12 Can I just jump in and fix my old radio?
Description
This article is from the Antique Radios And Phonographs FAQ, by Hank van Cleef vancleef@netcom with numerous contributions by others.
12 Can I just jump in and fix my old radio?
I've never worked on vacuum tube equipment before but I'm a ham and
I have worked on lots of transistor equipment and small computers. Can
I just jump in and fix my old radio?
No. There are some serious differences between old tube equipment
and modern solid state electronics. Here are a few things to consider:
a. DANGER! HIGH VOLTAGE! We are not talking about 110 volts AC,
we are talking about 250-500 volts with plenty of "oomph" behind it.
You generally won't find any fuses in old electronic equipment, and no
protective circuits.
b. Vacuum tube circuits have components and circuitry that
isn't used in solid state equipment.
While the basics of physics regarding voltage, current, resistance,
inductance, and capacitance haven't changed, you'll want to study old
texts that explain the theory of operation of the circuits used. While
developing the skills needed to trouble-shoot and repair vacuum tube
circuits is not difficult, it is very different work from working on
solid state equipment. And, as noted, the presence of genuinely high
voltages for someone used to working with 5 and 12 volts means that you
will need to develop new safe working habits.
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