I have searched for the pinouts for these old style tube sockets with no luck. My RCA tube manual doesn't help. I need the pinouts of the tube sockets, bottom view. Once I know which is pin #1 then the rest are numbered in the clockwise direction.

Thanks.
G.

Hi

Enter tube numbers here:

http://tdsl.duncanamps.com/tubesearch.php

Looking from the bottom with 2 large pins toward you count clockwise from the first large pin on the left. This is #1. The other large pin is last and highest number.

5 pin tubes are different. Still counted clockwise with the pin by itself being #3.

Pin numbers are always clockwise from the lower left as viewed from the bottom. On 4 pins, the 2 big ones are the filiment, the left top is the plate and the remaining pin is the grid. With this information you should be able to use the tube manual.
Good luck-
terry

Take a second look at the RCA tube manual.

Here's a picture:

Norm & Terry thanks for your help. The web link is great!

I'm working on a 1934 Crosley 6H2.

G.

Thanks again, eveyone.

My 1960 RCA manual has limited information on those older tubes.

G.

Question to all. I want to make adapters using the types displayed. Is there a tube manual that covers these types?

On the Web as a free PDF file?

Go up to that duncanamps site listed above and download his TDSL Personal Edition 1.1.

It is a mini manual with pin outs and minimal characteristics. The links embedded in it under (I think) "statistics", will take you to manual pages that will tell you everything you need to know about a particular tube. For general look-up and refresh my memory, it beats the devil out of flipping through pages and wearing out my really old tube manuals.

Jim Cross has a table of tube equivalents on his website, and I expanded it further on mine: http://www.audiophool.cjb.net/Equiv_similar.htm

These aren't necessarily EXACT replacements...

Radiosmoker, WHY make adapters? All the large pin tubes are very cheap usually. In fact I posted a pile of them in the Classifieds here recently for $1.50-$8 each. Still have many for sale too.

Mark Oppat
www.oldradioparts.net

I don't care for adaptors either. Just another place where a bad solder joint can cause fits. Also they add considerable lead length to the tube elements and stray capacity which will detune most circuits at higher radio frequencies. And if it is in a small compact set, often there is a problem getting the tube to fit. And they also look like crap for the most part.
Curt

Hi

Although more work tubes can be rebased rather than used with adapters.

Agree with keeping original tubes. None of these tubes are appreciably higher than their octal counterpart, and the work involved is a hassle. If you insist, the best way would be to change the sockets, otherwise you need an octal socket and an old base. Bases aren't easy to come by except to take them off the old tubes if you have them unless you have accumulated some. The highest in the bunch is the 76 and it is less than $20 at the expensive place. Probably the 6J5G or GT is the best sub and one is more, the other is less. And if you use a cheaper metal 6J5, no place to ground shell on the 5 pin socket.

About the only ones that are not are some of the power output tubes, and most of those are 2.5 Volt types not 6 Volt types. I have noticed, in some cases, the large pin tube is easier to find then the octal equivalent, a 6A7 verses a 6A8G for example, no problems with the metal versions of course only the glass ST style. It's all relative since I haven't had any problem finding any 6.3 volt octal tube on the used market.
Best Regards
Arran

Greetings from FixitLand!

[quote="Radiosmoker"]Question to all. I want to make adapters using the types displayed. Is there a tube manual that covers these types?

On the Web as a free PDF file?[/quote]

Download several different RCA (and other makes) tube manuals at:

http://www.pmillett.com/tube_data.htm

RC-12 should be what you want. It just predates the introduction of octal tubes. The later numbers will have that data too if you don't go too late.

Take care,
--
J. E. Knox 'The Victor Freak'

RC21 has nearly all of them. 1961. No 76.

I will look for that manual Thanks.

My problem is I have 3 tube testers, one is a Jackson 636, Which I want to overhaul for safety reasons. Which will take me some time.

So in the meantime, I have two B&K tube testers (707 & 747) Neither has the older sockets so if I want to test the older style socket tubes I have to make adapters, then I can program through switches to test.

Building those adapters is a lot of work! I would just buy myself an old tube tester....Eico 666 would be perfect for you!
I understand, though. I built adapters to use the actual tube that will be used in the neutrodynes.
After aligning the RF, you have to neutralize the capacitances between the elements inside the tube. So you have to cut off the filament voltage and neutralize....null....those capacitances. You do the same with all the RF before thr detector. In those days, they hadn't yet figured out about those capacitances yet. Later circuitry automatically took care of that.
My point is that those adapters are fun to make, but there are just easier ways! Your adapters aren't liable to see much use. I only have 2 neutradaynes. [shrug]

I made an octal to 6 adapter once so I could fit a 6F6 where the original output tube in my Philco belongs. Mostly it was a case of having the dead tube to steal a base from, an octal socket, and the octal equivalent on hand to make it play then vs buying a pair of what it should have. I still haven't gotten around to doing that actually. If I'd had some 4 pin bases I would have made neutralizing adapters when I was messing with my small fleet of neutrodynes, but I ended up using scotch tape on the tube pins.