I'm fortunate enough to be over 3/4 of a century old and well remember the TV Repairmen coming in with their RCA Boxes. Yes, I am one of those that even used the Tube Testers in supply houses and outlets to replace tubes on my own. That definitely qualifies as "back in the day" memories. I would just like to add there is no substitute for spending the extra $$$$ for quality test equipment as you do. It's one of the most efficient return on investments a professional like you can make. Great Video and please keep them coming Coleen.
@bongorick2 ай бұрын
OMG, the RCA tool box just opened up a whole pile of memories following my dad around when he repaired TVs in the 60s. Thank you.
@mikewithers2998 ай бұрын
Im so old i remember those old RCA tool boxes. Mom had a old friend who used to do house calls working on tube tv's, radios and other electronics. It was always fun to go to the supply house and use the big tube tester and see all the parts shelved like an auto parts store. I think my love for electronics came from that for sure. Love what you do Colleen ❤️❤️
@doctorwu13038 ай бұрын
When I was a kid in the 70s the TV repair man would come and fix our RCA TV. He had a case just like that and the middle was filled with various tubes. I watched him as he would pull out the bad tube and then select a tube from that case and put in the back of the TV. I just remember he was an older gentleman who took the time to talk to me and answer my questions. He would repair it, then it was back to watching Bugs Bunny! Good memory there you brought back.
@williswet8 ай бұрын
Unless you heard"Sorry, I'm Going to have to bring the picture tube to the shop" which usually meant big dollars. 😢
@glueforall8 ай бұрын
When they talk about "the Voice" I don't think about a TV show, I think of Colleen :) Great work and thanks for all of your helpful videos!
@keyboard_customs6 ай бұрын
I've been looking for a basic signal generator, I'll give the one you referenced a shot! Thanks for the recommendation, and all the videos!
@MAIDELLA8 ай бұрын
That was cool. I know you didn’t ask for any requests, but a walk through of the oscilloscope and how you use it would be cool. Just sayin’
@nellayema24558 ай бұрын
Nice kit! I used to love fiddling around with the oscilloscope in my electronics classes 40+ years ago. I'm also old enough to remember going with my dad or older brothers up to the corner drug store to use the tube tester that they had there.
@FazioElectric8 ай бұрын
I wish drug stores still had film developing services and tube testers 😢
@blugoose868 ай бұрын
We had Uncle Ernie. He was a TV repairman and had a box very similar to yours. It carried a lot of tubes. He's the one that got me into electrical and electronics repair. I gave up my old scope for a new one. I don't miss carrying that old scope around, but I'm not so sure the new, transistorized ones are better. Just lighter. I miss all the buttons on the face. Having to go through menu's to find a setting is a real PITA. Don't ever give up that scope.
@george-st-george8 ай бұрын
Lots of cool tools!!! Looking forward to the upcoming amp building event too !!!!cheers!
@nisiunavoce12648 ай бұрын
Good ol' tube jockey case. Some so called TV repairmen would by kits from magazine ads and throw tubes at a problem with fingers crossed. She's the real deal tech and it's great to see a renewed interest in real troubleshooting and repair.
@OldWurlitzerMusic8 ай бұрын
Music is keeping tubes alive ! its still the best sound, as house stereo's go some old solid state come close to the warm clear sound i have a sx 1010 pioneer , they have amazing sound and can put out around 440 RMS great video !
@KeritechElectronics8 ай бұрын
Analog scopes FTW! I never had one of those newfangled digital ones. My favorite scope up till now is a Tek 468, I use it in my lab - and the Soviet S1-112A scope/DMM I use for field repair jobs.
@bobbyohanesian42288 ай бұрын
Awesome 👌
@hyperluminalreality18 ай бұрын
Cool black RCA tube caddy. I have a orange top gray bottom GE tube caddy. My favorite tools are my Utica Stripwright wire strippers and Klein 327 needle nose. The Utica's are very good for striping wire inside chassis during repairs. They reach into tight areas. I use disposable BF-21 flush cutters. Got an online computer at my electronics bench..... I wanted to try a T12 station with the hot switchable element/tips. I got a Chinese no brand kit. I installed it in a vintage Hexacon station base that had the required 24v transformer. It has ran good for 3 years. It has many features and heats up almost as fast as my D550. Cost under $30 with 3 cartridge element/tips. Hate to say it, I like it better than any previous station of any price range or country of manufacture.
@richardbrobeck23847 ай бұрын
The only thing that I would added to your kit is some diffrent coupling capacitors and few Electrolytics . My carry around caddy is a Zenith tube caddy made from wood ! and I use that exact soldering station my go to meters are my Fluke 77 and 87 plus Heathkit VTVM.
@Hearthman11598 ай бұрын
When I first got into EMS, some early jump kits used those RCA boxes. I remember those boxes back in the early 60's when we got our first color TV and it needed repair several times (at home). I was surprised you didn't mention an ESR meter nor did I hear you mention an assortment of caps, diodes or resistors, grounding lugs, spare wire, etc.
@svbarr8 ай бұрын
For about a decade I attended a "Community Support" type meeting in a rec room at a Church. It was a Monday night meeting. There was a massive RCA console tube TV that a church member donated. I gotta say watching Monday Night Football on that beast was something.ALL TUBE the audio was ballsy and the colors were super saturated like some kind of expressionist painting -- a "trip' indeed...
@75YBA8 ай бұрын
All the best Colleen! 🌍🌏🌎👍😃
@that_thing_I_do8 ай бұрын
Watching on the big screen..woo-hoo!
@TyCrawford8 ай бұрын
New modern scopes are cool but man its like, wild how many old scopes are out there and how totally useful they are in electronics today, especially in music electronics.
@JazzinBlues8 ай бұрын
😂 I don't feel so bad, seeing other old farts here! In grade school my buddy's dad was one of the last of the TV repairmen. Yes, he had that case, but had outfitted the sides with dividers for the tubes. As a kid I was very impressed... but now I'm impressed by YOU!
@jpalberthoward98 ай бұрын
I learned most of my tube-ology from my Grandpa. He was an old time radio guy from the very start of electronics. He was a WW 1 vet and he started building crystal sets in 1914. Tubes became available to the public while he was overseas. He kept up with every new development all the way until 1982 when he left us at age 95. He was truly one of a kind, and he taught me all of the basics to the point where I was able to pick up where he left off and continue learning. I thank God for that man every day of my life. He was beyond awesome. Old school in the best possible way! To quote Bob Seger "Those are the memories that make me a wealthy soul"
@BasicDrumming8 ай бұрын
Great video.
@batterymakermarkii26548 ай бұрын
I never knew they made metal tube caddies. Most I’ve seen are leatherette covered wood.
@bulkvanderhuge90068 ай бұрын
Back in the old days, those solder suckers didn't have that safety feature of having the plunger inside an already extended shaft. A lot of us back then got smacked in the eye using the old timey-wimey solder suckers because the plunger would snap back up and pop use in the eye.
@goodun29748 ай бұрын
I think Hank deserves a video or two of his own, if you can get him to actually do something besides hanging out and chillin'. My two Anatolians are pretty chill but they do perk up and go bounding through the house at dinner time, making rugs slide and floors shake. (Video on my channel)
@boomshroom51188 ай бұрын
💖 🔊 🎸🎶 Keep on keeping on ✌️
@akrmfk8 ай бұрын
I honestly didnt know they used to make house calls for amp/tv/jukebox repair 😮
@willmcbride44358 ай бұрын
I dare say that the portable kit contains 90% all you need to repair your own amplifier. Maybe some solder wicks and a good lamp could be added. But yeah, that’s the fundamentals right there.
@justinspivey87288 ай бұрын
That National shirt 😍
@gahangore1118 ай бұрын
Amp doctor with her trusty bag, making house calls 😊😊
@LEON4PRES8 ай бұрын
Colleen (spelling?), I’m curious, how did you make it from the North East out to LA? Anyway, love what you do and thanks for sharing your experience.
@bliers8 ай бұрын
Great video! More please...❤
@Neilodeath048 ай бұрын
Hi Colleen. Love the channel. I’ve been learning amp repair from the internet and often get confused by some information I come across, so forgive my naivety.. Do you use an isolation transformer when using your scope? Or is that more for amplifiers that do not have a chassis ground? Thanks for your time.
@jaygosch8705Ай бұрын
If the chassis is grounded and you're connecting your scope ground to the chassis, you'll be ok. But, if the chassis is connected to the "hot" side of the power cord, you'll have a short. I had fixed several electronics with my Heathkit scope and never thought about a "hot" chassis. But then I started working on a TV and connected the scope ground to the chassis and blew the fuse in my outlet strip. My solution was to use an adapter on the scope plug that left the scope ungrounded. That worked fine, but be careful what you touch while testing, or you'll get a shock. If you're familiar with the adapters sold to plug 3 prong plugs into very old 2 prong outlets, that will leave your scope ungrounded. Colleen may have a better solution 😊
@FreeThink4Peace8 ай бұрын
My Hiwatt 50 custom (circa 2014) sat for a year or so. Indoors, climate control. It's connected to a Fryette Power station, which lets me attenuate and gain an effects loop. When I first turned it on, it seemed like it was lacking volume, but I thought I just needed to balance the Hiwatt volumes against the Fryette volumes. As I was tweaking all,of a sudden the volume kicked in. It seemed fine and sounded fantastic, but after 20 min. Of playing the volume slowly faded out. Power tube? PI tube? Some say the effects loop may need cleaning. Gut reactions to this?
@jimmack49868 ай бұрын
Where is the vacuum tube volt/ohm meter...???? I have one and it was working when it went to storage 15 yrs ago
@jpalberthoward98 ай бұрын
Do you still have that clear glass 100W incandescent bulb that I gave you for your current limiter a couple of years ago? The story I'm hearing is that when the existing supply is gone, that's it. One day there will be no such thing any more. I'd like to find a few more before they're all gone. There aren't any in the stores in Vegas.
@FazioElectric8 ай бұрын
Yes I sure do
@jpalberthoward98 ай бұрын
@@FazioElectricthat's great! I keep mine in the box with a bunch of foam around it, and I only get it out when I'm using it because it's my last one and I have no earthly idea where to get another one right now. Maybe I'll get lucky at a swap meet. That said, I've been following your posts and I'm very happy over your success. I knew from our conversation that you were gonna knock em out of the park because of your grasp of the basics, and I'm happy to see that I was right. Bob Dylan said "You get older. And you start having hopes for other people besides yourself". Good luck and massive success. Hats off CHEERS!!
@marka19868 ай бұрын
Appliance bulbs will probably be around for awhile yet, just a bit more of a pain as you have to work in 40w multiples. Also not sure if traffic light bulbs are still available. I have a various stash of bulbs of various wattage and haven't went looking for any lately.
@AbhinavKumarSahai8 ай бұрын
Madam, Why do #Valves produce better sound #Vacuumtubes