I have to wait a minute or two for my projector to warm up before it comes on.
BTW here is an article on tube amplifiers for Ipods.
(Re: Tube testers)
Were? I have a portable tube tester. They are still fun (if you have a certain geekoid mindset).
My old Chevy truck had tubes in the radio. Took a while to heat up!
They were still manufacturing hybrid tv’s in the mid 70’s. They used tubes in the vertical and horizontal deflection circuits. Those circuits drew a lot of power and tubes were cheaper. High power transistors were very expensive back then.
I never saw a computer with tubes. They must of been huge.
Of course I have. I’ve done it too, or at least a clock.
The oldest computer I ever dealt with was my dad’s Kaypro. I actually wrote a couple of stories (or started them anyhow) on it. I kinda miss it - I wish my PC folded up like that.
The only sort of display I’ve ever seen on a microwave is the LCD numbers showing the time. I’ve certainly never seen one with a CRT display.
The one that I used filled a large room. It was about as powerful as a programmable calculator is now.
I was the engineer for several commercial radio stations over the years.
You haven’t lived until you’ve warmed your hands up over the tubes of a 1940s vintage RCA 5KW transmitter. Beautiful blue glow that danced with the modulation of the station.
The SAGE computer occupied most of a building. The vacuum tubes were in well-spaced racks that were taller than a person. This allowed air to circulate (and cool the tubes) and let technicians get at the tubes easily and replace them. The system was 100% redundant – there were two identical systems, so that you only shut down the side that was broken in case repairs were needed. They had a small section of this set up in the old Computer Museum in Boston – you could literally walk through it.
You can walk through the racks of the TX-0, too, but it’s nowhere near as nig – there were very few vacuum tubes, since the whole point of TX-0 was to replace the vacuum tubes Whirlwindf had used with solid-state components.
And, for kicks, Whirlwind:
http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/TheCompMusRep/TCMR-V08-P04.jpg
Or a guitar amp.
Or a CD player!
Scroll down to the CD T100 
I’m 35. I’ve only seen vacuum tubes because I collect them. I have a tester as well. I’ve never seen my tubes glow though.
Me too (I’m 40 years old). It was my favorite part of going to the department store, because my mom would boost me up and let me try and match the tube the correct socket port.
You used to see signs in the windows of many stores “RCA Tubes Sold Here” or “Tube Testing.”
Worked at the Argonne National Lab back in the early 60’s, and remember their computer that handled the payroll, Was in a huge room, with lots of cabinets full of vacuum tubes, each cabinet cooled via a big air contitioning duct.
I’ve read that the first real electronic computer, the ENIAC, expected a crash around each five minutes, and the software was written to take that into account.
You young whippersnappers don’t know what fun was had back in those days.
You mean there were actual “shows” on radio, and not just music and people talking at you?
Why yes! Just this past week I saw not one but two Captain Midnight Secret Squadron Decoder badges at an antique store.
Now we know what Bill Gates biological dad did for a living.
My 1960 Chevy’s radio had a bunch of tubes and one big transistor. Guess which part was responsible for it not working?
Heh. I’m such a geek I *own *a Hickok tube tester. 