Yes, that is amazing! The reliability factor of a pentium where one of those billion transistors could cause the chip to fail is incredible! While it is difficult to make a spherical audion in the home lab, it would be totally impossible to make an integrated circuit.
Yes. I have made many radios using my replicas of antique tubes and list them on ebay. They are very popular and difficult to win. (the rich guys bid on them!)
Hello! The tube is baked out under high vacuum at 900 deg. F for 4 hours. This disintegrates any organic residue such as finger prints and any other grease that may be on the elements. I have had no problems at all with contamination.
Sir I salute you! you have re-kindled the interest an old electronics engineer who gave the profession when surface mount started becoming ridiculously small.
Ron, Thanks so much for taking the time to make this step-by-step video and all the great explanations. As a project manager with Advanced Micro Devices, it is fascinating to look back 100 years ago and see these fundamental beginnings. Today, we are producing integrated circuits with 1,000,000,000s of transistors on them.
Thanks for the speedy reply! Your videos have made me very interested in a whole host of things from glassblowing, to vacuum pumps and tubetechnology. I'm very curious by nature and love to understand how things are made and love to try and build my own stuff. Though I fear making tubes are somewhat outside of my small shop's range ^_^ at the moment, it won't stop me from trying though! Thanks for the inspiring videos!
Hello! The original audions made before about 1910 were all soft gassy tubes because de Forest was under the impression that gas molecules were necessary to carry the electric flow through the vacuum. He finally discovered his error and from that time on all the audions were pumped as well as possible. The audions had no getter so the degree of vacuum deteriorated quickly and is the main reason N.I.B. audions found today are not functional. ron
The spherical audion is a reproduction of one of the very first radio tubes ever made. It came out in about 1907, when radio was still a very new and mysterious phenomenon. The audion tube was a great improvement over the existing technology and was the key to the modern electronics world!
Excellent stuff. My only criticism is the DeForest did not evacuate tthe audion so thoroughly. Recall DeForest thought the gas was essential to its operation. So are these to be super duper audions?
The unit is home built. I have limited financial capabilities so I must build all of my equipment to save cost. I am currently designing a new flasher which will be more practical to build. See my website for more info: tubecrafter
Hello! The wall thickness is about 1/2 millimeter, about like a common light bulb. They are just as fragile as a light bulb and must be handled the same. It is rare to break one though I find.
How is high vacuum applied when blowing glass tubes? Specificly, do you only need only a roughing pump when working on the tube, and then when your finishing the tube do you apply high vacuum from the diffusion/turbo pump? or do you always work on the tube under ultra high vacuum? I'm interested in making tubes and have sourced a diffusion pump and potential glass lathe. Thanks, GGL
When blowing the glass it is all done using lung pressure! After the tube is sealed completely, it is placed on the high vacuum system to be processed to remove all the air.
Sir, your channel is great. I really enjoy watching your instructionals. A few quick questions though: what kind (brand, model) of spot weld pincer are you using? Other than old tubes, is there a source for getter materials? Where might one procure these carbon tools, or the material to make them? Any other tools of the trade, personally made, or purchased? Thank you, in advance, for your answers :)
Greetings sir, congratulations on your work. Here in Brazil I do not know if there are enthusiasts like you. Can you give me some information about the GM meter used in the tests. Is it home- building ? If so, could provide the schematic ? If not , could inform the model and manufacturer. My most siceros greetings .
I am not extremely interested in tubes, but it is so fascinating watching your videos because of very good craftsmanship and explanations! Although I was wondering, is it a good idea to clean the electrodes and such with solvents before putting them in the envelope and sealing it? Just to remove grease and fat that might have been introduced from your fingers and tools?
AMAZING! Hobby-vacuum-tube-building! I didn't know there even was such a thing. Now I want to get some pyrex, a torch and a mini-spotwelder to try it myself.
Love your videos and that you go through every step in detail. Its a treat to see you work since you make it look so easy. Which usually means it is much much harder than the viewer thinks it is. I have to ask, have you made a tube radio entirely of your own tubes?
since I did saw your videos I now that I have to make my own vacuum tubes! If all things goes good, I kan make my first tube in a few weeks when I'm finished with making the tools for it.
5:48 what is the socket for connect the glass? is it standard pneumatic parts? I bought a press fit socket will it work for this purpose? i try to find my local hardware shop i cant find the socket exactly like your one.. and your vacuum pump is just mechanical pump? or mechanical pump cascade with diffusion pump?
The fitting is the closest you can find to fit your tubing. 6mm glass tubing fits perfectly in the hardware store 1/4 inch compression fitting. Use a rubber O ring instead of the brass ring. The vacuum system has the mechanical pump and a diffusion pump. Typical vacuum is in the 10-5 torr range. The getter will clean it way down lower after the tube is sealed off.
Ron, I saw you use an induction heater to flash a triode you made. I was wondering where you got it and if you have ever used it to reflash factory-made tubes. I have a number of Tung-Sol 6550s I'd like to make more presentable. Thanks!
Do you have schematics for your transconductance tester? I have a tube checker that tests emission of the cathode, but does not measure mutual conductance. I am mainly testing tubes for guitar amplifiers, and hope this would be a good test to possibly match output tubes for push-pull configurations. I love your videos btw! the old ones are a bit tough to watch quality wise, but i know youre working on a budget ;) either way its the knowledge youre sharing that matters, thank you and keep up the awesome work!!
I would buy a good transconductance tester on ebay. You can get a good unit for less than $200. Also see Dekker's uTracer kit. (It's demonstrated here on youtube.) Sorry about the old videos. I was just learning back then and have found no way to "upgrade" the videos. If I redo them and upload them again I lose all my views.
They will work as a gas audion until the gas pressure gets too high. I have had some that lasted several years. It depends on the source of the gas getting into the tube. A leak is worst, but a trapped volume in one of the feedthrough wires is also bad. Note that virtually every original spherical audion (new old stock) has gassed up to where it is inoperable.
