Vintage Hickok Vacuum Tube Tester

Vintage Hickok Vacuum Tube Tester - www.pcbway.com/ Get 5 boards in about a week for $22!
A viewer sent me this incredible piece of 1960's technology made in Cleveland Ohio. It's a 1964 Hickok 6000a Vacuum Tube tester. In this video we test out a couple 12Ax7's a 6V6 and an NPN transistor.
www.pcbway.com/ Get 5 boards in about a week for $22!
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HEY YOU ABOUT TO POST SOMETHING STUPID:
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One of the symptoms is that is causes fluid retention, mostly in the hands, feet/ankles, and face.
It will kill me one day. I'm doing ok right now, but someday...
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Geaqr I use:
DMM: Owon B33+ - amzn.to/3qQgH20
Power Supply: Matrix 3206 - amzn.to/37C0fL9
Portable O'scope: YEAPOOK ADS1013D - amzn.to/2ZG4G3x
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Soldering Station - KSGER T12 - amzn.to/2NuNdby
Multimeter leads: Probemaster - amzn.to/2ZJ0BLK

[@kenholt2487]

Wow! That's a big dose of nostalgia for me! I remember several times when a TV or radio was ailing, my dad would pull all the tubes, put them a shoebox, and we'd drive to the drugstore to test them. If we found a bad one, we would call a store employee, who would unlock the cabinet under the tester. In the cabinet were several trays of new tubes, each in its own little box. We'd pick out the replacement, test it, then pay for it at the cash register -- along with a pack of gum for me, cigarettes for Dad, and hand lotion for Mom. Good memories from a simpler time!

[@WatchesTrainsAmdRockets]

If you lived in my neighborhood, I might have been the employee.

[@kenholt2487]

@@WatchesTrainsAmdRockets I kinda doubt that. You'd have to be pretty old. I was born in '49.

[@tonyguerich9854]

Oh wow! I can see that station wagon pulling up to the house and Mr Groethe toting that baby in to fix our Zenith.

[@opalprestonshirley1700]

Thanks for showing this tube tester. I remember my father teaching us how to test the tubes. Then we would select a new tube and fix the TV. Some good memories.

[@MrDoneboy]

At the 7-11 store tube tester machine!

[@anurasenarathna1703]

We had a valve radios during my early childhood, a German made Siemens and a British Ferguson. They worked with a very large battery with a plug with lot of pins and my father said that the batteries were expensive. My knowledge on Valves are very little, but I enjoyed your video. Thank you.

[@keithking1985]

THAT WAS SO AWESOME! : ) (it was like something you would see Paul Carlson playing around with)

[@WatchesTrainsAmdRockets]

Reminds me of my days working at the local drug store. We had a tube tester that was right up near the front door. More than once, I wound up helping someone test the bag of tubes that he/she brought in for testing. The consumer repair strategy was unless one is not lighting up, grab all of the tubes, and go test them. Replace all that fail. The tubes were in the bottom of the cabinet in drawers. I had learned on the tester that my Dad had for his side business repairing radios and TVs. I wish I would have asked for the equipment that he had before he sold/gave it away. I would have my own Mr Carlson's lab. I recognize a lot of that stuff.

[@bblod4896]

That is a beautiful piece of test equipment, a real keeper.

[@stevetobias4890]

Extremely cool gift. The high end vintage test equipment is so amazing in build quality. Don't see this these days, it's all about throw away and rebuy.

[@frankowalker4662]

What an awesome piece of kit.

[@MrVasile]

No need to worry about fingerprints or other crud on the glass of a vacuum tube. It isn't sensitive like a halogen bulb.

[@pileofstuff]

Transistor tester. Extra fancy! That's more advanced than my old B&K tube tester.

[@SIXSTRING63]

I believe the function switch is set to A on a 12ax7 tube for conductance test. I have one of these. Don’t use it much since I found a pristine Hickok 539C model. Why your first triode showed 0 on the scale, your function was set to B. And no, fingerprinting will not harm a thing.

[@SinnerSince1962]

But wiping the fingerprints will…. When you’ve lost the old, tired paint that tells you what tube it is.

[@georgechambers3197]

Very cool test gear. I haven't seen anything like it in a very long time. 😁 Thanks for the video!

[@greggsvintageworkshop8974]

What an awesome gift from an obviously very awesome and generous subscriber!

[@pneumatic00]

Nice piece, esp as a gift. I traded what was junk for me for mine. I have a Hickock 600A which looks the same except it doesn't have that red sub-chassis. They are or can be finicky beasts. They use an 83 mercury vapor rectifier, those are getting hard to get, and the various solid-state replacements impose their own little pieces of weirdness. There is guy who has published a refurb procedure, google "Hickock 6000 restoration". Better for you than for me. This is a piece of gear that you have to be very conscious of half a dozen things while you use it---it's not just a matter of of turning the knobs and shoving a tube in (the correct) socket.

[@EdSym1]

I remember the big console type of tube testers. I didn't know a compact version like this existed. Cool.

[@skyking6989]

Outstanding! Always had a soft spot for warm glow of a Vacuum tube

[@WatchesTrainsAmdRockets]

I could warm my hands over the kitchen radio after coming in on a cold winter day.

[@skyking6989]

@@WatchesTrainsAmdRockets I'm 34 so tubes were like these magical devices from the past..

[@WatchesTrainsAmdRockets]

@@skyking6989 So, no fond memories of turning on the power and waiting for the tubes to warm up?

[@skyking6989]

@@WatchesTrainsAmdRockets sadly no but I'm planning on building a tube amp. I'm a licensed ham operator as well and need a project

[@GORF_EMPIRE]

I have two of these testers... not this particular brand or model but they are great to have! Nice acquisition!

[@josephcote6120]

An important tip for the folks at home. Look up the tube on the chart and make all the settings BEFORE you plug the tube in. There are few sicker feelings than popping in a nice 6SN7 and watching it burn out in a half second because the last tube you tested before was a 50L6 and didn't change the filament settings yet.

[@stevensloane]

Nice! I got the 800a. Very similar

[@melplishka5978]

I haven’t seen one of those since science class lol. Nice.

[@8alonzo8]

I enjoy your videos! I noticed that at about 8:32 of the video when testing the 6v6 tube, you set the tester to 5340 and 8 on the suppressor. From what I can see in the video, it looks like the settings for the 6v6 should be 5348 and 1 on the suppressor. If what I believe I see is correct, it could also be the reason that tube read as having shorts.

[@electroKrunch]

Dayyyyymn!! I want one of those!!

[@waynegram8907]

I wonder what the Shunt control is doing to the meter needle scale and it seems like the shunt control is also changing the current or something for the transistor compared to testing tubes the shunt is set different.

[@snowdiddley4634]

Sweet!

[@MrDoneboy]

Test a "KZbin" in there, Paul...LOL!

[@WatchesTrainsAmdRockets]

it will fail.

[@harryshector]

The 12AX7 is a dual triode. Each half must be tested separately. That’s why there are two rows of test settings on the roll chart.

[@harryshector]

You do get bonus points for setting the line adjust with the tube under test in the socket. Technically that should be done for each individual tube, because there can be variations in filament current demand from sample to sample - although that admittedly will rarely be very significant among tubes of the same type number. But with tubes that have high filament current, that can be more important. In my experience, tube testers, no matter how complex, aren’t much more than gross indicators. The ultimate tube test is put it in the circuit, and see if you can make it work. For high frequency signal generators, I used to keep dozens of the same tube number on hand. All would check good on a tube tester, but some would work in some generators and some not. But those that didn’t work in one generator would sometimes work extremely well in another. It was all “FM”…. I’m not referring to frequency modulation, here….

[@pneumatic00]

Yah, that's a pain the butt. Especially if you have 23 12AX7s to test, or even worse, a whole collection of 12AX7, 12AU7, AT7, etc; etc

[@indioflechudo6221]

I've been trying to get one of those for years. I have a Knight KG-600C is also a very good tester, but the Hickok is better.

[@largepimping]

I'm in my early 50's and I remember big "console" (stand-up cabinet) self-service tube testers being in stores. I thought they were really cool and my mom let me play around with them a couple times. I wonder how many volts were present as I was (probably) running my fingers over the top...

[@MikeBramm]

Yep, I remember those.

[@skyking6989]

A company by the name of Amplitrex makes a modern tube tester. It's the bees knees man

[@ronniepirtlejr2606]

SWEEEEEEET!!!👍🇺🇸

[@hasn812]

Good

[@electroniquepassion]

Super 👍

[@oldwrench4213]

Will we be testing the vacuum tubes in your Muntz TV? If we are going back in time will the rabbit ears be used also? 😁 Thanks for the memories!

[@learnelectronics]

Vacuum tube are still used in some consumer products today.

[@oldwrench4213]

@@learnelectronics not surprised. They were always reiable

[@la6mp]

Very interesting, I used these things when I made my transmitters as a teenager (I am 65). By the way, the clip lead is for the anode, not the cathode, but I know you know that :-) Thanks!

[@SIXSTRING63]

Or the grid.

[@la6mp]

@@SIXSTRING63 Right, and sometimes even anode + grid.

[@rbone100]

I believe that the 6000A tests both dual triodes in the 12AX7. In your video, you only performed a test on one of the triodes. The roll charts lists 2 calibration settings for the 12AX7 which is for each triode. In your bad tube one of the triodes was bad or both. I'm curious to see the measurement of each triode in the good tube and the bad tube. I know that my Hickok 752 is able to test both triodes in a 12AX7 without adjusting the settings. You just need to push different buttons. I'm still curious about the 6000A because I have the opportunity to purchase one. Thanks in advance! ALSO: Great video.... You don't see many demos like the one you did!! BTW, I am a musician and only test 12AX7's and a few power tubes in my Hickok 752.

[@learnelectronics]

Thank you

[@ronniepirtlejr2606]

I'd like to have a peek under the hood!👍🇺🇸

[@Tysman909]

That tester needs service it's seems to not be working correctly. I would check resistors and replace caps then do a calibration.

[@makspesic2869]

😃👏👍👍👍👍

[@Hanske0]

Hello, to test the 6V6 > see the roll => HS-5348-1 (and NOT HS-5340-8...) 🙄 kzbin.info/www/bejne/jnPJeWBuhL2ehsU

[@paulp2089]

So we can expects some tube, (valve) stuff now ? 🙄 Come on - get some real electronics on here 😁

[@tubeDude48]

You DIDN'T test BOTH-SIDES of the 12AX7, dummy!