The only book exclusively dedicated to valve (tube) testers, in English, 180 large format (A4) pages of practical information:
HOW
TO USE, CALIBRATE, REPAIR AND UPGRADE VACUUM TUBE TESTERS
The revival of tube technology in guitar and audiophile amplifiers has also led to the renewed interest in vacuum tube testers and their ultimate purpose, testing and matching of audio tubes.
The prices of vintage tube testers have risen to levels unimaginable just a few years earlier. Tube testers their owners could not give away then are now fetching many hundreds and some even thousands of dollars.
High prices of suspect tubes from untrustworthy sellers are probably the main reason lots of audiophiles and guitar players feel that a tube tester would help them in ascertaining if they got what they paid for, and if their old tubes needed replacing in the first place.
If you are technician who fixes amps, an audiophile or guitar player who wants to test & match his own tubes, or if you are a tube seller, then a reliable and accurate tube tester will be beneficial to your business and will improve your bottom line. In both cases declared results of meaningful tests should help you get a higher price for your goods or services.
However, tube testers and tube testing are so misunderstood that such ignorance, myths and misconceptions may not save the users of tube testers any money. In fact, buying a wrong tube tester, using it to do things it was never designed to do, damaging or even destroying tubes it was supposed to test, are just some of the ways a wrong or inferior tester can cost you money.
Tube testers suffer from false positives and false negatives. A false positive is when a perfectly good tube is tested as "faulty" or "worn" or "marginal" and discarded. The false negative is when a faulty tube is passed by a tube tester as a healthy one. Either a perfectly adequate tube is discarded, or an expensive amplifier repair may be needed if a faulty tube causes secondary faults in the actual amplifier.
Tube testers are like cars. Some look good but aren't that easy or pleasurable to use, others look old fashioned or complicated, but are quite accurate and capable. Some brands and models are overpriced, others are under-appreciated and thus cheaper than they should be.
One aim of this book is to identify strengths and weaknesses of various types or families of tube testers in a general sense, and positive and negative aspects of many specific models that often come up for sale. Design, functionality and calibration of testers by B&K, Hickok, Triplett, Mercury, Sencore, Weston, Simpson, AVO, Taylor, RCA, Precise, Precision, Eico, Jackson, Sylvania, Knight, Heathkit, Seco, Sico, Conar, Metrix and other brands are discussed.
This practical technical manual is richly and professionally illustrated with photographs of inside and outside views of tube testers, their circuit diagrams, graphs and charts.
Who is this book for?
• Buyers and sellers of vacuum tubes
• DIY constructors who want to build, service or modify tube amps.
• Audiophiles and guitar players who want to match their own tubes
• Electronic technicians and engineers familiar with solid state devices and amps, who want to expand their knowledge of tubes and tube testers.
• Anyone who wants to learn how to use, calibrate, repair and upgrade tube testers.
CONTENTS:
1. HOW VACUUM TUBES WORK
2. TESTING & MATCHING VACUUM TUBES
3. EMISSION TESTERS
4. GRID CIRCUIT TESTERS
5. DYNAMIC CONDUCTANCE TESTERS
6. PROPORTIONAL MUTUAL CONDUCTANCE TESTERS
7. HICKOK-TYPE TESTERS
8. TRUE MUTUAL CONDUCTANCE TESTERS
9. REPAIRING & UPGRADING VINTAGE TUBE TESTERS
10. TESTING & MATCHING TUBES WITHOUT A TUBE TESTER
NOTE : Once you place your order, please advise us by email if you'd like your copy to be signed by the author, if any particular dedication is to be included, or if this book is a gift.
FOR OVERSEAS BUYERS (outside Australia): Due to incredibly high prices of Australia Post airmail postage for this large and heavy book ($45-$55, depending on the destination country) it may cheaper for you to purchase this book on Amazon or to order it from your favorite bookstore. You will also receive it sooner than if buying from us here.