Recommendation for a tube tester

[tommydoan84]

Hello DIYers,

I posted a thread on Test equipment but received no response. Hopefully, I get some response shere. Mod/Admin can help me delete my other post in "Equipment & Tools"

I'm a beginner to tubes. I'm getting ready to build my 1st tube amp project. I have bought quite of few of new tubes, old/NOS tubes from various sources for my project but I have no way of testing them to confirm that they are still good.

From what I studied on the internet, Hickock 533A, 539A, 600A are the good mutual transconductance models for basic of everything and most of the tubes out there. Do you have any feedbacks on these models or any other recommendations ?

Better yet, I'm looking for one right now, if any members have a good/solid/calibrated tube testers both dynamic or mutual transconductance models and willing to offer, please PM me. I trust you more than anyone else on Ebay or Craigslist these days when it comes to test equipment like this one. I live in San Diego, CA.

Looking forward to your feedbacks
Thanks,
Tom

 

[rayma]

if any members have a good/solid/calibrated tube testers both dynamic or mutual transconductance models

I would look for a restored one locally, that would not have to be shipped.
Alltubetesters.com | Articles | Which Tube Tester should I get?
A recommended list of Hickok tube testers
Vintage Tube Electronics | Tube Tester Restoration

 

[paba]

ETracer

 

[smoking-amp]

Tube testers have become absurdly expensive, yet provide little more than go / no-go testing.

You can get a curve tracer kit, the uTracer, for far less $. Yet it provides way more information in graphical form, and interfaces with the PC for display and storage.

The uTracer, a miniature Tube Tester / Curve Tracer.

 

[tommydoan84]

Thank you Rayma and smoking-amp. I have looked at uTracer. It seems like a good DIY kit for me with affordable price range!

 

[JonSnell Electronic]

The AVO 160 is selling for silly prices now. It will diagnose any valve, with adapters, using the manufacturers data and is fairly accurate.
Ideal for selecting matched quads and pairs. I bought one back in the 70s for a couple of hundred pounds and they sell for over 1500 pounds now!
A superb useful investment.
You get what you pay for.

 

[kaputt]

For basic testing I would get a set of power supplies and some meters. For proper matching, (where needed...) a uTracer or the eTracer are the ticket.

 

[skidave]

Don't forget about the Hickok 800A and 6000.

I have a 800A and it suits me perfectly. Anything else, meters and power supplies come out.

 

[tommydoan84]

Thanks everyone for the valuable feedbacks and inputs.

Regards,
Tom

 

[smoking-amp]

That eTracer looks quite nice! Extended V and I operation.

For the price of a tube tester these days, you could get a Tektronix 576 curve tracer off Ebay (about $600). This is what I currently use, -modified- for tube grid stepping voltages up to +/-250V. Handles TV Sweep tubes up to Amperes and 750V or 1500V plate V. Pics below. Obviously not as cheap as the uTracer or eTracer, which are fine for most tubes!

An even more exotic option is using Xantrex GPIB/RS-232 controlled power supplies with a Visual Basic program on the PC for curve tracing. 16 bit V and I control and read-back. Can test up to 1200 Watt tubes. (Vplate: XHR 600-2, Vscreen: XT 250-0.25, Vgrid1: XT 120-0.5 or XT 60-1, heater: HPD 60-5)

Pics:
1) Tek 576 in operation
2) Tek 576 during modification
3) Xantrex/Sorensen XHR
4) Xantrex XT 250
5) Xantrex and Hoefer (0-500V only $100)
6) real linear tube operation (Crazy Drive)