Tube socket does not fit tube

[WRyan]

Hello,

I just received parts for my first amp build and ran into something odd. The octal sockets I received do not seem to fit the 6V6 nor the 5Y3GT tube. The problem is the plastic round post with the key (in the center of the tube pins) seems just slightly too large for the keyhole in the socket.

I was wondering if this is something anyone else has run into.

Is it possible I ordered the wrong socket, or is it more likely that the manufacturing tolerances are off on the cheap socket?
The socket I ordered is an octal socket.

Thanks so much!

 

[ray_moth]

I've never experienced the problem you describe with octals. Pins can be very tight (or even too loose) but not the spigot.

 

[korneluk]

Hello,
Is it possible I ordered the wrong socket, or is it more likely that the manufacturing tolerances are off on the cheap socket?
The socket I ordered is an octal socket.

Thanks so much!

could you by chance have ordered a Loctal socket? Also 8-pins but the center hole will not accommodate an Octal tube.

Loctal

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.

Octal

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.

The Angela website:
http://www.angela.com/catalog/tube-sockets/8.pin.html

 

[Boris_The_Blade]

Could also have been a compactron socket or similar type (i.e. magnoval, or some specialty 8-pin socket, etc). They have a large center hole which is not meant for any type of key. Take a picture if you can.

 

[coresta]

or old british octal (WWII) models ... a friend of mine purchased some, built the amp and ....

 

[WRyan]

Thanks for all everyone’s response. It is very helpful to have a forum like this available to newcomers.

Here is a picture of the socket:

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.

Description from retailer’s site is:

SOCKET, 8 PIN OCTAL, SADDLE PLATE, BLACK, BOTTOM MOUNT

Plastic, bottom mount. 1 1/8" chassis hole, 1 1/2" mounting centers.

RoHS Compliant

Thanks again!

 

[korneluk]

Looks like a plastic octal socket. Try a couple more tubes, if still no go, you can always [carefully] enlarge the center hole with a drill bit using a slow speed drill while the socket is securely fastened.

 

[refference]

Different standard of tube sockets

Hi Wryan ,

My guess is that “coresta” is correct !!!

Coresta wrote :
or old british octal (WWII) models ... a friend of mine purchased some, built the amp and ....

In fact , there was a british standard called MAZDA OCTAL , and the AMERICAN OCTAL STANDARD .

At first sight , they look very similar , but there is a little difference between the spigots diameter and between pin spacings . It’s very easy to be confused looking at one and another .

If this is the case , there is no way , you need to change or replace them BEFORE the assembly .

Regards ,

Carlos Eduardo

 

[WRyan]

Thanks so much everyone!

 

[Geek]

RoHS Compliant

Dead giveaway of a new manufacture socket, probably needing redrilling.

As explained to me, this is caused by all modern manufacturing equipment being in metric. Old tubes being is US Imperial measurements (as opposed to UK Imperial measurements, which most Asian reference and table books are derived from).

The end result is a tight to impossible fit.

Hope it worked out!

 

[Merlinb]

Re: Different standard of tube sockets

Hi Wryan ,
In fact , there was a british standard called MAZDA OCTAL , and the AMERICAN OCTAL STANDARD .

At first sight , they look very similar , but there is a little difference between the spigots diameter and between pin spacings . It’s very easy to be confused looking at one and another .

The ordinary octal spigots do fit into a Mazda Octal base though, it's the pin spacing that is different.

 

[Merlinb]

As explained to me, this is caused by all modern manufacturing equipment being in metric. Old tubes being is US Imperial measurements (as opposed to UK Imperial measurements, which most Asian reference and table books are derived from).

Ah, so it's the American tubes that are the wrong fit.

 

[coresta]

mmh, yes When i drive in my RHD Jaguar, it seems to me that continental LHD is heretic

 

[WRyan]

Thanks again for all the help from everyone!

Just an update for closure:

I had a few more of these very same sockets on order. I recently received the latest shipment and tried them with the same tubes I’ve been using.

The latest sockets fit the tubes just fine! The offending socket still does not fit the tubes.

So I guess it was just bad luck that the first, single socket I received did not fit. The recent sockets have no issue at all.

Weird though how these are all the very same make and model socket!

Thanks again to everyone!

 

[Tubelab_com]

Probably made by the same guys that made this one for me. Of course I didn't find this until I had the board all built. The tube wouldn't fit even if I used a hammer. Attempts to drill out the holes only broke the drill bits.

 

[Geek]

Hi George,

Probably made by the same guys that made this one for me. Of course I didn't find this until I had the board all built. The tube wouldn't fit even if I used a hammer. Attempts to drill out the holes only broke the drill bits.

Yeah... those sockets suck, sorry to say. I decided to write off my whole shipment and toss em

I got PCB and chassis version of these and all was OK

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.

Cheers!

 

[Tubelab_com]

Yeah... those sockets suck, sorry to say.

I figured that out real quick. Fortunately I only have a few of them.

I got PCB and chassis version of these and all was OK

Yeah, I like those too, but I didn't have enough of them and I was in a hurry to finish a board. Here is picture of the whole board with both kinds of sockets. Note that it is all wired up and ready to test. All went well until I tried to put the second 12AT7 in. Then the bad language started.

 

[Boris_The_Blade]

In that situation i may have taken out the nailset and tried to crack it open

 

[Tubelab_com]

In that situation i may have taken out the nailset and tried to crack it open

Close. I decided that I had to replace the socket, which was worthless. My home cooked PC boards are not the most robust, so I got out a large pair of channel lock pliers and crushed the socket. Then I used needle nose pliers and wire cutters to remove most of the ceramic. Then I could unsolder the pins one or two at a time. I put in a new socket and the board is still alive.

I am in the process of building up another test board using the same junk sockets. I made sure that the tubes fit FIRST this time. This is just a prototype test board that will wind up in the trash after it has been used for a few dozen experiments, so I decided to use up some of these sockets.