• WARNING: Tube/Valve amplifiers use potentially LETHAL HIGH VOLTAGES.
    Building, troubleshooting and testing of these amplifiers should only be
    performed by someone who is thoroughly familiar with
    the safety precautions around high voltages.

On Line Tube Learning for newbies....

Konnichiwa,

As I am one of those to complain loudest when some questions show a lack of basics, how about a thread to collect on-line resources for "TOOBZ NOOBZ"?

I propose these for starters, as being sufficiently and as covering enough ground to allow one who understand basic electronics (8th grade physics really) to understand "TOOBZ"!

RCA Raditron Manual Version 10 from the 1930's, especially pages 5 - 25 in the pdf file....

Bonavolta - Tubes for Newbies

If anyone knows a good on-line resource on basic Electronics (RLC, Kirchoff, Ohm, lentz etc) please post, this could be included as prefix to the above for a "crash-course in electronics".

Sayonara
 
Being a tube newbie myself, I would greatly appreciate the posting of any and all links to beginners' resources. Rozenblitz's (sp?) book is just a little bit tough to get through for your average dumbass, like me.

I thought that while I was waiting for my Bottlehead Forplay and Paramours to arrive, I'd try to gain a reasonable understanding of what I was about to do.

Try this link for some (IMO) easier-to-understand articles. I'm reading these now and its the best stuff I've read so far.

Thanks and keep posting these, please!

Kofi
 
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:cop:We seem to have the thumbs up for a sticky thread here :)

Since this is for newbie information it is important that the contributors ensure that the links they provide are both accurate and safe. It must be seen as the responsibility of the poster to ensure this.

:att'n:Users of this thread should pay particular attention to safety. Valve (Tube) equipment runs at hazardous voltages. Please look at this thread before going any further.:att'n:

It's stick now, so enjoy:cloud9:
 
If I can get permission to copy and get someone to host, I have the perfect books. Basic Electronics by Vankenburgh, Nooger & Neville.
Vol 1 and 2, first ed 1955. They are by far the best books for audio beginners I have ever seen. Vol 1 is power supply based and Vol 2 is a triodes/audio wonderland for newbies. (other volumes 3-6 are not audio related) Simple, not too deep, very well illustrated in a campy mid-50's flare and is very entertaining and gets the essentials right.
If you can find Vol 1 or 2 in a library or used book store, get it!
 
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Well, feedback theory is not really different between tubes and solid state. For a good overview, there's always the classic "Art of Electronics" by Horowitz and Hill.

Do a web search for Norman Crowhurst and you'll find his clear, readable, and lively papers and articles covering the practicalities of tube feedback circuits. And for a more modern approach, there's Morgan Jones's books.
 
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Lynn Olson's website contains a good deal of helpful, clearly expressed information in fun to read format. Olson is a former audio reviewer who quit the reviewing field and, among other things, developed a line of push-pull transformer coupled DHT amplifiers. His design notes and historical perspectives are particularly educational.

His website is here.

Design notes and schematics for his all-transformer coupled amplifiers are here and here and here.

An index of audio and tube related articles can be found here.

Enjoy!
 
There was a post earlier for the glossary, but not for the main website:
www.tubecad.com
The level of difficulty varies from one writeup to the next, but everyone should at least browse what Broskie has to say. He drops hints and ideas at a phenomenal rate and he's not afraid to mix solid state and tubes if it will get him where he wants to go.
Note that most any basic electronics text published before the mid-seventies will have at least a few chapters on tubes. Get back as far as the fifties and the texts are solid tubes from front cover to back. The neat thing is that no one wants all these "obsolete" text books and you can frequently buy them for pocket change. I've even had people give them to me. My preference is for the McGraw Hill series, but there are others that are surely just as good.
There aren't that many new ideas out there, just people who rediscover old things and recycle them, generally with a new name.

Grey