Home-brew Valve-Holder Adaptor Sockets for a Taylor 45D Valve Tester

[Joe]

How about: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4pc-GOLD-8pin-Bakelite-tube-socket-valve-base-Triode-Rectifier-Fr-KT88-EL34-6550-/151032569547?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item232a3e1ecb or http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20pcs-GOLD-8pin-Bakelite-tube-sockets-valve-base-Triode-Rectifier-KT88-EL34-6550-/230979818513?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item35c7785411

- Joe

[Yorkie]

That was well spotted Joe - they look excellent quality - I've ordered eight for a tenner post free.

He has lots of other interesting stuff too in his 'shop'.

At the NVCF, several stalls were asking £1.00 (or even £2.00!) for unboxed valves in dodgy condition (some had lost their markings or had loose bases), which people were rummaging through as if they were knobs, looking for an elusive untested - possibly (if not probably) duff valve. Can't say I blame the stallholders for trying to maximise their income and If I'd have found suitable ones to rob the bases from I might well have ended up paying as much as eight new gold plated ones on a slow boat from China!

[Joe]

I got some B9A bases from them last year and spotted the Octal ones then. The bases I got are certainly good quality, in fact the only problem with them is getting the valve out again as they don't half grip.

- Joe

[Alan Douglas]

5X4 and 5Y4 have all 8 pins and are 1 1/4" ID. 6SN7 and 6SA7 (and their 12V equivalents) also have all 8 pins. Those are 1 5/32" ID which is exactly the right size to accept an Amphenol ring-mount socket (the ones that mount with a wavy spring on the bottom of the chassis). I have the ring-mount sockets in 4, 5 and 6 pins and would be glad to send those to you. I have two 5X4 bases, and of course lots of the other tubes but with my luck I'd run a batch though the tube tester and find them all good.

[Radio Fixer]

Good adaptors David and a good source Joe.
thanks Gary

[Yorkie]

Thanks for reading my post Alan - how kind of you to offer to send me the bases all the way from Cape Cod, but I think I'm sorted now.

[Aerodyne]

Another top quality project, David. Excellent work, thanks for sharing.
Tony

[Yorkie]

Thanks for you kind comments Tony - I've written it up as a draft article and sent it to Carl Glover to see if he thinks it's worthy of space in the Bulletin.

In case anyone wished to use a woodturning lathe to make the couplers, as an alternative to plastic couplers turned on a metalworking lathe , hardwood such as beech, iroko or mahogany turned on a woodturning lathe would be quite acceptable, so I’ve included a picture of an example of one I've made in beech, then sprayed with black acrylic paint, shown below. Anyone who has no lathe at all could of course mount the valve-holders on a panel housed in a box, and no doubt many people have. However, my objective was to simply replicate the original accessory adaptors that were originally available with the Taylor 45D.

It's helpful that the Taylor 45D Valve Data Book which gives the thumb-wheel switch settings for the Tester does give settings for a wider range of valves than can be tested without the adaptors. For example, EBL1 side-contact valves, for which Taylor didn't make an adaptor as far as I can tell. I've been on the lookout for side-contact valve base to make another adaptor and have found a new one on e-bay from China (where else!) for just £2.75 post free. Also, eight octal plugs with gold plated pins for £11.75 post free which Joe tipped me off about, so I've no need to try to rob bases off old octal valves when I need them.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=291027583633&ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:GB:3160

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=151032569547&ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:GB:3160

[Aerodyne]

Worthy of space in The Bulletin?
He's very lucky to have it offered.
Tony

[Joe]

I’ve included a picture of an example of one I've made in beech, then sprayed with black acrylic paint, shown below.

Philistine—fancy painting beech.

- Joe