Eico 666
Hi Marc,
Just out of curosity, because I don't understand what is happening, how can it be fine to test tubes if the meter's coil is fried and the needle doesn't move enough to get to mid-scale on line adjust ?
Please enlighten me.
Thanks and good luck with it.
oldradionut (nut for short)
Hi Marc,
Just out of curosity, because I don't understand what is happening, how can it be fine to test tubes if the meter's coil is fried and the needle doesn't move enough to get to mid-scale on line adjust ?
Please enlighten me.
Thanks and good luck with it.
oldradionut (nut for short)
Re: Eico 666
That is a very cunning observation on your part, and a blunder later on on MY part.
It was working until I ..... umm..... stuck a testlead in the wrong place.
A loud homer Simpson DOUGH! later, the meter was toast.
Well, the meter was in bad shape and the needle was bent in several places. BUT I got another one on ebay today for under $80. WITH the extra tube adaptor!!! So I'll restore one nice one out of both.
Marc
oldradionut said:
That is a very cunning observation on your part, and a blunder later on on MY part.
It was working until I ..... umm..... stuck a testlead in the wrong place.
A loud homer Simpson DOUGH! later, the meter was toast.
Well, the meter was in bad shape and the needle was bent in several places. BUT I got another one on ebay today for under $80. WITH the extra tube adaptor!!! So I'll restore one nice one out of both.
Marc
Allrightey then.....
I now have a beautiful and very clean Eico 666 with a pristine and working meter. Line test works as it should, and it appears to test tubes just fine. I even scored the tube adaptor and supplemental data sheets.
One thing, though.....
The tester makes a loud hummmmm when the appropriate button is pressed to test emission on large tubes like a 5U4 for example.
It seems to be working fine, no smoke (thank god) but is this normal?
My guess is the windings in the transformer are sloppy.... should I be concerned?
Thanks.
Marc
I now have a beautiful and very clean Eico 666 with a pristine and working meter. Line test works as it should, and it appears to test tubes just fine. I even scored the tube adaptor and supplemental data sheets.
One thing, though.....
The tester makes a loud hummmmm when the appropriate button is pressed to test emission on large tubes like a 5U4 for example.
It seems to be working fine, no smoke (thank god) but is this normal?
My guess is the windings in the transformer are sloppy.... should I be concerned?
Thanks.
Marc
I tested a few more tubes, the hum depends on the current the tube draws while under test. Very soft for small tubes.
So I think it's just a noisy transformer. Seems fine otherwise.
I tried leaning on it a little to see if anything gets hot or smokes....
Nothing. Just hummmmms away, and the needle remains steady.
At least I can test a ton of tubes now!
Marc
So I think it's just a noisy transformer. Seems fine otherwise.
I tried leaning on it a little to see if anything gets hot or smokes....
Nothing. Just hummmmms away, and the needle remains steady.
At least I can test a ton of tubes now!
Marc
That's a good idea. There might be something you could do to quiet it. The transformers in my two tube analyzers would be a pain to remove and replace because they have so many heater voltage taps - far more taps than almost any other transformer one is likely to encounter. I’ll bet the 666 is the same way.
I was going to suggest tightening all screws, but see Kevin already did. If it's still noisy you could try unbolting it from the chassis and sitting it on a foam pad. If that works, try mounting it on vibration dampers. They have two screws embedded in rubber so there is no metal to metal contact
Last resort might be to "pot" it by pouring high dielectric cement or thin epoxy into it. If things don't move they don't vibrate.
Last resort might be to "pot" it by pouring high dielectric cement or thin epoxy into it. If things don't move they don't vibrate.
eico 666 repair advice
Guys: I have a Eico 666 that is acting strange when I try to test certain tubes, example 6AG7. On this one, when using the merit test button on #8, but I get these readings off the scale, doesnt pin the meter to the right but sends it all the way over. Also seems to do that with other tubes such as 6BG6. openeng up the unit iI find a resistor cobbled in on switch 23, its a replacement for r12 which is supposed to be a 42.7 ohm resistor, this one measures 44.2 ohms . Other than that dont see anything obvious. Can anybody point me in the right direction as to how to trouble shoot this thing? I like the unit and its in good physical condition but need all the test settings to function. By the way this was built from a kit, I got it at a hamfest about a month ago. Thanks Bill M
Guys: I have a Eico 666 that is acting strange when I try to test certain tubes, example 6AG7. On this one, when using the merit test button on #8, but I get these readings off the scale, doesnt pin the meter to the right but sends it all the way over. Also seems to do that with other tubes such as 6BG6. openeng up the unit iI find a resistor cobbled in on switch 23, its a replacement for r12 which is supposed to be a 42.7 ohm resistor, this one measures 44.2 ohms . Other than that dont see anything obvious. Can anybody point me in the right direction as to how to trouble shoot this thing? I like the unit and its in good physical condition but need all the test settings to function. By the way this was built from a kit, I got it at a hamfest about a month ago. Thanks Bill M
Eico 666 Satan's choice
Hi Bill M
Could be juet a typo on your roll chart (don't you wish).
See Para 3 of third post on page one of this thread for Alan Douglas comment.
You could post the number of your roll chart here, with the 6AG7 etc settings that make it act strange. Maybe some kind soul with a different edition roll chart would compare and let you know if same or different. Number should be at top or bottom, or maybe
both, of roll chart.
Also, do a web search for " Eico 666 roll chart ". www.tonelizard has interesting words.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
Hi Bill M
Could be juet a typo on your roll chart (don't you wish).
See Para 3 of third post on page one of this thread for Alan Douglas comment.
You could post the number of your roll chart here, with the 6AG7 etc settings that make it act strange. Maybe some kind soul with a different edition roll chart would compare and let you know if same or different. Number should be at top or bottom, or maybe
both, of roll chart.
Also, do a web search for " Eico 666 roll chart ". www.tonelizard has interesting words.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
eico roll chart error
thanks for the suggestion. I did find a dicrepansy on the listings for the 6ag7s I was trying to test. The data on the installed roll chart is a newer chart but when compared to the original roll chart , they are two different sets of data. when I use the old one I get the expected readings. As far as the resistor, Im looking for a replacement, that will make me feel better, knowing the correct replacement has been installed. I have a Simpson 1000 on the way cant wait to play with that one. From ebay(keep your fingers crossed)
thanks for the suggestion. I did find a dicrepansy on the listings for the 6ag7s I was trying to test. The data on the installed roll chart is a newer chart but when compared to the original roll chart , they are two different sets of data. when I use the old one I get the expected readings. As far as the resistor, Im looking for a replacement, that will make me feel better, knowing the correct replacement has been installed. I have a Simpson 1000 on the way cant wait to play with that one. From ebay(keep your fingers crossed)
Hey Bill, glad to hear you got your charts sorted out.
You might like to Google to "idiots guide to tube testers" (no offence) to compare the Simpsom 1000 and Satan's Choice. See the definition of "Plate Conductance"
I've always liked the Simpson meters for quality, have an idea they didn't make a large quantity of tube testers so it may be a rare bird.
Re R12 in the Eico 666 measuring 44.2 ohms: that's within 5% tolerance and it doesn't get much better than that with carbon. Can't imagine that circuit calls for a 1% precision wirewound or deposited film. Also, it would probably measure a little more or less with a different meter so relax and count your blessings.
You might like to Google to "idiots guide to tube testers" (no offence) to compare the Simpsom 1000 and Satan's Choice. See the definition of "Plate Conductance"
I've always liked the Simpson meters for quality, have an idea they didn't make a large quantity of tube testers so it may be a rare bird.
Re R12 in the Eico 666 measuring 44.2 ohms: that's within 5% tolerance and it doesn't get much better than that with carbon. Can't imagine that circuit calls for a 1% precision wirewound or deposited film. Also, it would probably measure a little more or less with a different meter so relax and count your blessings.
Runco990 said:
Did anyone ever figure out the cause of the original problem? I've got one that's doing the same thing. I can do the leak cal procedure just fine (hits full scale), but the line cal never gets past 20%, even with R18 cranked all the way.
It's supposed to have ~350K ohms on one side of the meter, and ~350K ohms on the other. The power supply is 70 volts. 70V / 700K should give me 100 uA, for half scale deflection.
Found the problem. It seems the leak cal pot was partially shorted to its case? I got roughly 60K~80K ohms from the pot terminals to chassis ground. I took the pot out, cleaned it, and now it seems to work fine. I dunno.
I vaguely recall reading something that this pot was prone to this kind of failure. I wish I could find that reference....
I vaguely recall reading something that this pot was prone to this kind of failure. I wish I could find that reference....
eico 666 tube data for 5998 tubes
Hello,
I have a Eico 666 that seams to test most tubes reliably, but I have a batch of 421a and 5998 tubes that won't test above 65 ( questionable range of scale) on this tester. I was wondering if this could be to the tester needing some tuning up, or is the tube data innacurate? I have also tried the tubes on my Heathkit TC-1 tester and the results are similar. If anyone can shed some light on this I would appriciate it. Maybe all 8 of my tubes are weak, but it seems strange.
Thanks,
Damien
Hello,
I have a Eico 666 that seams to test most tubes reliably, but I have a batch of 421a and 5998 tubes that won't test above 65 ( questionable range of scale) on this tester. I was wondering if this could be to the tester needing some tuning up, or is the tube data innacurate? I have also tried the tubes on my Heathkit TC-1 tester and the results are similar. If anyone can shed some light on this I would appriciate it. Maybe all 8 of my tubes are weak, but it seems strange.
Thanks,
Damien
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