I am curious to know what documented studies there have been of illness resulting from mercury rectifier failures over the years. Speaking as one who grew up for years in an environment where my bedroom was also my laboratory, with mercury droplets spilt over the bench top and in the cracks between the floorboards, I find it hard to believe that the hazard is as great as is sometimes claimed.
To put it correct: I'd never advice to do that Zener thing, nor do I avice to use a mecury rectifier tube, nor a vacuum rectifier in a HiFi amplifier. SS diodes are superior in any aspect.
Best regards!
What do you think about these drop in replacement 5y3 ss rectifiers from eBay? Any good?
Solid State Rectifier - For 5AR4, 5U4, 5Y3 Tubes 609722157490 | eBay
What’s inside? Two 50 cents SS diodes? Normally with a tube rectifier you experience a large voltage drop; with SS diodes the voltage will be a lot higher. The B+ will also be there immediately (no heating time) so the capacitors need to be able to handle the extra stress and higher voltage.
Regards, Gerrit
Regards, Gerrit
Fairly recently here in NJ, there was a scandal regarding a former thermometer factory being used as a child care facility.
Consider yourself very fortunate. Absolutely no level of Hg vapor inhalation is acceptable.All heavy metals are toxic, in varying degree. Mercury, thallium, and lead are "bad actors". Bismuth's level of danger is low enough to allow its use medically. Bismuth is also an "oddball" in being technically radioactive, but practically stable, with its greater than the age of the universe 1/2 life.
Our company uses banks of low pressure mercury vapor radiators to generate UV for curing (cross-linking) plastic resins with incorporated photo-initiators. Every year the line employees get hazmat training in case one of the lamps accidentally breaks....and they are quite expensive.
I don't know how many "joules" of UV energy a mercury rectifier would throw off, probably not enough to get a sun-tan. We have what looks like a hockey puck that runs through the line to gauge joules per square centimeter.
You can make one just like the Ebay unit with two 1N007 diodes and an empty socket. I made some years ago and filled the cavity with black silicone. Works fine.
Convinced that Mercury does sound better with some equipment I'm going to throw caution to the wind and keep my #83 rectifier in my line stage. Having done a few blind listening tests over the years I am convenced that there is a difference however slight that does favor tube over SS. My equipment seems to favor the 83, followed by 5U4, 5AR4, and lastly the 5y3Gt. Having made an adapter to allow the 4 pin base tube to be installed in an octal socket my line stage is capable of auditioning a variety of rectifiers. Note, I have tried a few solid state rectifiers fitted in an empty tube base as a means of a quick and easy drop in. I personally feel that the music depth and feel change with the silicone based life form.
I sincerely doubt that anyone is going to be passing the mercury rectifier back and forth in the room playing catch and I doubt that the tube is going to explode while in the middle of a ZZ Top passage.
While you probably don't want to drop one on the floor in the middle of your listening room or lab I sincerely doubt that someone is going to try to snort the mercury expelled from the tube with a misfortune drop page.
To each his own.
Sometimes I have the feeling we have here very strange discussions...endlessly... I believe we all understand what mercury is, and some have an understanding how much is in such a tube in reality...and some even know how much is in your tuna sandwich (seriously)...So why do some people feel like they need to educate others adults if they should use them or not...again and again...are there not enough others threads to go to ? ...it is like someone loves skydiving as a hobby and you start a discussion how dangerous it is and want to convince skydivers not to skydive...
Those who decide to try mercury: As discussed before, the more mercury, the better the sound...within the same type. I tried 83 (for me to technical sounding, but there are different types with different amount of mercury inside), 866jr (ok), 866 old Rca (very good for end triodes), 866 globes with and without V filament (very nice, but not the same punch as normal rca types, but good for drivers), 872A (for me best of all). 249 in action is bery impressive...looking like a photon star trek drive and i can imagine they produce a lot of UV...and do not sound really good, so not for me.
Still though, I prefer a mixture of meshtube rectifiers for signal tubes (tried mercury there to, but that was too much of the same for me).
Those who decide to try mercury: As discussed before, the more mercury, the better the sound...within the same type. I tried 83 (for me to technical sounding, but there are different types with different amount of mercury inside), 866jr (ok), 866 old Rca (very good for end triodes), 866 globes with and without V filament (very nice, but not the same punch as normal rca types, but good for drivers), 872A (for me best of all). 249 in action is bery impressive...looking like a photon star trek drive and i can imagine they produce a lot of UV...and do not sound really good, so not for me.
Still though, I prefer a mixture of meshtube rectifiers for signal tubes (tried mercury there to, but that was too much of the same for me).
It would seem that if you interview 100 people your probably going to get at least 75 different answers as to what rectifier contributes to the best sound. Some will lean toward SS while others tube with a variety of different favorites. While not an engineer like other members on the board I have years of playing with audio as a job in the field and at home in the listening room and the bench. I don't think there is "One correct rectifier" so to say. I believe different circuits will possible favor different rectifiers and I believe this hold true to line stages as well as power amps that we all love to build. I've heard a variety on line stages with different rectifiers anything from the AZ-1 mesh to mercury to SS and believe they exhibit different tonal qualities and behavior possibly do to differences in the B+ however I'm not convinced of that entirely. I personally will continue to roll the tubes and modify the supply to end up with something I enjoy listening to.
let´s respin this B$ million times.
many people have amalgam filling with NO effect on health.
Fairly recently here in NJ, there was a scandal regarding a former thermometer factory being used as a child care facility.
As always, one has to set things in context, and a blanket statement that "no level is acceptable" lacks real meaning. There is a natural level of mercury vapour in the air (I was surprised to learn that about 2000 tons of mercury is released into the atmosphere each year from natural sources including volcanoes, undersea vents and the erosion of rocks).
Mercury is certainly a highly poisonous element, and spillages can lead to hazardous atmospheric levels in some circumstances. From the point of view of estimating a hazard one really needs to compare the level versus the natural background level, and the medically-established toxicity levels. Neither of these is exactly zero.
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there will always be people who don’t believe Hg is a problem to be avoided, or climate change is not real etc. A little reading will show that Hg is very much to be avoided. But if you decide to use it anyway at least look up some guidance on how to handle a spill / broken rectifier so you know what to do in the event. There may be some guidance around on handling broken CFL’s that you can follow.
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You can even drink liquid mercury with no ill effects. It won't be absorbed by your body.
However, if you breathe in mercury vapour, it will get absorbed into your bloodstream and transported to vital organs.
The real question is how much is too much.
Breaking a MV rectifier in a hermetically sealed room, not cleaning it up and spending 24/7 in that room is a big difference from breaking a classic thermometer, collecting the droplets and open the window.
this is not a street light bulb with high pressure ceramic burner inside.......
the gas mixture inside is very often argon + mercury-which starts conducting at warmup.
if glass cracks, the very low pressure inside will raise and get mixed with air.
this should extinguish it and cool it down a bit.
but not like you all expect, none hollywood shrapnels and explosions...
the gas mixture inside is very often argon + mercury-which starts conducting at warmup.
if glass cracks, the very low pressure inside will raise and get mixed with air.
this should extinguish it and cool it down a bit.
but not like you all expect, none hollywood shrapnels and explosions...
If it was only about only voltage drop, we would be listening to 1N4007 with resistors in series. Sadly, it's not the case, tried that a long time ago.
Blitz has a point on mixing the MV rectifiers with non gas discharge rectifiers. Sometimes the MV "sound" can become too much, system dependent of course.
btw, I've broken two MV rectifiers.
Blitz has a point on mixing the MV rectifiers with non gas discharge rectifiers. Sometimes the MV "sound" can become too much, system dependent of course.
btw, I've broken two MV rectifiers.
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