operated by Max Robinson and
dedicated to passing on and preserving
knowledge of vacuum tube circuits and techniques.
Keep the electrons flowing and the tubes glowing.
JOIN NOW!Join the Fun with Tubes discussion group.Now all of you who have been exchanging email messages with me can communicate with each other directly. To subscribe send an email to funwithtubes+subscribe@groups.io See you on the list. |
Activity Log is Back
Day to day I am doing things that those other than
myself may be interested in. These activities
may or may not wind up on a page of their own
someday. If I become involved in a long project
there may be long periods of apparent inactivity
on this site. This page will let you know what
I am up to in my shop. If you have suggestions
Concerning what I am working on don't hesitate
to make them known to me. To read about my
daily activities click here.
The people who run the website EE Web have
interviewed me and written a very
nice article. Here is the link.
EE Web article.
An Observation.
If I worked on radios the same way doctors worked on people when ever a capacitor, resistor, or tube, failed I would just take it out and throw it away. Yet the radio would be expected to work as well as when it was new. So far I am down my tonsils, adenoids, about one and a half feet of large intestine, and a gall bladder. My power output is down and my distortion percentage is up.
Fun With Tubes now has a sister site.
It's called Fun With Transistors.
If you would like to tinker with electronics
But you would rather not poke around among
High voltages, check it out.
New!
Improving the Phase Inverter.
The beat goes on, totally un phased.
The Total Solar Eclipse of 8/21/2017
An Arduino Based
Audio Power Meter
Announcing a new series of articles.
Equipment Reviews
Two new entries under Test Equipment.
Bench Power Supplies for Tubes
And
Vacuum Tube Volt-Ohm Meter
Here's some help for anyone trying to build
or just understand these devices.
IF Transformers for New Construction.
And
Replacement IF Transformers for AA# Radios.
You really can use transistor IF transformers
in tube Circuits if you do it right.
Here's another design from Tim E. Smith.
The sound will surprise you.
I have done for the communications receiver
What I did for the All American Five.
An Intermodulation Distortion Analyzer.
You can build.
Speaker Impedance
Did you know it isn't constant?
Characterizing Transformers
and Interpreting Lead Colors.
The Wise Linearized Williamson Circuit.
Even this classic can be improved upon.
Harman-Kardon A-300
New information has been added
including distortion measurements.
Hotel Radio.
Have you ever seen one like this?
Design Stable
Feedback Loops
Resistors' Behavior
at MF, HF, and VHF.
A resistor may not
always be a resistor.
What do I need to have fun with tubes?
Click here for the answer.
I've Never Lost the Wonder.
As I have said elsewhere on the web I became hooked on electronics when I saw a film on what was then known as educational television which contained animation illustrating how a vacuum tube worked. Memory of the exact year has grown a bit dim but it should have been 1951 or 1952. After that I would look into the back of my radio at night and think about the processes that were going on inside those glowing tubes and a sense of awe and wonder would come over me. The smallest things in nature, as known at that time, were being controlled inside those tubes to capture music from the air and deliver it to the speaker so I could hear it. As I began to understand radio my wonder only increased. I could hear a record that was being played on a turntable more than 1000 miles away as clear as if it were being played on my own phonograph. Actually clearer because the "needle" and record were in much better condition than my own. Over the past 66+ years I still haven't lost that sense of wonder.It is also true that I have the same feelings about electrons and holes flying around inside the tiny crystal of a transistor. Think of it, I can hold in the palm of my hand a working computer that has more power than those first vacuum tube computers that would have filled a rich man's mansion.
The whole field of electronics encompassing audio, radio and digital systems still motivates and inspires me to wire up circuits. I still feel the same when it all works. I hope to share some of it with you.
vacuum tubes but didn't know who to ask.
Ask Tube Man.
Would you like to tinker around with tubes but don't know what to do? Want to fix up that radio that belonged to your great-grandfather but don't know where to start? Are you experienced in working with tubes but you just came across a problem which has you stumped? Tube Man knows all and tells all. Just click on the super hero's picture to email a question to him. See questions submitted to Tube Man and his answers.
Who and What.
This web site is owned and operated, as a hobby, by Max Robinson. As time goes by I will post tutorials on the fundamentals of electricity and electronics, interesting circuits you can build with vacuum tubes and op amps, and I will share some of my experiences restoring antique radios and early electric phonographs.I have a master's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Florida 1966. My early EE classes covered vacuum tubes so I know what I am talking about and doing. If you have any questions or suggestions feel free to email me.
If I Don't Answer...
I scrupulously answer all emails sent to me. If you send me one and you don't hear from me in a reasonable amount of time maybe something went wrong.On a number of occasions I have received emails from people seeming to be asking legitimate questions. When I attempt to answer them I get back one of those "Mail System Error" messages saying that there is no such address or my email address has been blocked by the sender. Some anti spamming programs are quite strict and maybe you forgot to enter my address as "allowed". Check your anti spam list to be sure my reply will be given to you instead of being bounced back to me.
On the other hand maybe this is someone's idea of juvenile fun. No doubt the people who have done this (you know who you are) think this is very funny. To me it's just a minor annoyance. Even though it's a small thing I could do without it. Just because you're not having fun don't spoil it for the rest of us.
My Favorite things.
- Old Country Music
- Old Rock-n-Roll
- Folk Music
- Classical Music
- Old Radios
- Old Records
- Old Record players
Gramophones, Victrolas, etc.- Young Women (Only kidding Sue.
- One particular woman (age, I'm not telling).
Thank you for visiting my page at Angelfire.
Please come back and visit again!This site begun March 14, 2001
This page last updated Wednesday, July 04, 2018.
Web ring has been removed because it was hijacking browsers away from this site into the ring. The ring has been rung.