Hello everyone, a friend of mine recently gave me an S3E vacuum tube, it is made by RCA and uses an octal socket with all 8 connections being made. It has heaters and that's about all I can gather from it. I'll post a picture of it soon. I can't find any data anywhere on the internet on this S3E tube which surprises me. Can anyone enlighten me on what the function of this S3E tube is?
Hmm here are two pictures I took. "S3E Made in USA" and RCA are the only markings on this tube. This tube looks different from many other tubes I've seen before. You can't see any of the internal structures like grid wires or a anything just the shiny plate and the heaters coming up at one side.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14031769@N06/2332104982/sizes/l/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14031769@N06/2332104830/sizes/l/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14031769@N06/2332104982/sizes/l/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14031769@N06/2332104830/sizes/l/in/photostream/
I don't know what the S3E is about, but from the 1st picture it is obvious that it is a gas filled thyratron. Notice the small glass tube with an electrode inside entering the plate assembly from the bottom. This is the trigger electrode. Dead give away. Probably is argon filled, glows purple when fired. Not directly useful for audio, but likely could be used for a delayed HV B+ turn on relay. It's a HV switch or SCR like device. Try tracing the pinout if possible, then can look it up in the RCA tube base section.
Don
Don
I have some tubes that look exactly like these. They are 2050 Thyratrons. They were used in jukeboxes to control the machanism. The S3E is probably the date code. The actual number was on the glass and probably wore off. As stated they are useless for audio.
Use the 2D21 instead. They are common, the 2050 is collected for old jukeboxes, and not that common.
hmm, thank you for your replies. Yes I think it's definitely a 2050 because I can see "20" on the bulb in the most faded slightly brown lettering possible, when I put it up to the light in the right way. I think it could be a 2051 as well.
I found a rather interesting article about this tube which discusses it's use in sampling but for encrypted telephony.
http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/sigsaly.html
If it glows purple then maybe I could incorporate it into the 807 amplifier I'm building maybe as a voltage regulator or something.
perhaps to regulate the voltage for the 6AU6 driver stages in my amp.
I found a rather interesting article about this tube which discusses it's use in sampling but for encrypted telephony.
http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/sigsaly.html
If it glows purple then maybe I could incorporate it into the 807 amplifier I'm building maybe as a voltage regulator or something.
perhaps to regulate the voltage for the 6AU6 driver stages in my amp.
They work like a switch. They are either on or off, and once they are on they stay on until B+ is removed. They are the vacuum tube equivalent of an SCR, or half of a Triac. They do glow purple when they conduct.
Whats the circuit.
I'm building a version of the Tabor circuit with those valves - i would be interested in how your using yours. Got to the build stage with mine - should be about a week before I have any results.
Shoog
Hmm well from research I did it seems it's a mercury tube and it glows blue, and I don't think I'm really too competent in designing a circuit for it or even if I'll get much benefit out of it. My amplifier is essentially done and it's a bit too much of a hassle to incorporate this into it. I've never worked with tube regulation for power supplies. Hopefully I'll have my new amp fired up in a day or two.
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