Vintage tube tester??

Rotus623 · 17th October 2010, 09:23 PM

Anyone know anything about this thirty year old tube tester? As far as I can tell, it was made in 1979, but how useful does one think this tool is as far as tube testers? It is an alnico ft 435.

Rotus623 · 25th October 2010, 12:47 AM

Nobody knows? As far as I can tell if the little light cuts on in the tester the tube is fine. This is a vague way of testing though isn't it?

benb · 25th October 2010, 05:25 AM

After applying the art of search engine driving, I found that the company is not alnico, it's Antronic:
FT- 435 Radio Antronic Corporation
Unfortunately, that's all I found on it, and it looks like nothing you don't already know. And yes, offhand it looks like this does very little if anything useful as far as testing tubes, perhaps just testing for conductivity in the filament, something you can do with any ohmmeter.

And I question calling something "vintage" relative to tubes when they were already very well obsolete by the date you give for it, 1979. This would be a "modern" tube tester, or even one of the last such made.

bob91343 · 25th October 2010, 05:32 AM

That tester is pretty worthless. It only shows if the heater is good, and an Ohmmeter can do that. Save it as a relic of the past. I guess it has a buzzer or something to tell if there is continuity.

You want to test tubes, you have to measure plate current and of course with real voltages applied.

Rotus623 · 25th October 2010, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by benb

After applying the art of search engine driving, I found that the company is not alnico, it's Antronic:
FT- 435 Radio Antronic Corporation
Unfortunately, that's all I found on it, and it looks like nothing you don't already know. And yes, offhand it looks like this does very little if anything useful as far as testing tubes, perhaps just testing for conductivity in the filament, something you can do with any ohmmeter.

And I question calling something "vintage" relative to tubes when they were already very well obsolete by the date you give for it, 1979. This would be a "modern" tube tester, or even one of the last such made.

Benb I question it as well, that is why there is a question mark at the end of the title..

17th October 2010, 09:23 PM	#1
Rotus623 diyAudio Member Join Date: Sep 2010	Vintage tube tester?? Anyone know anything about this thirty year old tube tester? As far as I can tell, it was made in 1979, but how useful does one think this tool is as far as tube testers? It is an alnico ft 435.

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25th October 2010, 12:47 AM	#2
Rotus623 diyAudio Member Join Date: Sep 2010	Nobody knows? As far as I can tell if the little light cuts on in the tester the tube is fine. This is a vague way of testing though isn't it?

25th October 2010, 05:25 AM	#3
benb diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2010	After applying the art of search engine driving, I found that the company is not alnico, it's Antronic: FT- 435 Radio Antronic Corporation Unfortunately, that's all I found on it, and it looks like nothing you don't already know. And yes, offhand it looks like this does very little if anything useful as far as testing tubes, perhaps just testing for conductivity in the filament, something you can do with any ohmmeter. And I question calling something "vintage" relative to tubes when they were already very well obsolete by the date you give for it, 1979. This would be a "modern" tube tester, or even one of the last such made.

25th October 2010, 05:32 AM	#4
bob91343 diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2010	That tester is pretty worthless. It only shows if the heater is good, and an Ohmmeter can do that. Save it as a relic of the past. I guess it has a buzzer or something to tell if there is continuity. You want to test tubes, you have to measure plate current and of course with real voltages applied.