Help with old electronic tubes/parts identification

[NJSouth]

Hey all. Wondering if you could help me figure out what I have and what its worth. I was given this stuff from a friends house clean out. . Would greatly appreciate your input. The little glass tubes are RCA and Sylvania.



Part two of photos coming.

[NJSouth]

[IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG]Part Two photos
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[Mechanic688]

You have parts from an old tv, radio repairman, nothing much of any real value there. Catalog the tubes if you want and try to ebay them in a lot or two. One pic looks to be an old am radio innards. Not too many repair people around anymore, we have a throwaway society now.

[miked]

I agree with Mech. If you can get radios complete then you will have something. There is a limited market for vacuum tubes, mostly ham radio and audio geeks. Look at ebay, check the used, sold area for the real answers as to value of any. Best of luck, Mike.

[wadarbr549]

ive had luck with listing them as steam punk , industrial art , or machine age......ive sold small lots for good money but it is really hit or miss......all that steampunk stuff runs in fads....for a couple months ill make out great on certain items then i cant sell the same type thing for diddely squat

[NJSouth]

Thanks for the help guys. I will continue to check Ebay. Craigs List had someone interested in tubes a while back but I can't find the add. Will keep looking. Thanks again.

[hobo finds]

Sold a box with about 20 of them in a yard sale for $8.00 old guy asked loys of questions, but still took them for that price, I am sure he did well and they did me $8!!

[yoaudio]

Whats the numbers on the tall sylvania's?

[NJSouth]

Whats the numbers on the tall sylvania's?

No Actual numbers on them but the letters lower case "f e" with an "AE8" or "AED" hard to read. Hope that helps.

[Mechanic688]

Probably be AE8, the 8 signifies the operating voltage. All tubes have a certain voltage they operate at.

[yoaudio]

There not 6AE8's, too tall. I was hoping they were 12BH7's. I build nice little single ended triode amps with those.
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[bigburtchino]

When I first started going to school to learn about electronics, one of my first instructors held up various early electronic devices (a rookie "show & tell"). He held up about ten different vacuum tubes (from his collection), he explained when they were invented and it's application. Then he made a "blank" statement, FORGET THEM! You will probably never see or care about them again (wrong). He went on to tell us, you are about to witness a remarkable evolution in electronics. This was 1976, the transistor was being used in everything by then. The vacuum tube was being phased out and transistors were taking over. For almost every tube ever made there is a transistor equivalent. The vacuum tube is still used in modern equipment being built today, will be around for awhile in "special" applications (high energy transmitting and sensitive detector types of application). Electronic engineers are still trying to get rid of the "tube", forty years after that instructor said forget them! I wish I had that instructors ten tube collection today. Why was he collecting them way back then? They represent "milestones" in electronics and our lives that we now take for granted.

Do your tubes have value? As Mech. said above: "nothing much of any real value there. Catalog the tubes if you want". That's what I would do, I would take my time with each assembly and inventory them. Start with one chasis at a time, gently clean areas that have any numbers and alphabetical sequences. Try to determine what each assembly was used for, company that made it and when it was made. You are going to have to get into this if you have the time! The tubes should be done one at a time. To remove a tube, use cotton gloves, "never remove a tube by grasping the glass". You want to get it by the base (thumb & forefinger), as much as possible, pull up and out of socket. This especially on any old audio tube, if they test good, can be sold to restore shops. There is a strong market for knobs and face plates, american made items (germany,england and japan). I recently sold some "bakelite" knobs for $5 each, trust me there is a market for old electronics. It takes time to do this, you have to know as much about the item as you can. You will still have to get lucky to find a buyer.

This is my guide lines about anything thats old: 1. People collect almost anything, old is harder to find then new. 2. If it's old, in decent condition, someone will pay money for it. 3. Big cities are generally where the buyers are (not always). 4. If you never ever have seen it before and it's old, "YOU MIGHT" have a better than scrap item. Most import if you have time, try to learn about it. To me knowledge is priceless, your brain is the best "tool" we have.

I can help you I.D. the tubes if you need the help, there is plenty of info online, tubes were the "back bone" of electronics. Millions of them were made for decades and there are experts at this everywhere!

[bigburtchino]

Yoaudio I like your work, "nice custom" units and good examples tubes can find a new "LIFE". THANKS FOR PICTURES! Are you located in Cal. by chance?

[NJSouth]

Is anything from the above pictures worth anything?? I was just given the stuff from a friend with no history on any of it.

[Mechanic688]

Can't tell you the value, you'll have to do as BigBurt mentioned and research them. I can tell you what I think some of the chassis' are or were.
Big pic #1 looks to be an old am radio kit/ without the cover.
#2 -Looks to be part of a TV chassis with the channel selector and volume control. Might have been only VHF back then.
#3 - There is the UHF and VHF TV tuners.
#4 - This is the high voltage section for a TV. The big red wire would hook to the picture tube.
#5 - This one looks to be the audio chassis for a TV. That's all folks,,,

[yoaudio]

Yoaudio I like your work, "nice custom" units and good examples tubes can find a new "LIFE". THANKS FOR PICTURES! Are you located in Cal. by chance?

Thanks! The small amp came out of and old Magnavox stereo console, I replace the resistors, capicators, beef up the power supply and change the tubes from the stock EL84's to the 12BH7's to take advantage
of the small output transformers hiding behind the two power tubes. New life for an old amp that will run for another 40 years.

I'm located in Northern Michigan, I got to get out to Cal. one of these years to "the burning amp festival" in San Francisco.

[yoaudio]

Is anything from the above pictures worth anything?? I was just given the stuff from a friend with no history on any of it.

Big pic #1 The transformer mounted behind the speaker usually go for $10 - $20 on ebay if the 2 tubes on the right are the same, the transformer is a Push-Pull type.
if the tubes are different , the transformer is a single ended type. The tube on the left looks like the rectifier tube, a 5u4gb or similar, they go for about $10.

#2 The tube in the center is a 6v6gt is either a chrome tip or its shot. Transformer to the right looks like a single ended type.

#3 & #4 Research the tubes and the black power transformer.

#5 Tubes and transformers.

On those 9 pin smaller tubes, look for any 12ax7, 12au7, 12at7 or 6eu7, they get a good price for those.
Check around at any guitar repair shops, they may be able to test most of your tubes.

[bigburtchino]

Those Sylvania's are 8cs7 double triodes, should be a t-6 1/2 bulb. Measure from the glass bottom to the top of tip (2 3/8" max) & a 7/8" O.D. (max). Tube is divided into two sections with section 1 being utilized as a oscillator, section 2 is the amplifier. Value nos $3 (used <$.10)

[NJSouth]

Thanks again all!! Its good to know I have a place to go to get the right information!!

[sojorecycling]

Really need to test them to get any money out of them and most TV tubes are about worthless. Audio and Sweep tubes can be worth some money if tested. Radio tubes are still in demand but not worth much maybe $2-5 tested good.

Rod