other things and we have millions of micro solid state tubes inside our smartphones..

[@RinoaL]

i'm pretty done with this video, dont feel like proof-watching it before i make it public. if you guys spot any huge editing mistakes, let me know. I made the mistake of pausing my game of Ocarina of Time to edit this, right before finishing a dungeon. so got a bit annoyed at how long it took. i shoulda just finished the level then went to editing. lol

[@BrunoPOWEEER]

Rinoa Super-Genius all good... raw footage feels more natural to watch haha.. I get so over editing my videos too... =]

[@unitedco1904]

I thought that you should NEVER touch tubes with bare hands?

[@electronics3992]

QuinSoft Netherlands why not

[@lerskyandrew3437]

Rinoa Super-Genius What ever happened to the city car?

[@MrUbiquitousTech]

QuinSoft Netherlands: You're thinking of halogen bulbs, the oils in your skin are bad for them. Tubes are fine to touch, no problems.

[@MrBuck295]

The vibrator was used in car radios from the early years to convert direct current to alternating current at a high frequency (easier to filter out than lower frequency ) Because tubes needed high voltage kinda like using a relay to make a buzzer (if you ever done that ) there are videos on You Tube that explain it if you want to really find out my dad was a TV ,radio repair man and worked on a few of those type there were some radios that had tubes in them that would work on 12 volt without any need for high voltage

[@TheWarped45]

1:47 that is a triode detector tube patent date is sometime around 1906 a design from Lee De Forest the filament is something like 1.5 volts or so the plate about 80-90 volts dc.

[@arthurharrison1345]

6:04 - That metallic glaze inside the envelope is likely barium, not mercury.

[@intell2OOO]

"Suzi, come over here, i've got box of vintage vibrators" :-D

[@cringemaki]

Jeez, this is the kind of videos that as a fan of electronic and maybe future technician is a really a must-see. Thank u for this.

[@simonzinc-trumpetharris852]

Each one is a work of art.

[@ralphebrandt]

A vibrator will appear to have something lose in it, it does, an armiture that flips back and forth switching electricity from one side of a transformer to another, making AC that can be stepped up from 6 or 12 volts to about 250 then rectified with a tube to feed the plates on the radio.

[@gtb81.]

the WD-11 was only made one year and is extremely rare because they would fail quickly you have so many rare and old tubes

[@RinoaL]

maybe i should pass these on to a museum or a collector

[@gtb81.]

i collect tubes, and use them as well, that is the only way i know about them. also the 01 tubes are the predecessor to the 01A tube they are quite uncommon, i have quite a few 01A tubes, but have never seen a 01 in person.

[@piynubbunyip]

The Vacuum tube at 9:00 is designed for Radar apparatus. www.ase-museoedelpro.org/Museo_Edelpro/Catalogo/tubes/records_nw/RK-707A/707A-RK707A.pdf

[@Haruki_Aikawa]

So for the 707A, that centre band is a 3ghz oscillator band for radar receivers. I want one so bad

[@iloverush123]

That Rk707 was a new one on me, it's a mini version of the big high powered tube used for radar and tv. Miniature reflex klystron, I didn't think there were people building klystron amps back then.

[@6p1p]

Very nice old tube, like the tube very much.

[@petemiksich5760]

GE and RCA were one company initially. GE spun off later. Cunningham was bought by RCA. That's why there are dual names on some of them.

[@miguelcastaneda7236]

miss going to rite aid... radio.shack check tubes to fix tv....or falling asleep late nite from sixty cycle sound of tv

[@ralphebrandt]

Tyoe 50 specs - a direct heated triode. Base UX-Base (4 Pins (2 thick, USA 1924, UX) (Codex=Bo) Filament Vf 7.5 Volts / If 1.25 Ampere / Direct / Parallel, (AC/DC defined voltage) Description 25 Watt

[@TomsBackyardWorkshop]

We run across old tubes pretty often where I work. Make sure you know what type of tube you are using before energizing and the potential hazards. Some of them put of a lot of harmful radiation and all are filled with harmful substances like Barium.

[@RinoaL]

+POVadventure i wont be doing anything with high voltage so i doubt id have to worry about much radiation. but i would have my geiger counter handy just in case

[@ExStaticBass]

You may want to check out Glasslinger's channel. You could see how some of these are made and may be able to find out more about what you have there. It's one that I subscribe to because I've always enjoyed tube electronics and the process of making them is very interesting.

[@RinoaL]

+ExStatic Bass yes ive seen his videos a few times, not sure if im subbed or not.

[@x9x9x9x9x9]

Nice! I love old tubes

[@xraycam3709]

That tube with white powder in it is probably "brand new condition" that being a "getter" material that would catch fire when bulb is first turned on in circuit....ADDING more vacuum to the already vacuumed tube 😁👍

[@tekvax01]

I see a magic electric eye in the back! very gelly! :P

[@ralphebrandt]

You missed the on most interesting tube in the group. I saw it being passed over. It has a conical shaped item in the top, It is called a magic eye. It was used as an indicator, tuning eye, an indicator for test equipment like a signal tracer or capacitor tester. The number on the tube is 6u5 or 6e5.

[@RinoaL]

yeah i have a few tuning eye items now

[@T3hJones]

Dumb question but do you use these for something or just for collection?

[@RinoaL]

+T3hJones bit of both

[@Stevieray77]

Can’t tell you which ones, but musicians, use rare vacuum tubes for building high end amps for there superior sound. I’m sure if these tubes are functional, they would be worth $$$

[@yoloswaggins7611]

That WD-11 is apparently pretty valuable.

[@RinoaL]

+Yolo Swaggins wow your right

[@gtb81.]

Also the tube at 9:32 is a high voltage rectifier, half wave, hope I helped

[@dondesnoo1771]

6bk4 hv regulator early tube color tv

[@tnwnl]

Ah, old vacuum tubes. Untraceable type numbers, many physical forms, yellowed labels with vintage radio company logos... If you have some experience with them you can recognize what they are for. Two pins are voltage regulators, three pins diodes, four pins triodes, etc. The silvery stuff is not mercury but easily reacting elements. When air slowly enters the tube or internal components outgas, the vacuum is maintained by the "getter" reacting with any contaminants. Some vacuum tubes are radioactive due to use of thorium, radium or other, artificial isotopes to aid ionization. There is also use of uranium glass for wire leadthroughs.

[@Noodleude]

that metallic coating on the inside of the glass is from the getters that are used to get rid of all the oxygen in the tubes. in the presence of air, the coating will turn white, so because those are still metallic, they have not lost their vacuum. I bet those tubes would still work today.

[@RinoaL]

i know, but thanks. although i'm not sure if some older tubes may have white substances in them due to other older designs.

[@Noodleude]

I have a couple of those really old tubes (world war 1 era), and I cracked one open, for science, and it went white just like the newer ones. Maybe yours are different.

[@ralphebrandt]

Yes, it is definitley the getter

[@videokilledaradiosta]

I have to say im jelly of your awesome tube score !I'm always looking for such tubes,I make alot of steam punk stuff and these tubs are just great!

[@officialcanadianshackster]

That Radiotron UX 874 Is From An Old RCA Radiola Console Radio Radiotron Was An Old RCA Branding A lot of these are from old tube radios the vibrator tubes i believe were a part of 12 volt car radios back then also that light bulb was probably used as a night light obviously not a very safe one also noticed the Magic eye tube those were used in radios as a Tuning Strength indicator here’s a tube guide book: www.vintageradio.com/history/RiderCaddySub.pdf

[@jodysmith7934]

Antique light bulbs are very much simular to old vacuum tubes there is a video of a light bulb still working today that's we'll over 100 years old it in a fire station you can see the video on KZbin!!!!

[@RinoaL]

+Jody Smith im pretty sure everybody knows about the centenial bulb. lol

[@jodysmith7934]

Rinoa Super-Genius I just thought you'd like to know!!!!

[@vylbird8014]

It's less impressive when you see just how dim it is.

[@Dzonemp]

Its a 3 watt, I think.

[@kstlfido]

@@vylbird8014 I believe they run the centennial bulb at much reduced voltage in the hope it will last longer.

[@ycmdill]

Vibrators were used in old car radios to produce pseudo AC account the tube type radios in the early 50's. They really stink inside.

[@ralphebrandt]

type 50. Various USA brands like Tung Sol, Sylvania, Philco, etc. My experience tells that most if not all of these were made by Sylvania regardless of brand. $200 ea new $110 ea used

[@sloboat55]

Excellent

[@FurFur7010]

This must have been a privet collection. Most of those are rare and worth some money maybe hundreds of dollars or more

[@olradguy]

You have some very, very, valuable tubes there, the 50s, are prized by audio people, re-base that tube & test it. Also the battery types WD11, 01A, are sought after. The silvering inside is caused by the "getter" being " flashed" when the tube was made, it's purpose is to absorb impurities outgassed during use. THE BH's are a gassous full wave rectifier and does not have a filament. If you can find someone knowledgeable, don't try to power the filaments without knowing exactly what you're doing you can make a very valuable collection worth almost nothing. You can look up data sheets on the internet, just type in "electron tube" + the type number after.

[@edgeeffect]

Electronics LOOKED so much cooler in those days. T.P.A.I. sent me here. ;)

[@RinoaL]

i agree to a certain extent, and thats cool! TPAI really is a great youtuber.

[@marcchambers1972]

fantastically​ interesting great video

[@jtownshend]

Cool! Thanks for posting!

[@vataslab9700]

There are rectifiers magic eyes triodes and a few penthouse

[@DolezalPetr]

when the parts in a vacuum tube are not connected, it is a diode or a thyratron

[@tedrobinson372]

Read Gerald Tyne"s " Saga of the Vacuum Tube" for the definitive story.

[@Kelpyinkpot]

It would be cool if you found a vacuum tube tester someday. I used one in high school in the 80's. It looked like a black brief case with a large selection of receptacles inside. It came with a handbook for operations.

[@RinoaL]

+Kelpyinkpot i have several tube testers

[@ralphebrandt]

I just restored one made cicc 1940 and has been upgraded to handle the 7 and 9 pin minitures but not the nuvistor. I have tube charts for it

[@StingyOLanigan]

It would be cool to make a stand or some kind of a rack to display the collection.

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

Vibrator is used as voltage UP-Converter where the vibrator drives a low to high voltage transformer, a lot of those vacuum tubes are dead as the filaments have burnt out.

[@RinoaL]

+DAVID GREGORY KERR the filaments look good on most of them

[@smokiepossum561]

the shiny tubes arnt mercury its a mirror to keep the IR light in the tube and cut down on the heat the tubes with the shiny spot on the side or botton is were they flash the getter at the factory to burn out any air the vibrator converts ac to dc in old battry power radios

[@DolezalPetr]

how much did you pay ?

[@vylbird8014]

1. Test all tubes. 2. Keep the good ones as spares for equipment restorers. 3. Break open the obscure duds and document in precise detail and millimeter-precision the position and construction of every last part, to be of further aid to equipment restorers.

[@gtb81.]

Gassy means it has air in it now, it leaked also if it has white in it, that mostly means it has gone gassy, most of the time, also you have a magic eye tube in the lot, it is the 5c5

[@TheWarped45]

hey would you trade or sell some of your old tubes I'm always on the look out for 6l6 45 50 12ax7 so on

[@RinoaL]

yes, but i dont want to mail them. if your ever in the area please let me know and ill give you a low price on tubes. its best to contact me on twitter regarding if your ever in the area.

[@PaulHigginbothamSr]

the vibrator made ac current from a 6 volt battery. after making it ac, it could be stepped up in a transformer, so the plates in the radio can have high voltage. so after it is stepped up, it is put through a rectifier to change it back to dc again. fun huh?

[@RinoaL]

+Paul Hiiginbotham yeah thats pretty cool

[@ralphebrandt]

Yes, And it was the #1 failure point for car radios until two events, tubes with 12 volt plates (they appeared for about 2 years circ 1962) my 62 ford failrlane had them, and transistors. The early ones were good only for audio..

[@sonicdash3818]

That white powder might have been the getter material. When the getter material turns white that means air has contaminated the inner vacuum. Not good for the lifespan of it in use

[@Jericho297]

To bad we didn’t see these light up.

[@Contantq]

Test them all as they are getting harder to find.

[@sagarkadaw]

Can ypu sell

[@patprop74]

with the video being 5 years old lol im sure by now you figured out that the vibrators are used in old car radios to make the high voltage that vacuum tubes need from the 12v of cars

[@RinoaL]

Yeah I've heard of them but didn't realize these were them.

[@electronics3992]

I have only 6 tubes 😒 and they are made in yugoslavia .. pls try to make VTTC if you have time for that

[@Markle2k]

That funky tube that looks like it could shoot X-rays out of it? You aren't far in concept, but on the other side of visible in the EM spectrum. That's a klystron tube for generating microwaves. Think radar or terrestrial microwave communication station.

[@RinoaL]

+Markle2k but you could still push it to make xrays, thats why i kept it on my bench.

[@ralphebrandt]

@@RinoaL NO way could you produce xrays with it.

[@sagarkadaw]

Can you sell

[@RinoaL]

no thanks

[@oskarjan5691]

j ve got some tubes from poland. because j live in poland

[@aerotro]

You may be able to read the lettering better under UV light/black light

[@RinoaL]

+Ortorea Screenname now thats a good idea!

[@Oggabooga-ce9dr]

That WD-11 tube is worth 100s of dollars

[@Madsstuff]

Your voice is getting there chick, also that was a pretty nice haul!

[@RinoaL]

+Mads thanks!

[@DavidBerquist334]

I work where they collect e waste i seen many of them come threw i asked if i could take them they said no they have to be destroyed

[@RinoaL]

its stupid

[@oskarjan5691]

this are from world war 2

[@RinoaL]

+Polaczek Buraczek no, ww2 was in the 1940s

[@mike97525]

The British call them valves

[@RinoaL]

+mike97525 yes they do, but im not british so i call them vacuum tubes or electron tubes.

[@vylbird8014]

Actually, thanks to the influence of American documentation and media, we call them tubes or valves interchangeably. - A British Person.

[@ralphebrandt]

Tons of rambling, little great info/