I think the AN-0107 - 10VA 7V transformer at $12US may do the job nicely for someone in the US. Tight fit but worth a try.
When I went to order one from Nova Scotia Canada their shipping and brokerage costs into Nova Scotia Canada pushed the cost up to $100US for one transformer. Pity.
The small auto-transformer idea is very good to go from 6.3 volts to the required 13.3.
I have wound toroids before should work on a small 7VA core so simple to wind. Going to go digging in my junk supply for a toroid core to strip.
I have to say like a lot the simple idea of adding a small AC wall adapter outside. Requires almost no changes and would be totally reversible. Bit clunky but very easy. I have lots of these in both AC and DC 12V @2A around. Between the inside toroid auto-transformer and the outside adapter to choose from I got enough to go forward with a rebuild based on the many PCL86 I have on hand. Thanks for the ideas!
When I went to order one from Nova Scotia Canada their shipping and brokerage costs into Nova Scotia Canada pushed the cost up to $100US for one transformer. Pity.
The small auto-transformer idea is very good to go from 6.3 volts to the required 13.3.
I have wound toroids before should work on a small 7VA core so simple to wind. Going to go digging in my junk supply for a toroid core to strip.
I have to say like a lot the simple idea of adding a small AC wall adapter outside. Requires almost no changes and would be totally reversible. Bit clunky but very easy. I have lots of these in both AC and DC 12V @2A around. Between the inside toroid auto-transformer and the outside adapter to choose from I got enough to go forward with a rebuild based on the many PCL86 I have on hand. Thanks for the ideas!
Hi, do you still have ECL86 tubes you’d sell? My dad recently passed and left behind an old Masterwork tube receiver that uses them and I am having a heck of a time finding some. Thanks much. I tried to message you but since I am a new member I am not sure I can.
https://audiomix.no/shop/signal-tubes/ecl86-aeg-telefunken/
Take a lokk at this page. A Norwegian guy sells ECL 86
Take a lokk at this page. A Norwegian guy sells ECL 86
Thanks! Looks promising but when I go to the cart after adding the tubes it doesn’t pull up a screen that lets me check out.
Watford Valves stock the ECL86 and ship worldwide: https://watfordvalves.com/search.asp?search=ecl86&Submit=Search
The valves do cost £45 each though.
The valves do cost £45 each though.
I have been fortunate in the past with online auctions, so I had bought for a reasonable price 5 Tungsram ECL86s, and as a result of that I built one of the original Yves Monmagnon Baby Hueys. Looking in other countries on auction sites can work well, also just having good secondhand examples is also an option. Another option is buying vintage gear that uses those tubes that no one wants, for example 50's radios, reel-to-reels. Then you get some nice signal tubes in the bargain, and even transformers.
If I was starting from scratch I think I would be looking at PCL85s, PCL805s, tubes that have no real audio appeal, and are plentiful and cheap.
In your situation, I think it is very difficult to replace sockets and manage all the wiring modifications when you have a triode and pentode in the same bottle. You also have some gear that has a collector's appeal, so keeping its value could be a factor. When I built the Baby Huey, I did it point to point and I spent a long time doing mocks-ups in a layout program, with realistically sized components.
IMO your best bet is to opt for PCL86s, obtainable for $10 (I did see 10 for $50 on eBay), and focus on a solution to be able to switch between heater voltages.
The transformer I used for my Baby Huey was something I had lying around and had an 8-0-8 secondary which was not ideal for either 6.3V (ECL86) or 13V (PCL86), but I have some dropping resistors and can switch between both sets of tubes.
One snag is that it is nice to have enough spares so that you can match a bit across the pentodes. I was lucky with my 5 - only one was significantly different, so the 4 are reasonably matched.
If I was starting from scratch I think I would be looking at PCL85s, PCL805s, tubes that have no real audio appeal, and are plentiful and cheap.
In your situation, I think it is very difficult to replace sockets and manage all the wiring modifications when you have a triode and pentode in the same bottle. You also have some gear that has a collector's appeal, so keeping its value could be a factor. When I built the Baby Huey, I did it point to point and I spent a long time doing mocks-ups in a layout program, with realistically sized components.
IMO your best bet is to opt for PCL86s, obtainable for $10 (I did see 10 for $50 on eBay), and focus on a solution to be able to switch between heater voltages.
The transformer I used for my Baby Huey was something I had lying around and had an 8-0-8 secondary which was not ideal for either 6.3V (ECL86) or 13V (PCL86), but I have some dropping resistors and can switch between both sets of tubes.
One snag is that it is nice to have enough spares so that you can match a bit across the pentodes. I was lucky with my 5 - only one was significantly different, so the 4 are reasonably matched.