2A3 Sovtek characteristics

[teodorom]

Hi all,
is there anybody having relaible characteristics of the 2A3 Sowtek ? New Sensor, when asked, did'nt answer and I'unable to to find those data anywhere.
Thanks

[James D.]

Try Sovtek 2A3 & 6550 anode curves

James

[teodorom]

James, I already knew those curves, and, using them, I have "built", using SPICE, my PP amplifier. My problem is that I don't know the maximum plate voltage, current, power and so on ...
Everyone says that they are quite a 300B, but I cannot find anywhere anything supporting this statement.
Thanks again

[analog_sa]

FWIW JC says that the Sovtek 2A3 cathode is just a 2A3 cathode - so running at 300B currents is not a good idea. Overvoltage is a different issue. Sovtek seem very reluctant to recommend any kind of abuse which is probably understandable. I have run mine at 27-28W over extended periods of time (years) with no ill effects.

[teodorom]

So, my question is: a Sovtek 2A3 "living" on these Load Lines, will die ?

[teodorom]

Vak=325V, Vgk=-66.2V, Ia=24.9mA, W=8,1W (at idle)

[PRR]

> a Sovtek 2A3 "living" on these Load Lines, will die ?

It should not.

RCA 1937 says 300V maximum "Design Center". This includes allowance for utility power and other variation. In the 1950s, RCA re-rated tubes as "Design Maximum", which must not be exceeded. The "Maximum" ratings were usually 10%-20% higher than the "Center" ratings. So your 325V "should" be OK, but don't go much higher.

Your dissipation curves are low on average, but cross the original 15 Watt rating. We rarely did this in the old days. However, speech/music should not be a problem this way. The time spent around 200V 100mA 20 Watts is too short to cook the plate. And analog_sa says much higher average dissipation is possible on the Sovtek 2A3s.

But consider this. Dropping plate voltage to 300V gives a very safe operating point, with only about 1dB less power. Will you notice 1dB less power?

[James D.]

Just to support the above, my son has run Sovtek 2A3s at 325Vak, Ia=60mA for 3 years without problems. Only 20Watts Pa but nice high voltage.

[zarniwoop]

FWIW,

I have been running sovtek 6B4G's at ~350V a-k, and a good 75mA current.

Theses things are robust. They've been running like this for over 2yrs. I would consider 30W as the max plate dissipation. I think the cathode does output a bit more current than vintage 2A3's, but its not at the level of a 300B.

A hell of a nice current production tube. Half the price of russian 300B's, too.

share and enjoy

[SY]

RCA 1937 says 300V maximum "Design Center".

Type numbers these days bear little relationship to traditional performance specs for these tubes. It's something that bothers me deeply- a "572B" or "2A3" or "300B" is more of a brand than anything resembling a uniform performance spec. I've got some Svetlana 572B on hand that come in three mus- 3, 10, and 30. None of which correspond to the "official" mu of type 572B. And the pinout is different, too, just to add insult to injury.

So it seems to be with 2A3- what you and I think of as "2A3" is not generally what is sold (except as NOS) as 2A3, other than the accident of a filament cathode and more-or-less three active elements.

edit: Comparing curves shown in the Sovtek link to GE 6550A curves shows that "6550" is apparently a brand now, too.