# What To Do With A Plethora Of Vacuum Tubes? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 5, 2011, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-plethora-of-vacuum-tubes/577330 "2011-04-05T23:17:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-plethora-of-vacuum-tubes/577330/21 "2011-04-06T14:15:51Z")
I have absolutely no idea. But threads like this are why I love this place. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-plethora-of-vacuum-tubes/577330/22 "2011-04-06T14:19:22Z")
FYI, you’ll probably find that vacuum tubes will not the biggest expense when it comes to building an amp. It’s the damn transformers. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-plethora-of-vacuum-tubes/577330/23 "2011-04-06T14:42:49Z")
> [@Hamadryad](#): > > Awwww, **Wordman** , EVERYONE does amps! Yeah - because how many other tube circuits actually interest girls? 😉 I don’t recognize the tubes, but don’t let that limit you; I don’t know jack about tubes. If you get the guitar amp itch, **DocCathode** , there are plenty of sites to both research your tubes (try Lord Valve’s website), or any of the hand-built amp websites… Obligatory youtube link to the \*\*Polecats’ \*\*[Make a Circuit With Me](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEfNjozD1BQ). ---
**Author:** ![AndrewL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AndrewL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewL)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-plethora-of-vacuum-tubes/577330/24 "2011-04-06T15:17:25Z")
It looks like most of what you have are low-power specialty tubes used in old radios and televisions, plus a few power rectifiers. You don’t seem to have any power amplification tubes, which is unsurprising as those tend to be in higher demand and cost a lot more to get. So you won’t be able to build anything high-power like an amp, Telsa coil, plasma globe, or death ray. You could probably build a theremin, if you didn’t need it to be very loud, or a similar audio effects generator. You could almost certainly build an AM/FM radio, although that’s not that interesting of a project IMHO. I’ll keep looking to see what else I can find. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-plethora-of-vacuum-tubes/577330/25 "2011-04-06T16:28:28Z")
How about a stomp pedal of some kind, instead of a full blown amp? Or some kind of calculating machine? Too bad they’re not nixie tubes, or I’d suggest you make an incredibly power-inefficient nameplate for your desk. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-plethora-of-vacuum-tubes/577330/26 "2011-04-06T16:34:17Z")
Sell 'em to antique radio hobbyists. They’ll pay…well, something. I have no idea about their relative rarity, but you know nobody’s making them. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-plethora-of-vacuum-tubes/577330/27 "2011-04-06T17:59:26Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Spoken like someone who never took three quarters of: A riding tractor, a VW Super Beetle, a swingset, and a dinghy, and made a go-kart and hovercraft. Ah, an [autoboatome](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk4Ufr6hdic)! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-plethora-of-vacuum-tubes/577330/28 "2011-04-06T18:10:36Z")
> [@Hamadryad](#): > > … > I don’t know what level of technical expertise you’re working with, but > … When a man named \*\*DocCathode \*\* says he has a plethora of vacuum tubes, you \*know \*he’s got the chops to make something uber cool. I, for one, can hardly wait to read of the completion of the Intermodulating Encabulator Mk I. I only hope the resulting tear in the space-time continuum® doesn’t swallow the Earth before the news reaches me. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-plethora-of-vacuum-tubes/577330/29 "2011-04-06T18:49:10Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Ah, an [autoboatome](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk4Ufr6hdic)! https://www.youtube.com/embed/I7GRQbvKZos?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque More like this. The dinghy was a pair of shredded Zodiacs. How about a mind reading helmet like Ghostbusters? You just need a collander. … aaand you could wire it so it also worked as a clock, the tubes at the hour points lighting up, and minutes on a second inside circle. But that’d probably shred the tubes. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-plethora-of-vacuum-tubes/577330/30 "2011-04-06T21:34:54Z")
If you have any that are non-functioning, you could go for a[Steampunk vacuum tube usb drive](http://www.thesteampunkempire.com/forum/topics/vacuum-tube-usb-drive) ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-plethora-of-vacuum-tubes/577330/31 "2011-04-06T23:24:52Z")
A few things I do have a tube tester. I’m not sure it’s working at the moment though. I know it was working when I bought it and hope it’s a temporary hiccup caused by sunspots or something. None of my tubes are Nixies. I hold Nixie tubes in very high esteem and would have mentioned if I had any. I am NOT expecting to build a brand new tractor out of old car parts. I am expecting to build a go cart or leaf blower or something out of old car parts and a bunch of other junk I’ve been hoarding. Out of the various electronic gurus posting to this thread, **AndrewL** has proven himself the most (at least to me). He’s shown me his quadroped radio control robot, his flashing and twinkling vaseline glass brooch, and diagnosed the problem with my broken television set. According to him, I do have enough to build a theremin. As I have wanted a theremin for twenty odd years or so, this is great news. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-plethora-of-vacuum-tubes/577330/32 "2011-04-07T00:24:03Z")
You know, there exists a wah pedal (I think it’s a wah pedal) that is controlled by a theramin like antenna. Why not build the theramin, but have a switch in it that lets you modulate other things? Like, I dunno, RCA outputs or stereo speakers wire? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-plethora-of-vacuum-tubes/577330/33 "2011-04-07T00:33:31Z")
You need a tube tester tester? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-plethora-of-vacuum-tubes/577330/34 "2011-04-07T01:07:46Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > You need a tube tester tester? 🙂 Kinky. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-plethora-of-vacuum-tubes/577330/35 "2011-04-07T03:18:11Z")
[This](http://www.tnmoc.org/colossus-rebuild.aspx) ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-plethora-of-vacuum-tubes/577330/36 "2011-04-07T03:33:32Z")
I’ll bet the 5DC5 in message 7 is really 50C5. If so, you could build a couple “[All-American Five](http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/funwithtubes/AA5-1.html)” AM radios. It was a wildly popular design as it needed no power transformer as the filaments were all in series. As for the 4BZ6’s - if I still had that TV that ate tuner tubes like so much popcorn, I’d be offering to buy them. I eventually subbed a 6BZ6 - as the filament was under-volted, it ran cooler and lasted longer. ---
**Author:** ![AndrewL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AndrewL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewL)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-plethora-of-vacuum-tubes/577330/37 "2011-04-07T12:53:38Z")
The 5DC5 actually being 50C5 would make sense, I can’t find any record of a 5DC5 tube but the 50C5 tube is a common amplifier part. I can’t find any information on the ‘2AL5’ or ‘JAN CTL 6SD G’ tubes, can you check the part numbers on those again? And I suspect the 12AVG is actually a 12AV6 tube. A theremin is going to need a lot of other parts in addition to the tubes. Tube sockets for one thing. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-plethora-of-vacuum-tubes/577330/38 "2011-04-07T15:10:43Z")
the tubes you have are not rare though they are valuable (that is they should be used by some person for their intended purpose). you have the tubes (message 7) to make the miniature tube variation of the all american five radio. this would be your easiest project with what you have. a theremin uses radio principles. there are many dozens of schematics. it has been a while since looking at that stuff. as i recall there is a lot using earlier tubes or later solid state components. since these tubes aren’t rare i wouldn’t look for something to do based on them, except for the all american five radio. the all american five radio has to be done correctly to not be a lethal shock hazard. your house electrical receptacles have to be correctly polarized and you need to have a polarized plug on the radio with the chassis isolated. this requires knowing principles and correct construction methods for this design. ---
**Author:** ![Molotok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Molotok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Molotok)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-plethora-of-vacuum-tubes/577330/39 "2011-04-07T15:14:45Z")
Didgeridoo? ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-plethora-of-vacuum-tubes/577330/40 "2011-04-07T16:09:10Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > FYI, you’ll probably find that vacuum tubes will not the biggest expense when it comes to building an amp. It’s the damn transformers. This. Tubes alone are not a good basis for a project. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-plethora-of-vacuum-tubes/577330.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-plethora-of-vacuum-tubes/577330.md?page=3)