Lighting up an 866A Rectifier Tube

[@offgridwanabe]

Cool reminds me of the times we used to go to the corner store to get tubes to fix the TV. ya I am old.

[@specialopsdave]

I miss photonicinduction 😢

[@Goforitmanager]

Have a few mercury vapor rectifiers kicking around and an amp using those is definitely on my bucket list. They’re real cool tubes but have to say I found they tend to actually look cooler on video then in real life.

[@anthraciteenergetics5497]

Yes, when recording this I noticed that.

[@scottthomas3792]

Two jobs ago, there was a battery charger that had a vacuum tube rectifier....it looked really cool in a dark room. Those tubes have a long life...I was there a decade, the charger was used on a regular basis, and the tube never burned out....

[@long-d4k]

Wow😮 interesting. Do you know the model of that charger?

[@erin19030]

Cool ! I used to work with these many years ago in an industrial electronics manufacturer.

[@Ni5ei]

OMG it looks beautiful I need one of these!

[@scratchdog2216]

Had them in my Globe King 500-C. Solid-stated the PS at some point but before that it was fun watching them work under a varying load.

[@anthraciteenergetics5497]

I agree. Solid State is better, but the 866s are just for show!

[@TechTed1]

Awesome 😊

[@5roundsrapid263]

It’s definitely mercury. It’s the same color as the old mercury vapor lamps!

[@mohinderkaur6671]

Also, you would need a choke input filter as they do not like high peak currents.

[@anthraciteenergetics5497]

Yep...more big iron to weigh everything down. Planning on a few >1H chokes.

[@TechTed1]

good video

[@redstonecommander5190]

3:49 since he’s contain mercury vapor gas I have a feeling that these amplifier tubes does emit a high amount of UVC rays which is completely dangerous to the environment if you wanna take a look at the light show while listening to music only use these for a short amount of time a maximum of Two minutes is good enough Any minute more would be a hazardous thing to do

[@vincentrobinette1507]

Is there any reverse recovery loss? or, is it like a Schottky? I know that a normal vacuum rectifier has virtually zero reverse recovery loss, unlike a typical silicon solid state diode. I've never tested a hot cathode glow rectifier, nor any arc discharge mercury rectifier.

[@Explore531]

thats almost like back of the tv tube

[@guiluka]

Good morning. Yes !!! I would like to know, if it does not contain mercury, to provide a bluish light? Is it non-toxic mercury? Are these sources still made? THANKS

[@anthraciteenergetics5497]

This tube has mercury, and would be an exposure hazard if broken.

[@guiluka]

Hello, well yes you have to be careful that you can break not to explode too much. (!) Because of mercury. Because mercury is a metal that is very toxic!!! Who is pooping his moon!!! Above all, take precautions in case it can break.

[@Pulverrostmannen]

Oh yes that is real Mercury alright, very very toxic and it will ruin your house if you break it. Even more if it is hot because the mercury will be ionized and much more air born then so then you better run and fast. I love mercury tubes, I even got an even much much bigger one. the scary part is if they would break. but they give a very nice light show

[@anthraciteenergetics5497]

@@Pulverrostmannen It wouldn't "ruin" your home, though it would need to be cleaned up carefully (by you, not a hazardous materials contractor as is often used by people who get over-excited by small mercury spills)

[@Pulverrostmannen]

@@anthraciteenergetics5497 small spill sure. But the amount in such tube is not small amounts. And liquid Mercury is not that bad if you can pick it up somehow. But I tell you, if that mercury is vaporized as when a tube is warmed up and in ionized state it is very VERY airborn. And if you inhale these fumes you are in for it. Mark my words you are in a bad spot then

[@tihzho]

2:29 What you came to see :)

[@goose6.070]

Does this produce X_rays

[@anthraciteenergetics5497]

No, I was running it at around 500 V. This tube is rated for maybe a few kV max. Not enough juice to make X-rays. UV radiation *might* be a concern but the glass blocks the worst of it and I wouldn't make it a point to light a room with them 😉

[@Tacet137]

No, it's simply impossible both at the miniscule voltage and temperature here, even UV emission will be near zero spectral radiance since with only 15V drop the tube actually runs cooler than your typical 5U4

[@improbabile]

Mi chiamo Biagio di balsamo

[@BMRStudio]

I hope you know, but these tubes are emitting radioactive waves too.....

[@anthraciteenergetics5497]

Hmm...Bremsstrahlung or UV? The voltage applied here was maybe 500 V, the tube maximum is a few kV. Not quite enough to x-ray. A little UV, but the glass blocks the worst of it and makes it like being out in the sun. Put on some sunglasses and sunscreen if an event is made out of sitting next to the tubes 😉

[@BMRStudio]

@@anthraciteenergetics5497 do research ...

[@sudafedaddict4030]

@@anthraciteenergetics5497all he says is “do research…” hahah

[@Tacet137]

@@BMRStudio the waves are radioactive!!! oh no!!!

[@BMRStudio]

@@Tacet137 buy a Geiger counter, then listen to the ticks! Enjoy it!

[@improbabile]

Guariscimi la sindrome psichiatrica mi chiamo Biagio di balsamo e famiglia

[@improbabile]

Guariscimi i tumori e il cancro mi chiamo Biagio di balsamo e famiglia