18 Nov
2002
18 Nov
'02
10:32 p.m.
William Donzelli wrote:
The funny things is some say the best tubes are from the 30's
and the 40's. It is the other things like good transformers and
capacitors and speakers that they did not have then.
Here is a link for the history of hi-fi.
http://www.aloha-audio.com/library/tinyhistory1.html
http://www.aloha-audio.com/library/tinyhistory2.html
Old Tube stuff is still easy to fix compared to the modern
market consumer products like computers. I don't think
in 10 years we will have many of this years products around to
be classic computers.
Not too long
ago I read where someone wrote that it's impossible to
manufacture thermonic valves without a large amount of very expensive
equipment, which is no longer manufactured. Now, I've seen where some
people are experimenting with, and having some success with, making
valves/tubes at home.
The "trick" with making tubes is not so much having proper equipment
(getting a _good_ vacuum pump is not that hard these days), but how the
equipment is used. The critical point of manufacture is the very end of
the assembly process - outgassing the elements, pumping the tube, sealing,
and flashing the getter. These steps are very dependent on each other, and
timing is critical. There is quite a bit of magic at this point, and it
only comes up with years of tube building experience and lots of duds.
With practice, I suppose one could make tubes about as well as the
industry did back in the 1920s.