I got a big bag of 0B2 tubes of questionable provenance for about $0.80 each, and lucky me, only 2 were dead. Three of them are labled IEC Mullard, "MADE NI ENGLAND". They are unlike any 0B2 tubes that I had ever seen, though my experience is very limited. Instead of the usual cylindrical innards, there is a backwards "S" shaped plate(?). The regulated voltage is spot on at 108V, and they light up very brightly even with only 6mA running through them. I did a pretty extensive search on the web and didn't see anything like them. Anyone seen them before?
Attachments
wow
It's amazing,I saw this type of 0b2 for the first time,Its cathode is so small,It doesn't feel like it can pass a lot of current,ordinary 0B2 Ia=5~30mA

Here too. Never saw them before. Nice!
It seems to me that in these tubes the cathode is being used on both sides (the U-shaped anode 'sees' both sides of the cathode). That and the S-shape probably make the size of the 'active' surface of the cathode just about the same as the usual cylindrical cathode of which, as far as I know, only the inside surface is 'active'.
Here are two more: Studio Six Amplifier • A pair of Mullard OB2 Gas Regulators light up the...
It seems to me that in these tubes the cathode is being used on both sides (the U-shaped anode 'sees' both sides of the cathode). That and the S-shape probably make the size of the 'active' surface of the cathode just about the same as the usual cylindrical cathode of which, as far as I know, only the inside surface is 'active'.
Here are two more: Studio Six Amplifier • A pair of Mullard OB2 Gas Regulators light up the...
Here too. Never saw them before. Nice!
It seems to me that in these tubes the cathode is being used on both sides (the U-shaped anode 'sees' both sides of the cathode). That and the S-shape probably make the size of the 'active' surface of the cathode just about the same as the usual cylindrical cathode of which, as far as I know, only the inside surface is 'active'.
Here are two more: Studio Six Amplifier • A pair of Mullard OB2 Gas Regulators light up the...
How did I miss that! I ran the search again, and yep, it's right there, middle of the first page.
OK, the S-shapes structure is the cathode, got it. So the cylinders on other gas regulators are cathodes. I assumed the other way around because of the schematic symbol. I'm slowly learning.