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[WTD] Valve Tester Please !

beammeup

beammeup

pfm Member
I have accumulated boxes of valves over the years (some from auctions etc) for no good reason.

I would like to slowly sell them all off - but before doing so would like to test them so the buyer is assured (and I am assured) that the valves are in good shape.

If anyone has a working and calibrated valve tester I would be very interested - (I would also need to learn how to use it properly).

Preferably something that is not too bulky.

Thank you all.
 
Are these valves commonly used for audio or are they old TV types - if the latter they are barely worth the trouble.

I think there is a cheap dedicated tester available for common audio types, Tony the boss has one I believe. Proper valve testers (AVO etc) are quite expensive and require a degree of knowledge to use usefully. Even then they don`t tell you a lot about noise and other aspects that can be important in a particular application
 
beammeup said:
I have accumulated boxes of valves over the years (some from auctions etc) for no good reason.

I would like to slowly sell them all off
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Maybe you have already, but if you haven't sort them into types - ECC83, ECC88, EL34 etc. etc. etc. and then take a quick look on EPay (sold listings) for what they sell for. Only a very few types (less than 10?), sell for any significant money, and some of those (ECC83 especially), vary massively in what they will fetch depending on manufacturer and age.

If you can't find a price, or only very few on EPay, in all likelihood the valves is worth pennies or tens of pennies.
 
Barrymagrec said:
I think there is a cheap dedicated tester available for common audio types, Tony the boss has one I believe.
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I’ve got an Orange VT100 which tests most of the valves one finds in most guitar amps (though not the rectifiers). It was fairly affordable, about £300, but isn’t made anymore and seems to change hands for twice that now. It is annoyingly limited IMO, e.g. it can’t test most of the valves in my Tek 500 series oscilloscope, nor even the EF86 and GZ34 in my Leak TL12.1s.

There are way, way more than 10 valuable valves. Each retro hobby group has its own subset; audiophile/guitar amps, vintage radios, ham radio, test gear, vintage computing etc. There are even people restoring old valve TVs and some of the rarer valves there are becoming collectable.

I’d certainly throw nothing away. The only valves being re-manufactured are those commonly found in guitar and hi-fi amps. Nothing else. As such those outside that category will in time become unobtainable. Keep them, someone will want them given time and when they do the price will go up.
 
OK thanks all - yes I do have the ECC83 types and such like but also bigger and perhaps odd ones like the following (I've just been rooting through some of the many)..

Cetron 6336B's (a few of these in their boxes).
Tung-Sol 6336A's
Tung-Sol Jan-5998 6732
Western Electric 300B

Sorry I am just reading off the labeling on the valves, I'm sure they possibly are Hi-Fi valves - these are the non ECC83 types - just a smattering of what I have in total.

So it would be useful that could incorporate the above - small and compact ideally.

Thanks again.
 
Tony L said:
Those ain’t cheap!
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If they work, that is.

Neither are 5998, although it is a question of degree.
6336 is equivalent to a CV5187, neither found on EPay, or anywhere but reference sites. A reasonable assumption would be that they are "junk", not worth testing, but worth listing on EPay, as not tested, no return, and make sure that the postage charge covers what it would really cost to post them. (Would you want to spend time packing them and getting them to the PO to make £2 a piece?)

The hassle is - I remember it fom when the telly-man came to fix our rental set as a kid, faffing about changing valves until the picture came back and swapping the valve from the set with the one in the box from the suitcase of valves. It has been said here before by people in the trade at the time - LOADS of duds ended up back in valve boxes. Lord alone knows how many duds ened up just in a cardboard box in the corner.

That said some Mullard and Telefunken ECC83 that have tested as rubbish have still sold for lunatic money on EPay.

@beammeup needs to get them tested - a singularly balls-aching task - and compare to spec's from somewhere like The Valve Museum (r-type.org)
 
Unlikely you will find anything small and compact that will test some of those valves you have listed. 6336B low Mu regulator valves for example: 6.3volts @ 5 amps just for the heaters.
 
Vinny said:
If they work, that is.
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This is why I need a valve tester

Vinny said:
a singularly balls-aching task - and compare to spec's from somewhere like The Valve Museum (r-type.org)
Click to expand...

I will only sell (if possible) one or two per Week - I won't stress myself over it and make it too balls-aching. It might get me some pocket money at least.

So it's looking unlikely that there is valve tester which can test them and is (somewhat) compact? It's just finding a way to test the more expensive valves in the mix to make sure they work.
 
beammeup said:
Is this one any good (for most of them at least ....)?
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That’s the one I have. It has a very limited range of valves it can test, you’ve already named a few not covered. Very easy to use though.

PS Valve list: EL34/6CA7; EL34L; 6L6; 6V6/6V6GTA; KT66; KT77; KT88; 6550; 5881; EL84/6BQ5; ECC81/12AT7; ECC82/12AU7; ECC83/12AX7; ECC99; 12BH7 (taken from the Orange website). Just so many important widely used valves missing, I’m amazed it can’t do common guitar amp rectifiers etc given the target market. EF86 too given (IIRC) they are in an AC30.
 
.... or find a valve amp that can take the bigger valves and run an oscilloscope against it
Tony L said:
That’s the one I have. It has a very limited range of valves it can test, you’ve already named a few not covered. Very easy to use though.
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OK perhaps that will test most (I do have tons of small valves too)... are you thinking of moving yours on?

Or thinking outside of the box ... is there such thing as a valve amp I could plug the valves into and then test the amp with an oscilloscope (not that I would know what I am doing - but I could learn)?

I doubt very much there is an affordable version of a valve amp like this (but I could ask for one without the valves perhaps)?

And then use the VT-1000 for the rest.

(perhaps I am thinking too deeply here).
 
I’ve just edited my post with the valve list. Depending what you have and how many it may be worth your while buying a proper tester (vintage Avo etc) with a view to sell it on at the end. They are not cheap, around £800 to £1400 for a nice working one, and they are very complex so there is a big learning curve, but they are always in demand so you should get your money back.
 
Maybe offer them all as one lot, detailing what the stash contains, to one of the small number of regular sellers of valves, on EPay?
Potentially far less hassle, by orders of magnitude.

Your money is in double triode pre-amp' and common power amp power' valves, and they need old equipment, which, as Tony says, is not cheap.

I have often wondered two things about the regular sellers of small double triodes on EPay - where they get them from, and how they cope with the mind-numbing task of measuring them and all the duds that never make it to the Bay.....

There is no one amplifier that uses more than 4 or so different valves, so that isn't an answer. (I have bought a few cheap double triodes with a view to making money by testing in my Croft pre'. They have yet to be tested - theory v. practise............)
 
beammeup said:
I will only sell (if possible) one or two per Week - I won't stress myself over it and make it too balls-aching. It might get me some pocket money at least.

So it's looking unlikely that there is valve tester which can test them and is (somewhat) compact? It's just finding a way to test the more expensive valves in the mix to make sure they work.
Click to expand...

Honestly for all the hassle and cost of getting a decades old valve tester, potentially getting it serviced, learning how to use it... if you're planning to cherry pick just the most valuable valves and sell them off slowly I would be inclined to make friends with a local technician and see if they'll test them for you. They might even take some of the low value valves off you by way of exchange.
 
Vinny said:
I have often wondered two things about the regular sellers of small double triodes on EPay - where they get them from, and how they cope with the mind-numbing task of measuring them and all the duds that never make it to the Bay.....
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I’ve got a lot of vintage small signal valves, a fair few known used as I’ve pulled them from vintage equipment or know for a fact they were used. Hardly any test worse than a brand new Russian valve. I’m spinning some vinyl now and the two of the three 1960 Mullard ECC83s currently in the Verdier were in my bronze Stereo 20 when I bought it and are a close date-match to the amp and also the rather tired GZ34 that was fitted. The other ECC83 is a ‘59 long-plate that was in a very well used Ferrograph mono open reel that is currently propping up some stuff in the kitchen. Every valve out if that thing has tested strong, even the EL84, and it was used heavily enough to have paint-wear around the controls.

Vintage small signal valves tend to be astonishingly reliable in my experience. Very common to find vintage guitar amps with their original ECC83/12AX7s etc. The better ones are good for tens of thousands of hours. People have a false view of valves IMO as Chinese ones are so often shit! Even back in the janky old valve TV days it was mostly another part of the circuit going out of spec and hammering the valves. Used within spec they last a very, very long time.

PS I bet many of the eBay sellers sell blind and just offer immediate refunds on any complaints. Chances are an old Mullard ECC83 or whatever is going to be absolutely fine.
 
Valve reliability.

I have mentioned this before but many years ago (early seventies) I was assistant maintenance engineer in a broadcast organisation. We had 30 odd Leevers Rich tape machines each with 7 or more valves,several dozen line amplifiers each with a couple of valves, a couple of dozen Brenell Mk5 tape machines for producer use and sundry other valve equipment, the vast majority of which was on 24-7. None of this kit was new and in the two and a half years I was there no signal valves at all were replaced, just a couple of KT66s in a very old BTR2, a couple of overrun EL34s in the canteen PA amp (twice) , oh and a couple of N78 output valves in the departmental directors R type Bentley.

Most old signal valves at least, are probably fine as Tony says above.
 
Barrymagrec said:
Most old signal valves at least, are probably fine as Tony says above.
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I am more than well aware of reliability and longevity in small signal valves, but it is very largely irrelevant.

1. EBayers require numbers, or some kind of statement - such as "tests as new"
2. You do not want to be shippinmg total duds - WAY too much hassle.

Or anyone can take a punt and just list them as untested and to hell with any testing.

How much are power valves worth except as matched pairs?

I may have 100 or so double triodes - one was a dud, but I bought it as untested (probably tested and found to be low). The vast majority were bought as NOS.
 
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beammeup said:
OK thanks all - yes I do have the ECC83 types and such like but also bigger and perhaps odd ones like the following (I've just been rooting through some of the many)..

Cetron 6336B's (a few of these in their boxes).
Tung-Sol 6336A's
Tung-Sol Jan-5998 6732
Western Electric 300B

Sorry I am just reading off the labeling on the valves, I'm sure they possibly are Hi-Fi valves - these are the non ECC83 types - just a smattering of what I have in total.

So it would be useful that could incorporate the above - small and compact ideally.

Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Sounds like it's mainly junk of little to no commercial value. As I'm a kind hearted guy I'll happily dispose of them for you, what if I arrange a courier to collect them if you can safely pack them individually? (I'll just be scrapping them but I wouldn't want want the courier to cut himself on any broken glass fragments.)
 
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